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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 12, 2021 21:15:18 GMT -5
(Get there faster! XD)
Parker watched him for a moment, but not much more. "You know I do know how to clean a fish," he told him. "In fact, I know how to skin and gut a lot of animals." Mainly, he just wanted something to do. He felt useless just watching Sol take the lead and getting things done. That wasn't how he was raised, and he certainly didn't like someone doing everything for him when he was more than capable of doing those things himself.
~*~*~
"Why not?" Anya asked. Not in a way that seemed criticizing or anything, but she was curious. Seth didn't seem like a stranger to parties, so surely he would have danced plenty of times before, wouldn't he?
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 12, 2021 22:06:56 GMT -5
Parker didn't hesitate. He walked over and knelt on the ground beside Sol. Granted, they didn't have the proper tools for this, but they would make do. He picked up on the the fish he hadn't gotten to yet and got started. It was messy and gross, but it was work he had done since his early teens. The sight of all the gore didn't phase him at all. His hands were steady and each motion precise. He even managed to removed the biggest of the bones without damaging too much of the meat. The process took a little longer than it should have without a proper knife, but in the end, he had managed. He checked to see Sol's progress before reaching for the remaining fish.
~*~*~
Anya understood his point, and really, he was entitled to it. "Then now's a good time to do it, don't you think?" she asked. "Most people don't care to watch other people dance. They're more focused on the beer and their partners. No one's going to care if you're good or not."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Mar 12, 2021 22:25:38 GMT -5
Sol was halfway done the first fish when he let Parker help, and finished it before long. He could have had the second one at least started the second one, but he ended up just watching Parker work. When Parker grabbed the last fish, Sol started lining up the ready stuff on a long, flattish rock that he put as close to the fire as he could without it being in the fire. It was a poor frying pan, but the best they had.
☆~☆~☆ Seth gave her a small smile. "I'm not really worried about being watched." That, at least, he was used to. "But yeah," he added quietly, with one more look around. "Now is as good a time as any." He looked back at her and gave her a real smile this time. He offered her his hand. "So show me what you got, star girl."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Mar 13, 2021 10:48:35 GMT -5
Sol took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As he did, he put aside what was distracting him and focused fully on Parker and his questions. "Nothing, really. It's simply... a beacon, for Victory. That's who it came from. I..." He rubbed his forehead and smiled wryly. "You know how I told you, without a doubt, that one of my hawks would find us?" He nodded to the feather, as if to say That's how. "What I told you before wasn't a lie. The feather isn't... well, it isn't a quick fix. They feel drawn to it, but it's proven easy enough for them to ignore. Especially Fury, which is why I didn't give you her feather. It's also why they haven't found us already. Victory, I'm sure, is looking for me by now. Fury?" He chuckled. "We'd be lucky if she even knew I was missing yet."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Mar 15, 2021 20:18:50 GMT -5
Sol let out a breath. "It's a long story." Even as he said it, he knew that was a flimsy excuse. They had nothing but time. And no doubt Parker's curiosity would burn a hole in his brain if Sol didn't at least give him part of it. So he pushed his hair off his face and shifted into a more comfortable position.
"Five years ago," he began, eyes on the fire, "a huge summer storm blew us off course - way off course. By the time it let us go, we were far in uncharted waters. We sailed, barely, until we found land, an island that seemed to appear out of nowhere. We anchored a ways offshore, but didn't row to shore right away. The island gave off a weird vibe - not bad, but certainly not welcoming either. So I told everyone to wait until morning.
"In the light of day the island seemed a little less ominous. A group of us rowed to shore, and we spent the morning finding and collecting anything and everything we needed to repair the ship and survive until we found our way home. There wasn't much wildlife that we saw, mostly birds of all kinds and the types of animals the raptors among them ate. Most left us alone so long as we left them alone. But one man, Pete - no longer with us - decided he wanted to turn one of the raptors into his pet. Both of his brothers apparently had hawks and falcons, and he wanted one too. He didn't want a young bird, though. He wanted an adult, the biggest one he could find."
Sol paused long enough to add a few more branches to the fire. "Pete found the perfect bird: a large, fierce female who proved her intelligence several times when he tried to capture her. But she wouldn't be caught, not alive, and when he pushed too far... she stopped outsmarting him and went for the kill. And she really did almost kill him. She blinded him, and tore open his throat. She wasn't going to stop until he was dead, so..." He pulled in a deep breath, eyes on the crackling flames. "I shot her. I didn't want to, but I couldn't just sit there and watch a member of my crew die, even if the idiot had it coming. The island felt ominous again after that, so we shoved off as quickly as we could. I wanted to leave that night, but the ship had too much damage from the storm. We wouldn't have gotten far. So we stayed, intending to repair her the next day and leave the following night." He tipped his head, a dark look crossing his face. "The island had other plans.
"That night, well after everyone had gone to bed, Apollo woke up suddenly, agitated and restless. He stopped listening to me, and snapped at Artemis anytime she went near him. He started trying to get out of my cabin, and eventually I let him out, because I was worried he would hurt himself if I didn't." Here he paused, gaze straying to the ocean. "He bolted out of there like it was on fire and launched himself off the ship and into the sea."
He paused again to flip the fish, which was almost done, his gaze distant as he recalled the memory. "Beckham wanted to send a whole landing party ashore after him, but I wasn't letting anyone else step foot on that island. Whatever it was that caused Apollo to act like that, I wasn't going to risk it spreading to anyone else. So I went alone, to Artemis and Beckham's dismay. I didn't even use a rowboat. I swam, just like Apollo did. He was long gone by the time I got to shore, but he'd left an easy trail to follow. So I did."
His attention shifted again, lifting upward to the sky. "I lost the trail within an hour, although "lost" isn't really the right word. The trail just... vanished. There one minute, gone the next. And in the minute after that, I found myself back at the beach, right where I'd started. Only I didn't realize right away that it was the same place, because I could no longer see the ship. Like Apollo's trail, it was just gone. I tried circling the island in an effort to find it, but realized that that would take too long. So I focused on finding Apollo first. Once I knew he was safe, I would worry about getting us off the island.
"I don't know how long I looked. Time moved differently on that island, or maybe it just had a strange effect on me that made time meaningless. Either way, it felt like days." He looked down, at his hands clasped loosely between his upraised knees. "I'm not sure how I found them. Maybe it was chance, or maybe the island led me to them. I had been sleeping in trees, because it was safer than the ground. I was always careful to find empty ones. I couldn't afford to be hurt or blinded like Pete by some territorial raptor. But the tree I found on my third night ended up being less empty than it originally appeared."
Here he stopped. The fish were ready, so he grabbed a larger stick so he could pull the rock skillet away from the heat of the fire. The sand crystalized beneath the rocks heat as he moved it to a spot between and behind them, where they could both reach it once it cooled enough to eat.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 16, 2021 20:18:50 GMT -5
Parker listened in silence, not wanting to interrupt. Sol didn't talk a lot, at least, he had never heard him say this much before. Last time he could think of was when he had asked the captain about his father. So he waited, taking in all the details and saving his questions for last. A few might even be answered later in the story. Truth be told, the tale was making him feel a little uneasy about the island they were on now, but he shook off the feeling and the urge to glance around them. It was only his reaction to the ghost story quality of explanation. Nothing more. He waited as Sol pulled the fish from the fire, leaving it in a place to cool, and only when he didn't pick up the story again right away did he asked, "What was there?" he asked.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Mar 16, 2021 22:43:05 GMT -5
Sol chuckled. He tested the fish - still hot, but tolerable - and nodded his head to invite Parker to start eating as he answered. "Victory, Fury, and their brother, Zeus. That's what was in the tree with me." He wiped his hands together slowly, brushing off the sand that hand found its way there. He was looking at the fire again. "Turned out, that hawk I killed earlier wasn't being mean for mean's sake. She was protecting her nest. I found it high up in the tree, three eggs nestled inside. I didn't put the pieces together until the next morning, when no parent returned to the nest. Not that night, or at all the next day. That was when I knew.
"I didn't intent to become their parent. After I found the nest I left, because I didn't want to intrude. But during all my wanderings that day, my mind, and then my feet, kept circling back to that tree. So I eventually gave in and watched it from a distance for a while, and when no parents came to take care of them..." He sighed. "That was when I knew without a doubt I'd killed their mother. I guess something happened to the father earlier, because he wasn't around either."
His fingers tapped out a rhythm on his biceps. "I still didn't want the responsibility of three unborn chicks, even if the guilty part of me felt obligated to do something. But just because I felt guilty didn't mean I automatically knew how to raise hawks, or birds of any kind for that matter. So, I tried to leave again. Finding Apollo was my goal, not taking care of orphaned hawks. I walked another big circle, and ended up right back at the tree again. This time, I knew the island had something to do with it. I was getting weak from dehydration and lack of proper food or sleep, but I wasn't that weak. I could still walk a straight line and navigate fine. Yet there I was."
He fell silent for a moment, lost in the memory. "I tried twice more to leave, to look for Apollo. The first was an honest attempt to leave; the second was to test a theory. The theory proved right. I wasn't leaving that area until the island said so." He ran a hand through his hair. "It was frustrating, to say the least, but in the end I made the most of it. I focused a little more on me, if only to regain my strength. I found a spring, made traps, ate a proper meal, and slept as much as I could. I told myself not to, but I continued using the tree as my bed. I ignored the eggs as much as I could, until...
His quiet tone brightened a little, a faint smile forming. "They hatched. At least, two of them did. Fury and Zeus, though they didn't get their names for a good while. Victory hatched two days later." He crossed his arms on his bent knees and turned his gaze to Parker. There was amusement, at his own expense, dancing in his eyes. "That was when I stopped fighting what part of me knew was inevitable all along. I still had no idea what I was doing, but doing everything else had gotten me nowhere, so. I became a parent. To three hawks. Worst parenting experience of my life. I won't bore you with the details, but hey. Now you know how I really ended up with Fury and Victory.
"It's also how I got Apollo back." He smirked. "And how I figured out it hadn't been the island messing with me the whole time, but a magician with a twisted sense of humor." And there he stopped again, so he could eat... and leave Parker in suspense a little longer.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 17, 2021 15:21:45 GMT -5
It was kind of funny, knowing how he came to have the hawks. It would also explain why the two females are close enough to Sol to follow him along the coastline. If he was the first thing that they saw when they hatched, then they most likely imprinted on him. He was just about to ay as much when he mentioned the magician. "Well, you can't just end it there. What of the magician?" he asked.
~*~*~
Five songs were performed by three different people before Anya lead Seth back to the table that had claimed earlier. She was more than a little out of breath, so she figured now was a good a time as any to take a break. "See, you're not that bad of a dancer," she told Seth once they had left the crowd.
~*~*~
Kyra watched the whole scene play out on the sidelines. This was not her place to get involve. Not to mention she didn't really care that much about Callum to really care one way or the other how he was doing. Her eyes scanned the gathered, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle before Sebastian stormed through the onlookers, demanding for details. Her conclusions were only half right since she didn't know the full story, but that didn't bother her.
By the end of the interrogation, things still hadn't been fully settled, but that didn't stop the Sebastian from clearing the area and herded the people in question to their respective places. Until eventually, only she and Morgan remained. A silence fell heavy among them. It was clear Morgan was at a loss of what to do. Follow Sebastian or comfort the Veras. When he didn't move after several minutes, she stepped forward. "Would it be too much to suggest you go get some sleep?" she asked.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Mar 17, 2021 19:56:55 GMT -5
Sol chuckled and focused on his own food for a few minutes. He made it look like he was eating more than he did, so Parker wouldn't noticed he was letting Parker eat more than half. Parker needed it more than he did, but he knew Parker wouldn't willingly eat more.
☆~☆~☆ ( It is?!? *face palm* How did I miss that? xD )
Seth shrugged and picked up his beer. "I told you I knew what I was doing." And he did, though he was still a far cry from professional. He knew just enough to get by and not look like an idiot while he was at it. But dancing was like his art: he didn't like showing it off to just anybody.
☆~☆~☆ For a moment Morgan thought she meant twenty minutes ago, when this ruckus started. Then his distracted mind caught up with the hidden meaning. He sighed. "I said I had to, because..." Gods, he didn't even know why anymore. That was a lie, he did know, but it suddenly seemed stupid because all it had done was drive a wedge between them. He shook his head. "Never mind. I need to make sure Callum is all right. And figure out what really happened with him and Andy." He hesitated before adding, "I know you don't like Callum, but you can come... if you want."
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 17, 2021 21:41:26 GMT -5
Parker let him eat for a minute before his curiosity got the better of him. "So what was the magician doing on the island?" He asked. He still finished his food, picking at it carefully. It wasn't the best, but after all the... excitement of the day had left him hungrier than he thought he'd be.
~•~•~
(Because I added it the same time you posted your reply. XD)
"Sure you did," Anya said plopping down on the bench. She picked hump her bottle and noticed it was empty, so she set it back down. She probably didn't need any more anyway. "So, does this mean you're enjoying yourself so far?"
(Do we want her to have a small run in with her ex now? And then have a bigger run in later that will give Seth a chance to beat his ass?)
~•~•~
For a moment, she thought he was going to bring up his stance once more. She would have let him, knowing that it still didn't mean he could join her at night the way they had been. But like him she didn't say it. "I don't think he'd like me there in the interrogation," Kyra claimed. Then smirked. "Which is exactly why I'll tag along. Lead the way."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Mar 18, 2021 1:55:25 GMT -5
Sol laughed, but pushed the rock, and what was left of their dinner, closer to Parker. He wiped his hands and looked at the fire again, his smile lingering even as he went back into story mode.
( Will write the story itself tomorrow. I'm half asleep over here. Sorry! xD )
☆~☆~☆ ( What timing. xD Also: "hump her bottle." I laughed so hard. 🤣 )
"Yeah, I am." Seth offered her his drink when he saw hers was empty. He wasn't going to drink it, might as well let her. "Are you?" She was more relaxed now than before, but she still seemed a little on edge.
( We can, yeah. Then the ex can, like, size Seth up and decide it would be best to wait until he's not around to really "reacquaint" himself with Anya. )
☆~☆~☆ Morgan couldn't help smiling a little at that. "I don't think he's getting interrogated just yet, but I guess your argument still stands. Come on, then. Let's before we miss all the fun." Morgan was willing to bet money that Callum was the worst patient ever.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Mar 19, 2021 2:36:29 GMT -5
( Uuuugghhh... Brain. Not. Cooperating. I know how the story goes, but no words are coming for some reason. I'll try again tomorrow. xP )
☆~☆~☆ ( It's hilarious. I love your phone. 🤣 )
Seth smiled. "Good." He wanted to ask her what was bothering her earlier, but didn't want to ruin her good mood now that she was in one.
( Okie dokie! So I guess I should send him to the stage now? ;D )
☆~☆~☆ Morgan stayed quiet as they walked, trying to work out the puzzle that was Callum Vera in his head. Every time Morgan thought he was really getting to know Callum, the jerk pulled a stunt like this and Morgan was back at square one.
The healer's tent was quiet, most of the patients asleep despite the little scene the Veras were causing. Even before Morgan reached them, he could see that they were arguing. They were keeping their voices down, so Morgan was about halfway there before he heard what they were saying.
"— such an idiot!" Cami whisper-shouted.
Cresseida placed a calming hand on her arm. "Callum, really," she said wearily. "Please stop being stubborn."
"Stubborn" seemed like an understatement to Morgan. He was sitting on a cot, but his feet remained planted on the ground, and it looked like he hadn't received any treatment. At first that annoyed Morgan, until it clicked: it wasn't that no one had come to see to Callum. Callum was refusing treatment.
Cami was right: Callum was an idiot.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Mar 19, 2021 7:33:33 GMT -5
(Lol, it's fine. If nothing else, you can just summarize it and post the rest on Discord whenever you get it done. XD)
~*~*~
(Yeah, you find it funny. XD
And I got'cha covered. )
Before either of them had a chance to say more, Felix walked over, a woman, which Anya knew to be his girlfriend, Sarah, following behind him. "Hey, Seth," he called as they pair neared. "You ready to go onto the stage? Ryner's calling for you."
~*~*~
The scene in the tent didn't surprise Kyra one bit. She knew little of Callum, but what she did know was that he was a stubborn man, even if it was for his own good. He claimed he wanted to keep his abilities a secret, yet here he about to expose the fact that his wounds would heal on their own. (I think that's right. If it's not, I'll take that out.) And what of the attacks? Really, it was like he was trying to show off. However, she kept all those opinions to herself as they neared. There would be time to point out his hypocrisy later.
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