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 Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:07 pm
“Are you going to be angry for the rest of our stay?” Katori questioned her mother, her arms crossed as much as possible despite her injuries in defiance of the situation. Ever since she had appeared with severe injuries from a chaivi, her mother had been very abrasive about everything. Was it wrong of her to be involved with things like this? Her own mother was a beast tamer who dealt with wild animals all the time! The whole point of Katori’s travels had started because of her family’s connection to the animal sanctuary where she went out with her twin to go search the world, fight poachers and bring back animals and intel to the sanctuary. “It’s not like I wanted to get some new scars for the collection.” If anything she had been rather fortunate with only a few scars over the years, a couple of claw marks faded on her left leg and a bite or two along her upper arm that were barely visible anymore thanks to good healing. This particular injury though had been a bit deeper than any Katori had experienced before which was why despite Nasrin’s help she had been wrapped up for over a week now with each movement making her body shudder in pain. The shattered ribs and sprained arm didn’t help either in all honesty, but Katori was recovering so she wasn’t as worried about it.
[Katori 1]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:07 pm
Talisia let out a long sigh, one of her signature signs of deep annoyance, but eventually she glanced over at her daughter with a frown. “Am I not allowed to be upset?” She replied as she placed a mortar and pestle down on the kitchen counter. The motion was a bit louder than usual, the smooth granite pieces almost slamming into the gray and white streaked stonetop of the counter. “My daughter who I have not seen in over a year finally comes home, but instead of with gifts or anything like that she comes home barely alive and with a man who also was close to seeing the spirits.”
[Talisia 1]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:07 pm
“Accidents happen.” Katori began though she did feel a bit bad now that her mother put it that way. “We were on our way here to visit…well me mostly, Finn just needed supplies and was coming along with me, but the chiavi took us by surprise.” She blew a stray bang out of her face, her own frustration increasing as it kept trying to fall back and tickle her nose. It was hard to reach up that far just yet and Katori was determined to cut her hair before leaving the sanctuary. It was getting too long and unruly. She didn’t know how anyone managed with longer hair! “It’s not like I wanted to come home all beat up and defeated. I didn’t want to worry you.”
[Katori 2]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:07 pm
“I suppose you were in the area for a reason.” Replied Talisia finally as she grabbed at the medical herbs for Katori’s ointments and started to grind away at them. Each movement felt a bit more forceful as if she were taking her frustrations out on the plants but her tone was a little less bitter than it had been before. Was an apology so hard to ask for? She knew her children were adults now, but it was still so hard to see them in dangerous situations! Eresin was so much better at handling these situations whereas Talisia was much better with actions instead of words. “Though coming home all beaten up definitely is a cause for concern regardless if you intended to worry me or not.”
[Talisia 2]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:07 pm
Katori opened her mouth to protest before closing it again, her gaze wary as she watched her mother destroying the herbs with a pestle. “Fair enough.” She started before stopping again, chewing at her bottom lip as she pondered her next words. “You just have to trust me that I didn’t plan on being so reckless. Everything happened at once and I just did what I thought was best to protect everyone.” She managed finally as she shifted and studied her mother, her gaze finally going up towards those familiar bi-colored eyes instead of watching the herbs that were mostly a pulp now. “I truly am sorry if I worried you, mother.”
[Katori 3]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:08 pm
Ah, there it was. Talisia let out another sigh, this one less frustration and more just acceptance as she knew she couldn’t be angry at her daughter for long. “I know.” She replied quietly as she scooped out the mixture into another bowl to add in some essential oils that would help the mixture to spread out more into an ointment rather than just a clump of defeated herbs. “I just wish I could do more. Why did you even get into a fight with a chiavi in the first place? You’ve been trained on how to calm them down, not fight them.”
[Talisia 3]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:08 pm
“Well, we knew that a local village was having issues with a creature attacking traders nearby.” Started Katori quietly as she slipped closer so that she could sit down on a stool by the counter. Crossing her ankles the hybrid settled in as she watched her mother work. “I thought I could find it and try to figure out what was happening, but it turned out that the chiavi was already being harassed by some locals and was on the offensive.” Her expression darkened with a mixture of guilt and frustration as she thought back on things. “The next thing we knew the chiavi swooped over us and grabbed at Finn…I couldn’t just sit back and she was far too enraged to even try to calm down.” Maybe if she was a professional tamer like her mother or even more like Taaru there could have been a better chance, but Katori was more the type to fight off poachers not calm down a rampaging beast.
[Katori 4]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:08 pm
“I see.” Talisia pursed her lips thoughtfully, her expression softening when she noticed the look that was on Katori’s face. “You can’t control everything.” She added as she twisted the mixture together more, adding in some crushed mint which would give the ointment a soothing feeling instead of simply stinging the injured skin. “I haven’t always managed to calm down every creature, you know. Sometimes they’re just too blinded by rage and we just have to do our best to survive and help those nearby.” It wasn’t always about the creatures despite how much Talisia wanted to save them all because the needs of the villagers were also important.
[Talisia 4]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:08 pm
Katori nodded as she listened to her mother. “Still, I wish I had been smarter and quicker.” She admitted as her guilt slipped through once more. “If I had reacted in time then maybe I could have saved her. Instead I brought back two orphaned chicks because I didn’t research the situation properly and went in blindly.” If she had found out about the traders who had been harassing the chiavi in the first place then maybe she could have dealt with them first and seen about approaching the beast once it had calmed down.
[Katori 5]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:08 pm
“You read a posting and reacted because you trusted those who made the plea for help.” Talisia clicked her tongue on the inside of her mouth, not in disapproval of Katori but rather in frustration at the earthlings who had caused this mess in the first place. “They are the fools who should have been carried off and ripped into.” She stated bluntly, not even caring about the implications of her words. If they asked for it then they should be the ones to suffer the consequences of their actions for messing with a mother chiavi in the first place, not her daughter and that Yaeli boy.
[Talisia 5]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:08 pm
“What am I supposed to do then?” Katori replied as she pondered over everything. “Do I just become more callous towards others and not trust as easily?” Oh, that was so tough! She hated doubting others and always wanted to help…yet that’s what led to this situation. Ugh, how confusing. She plucked at a piece of mint that hadn’t been added to the mixture and decided to chew on it, the refreshing taste tingling in her mouth and helping her to focus despite the wave of pain that was slowly going across her back.
[Katori 6]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:08 pm
“It is tough.” Talisia looked at her daughter with a soft expression, “I know you can’t always trust everyone, but at the same time you can’t just look away. I fell for similar traps before when I was younger, it happens.” She reached into the cabinets for some powdered medicine, unscrewing a jar and tapping it ever so gently so that a teaspoon amount floated down into the mixture. “I suppose my only advice is to just trust your gut and research the situation as much as you can in the limited time given.” That way her daughter could judge those asking for help and see if there was something that didn’t line up exactly as stated in the request.
[Talisia 6]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:08 pm
“Easier said than done.” Replied Katori even though she knew that she would try her best to follow the advice. “I really have got to learn how to judge people better. Am I gullible?” Finn would definitely agree with that statement, right? Katori let out a soft sigh as she tried to lean against the counter before the pain in her back made her sit straighter instead.
[Katori 7]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:08 pm
“Very, but you’re learning.” Talisia was not one to lie, especially to her own family. “I suppose that is my fault though considering how protected you and Taaru were when growing up. The rest of us went through such tough times that I never wanted you to have to go through such heartbreak.” She admitted with a soft sigh, her expression guilty as she finished mixing in the powders. “I never even thought I would see your uncle again and have been fortunate enough to have him in my life, despite how much he drives me batty with Zyphire’s aid.”
[Talisia 7]
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:08 pm
Katori let out a huff. “Thanks, I suppose.” Though she did appreciate the honesty it didn’t stop it from stinging any less. She just preferred to think that she had a golden heart who wanted to give everyone a chance…not that it always worked out. If anything being yelled at by someone who she had honestly wanted to help in the past had been the start of an awakening. Not everything was like those stories and being a prince charming was not always ideal, especially in their reality. “I know.” Katori smiled faintly at her mother as she listened. “I appreciate it since I know being raised like this can be a dream for others. We had so much love and protection that we were absolutely spoiled, perhaps a bit too rotten at times.” She tried to joke even though she did feel like such an idiot at times. “I am glad you reunited with Uncle Kian. I know grandmother was a horrible person though you both never really said anything in detail about what happened.”
[Katori 8]
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