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Post by Silver on Mar 28, 2020 22:11:40 GMT -6
It was one of those quiet, peaceful days where everything seemed to be moving slightly slower than usual. Few people were in a hurry and the weather was nice enough to spend some time outdoors for the first time this season. Considering the nice day, Silver decided to put a hold on their normal routine and get to something they had been putting off for a while. They went to the floral home where their Harachiu friends lived and invited Kokori and Narsus out to the park with them. After all that had happened, they were getting to know them all over again. All they could do was be thankful that Kokori was willing to spend time with them, even though it hurt to be confronted with just how much they had forgotten. Kokori had been telling them stories about her life and her children's lives as they wandered through the park going nowhere in particular. Later they might sit down to lunch or go bird watching or something, but for now they were just nodding along to all of her stories and asking far too many clarifying questions. Silver felt like they were really getting to know some of the young ones through the little anecdotes she told about them. It was a nice feeling. They thought that this must be what a grandparent who lived far away might feel like, listening to stories of their growing grandchildren. "Hey, speaking of... where is Narsus?" Silver asked, realizing that the Terrain was no longer flying just behind them like he had been. They looked all around to see if they could spot him, but he anywhere nearby. Kokori shrugged but didn't seem at all surprised by the question. Narsus was just like that sometimes. He didn't always talk about what he was doing before going off and doing it, and after living with him for so long, Kokori didn't find it the least bit strange anymore. "Dunno," she admitted. "He'll be back soon, probably. I wouldn't worry about it." [96.65 - 16.3]
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Post by Linyü on Mar 28, 2020 22:33:31 GMT -6
Rei had elected to come with San when he left this morning to start his rounds for his courier job. Maybe it was just that she had gotten tired of being cooped up in the house. He had told her that she could go out if she wanted to, if she was careful, but if she had done it, he didn't know about it. He was still a little wary about taking her with him, but she had insisted. "It's safe," she said. He wanted to ask her how she knew, but he didn't know if she would explain. And in a sense, she had the right of it; nothing had happened. Even Roku, who knew the most about the Watchful Ones out of all of them, didn't seem concerned, and San thought that if they had been followed, Roku would have some inkling of it, at least. It was an uneventful trip, starting early in the morning when the sun had barely risen and there was still a chill in the air. Rei began the trip tucked into the basket on the front of the bike, crouched down and out of sight, but as the morning went on, at some point she had stood up, watching the scenery go by. By the time he had realized, it was too late. But no one seemed to notice, or to care. No one stopped them. And any time San made a stop, Rei would duck down until he was finished dropping off the package and the bike had started moving again. Eventually they stopped for lunch in a park at the heart of town. San leaned the bike against the side of a bench, not bothering with the rusty kickstand, and fished out a sandwich from his pack. Rei settled beside him with a cherry tomato, and San wordlessly passed her individual sesame seeds from his bread. The feeling of apprehension that had dogged him from the start of the day felt as though it was finally dissipating. It was a public place, so he couldn't completely relax, but this part of the park was fairly empty, close to the middle of a trail. Feeling the sun on his skin, San breathed in the spring-scented air and tried to remember how it felt to not... think about anything. And then he saw Rei tense up, and snapped back to alertness all at once. He glanced at her, waiting for her to cue him into what had gotten her attention, but she wasn't looking at him. She was staring wide-eyed at something further down the path. San followed the line of her gaze, then frowned slightly at what he saw: a human-sized figure, with another, smaller figure flying alongside. One that, from a distance, he might have mistaken for Rei if he wasn't careful. They were headed this way.
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Post by Silver on Mar 28, 2020 23:10:21 GMT -6
Had this path always been this long? Silver looked around again and frowned a bit. They were becoming increasingly concerned about their missing Hara. Where could he possibly have gone? They had completely tuned Kokori out which she realized as she was asking them a question.
"Hey!" she shouted, flying closer to their ears. "Are you even listening to me?" She gave them a mixed look that was somewhere between 'I can't believe you did that' and 'I should have expected as much.'
Silver blushed slightly. They really didn't mean to ignore her, but they had trouble focusing when they were anxious about something like that. It felt especially bad to realize that they were ignoring her again while also trying to make it up to her for being away for so long. "I'm sorry, I'm just... worried."
"I told you not to worry," Kokori said. She rolled her eyes. "Narsus is fine, he's not a little baby, he can take care of herself." There was a bit of venom in that statement, almost as though it wasn't Narsus she was talking about. Either way, she quickly changed the subject.
"I was hoping that you would help me teach some tricks to Reluisez soon. He's been driving me crazy! I think he needs something to do, you know?" Kokori wasn't actually that interested in teaching the mischievous dragon anything, but she knew that the topic would get Silver's attention again. There wasn't much in the world that they liked more than teaching weird little animals how to do tricks.
"Oh? Like what? Did you have any plans.. I could help with?" Silver tried to focus on the conversation, but in addition to their previous concern, they were now feeling a familiar uncomfortable buzz. There was magical energy nearby and they were on high alert. As soon as they realized that the mystery of the missing Hara and the weird feeling might be connected, they really started to worry. Their tail started to twitch unnaturally and their long ears pressed against the side of their head.
"Oh look," Kokori pointed down the path and said, "I think there's someone over there. You might want to relax a bit or they'll really think you're strange." She wasn't about to say it, but she figured that they would think Silver was strange no matter what they did. She really just wanted to trick them into not freaking out.
[96.85 - 16.4]
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Post by Linyü on Mar 28, 2020 23:30:53 GMT -6
Thoughts flitted through San's mind--- how strange it was here, where non-humans were so common; how he had never seen anything like another one of Rei's kind before--- but he pushed them all aside instinctively. His expression didn't change, but there was a subtle tension to the way he held himself now, and he had to check himself against reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. What could he use? He could throw the bike if he needed to, or use it to block something if he could see it in time, but that would mean they would have to flee on foot, if it came to that. Where was the closest crowd? How far were they from home? He might not have wound up so quickly if Rei hadn't seemed so unsettled herself, or if the figures hadn't stopped, as if they had noticed and were deliberately trying to keep their distance. Most of the time, the latter would have been a good thing, probably. But these two things in combination felt wrong. Before he could say anything, however, Rei stood up. Before he could react, she had darted off in their direction. "Rei," he hissed, but she wasn't listening. Mentally cursing the situation, he got up and ran after her. She stopped a little short of where the strangers were, as if suddenly unsure as to what she should do now that she had arrived. San stepped in, breathing heavy as if the run had taken a lot out of him--- and though it hadn't, not exactly, he disliked how little he had to pretend now. "Hi, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over her... Do you know them?" he asked Rei. She didn't answer. She was staring at the other fae-girl, a slight furrow between her brows. Even San didn't know how to read that particular expression, so he turned his attention back to the... the man? The woman? The one with fox ears. He would watch how they reacted, and take his cues from that.
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Post by Silver on Mar 31, 2020 5:54:08 GMT -6
This situation was just determined to get more and more worrisome. In addition to not knowing where one of their companions was and the strange feeling they couldn't ignore, now there was a person coming their way, and they were not very good with people. At first they didn't even notice the Harachiu bolting in their direction, their attention was too fixed on the young man that followed her. As he approached, the weirdness got more and more intense. They had magic on them!
If they weren't already anxious, they certainly would be now. Their off colored eyes looked almost too big for their head. One breath at a time they tried to still their nerves and get the incessant hum of their thoughts back in order. They had to keep it together, for Kokori if nothing else. They had to protect her, which would be impossible if they lost control. She shot a worried glance their way, but she was far too fixated on that Harachiu that Silver had missed.
"Why hello there," she said, addressing Rei before she looked up at the guy who was with her. Silver might be freaking out, but she rather liked meeting new people, especially when they were (literally) her size.
Silver lightly shook their head, sending a handful of little sparkles flying off into the breeze. They looked like a deer in headlights, but they most certainly didn't look threatening. At least not in the usual sense. Their face turned up into a soft, confused smile and they finally spoke. "It's alright," they said, looking down at the Harachiu then back up to her human companion. It was all they could manage to say, but it was something.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Kokori never was one for subtlety.
[98.15 - 16.6]
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Post by Linyü on Mar 31, 2020 10:39:08 GMT -6
San might have been a foreigner here, but he knew the look on the fox-eared stranger's face. And upon closer inspection, he also knew the strange radiance about them. The realization made him freeze briefly himself; the combination of the stranger's heady fear and the power he instinctively associated with an elemental made for a bizarre combination.
San had been careful not to present a threat, and Rei... Even if she wanted to, she couldn't have hurt anyone of San's size. That left two possibilities: an irrational source of the fear; or the possibility that they knew. San's own signs were subtle, and didn't always manifest, but he couldn't sense if his eyes had taken on a strange hue.
They needed to leave.
"Oh! I'm sorry, we really didn't mean to--- We were just--- We'll be going now. Come on, we're making them uncomfortable," he said to Rei. The only good thing about the stranger's reaction was that it gave them an easy out. He smiled apologetically at the stranger, and then at the other fae, and---
"Mama?"
Her voice was soft, barely more than a whisper. San only heard it because he'd been listening for years. Rei was always quiet when she spoke, but more than ever, there was an uncertain quality to her voice, as though she almost didn't dare say the word aloud.
San stopped, turning to look at her. Her gaze was still fixed on the other fae, the one with the brightly colored wings. At a glance, there did seem to be some resemblance, beyond the superficial one of size: pale skin, pale hair, the shape and translucence of the wings. But he had never seen another one of Rei's kind before, and didn't know how common any of these things were.
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Post by Silver on Apr 4, 2020 5:11:19 GMT -6
"Ah, no, it's alright..." Silver said, trying to convince themselves as much as they were trying to convince him. The guy was right, of course, that he was making Silver uncomfortable, but they didn't want to make it into a big deal. For some reason they could never explain, they'd much rather be uncomfortable than risk offending a complete stranger. As much as they hoped that he would take himself up on his offer to leave, they were equally curious about him. He felt like magic and he had with him a very unique Harachiu, neither of those were common traits, even around here.
"Yea you'll really have to ignore them, they're just..." Kokori didn't get to finish her sentence before the other Harachiu finally came up with something to say. She stopped everything else she was doing and fixed her eyes on Rei's face. Her response to that particular word was very automatic; it was as much her identity as her own name was. She had heard it countless times over the years, but never in this voice. Her brain tried to reconcile the stranger and the familiar phrase all at once, causing her to freeze up.
"S-sorry, but... who are you?"
[98.7 - 16.6]
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Post by Linyü on Apr 4, 2020 22:20:09 GMT -6
Rei could be hard to read sometimes, even for San, even after knowing her all these years. She emoted more now than she had when he had first met her, a great deal more, but she was still relatively subdued. But the brief flash of disappointment across her features at the other fae's words was painfully clear, and now San wondered whether they ought to stay after all, whether that would do anything to ease the blow of it.
For whatever reason--- embarrassment, pride, force of habit from training--- Rei's expression returned to its usual dispassionate state, only a little more subdued than what San was used to. San saw her take a deep breath, as though steeling herself for something.
"Do you want me to talk to them?" he said quietly.
Rei shook her head. "You don't know," she replied.
San subsided at her words, letting the slightly anxious energy drain from the way he held himself. After what she had said, even San knew that they owed these strangers at least a cursory explanation, and if she wanted to speak, then he would give her the room to do it. If she had asked him, with or without words, to fabricate something in her stead, he would have done it, but she hadn't.
"I'm sorry," she said, after a moment. "My mother... I haven't seen her in a long time." Between the lines, San could guess at some of the rest. He did know that this was the city she had come from, before whatever circumstances had brought her to Xinzhou's border; he also knew that too much had happened since then.
San didn't mention any of this; it wasn't his story to tell. But he did ask a question that had been on his mind for some time. "Are... Are there many of you, here?" he said to the other fae. And then, more animatedly, he said, "Oh, where are my manners--- I'm Linyü. I haven't lived here very long, you see, and where I came from there isn't anyone who, er... looks like either of you."
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Post by Silver on Apr 4, 2020 23:46:36 GMT -6
Kokori's face went from apprehensive confusion to deep sadness all in a matter of seconds. The thought of a child without a mother tugged at her heartstrings, and the fact that she apparently thought Kokori might be that mother was just an extra hit to her already weary heart. The faces of her own babies flashed through her mind and the idea of them growing up without her was enough to almost make her cry. Crying in front of a stranger was definitely too weird for her, though, so she managed to pull it together. "I'm so sorry little one," Kokori said in her softer, more gentle 'mum voice'. She lifted her hand as if she was going to reach out and touch Rei, but it settled back down to her sides. As much as this seemed like a hug moment, it probably wasn't appropriate. The soft sound of buzzing wings revealed another Harachiu just before he came into view. He landed softly next to Kokori who was easy to spot with her bright pink wings. As he assessed the situation, his demeanor shifted from happy to concerned. Who was this girl, where did she come from, and what was with that guy over there? He pulled the flower he had been carrying closer to his chest and watched the situation carefully. He wasn't really sure what to say, so he just took a step closer to Kokori in case he needed to comfort her. "Many... of me?" Kokori asked. She glanced over at Narsus, calmed slightly by the fact that he was there with her. It was funny that he had arrived just in time for that question, but she didn't comment on it. "Ah, right, I'm Kokori, this is Narsus, and Silver," she pointed at the respective people as she introduced them, for a moment distracted from the preceding question. Narsus took one hand off his flower to give a little wave. "Do you mean Harachiu?" Silver finally said something. They had been hanging back a little to give Kokori space to speak for herself, but they felt like they might have something useful to add here. He had known Kokori and another Harachiu since they were born. [99.2 - 16.7, 15.1]
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Post by Linyü on Apr 25, 2020 21:27:50 GMT -6
Rei took a step back as Kokori reached out, ears flattening. San took an involuntary step forward, but the arrival of yet another fae distracted him for long enough for Rei to shake her head again. He didn't know whether the motion was a warning to him, or if she was simply refuting Kokori's apology.
But as she watched the newcomer, something in her expression shifted, and she drew back a little more, her hands coming up to grip at her arms, as though shielding herself from the cold.
As the introductions went around, San wondered whether he ought to say something more. They never did decide on an alias for Rei. It was an oversight on their part, one that he regretted deeply now. But before he could say anything, Rei spoke first. "I'm Echo," she said.
There was something about the way she said it--- the lack of hesitation, perhaps--- that gave San pause. But they still had an audience, and any questions he had for her would have to wait until later. Instead, he answered Silver's question with a sheepish smile. "Is that... Is that what they are? We don't... I didn't know." That much, at least, was true. He didn't know much of anything about Rei's kind. "Do you know a lot about them? I'd like to learn. I've known Echo a while, but I've never seen another--- another Harachiu before."
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Post by Silver on May 6, 2020 6:16:06 GMT -6
It made Kokori sad to see the little one's stiff reaction. She took a shallow breath and a step back to avoid showing too much emotion. Even though she wasn't usually affectionate (and she knew it wouldn't be welcome), she couldn't help the feeling that she should comfort the stranger. Narsus gently placed his hand on her back, but she wasn't expecting it and she involuntarily flinched. When she turned her head and realized who it was, she let out a little 'hah' sound like she was laughing at herself for being jumpy.
All of their attention snapped back to the tall(er) stranger when he admitted that he didn't know what a Harachiu was. How did he end up traveling with one if he didn't know what they were? Kokori looked suspicious, Narsus didn't seem to care, and Silver was trying to remember how they learned the word in the first place. That was all such a long time ago, after all. There was a little flower, then a baby... flower? Trying to dig up the memory made them uncomfortable so they gently shook their head and focused on the conversation instead.
"Ah, yea, I suppose, I've been with Kokori here and her sister since before they were babies," Silver said. Could they remember the answer to all of his questions? They weren't sure, but they were willing to give it a try.
"You can ask me, too," Kokori offered. If anyone knew anything about her species, it had to be her, right? Though she had to admit she didn't remember all that stuff about before she was a baby or where she came from other than what Silver had told her. How could she? Between the two of them, they must know something that Linyü and Echo would find enlightening.
[103.5 - 16.8, 15.2]
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Post by Linyü on May 24, 2020 20:00:33 GMT -6
San glanced at Rei. He was the one who had professed wanting more information, but it had been her decision to approach these strangers, and he wanted to give her room to ask them about whatever was on her mind, if that was what she wanted. But the pall that her realization had cast over her still lingered, and he could see that she was withdrawing, so he took it upon himself to redirect their attention, to give her room to breathe. It was an old role and a familiar one, though it felt odd to be doing it with strangers; and it had been some time since Rei had last had an episode like that.
"Where do... No, I guess Harachiu are native to this place, aren't they?" San frowned slightly, as though he were trying to remember something. Part of the rub was in finding a question that wouldn't be too tactless to ask. San really did want answers, but he doubted he could ask about, say, the prevalence of Harachiu... trafficking... without giving too much away. "Are there a lot of Harachiu here? And is it normal for you to live with--- I mean, with, um..." He motioned to himself, and then to Silver.
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Post by Silver on May 26, 2020 18:27:29 GMT -6
Narsus silently watched the young Harachiu while everyone else was talking. She had gone quiet and stiff. He knew what that was like, being rather shy himself. He wanted to reach out to her, give her a fatherly hug and tell her it would all be okay, but since he was shy and she was shy (presumably), he knew that wasn't the answer. Instead he gave her a soft, knowing look and hoped that she found her way. It was all he could do.
"Native?" Silver thought on that question for a moment before continuing. Were any creatures really native to this land? "No, I don't think so. They do not come from..." Silver glanced in the general direction of the labs that loomed over the city, but they did not mention them by name.
"Kokori and her sister, they were given to me as flowers. By a traveler." They then looked at Narsus. Where had Narsus come from? They couldn't remember. They closed their eyes and rubbed their forehead with their palm. There was the dragon, what was her name? She must know, but was she even alive any more? There were so many questions swirling around in their head, so many vague and disjointed memories.
"Our young can't take care of themselves, like baby humans," Kokori interjected. There was a hint of pain behind her voice at the thought of her 'parent' not remembering anything about her childhood. It was tough for her to face the fact that the Silver she knew was still in there, but couldn't remember the things that tied them together. "Many of us who live here were raised by people. Some of us stayed here in the city and started families of our own, but I'm not sure about the others..." Kokori knew that she lost some friends over the years, but unfortunately she still did not know what happened to them once they left. For a while she was curious about what could be out there, where they went, but that was a long time ago, before she settled down and had a family of her own to worry about.
[108 - 17, 15.4]
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Post by Linyü on Jun 14, 2020 22:30:16 GMT -6
San followed Silver's gaze, letting confusion cloud his features. Though he had done his own reconnaissance on the situation here with the labs, the facade he maintained was that of an ordinary immigrant, who wouldn't have had cause to look into the matter too closely. Inwardly he was relieved, somehow, that Rei wasn't a synthetic man-made creation, though he knew it was not his place to have an opinion on such things.
But if it weren't for his training, he would have visibly stiffened at what Silver said next.
"Given?" he said quietly. Rei looked up at his voice, a hint of alarm on her features.
"... Linyü," she said. A warning, though it was given in the soft tone of someone merely calling out a name. San checked himself long enough to hear Kokori's explanation, but even so, Silver's words unsettled him.
"... I've imposed on you long enough," said San, forcing a sheepish smile and rubbing at the back of his neck with a hand. "I just have one more question. Is it... safe for you? Here?" He looked to Kokori and Narsus both, asking them directly.
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Post by Silver on Jun 26, 2020 1:04:15 GMT -6
Silver closed their eyes for a moment, trying to wrap their mind around the current situation. They couldn't exactly remember everything they once knew about Harachiu, but that wasn't the only thing that concerned them about this conversation. Both the young man and the Harachiu he was traveling with looked stiff and uncomfortable the whole time. Now if anyone knew anything about being a little awkward around new people, it was them, but this felt like more than that. They were hiding something. Silver couldn't blame them for it, but it did make them curious and more on edge than usual. For now they decided to be quiet and read the situation in case they had to step in.
Kokori was about to wave him off and say that it was fine, and she didn't feel that imposed upon, but the question caught her off guard. "Safe?" she said. She looked over at Narsus who shrugged. He didn't really understand what he meant, either. "Are... are you okay?" Kokori asked, her gaze moving from up at Linyü over to Echo.
"Do you feel... safe?" Her tone went from mildly confused to angry as she moved into the next sentence. "Is someone going to hurt you?" Kokori took a forceful step forward like she was about to punch some invisible threat. She might have actually done it, too, if not for Narsus grabbing her arm and stopping her from going forward. She scowled as she tried to figure out what was going on.
[109.6 - 17, 15.4]
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