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Tanita had gone for a good flight, her eyes lost in thought as she went. Life had been interesting since her return to Amityville, and this was her first chance since then to go for a flight. She had missed being able to take to the air. She was so lost in thought she didn't notice things had... Changed... Until she glanced up and saw a bright orange hot object. She winced at it, and came winging in for a landing. "Where in Jack's name am I?"
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Joy thought she heard movement and paused, listening in until she was certain she caught a voice. The words weren't clear, muffled by the woods, but whoever it was they sounded confused. Likely a lost hiker, wouldn't be the first one, and with a bright, cheery smile, the hunter dressed in civilian clothing parted through the foliage. "Hello? Anyone there?" she called out, trying to sound friendly.
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Tani turned towards the voice. It definitely wasn't someone she knew, but maybe they'd be able to help her work out where she was in contrast to home. She walked towards the voice, tail held off the ground, and wings tight to her body, to avoid snagging on tree branches and the like. "Helllloooo! I'm lost!" She called out hopefully.
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"Stay where you are, I'll come to you! Just keep talking," Joy instructed, adding an assurance of "Don't worry, assisting lost hikers is my part of my job." Now it would depend on where and how exactly the hiker had been planning to go in the first place. Joy was starting to think she should bring a map on these patrols.
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Hiker? Tanita blinked, as she stopped moving, pulling her tail in close to her body, too. She was no hiker, and she didn't think there were ANY hiking trails near the Academy. How far had she gone? "Ahhh all right, I don't think we're too far apart... You sound close..." She kind of babbled, to keep talking as she'd been told to do.
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"Are you heeeeeee-" Joy sort of froze when she finally managed to find her lost "hiker." Not because she was frightened but because she had to figure out whether she ought to reveal the whole being a Hunter thing or if she should pretend to be a normal human. "Um, hi?" she cautiously said.
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Tanita studied her rescuer. This was a human, she was fairly sure of that. A human who could see her. She bit her lip for a long moment, then finally said, in a nervous voice, "Um. Hello. Do you... Happen to know where I might happen to have accidentally found myself?"
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Okay, so just because they had wings didn't mean they were a Horseman, because Joy was pretty sure they had an attack-on-sight life plan. That was good because she didn't want to summon Bert and risk getting podded per Camp rules. And speaking of, "You're near Camp Lucy. It's a special place, sorta like the Haunted House from what I hear. Only less fighty times. I'm Joy, by the way. How can I be of help?"
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Tani froze completely at the name 'Joy.' She... she knew that name. Why did she know that name? She stood there, frozen in thought, for a VERY long moment, then slowly, she said "My name is Tanita, commonly called Tani..." She slowly brushed a lock of her hair back, and said "L...Liya?"
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Joy was starting to get worried that something about Camp Lucy or being in its proximity was affecting the student because she wasn't moving. At all. And while Moon was involved in healing, Joy wasn't certain if she could help the winged ghoul. Joy was about to ask if the Halloweener was alright when she introduced herself. The name certainly was familiar, but she didn't realize exactly how familiar until the mention of Liya came about. Joy's eyes widened and despite how rude it must be, she pointed at Tani, the hunter's jaw dropping. "Youuuuuu!!!" she exclaimed, "Look different!" Way to state the obvious.
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Tani's eyes went huge and she couldn't help it... She smiled brightly. Even if the memories of that life were mostly fake, she still had memories of Liya being someone she could trust. She didn't know if that held true in this world, but she hoped so. "So do you! I am still very tall and orange, though!" Her wings and tail slowly unwrapped from around her as she relaxed, because the other woman was someone she sort of knew. "I... Was flying, in Halloween, and suddenly there was blue skies and an orange ball of firey Doom. Where am I?"
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"You have wings here and I don't. Man I miss having wings. Flying was really really nice," Joy sighed. There were many things she missed from that life when she was a Horseman but she figured flight was one of the relatively safe topics to miss. "You're in the Human World actually. This particular place has, like, pockets that connect to Halloween so we got people here to safely reroute either fellow humans to safer places, or assist Halloweeners back to Halloween."
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Tanita's wings drooped a little, and she looked sad. "I can bet... I... Would miss my wings too. I did when I was OtherTani, and RealMe woke up." Her hands fluttered around a little, distressed for her human friend who was now longer able to fly. Being told she was in the human world had Tani's eyes going hugs with shock. "But I don't even have a passport, I am... not supposed to be here. Am I going to get in trouble, Li... Joy?"
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Joy held her hands out in an attempt to calm the student down, "No, you're not going to get in trouble. Not if I can help it. We just need to find an area in these woods where you can get back to Halloween. That's all. You ever been into the Haunted House?" she asked, trying to give the ghoul something else to focus on.
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Tani considered the question, her eyes focusing as she considered things, then said "I do not think so, Joy. I do not recall ever having been in such a place." She refocused on Joy, and said "Is it nearby? Would it be a way to get home?" She did not want to be here too long. She did not know how long it was safe to be here. She did want to see how Joy was doing, however, and leaving her friend so quickly wasn't an option. In fact, she slowly dredged up a smile. "How have you been, though...? I wondered about you, how you were, Joy." The dragon girl looked her friend over, concerned for her.
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"Well, you're safer being at Camp Lucy than in the Haunted House. Some of the people that patrol there are a lot more likely to whip out weapons on Halloweeners. But if we'd met there, I wouldn't do that to you. Just so's you know," the moon assured the Halloweener. "Or to any student who wasn't trying to, like, drown me. I still gotta defend myself." She gestured for Tani to come closer, "We can start looking for these portals back to Halloween. Just stick close to me," before starting their search. At the questions on her situation since that other-life, Joy ruefully grinned, "It's been weird? Not really bad but not good either. Sometimes I think about that life and wonder if we could ever go back to it. How about you? Halloween life okay?"
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Tani listened to the shorter woman's words, her eyes going wide at the idea. "I... Will have to be careful if I go there. I don't want to be assaulted, just for what I am..." That sounded very unpleasant. Tani didn't like that idea in any way. "I wouldn't think you would! You're too nice, you were so nice there too!" Tani sighed and then nodded. "I do not want to lose my wings again but... That me was happier, I think, in many ways. She'd even found a young man who interested her. The closest I've come is my awkward prom date. He seems sweet, but... He's someone I also met first as that other me, and he seemed uncomfortable having it mentioned..."
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"Not everyone is an attack-on-sight but just be very careful," Joy nodded before laughing at the student's opinion of her being nice. "Aww, you're sweet. I dunno if I'm nice, ignorant maybe, since uh I can't tell if you're a demon or a monster." She sounded apologetic about this and the expression on her face suggested she wouldn't be upset to learn she was wrong about her assumptions. "And you had prom? Did you and your friends enjoy it?" She was genuinely curious to learn about this and if she were a more intellectual person she'd remark on the parallelisms between Humans and Halloween. "Also I hope your prom date wasn't a jerk about it." She was already automatically siding with Tani, if only because she knew Tani and not the date.
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"If I go to the Haunted House, I'll remember that. I bet some of my fellow are the same. I don't like the idea of doing that." Tani's face crinkled in an amused smiled. "I mean, you probably don't spend your days learning the differences between our kinds, or anything like that. I don't expect you to. I'm no demon, I'm a Dragon!" She said, with a hint of pride in her voice. "Monster all the way." The tall dragon girl looked down at her orangey hands for a moment, then added "Though the form I take for school is nice, because these hands are far more dextrous then my natural forms claws." "I don't have many friends there yet. I'm still pretty new, so for me that was exploring and meeting people mostly! But it was fun, and interesting." She dug into her satchel, and pulled out her wallet, where she kept her copy of the photo Toki had taken. "This is me with my prom date! His name is Efreet, and he's a lava monster. Nice guy, and yeah he was fine. It just was clear he felt uncomfortable about it, so I didn't want to push the issue too much." She smiled at the photo, not in a 'I'm into him way' but a 'this was a fun time and I'm glad it happened' way.
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Were Hunters supposed to learn the difference? All Joy knew they were expected to do was ward off Shadowlings from the civilian populace. It ought to be weird and awkward to have a conversation with a Halloweener but this was pleasant, almost normal. And if that didn't just make Joy feel sad about the whole being-against-each-other thing. Still, she pushed that sad thought aside to focus on the present. "I bet you look badass in your normal form, I mean, you look super cool like this as is. You're sure to make more friends." She leaned in to look at the photo and while she tried to look for any hint of a blush, Joy wasn't sure if she could tell if the student was indeed blushing. Maybe orange-skinned dragons blushed blue? Who knew? Not Joy! "So who did the asking? Didja work up the guts to invite Ef-ren? Or was it the other way around?" That last part was quickly asked to hide the fact Joy didn't remember what Tani's date was called.
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"I don't know about badass... is that a good thing?" It was not a colloquialism she had been exposed to. "But I'm definitely much BIGGER. I'd show you but I'm not sure that's allowed, and also I might get tangled up with the trees." She scratched her head in an awkward way, thinking about it. "A pity. Big me could probably carry you for a ride, if you wanted." Tanita blinked a little at the name error, but didn't comment on it. "Neither of us, actually! Someone set up a little matchmaking thing so that those of us who didn't know anyone would be able to have a date, if they wanted. Less awkward and shy that way, right?" Tani shrugged a little, and added "Nice guy, and I hope to be friends with him. Don't think he's the type for me, though."
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"Ah yeah! Badass is, like, a compliment! It's used to describe those who are tough and cool and make you go whoaaaa," she explained, using the appropriate facial expressions and emphasizing the right syllables. "And as awesome as that sounds, yeaaaaah, best you keep a low profile. We try to keep civilians away from you guys, it's just safer for everyone involved. Too bad there's, like, no other place we could run across each other without, y'know, risking a fight in case we run into someone else." Hearing about matchmaking services happening in Halloween made Joy laugh in delight, "Pak shet that's so cute! How do they match you? Like, do you put your names in a pumpkin and then it'll spit out the pairs?" Joy's never actually been to Halloween, and she didn't think that alternate life counted. "Okay so what is your type? Mine is..." she pursed her lips, "Mine is someone who looks good but isn't super proud of it and is also honest but not mean about it. Oh! And they have to respect that it's just going to be the two of us. I don't get how you can have more than one at a time, but props to those who can manage it."
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"Oh cool! Well maybe if we meet in the House sometime... I might have to go train there or something, I don't know what all is required for classes... I can try to show you there is there is room! I'm not full grown yet, but I still am very big in my natural form." She nodded a little, and sighed. "I do not really like fighting much, I discovered, in that other Reality. I prefer peaceful negotiations and talking..." Tani blinked at the Filipino words, but didn't comment, not knowing it was another language. She just assumed it was more slang. "Ah I'm not sure how they did it. I know I filled out a form, and then just before Prom started, I was given a name and gender, and species." She gave a slow shrug, and then considered her type. "Flirty but... Not too? And tall." She brushed her hands across her own head. "I would like to be closer to eye level at least. Looks are nice but... What one species calls good looking might not be what another does, so I try not to judge by that. But smart is nice, and someone who can have my back." She considered and added "Yeah I think I'm a single partner type too."
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Joy grinned sheepishly, "I, uh, I kinda liked the fighting. Or at least I liked it when I still thought we were the good guys and that we were doing the world a favor. But it sucks that it's a lot more complicated than that." And that was the heart of the issue, wasn't it? That things weren't always so cut and dry. She pushed back that thought to focus on the rest of Tani's words, "Ah, being tall, that used to be my problem until, well, I ended up in a place where I'm apparently short. Flirty's fun, in moderation, plus smarts and trust, yeah those sound like ideal partner material. You got good taste," she winked.
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Tani shrugged and said "To each their own, yeah? I just feel... strange about it. I was a horseman for a time, and thought and lived like them, thought we were better then all others, and that citizens of Halloween had strayed from the right path, or... something like that?" She was still confused by that side of it. "But then, in the waking, I was myself, fighting myself, and then alongside others who were both horsemen and human. It is so complicated, and I do not know that I like the complexity. Life was... simpler... when I did not have an alternate perspective." Tani blinked a little, and said "Ah? You are tall for where you come from?" She sounded curious, not derisive. "Amongst my kin, I am not so tall, but I am also not fully grown as yet." She considered, and smiled at Joy. "I am sure you do as well, my friend."
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"Oh when I fought myself, it was more like I was being attacked. I was more than willing to talk s**t out but she wasn't having it, lemme tell you that," Joy clucked her tongue, "But other-me had it good. A family, a lot of friends, some of them even shared a be-" she cut herself off when she remembered Tani was a student. Was this an appropriate topic of discussion? Was there a Halloween version of I need an Adult? "You're not fully grown. Are you, like, considered almost an adult or are you just out of the kid-stage? How does your specie age?" she asked carefully. "Because I'm kind of an adult, practically an old maid 'cuz where I grew up, most of my human friends already got kids."
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"Oh yeah, no OtherMe attacked me right off the bat too. It was scary, and sad, in it's way." She took a slow, deep breath, and shook her head. She blinked some, at the way Joy cut herself off. "A... be? I do not know what a be is... But I think that Tanita was happier too. She seemed more mature, and had several friends. She even met that nice War Horseman, Meelo,who was interested in her, and she returned the interest." She gave a slight sigh, eyes a little distant. She blinked and refocused on Joy. "I am close to adult? I am, as I understand it, the equivalent of a 16 year old human in maturity. Or so that's wht my Mother tells me." She blinked slowly, and said "You do not seem very old to me. Indeed, you seem young and lovely."
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Joy wanted to pat Tani on the head in thanks at the compliment, but their large height different would make it awkward physically. Plus, the Halloweener was sixteen, and weren't most teens at that age not entirely receptive to open displays of affection? Still, too young for Joy to be discussing the birds and the bees. Or whatever the Halloween equivalent was. "I think Humans age different from Halloween. What's young for you might be old for us," the hunter chuckled. "Anyway, I think this is a spot you can get back home?" she mused, the sensation of FEAR around them more potent once they reached a patch of trees.
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Tanita nodded a little. "I have to assume so... I do not think Humans live many centuries, and my Mother is at least 1500 years old, but very much in her prime." Tani shrugged a little, unsure about the conversion or how old that might be to a human. At the next comment, Tani looked around, trying to figure out how to tell exactly how to get home. "Ahhh! Thank you, Joy..." She began to explore the area, and finally found a spot that... She seemed to fade a she approached it. She turned back to face Joy again. "I truly appreciate meeting you again, Joy..." She walked back and carefully hugged the other woman, with concern for their size difference. "I truly hope we meet again, under circumstances more under our control. Thank you again for all of your help." She walked back to the fade out spot, and gave Joy one last, small smile and then slipped through, and home.
Aria Starstone
