*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 24, 2021 20:42:50 GMT -5
Parker studied the scars in the firelight, just making out the old puncture wounds. "I'm going to assume all was forgiven if the wizard agreed to teach you a spell," he said, glancing back to Sol's face. "And let you have the three chicks."
(It sucks, I know. Sorry!)
~*~*~
Both Anya and Daniel glanced up at the sound of Seth's voice. If she wasn't trying so hard, Anya might have just burst into tears from the sheer relief she felt. Yet this wasn't something she had ever wanted him to know of. Sure, he knew she'd been acting strange, but she could have played it off as anything else. Now? There would be questions she just couldn't answer.
Daniel's eyes took Seth in from top to bottom. He knew this was the Rider that had accompanied Anya into town. He'd seen him around every now and then, but he hadn't thought much of it. Now, seeing the way he was glaring at him, only had amusement dragging his lips up into a smile. "Ah, yes, and the new bodyguard steps up," He commented. He wasn't an idiot. He would stand no chance against a Rider. However, before he made his leave, he leaned in close to Anya, lips centimeters from her ear. "We'll catch up another time," he whispered. Then stood and walked away.
Anya just stayed there, in a state of shock that left her without an idea of what to do. She still felt him, holding her arm, his breath against her hair. She wanted it gone but couldn't make her body move.
~*~*~
(Yeah, no, both my characters in play are being down right jerks. -_-# So I will try and get a reply for them tomorrow.)
~*~*~
)
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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 24, 2021 21:40:45 GMT -5
( It's fine. xD )
Sol nodded. "Yes. I apologized, and when he knew I meant it he released his death grip, nipped my finger, and flew back to the wizard. He told me I was forgiven, and that Roku had given me his blessing to continue raising his chicks. I tried to argue that, but he would have none of it. He told me to fetch them, took us all back to his home, and taught me everything I hadn't already figured out about raising hawks.
"At some point the conversation turned to more personal things, and eventually magic came up. He told me that though I don't possess magic of my own, I must have had an ancestor who did because my blood has the potential to channel it. So he taught me how. But channeling magic and actually using it are two very different things, and channeling is a lot harder. That's why I only learned the one spell, even though he offered to teach me more. But by the time I'd figured out the one spell another week had gone by. I couldn't stay any longer, so he helped get me back to my ship — me, my dog, and my three new pets."
Sol pulled his sleeve back down and crossed his arms on his bent knees. "So there you have it. The story of how I got my hawks and learned magic."
☆~☆~☆ Seth wanted to hit him. He had felt the urge from the moment he saw the asshole sitting with Anya. Before it had been irrational, something he really had no right to feel. Now it was personal on top of that, and if there wasn't a crowd of people right there, Seth would have dragged the asshole up and taught him a thing or two about respecting women's rights.
Instead, Seth forced himself still, even when the bastard leaned closer to Anya to deliver his parting words. Seth told himself right then that if he ever caught this creep anywhere near Anya again he would hit him, and he would enjoy every damn second of it.
As soon as he was gone, Seth relaxed his fight ready muscles. He took a single step closer to Anya and crouched beside her. He almost reached out to touch her, but puzzle pieces were clicking together in his head. Anya's reactions to the creep. Her fear, her watchfulness all night. Her reluctance to even come to the Festival tonight. And earlier, when Seth's touch made her flinch...
Seth balled his hand into a fist and pressed it against his knee.
"Do you want to go home?" he asked quietly. He didn't ask her if she was okay — she clearly wasn't. He didn't even offer to bring her home himself. It killed him, but he wasn't going to force his presence on her right now. He just hoped one of her brothers could help her where he couldn't.
☆~☆~☆ ( LOL, it's fine. My brain doesn't feel like doing much tonight either. xD )
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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 25, 2021 6:37:26 GMT -5
Parker nodded to that. The story had filled in some gaps he had been wondering about, and gave him a little more insight on Sol. "And bow you have hawls that can track your whereabouts," he said, smiling slightly. "If and when they want to. I just hope they're not too far away to find us."
~•~•~
As Seth crouched down in front of her, Anya raised her head a bit to look at him. She noticed he hadn't made an attempt to get closer, to touch her, and she wasn't sure if she was glad for that fact or not. It hardly mattered. "Yes," was all she could manage. She feared that if she said more, she would start crying.
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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 25, 2021 9:29:05 GMT -5
Sol looked up at the star filled sky. The waning moon was visible too, but it didn't shine nearly as bright as the stars. Sol picked out multiple constellations, and from them he knew where they were. In fact, he had probably sailed past this island dozens of times over the years. At least, he should have. So why didn't he remember it?
That question had his thoughts circling back to earlier, while he was checking the traps. He hadn't told Parker, but the reason he came back empty-handed wasn't because their traps were empty. It was because whatever had been trapped by them had already been eaten — by something with very big teeth and enough intelligence to be truly worrisome.
Remembering that Parker had asked a question — no, not a question, just a statement Sol felt should be addressed — he pulled his thoughts back to the present and turned to Parker. "It shouldn't be long now. Victory doesn't usually stay away for long when I travel along the coast. As for distance..." He looked up again. "We're actually not too far from where we were when the storm hit. Well, not far by ship. The problem isn't the distance, but picking the right direction and sailing that way. And without Victory or Fury, Beckham won't know which is the right direction."
☆~☆~☆ Seth hesitated. He shifted a little closer and angled his body so he was shielding her from the crowd. "Okay. Do... do you want me to take you, or would you rather I get one of your brothers?"
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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 25, 2021 13:32:42 GMT -5
"But they should have the maps, right?" Parker asked. "If they know where the storm hit and backtrack there, then it would just be a matter of figuring out which way the storm was blowing and how the current was running, right?" It was probably something easier said than done, and more possible on land than sea, but he asked the question anyway.
~•~•~
Anya shook her head. No matter her answer, she would be pulling someone away from the party and putting an end to the fun. That's when she felt Corrik's mind brush hers. In her distress, she hadn't even realized she had reached out for him. Now he was there, waiting just outside the town. "C-Corrik's here," she told him. "I don't want to ruin anyone's night, so I'll just go back with him."
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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 25, 2021 17:26:58 GMT -5
He guessed it wouldn't be that simple, but he didn't know it was that complicated. "Oh," Parker muttered. Then, with a little more curiosity, he added, "What do you mean by that? How was it not natural?"
~•~•~
His reasoning for the offer was understandable. After all, Anya was even finding it difficult to keep his gaze longer than a few seconds. However, the thought of him leaving to find a different friend to help her had her shaking her head with a little more vigor. "No," she said quickly. "Don't... Y-you don't have to do that. Just walk with me to Corrik, and I'll be fine, I promise."
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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 25, 2021 19:44:20 GMT -5
"Told the ocean to bring us here?" Parker echoed. He wasn't skeptical, more like trying to figure out the meaning of it. "I know you said you have a connection to the sea, but how could you have controlled it? You said it yourself you don't use magic save for that one spell."
~•~•~
Anya didn't seem to catch the joke he was trying to make. Instead, she just gave a small nod as she was finally able to get her body to move. She stood, began to head towards the direction where her dragon was waiting. The farther they walked, the dimmer the noise of the party became. And the darker the streets got. Her eyes scanned the shadows, as if Daniel was waiting to make good on his parting words. She knew he wasn't there, but she couldn't make herself stop from doing it. Unconsciously, her arms wrapped around herself lightly and she walked as close to Seth as she dared. The whole time, her thoughts were constantly being exchanged with Corrik.
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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 26, 2021 18:19:03 GMT -5
"But doesn't it, like, drain your energy or something?" Parker asked. "Anya was telling me a bit about it before I left. She said the more magic you use, the more of your energy it uses. And as far as I know, you haven't slept since we got here. So either you're really some kind of robot, or it's not magic." He gently bumped his shoulder against Sol's to show he was joking with his comment, though it did worry him a bit. Sol hadn't rested, truly rested, in days. He had to be running on empty by now, or close to it.
~*~*~
Again, she gave a small shake of her head. "I don't know," she replied, and she genuinely didn't know. She wanted nothing more than for him to just take her in his arms and hold her like all the times before, but even the small brush of his thumbs was hard for her to stand. Gentle as it was, she was still plagued with the memories of Daniel's unwanted touch. However, she feared if she let go of Seth's hand, she would lose it. Luckily, they were nearing the outskirts of the town, and she could see the moonlight glimmering off of Corrik's dark scales as they approached.
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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 26, 2021 18:46:31 GMT -5
Sol blinked, considering that. He wasn't an expert on magic, but the lessons the wizard had given were similar to what Parker was saying now. But while he couldn't deny that he was exhausted, physically and mentally, he didn't feel drained. Just... tired. It was only his training and endurance keeping him awake at this point. So maybe it wasn't magic? Or maybe...
He looked toward the ocean. "It's a give and take, like the tide," he said, thinking out loud. "I'm definitely tired, but I was more tired earlier, before I went swimming for our dinner." He glanced back at Parker. "I think the ocean is giving me energy. I just don't know why, or when it started."
☆~☆~☆ Seth didn't respond. He didn't know what to say, was afraid to say the wrong thing. So he just walked quietly beside her, offering what support he could through his presence. When they reached Corrik he looked up at the black dragon and told him, I'm sorry I wasn't there for her.
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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 26, 2021 19:22:41 GMT -5
Now it was Parker's turn to consider the words. While he was not the one who could be making statements about the nature of magic, he had sat in a few lessons with Mast Jan when he didn't have chores to do. Anya might not have been taught magic while at home, that didn't mean she hadn't been prepared for it. "I think it's possible for magic users to use the energy from other things," he said. "I'm not sure, but Anya can use Corrik's energy if she taps into it, and I want to say there have been some who could store energy in inanimate objects to draw from when they need it. Now, don't quote me on that, it's been a while since I sat in Rider lessons, and even then, I kind of tuned out when magic was discussed. So I might even be completely wrong."
~*~*~
Corrik gave the faintest of growls in response, but it was not meant as blame for the man. For he himself hated that he could not have crashed through the town to deal with the man who caused his Rider such distress. You kept her safe. That's all I care about, he replied to Seth alone, walking closer to gently brush the tip of his nose across her cheek.
Anya released Seth's hand as she reached up to place her hands on his scales. She felt her dragon trying to find the bad memories and dispel them from her mind, and it worked to take some of the sting away, but they refused to leave completely. He had grown up with those images, were the first few memories he had ever been able to access when their bond was strengthening. They were not images he wished to entertain in his own mind, much less wanted to allow Anya to hold onto again.
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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 26, 2021 20:08:35 GMT -5
This made Parker laugh a little. "Either that, or you really are a mermaid - sorry, merman - after all," he stated. "Are you sure you know your full heritage?"
~*~*~
If I could, I'd join you and help get rid of the evidence, Corrik replied, but you know as well as I that she would not wish harm on another for her own sake. But it'd make me feel better.
Corrik? Anya asked, feeling that he was shielding part of his mind from her as he spoke to Seth. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but she thought she'd make her voice heard. Don't tell him, please. She knew her dragon would have no problem with stating the facts of what happened years ago with Seth. It was no secret that the dragon had often wanted to hunt Daniel down as he grew, had always been on the lookout for the man who had scarred her. If Seth knew of what happened, she knew he would try and do something. Even worse, she felt that he would look at her differently. The comforting familiarity between them would be tainted with the need to tread lightly. She didn't want to have him question his actions towards her. She didn't want to have the underlying worry with his actions that had become so second nature.
Corrik glanced down at the pleading gaze of his Rider, haunted and tired, and he knew he couldn't defy her wish. I don't think it would hurt, but I will not tell, he promised her, ending his link to Seth so he would not hear.
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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 26, 2021 21:19:06 GMT -5
Parker had been expecting much more resistance for first watch than what was given. Not that he was complaining. He wanted to be of some use, and this was something he was used to. He had pulled all nighters plenty of times watching the sheep during the warm months. Sure, he wasn't in a grassy field with the soft bleating of sheep and cricket song in the background, but it was close enough.
His gaze shifted to a lot of different things. Mostly the stars, since that was his habit. There were a few constellations he thought were familiar, but he knew that the position of the stars changed depending on the part of the world you were. So he couldn't be for certain whether he knew them or not. Then he'd look out towards the beach, watching the moonlight reflect off the waves. Sometimes he'd glance back at the forest behind them, just to be sure there was nothing there. But he'd always find his eyes would always land on Sol. He'd tried not to watch him for more than a few seconds, otherwise his own mind would wander back to the pond and all they had done. About the third or fourth time this happened, he noticed that Sol's eyes were still open. "You don't look like you're sleeping," he commented.
~*~*~
Anya shook her head. "No, it's fine," she told him. "There's no need to bother Stel or have to go through the trouble." The fact that he would even think she wouldn't want him to ride with her made her heart feel heavy. Climbing into the saddle, she settled in and waited for Seth.
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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 26, 2021 22:29:34 GMT -5
Parker nodded and fell silent for a moment. Then asked, "Is there anything I can do to help you sleep?" He was used to helping Anya sleep whenever she couldn't, but she was also his sister. Sol might not appreciate him doing anything of the sorts, but he asked anyway. The worst he could say was no and they would continue the silence.
~*~*~
When Anya climbed down, she had half a mind to just stay there. She didn't feel like returning to her room, so resign to the quietness that would leave her only time to think of things she didn't want to think about. The woman would have been okay with curling up under the protection of Corrik's wing and just hiding until the morning came around. But movement from one of the windows of the house told her that they had been spotted. Her mother, more than likely. Both her parents would have heard the arrival of the dragons, but she knew her mother would have been the one to go check on them. If she didn't go in, then her mother would simply come to her. With a final pat to her dragon's shoulder, she made her way to the house.
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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 26, 2021 23:33:37 GMT -5
( NO IT'S NOT! 🤣 )
He told himself to tell Parker "never mind." Instead, he sat up, leaned over, and kissed him, not unlike how he kissed him by the river.
☆~☆~☆ ( I knew you were going to fangirl over that. Heck, I almost did while writing it. I even asked Seth if he was sure about that, and he just glared at me. xD )
Seth was surprised yet not to see Anya break down upon seeing her mother. She'd been holding it all in since it happened, and he knew from experience that there was no one better than a mother at picking up your broken pieces.
Seth remained by the door, hands in his pockets, watching Anya. "Some guy harassed her," he answered Maria quietly. "While I was still on stage." He didn't say it out loud, but his tone and his eyes told her he was sorry just the same.
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