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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 4:25 pm
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Kiro chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't let her hurt you," he reassured Joshua. His smile only widened when Tianara turned a narrow gaze on him. "Relax, dear. I'm not as badly off as I let the doctors think." He turned his attention back to Joshua and the others. "But since Tia will probably get angry if we continue on that tack, I'll move on. Why were you coming in the first place?" He glanced from Aria to Allen to Mac and back to Joshua. "I know a few of you. The town oddballs," he said with a sleepy smile. "Of course, they're immensely proud of all of you."
Tianara whacked him lightly on the arm, which only made him laugh. "Anyway," he continued mildly, "you were looking for me. Not me specifically, but my magical signature. Mine and those of the others. Why?"
Despite Tianara's uncomfortable look, she didn't seem to plan on expressly forbidding anyone to tell him. Neither, however, did she seem to want to tell him herself.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 4:42 pm
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Shadow Hunter, Silent Hunter The forest is yours alone Night Hunter, Quiet Hunter None disturb your hunt
Joshua nodded sheepishly at the 'town oddballs' comment. He looked surprised though, at the thought that the townsfolk could have been proud. It hadn't really crossed his mind as he was often busy with this or that.
He glanced at Tianara, then to the others. No one seemed willing to tell Kiro. Sighing, he figured that it seemed to have fallen to himself this time. "Um....I suppose the you could say we were looking for assistance. There's been word of a war brewing on the horizon. A war of humans and merfolk." He made a face at the thought. "Much as I'd like to avoid fighting, we still have to prepare for worst case scenario. It things turn out well, we're simply paranoid. If things don't turn out so well, we're prepared." Sighing, he paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts. "What we're doing is searching out the humans who are willing to help us in this war. Or at least willing to stay neutral. We figured that the ocean children would be the best place to start, then branch out from there. The ocean children themselves we're hoping for plus they might know who else we should talk to."
Beneath the Blood moon The forest you watch Beneath the Blood sky The forest you hunt
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 8:13 pm
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Kiro's face grew quiet and sombre. "I thought that might be it," he said quietly. "I'd been hearing rumors. They were...unsettling, to say the least of it. What happened to me..." He hesitated, shrugged. "It wasn't overtly because of the tension that's growing, but I think it's fair to say that it wouldn't have happened if that tension wasn't there."
Tianara turned confused eyes to him. "Are you saying that they know? About you and Rhi...the others?"
Kiro smiled painfully. "If you mean do they know the story, the history, and precisely what we are, no. But they have ears, dear one, and eyes, just like we do. They can see that you and I - and the others - are different." He shook his head a little, but winced almost immediately. "Ah. Ow. Don't let me do that again." A brief smile crossed his face. "I'm afraid I don't have a particularly large social network, but you might try Miriam and Kallie, down at the marine life centre - they know or guess a lot more than they talk about. There's always Syb - Sybil - of course." His eyes softened when he spoke of her. "My fiancée. I'm sure that given time, I can think of others."
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:12 pm
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:20 pm
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:55 am
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:08 am
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Kiro sighed and closed his eyes again. "Tia," he mumbled, as whatever painkillers the doctors had given him began to kick in, "tell Syb. Tell her not to worry. Tell her what you've told me. It'll be okay." He was silent for a long moment, then nodded once. "Okay."
Tianara smiled a little at him, lifted his hand and brushed her lips across the knuckles lightly. When she put it down again, she turned her eyes to Joshua and the others. "There are two more in this town," she said clearly. "Just two. We have to find them, Joshua. Things are getting started, and we can't be left behind."
She rose. There was a brief glance back towards her brother, a look of regret, but it shifted to calm patience. She knew that she was doing what she had to.
Turning her gaze to the others, she repeated, "Things are getting started. We'd better get moving."
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:14 am
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:22 am
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Tianara had to focus harder to find the next one. Her mind kept jumping back to the brother she was leaving in the hospital. But he'd be fine now. He'd told her what he had to tell her, and they had others to warn. Because, yes, the attack on Kiro might have been the beginning. It was a warning now, as much as a request for help.
After a few minutes, the usual light in her eyes faded out, and she was back in the trancelike state that was becoming common to her. "This way," she murmured, her voice growing cool and blank. She went down the stairs without another look. But then, why would she look back? It wasn't her anymore.
She led them out of the hospital and started on her way, never looking to see if they followed.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:27 am
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:50 pm
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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 7:45 am
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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:20 am
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Abruptly, Tianara halted in the middle of the trail that led out to the woods. Turning sharply, she went off through the forest. Although there was no trail, she walked as if there was one. Maybe, in her mind's eye, there was. She moved with total confidence across sharp stones and exposed roots alike, never stumbling. At last, she broke out into a small clearing, where a woman waited.
A tumble of heavy red hair fell around her face, and cool grey eyes examined Tianara and the rest of the group. "I heard you calling," she said softly, that same musical accent they had heard so often making itself obvious immediately. "And I came. You can wake up now."
Tianara shook her head slightly, and when she looked up at the woman sitting on the upturned, flat-topped rock, her eyes were clear. "Do you already know, then?"
"I've already sent them away," said the woman clearly. "My two youngest. The older three want to stay. I don't know what you want of us yet, but my three eldest children want to help us." She smiled, gestured. "Why doesn't one of you tell me why we're out here, instead of at the campsite with the rest of my family?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 4:35 pm
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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 5:17 pm
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