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 Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 12:49 pm
Kenth looked around. His eyes momentarily stayed on Alex, seeing that she was looking at him. Kenth was about to walk over when that familiar red hair swooned over the woman, and Kenth immediately looked away, frowning. He didn't want to see the man here. Why was he here in the first place? Why was anyone here in the first place? And where is Herei, that sneaky advisor? Kenth sighed heavily, irrated by these none-related questions that disrupted his thinking.
People were talking as if they weren't afraid.
Kenth shifted his feet together, listening to the conversation between Alex and Greg. He wasn't really interested in exactly what they were talking about, espcially with Greg's overly enthusiasic way of talking. Whatever they were saying, the two people were in his way of getting to the gate. Perhaps Herei was at the gate already. In that case, he must hurry---Kenth would not let the advisor beat him in thinking of plans.
Turning mechanically, Kenth walked up to the two people. He didn't look at neither of them and instead kept his eyes down on the floor.
"Excuse me, you are in the way." Kenth said quiety. His tone, however, was more of demand than request.
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 1:13 pm
Everything was coming and going in a blur to Audun and without really understanding what was going on, he found himself staring at a situation that seemed almost surreal. He tried to count off in his head what was really going on, to summerize one more time before he would or could say anything to anyone.
Lina - the girl from before he knew, was feeling sick...but he wasn't sure why and people were making a fuss about it. RuiZhi - the cute little Chinese child, was talking to Sable from before, and another person. There were others around, each holding their own conversations, yet to Audun it seemed like they were waiting for someone...or waiting for someTHING.
He dared not speak a word, though he found himself slowly moving from where he'd been standing in the semi-shadows towards the small group of faces he knew so very little yet felt the most comfortable with - if comfortable was the word he needed to use to describe the feeling. Yet as he reached the group the feeling didn't fade, instead it seemed to merely drop down from his throat where it had been lodged into the pit of his stomach, to leave a bitter taste in his mouth and an ache in his lungs.
"...Hello again."
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 1:14 pm
Alex frowned at Kenth as he refused to look at them, trying to keep her head cool. She really didn't like being in this place. "Henry said we can't go out. Opening the gates too much can alert the natives to our location." She stood anyway, brushing off her cargos while trying to catch Kenth's eye. If she was right, and he did have a problem with Greg, she hoped it wouldn't leak onto everyone else and make things difficult. "Where, exactly, are you planning to go by your lonesome?" As though she was going to let him out of her sight by himself. She could be dense, but she wasn't stupid.
"She's right, Doctor," Herei's kindly voice came from behind, a smile lighting his face. "Let's not put these people in further danger." He had been talking with the scientists, dismayed to find that they knew nothing more than what the faculty had already been told; more than that, the scientists seemed to know less than the motley group did, and that put the rest of the investigation squarely on their shoulders. He tilted his head, dark eyes moving between the trio, his serene smile not betraying any of his thoughts. The Advisor was, however, quite curious to where Kenth was in such a hurry to be off to in the given situation; he allowed the question to be asked by his gaze as it settled upon the dour doctor.
RuiZhi blinked and turned, looking into the friendly face of a boy not much older than himself. "Hello," he replied, unable to hide the surprise in his voice. "Are you...are you a student?" He felt silly for asking such an obvious question, for what else would a boy of his age be doing here? "Oh, uh, I'm sorry," he murmured, extending his hand from beneath his huge sleeves, "I'm RuiZhi Tai, a-and, uh..." The boy looked up, smiling suddenly at the familiar face. "Hello again! This is...erm, this is Audun." He was going to introduce the boy to the older man, but he didn't yet know his name. What a strange predicament he managed to get himself in!
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 1:28 pm
"Nowhere. I was looking for advisor Herei." Kenth said abruptly and turned, facing the man behind him (and ignoring any glance from Alex and Greg). He frowned a little at Herei, as if blaming the man for disappearing. Kenth then shrugged and said causually.
"I was just looking for you, advisor, about future plans...." Kenth took a few steps so that he was far enough from both Alex and Greg. He then turned his head to look at them both. His glance was bland and unfocused, as he made it intentionally so that his eyes would not focus on their eyes.
"Sorry for disturbing your conversation." Said Kenth coldly, and turned to Herei again.
"Now, plans. That's what we need to discuss."
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 1:33 pm
Well...this place...it seemed comparatively safe, despite the looming danger that they'd heard dark and dire whispers about. Farlest glanced around at the people...the students and teachers...some of whom he had not met nor spoken a word to before. It didn't matter, they were in this together...in his mind that made them kindred spirits of a sort.
Dropping Ka's hand finally, he tossed a grin and a wink at his friend over one shoulder, and trotted off to go make himself known to the rest of the group. He had been observing these past few minutes...and it seemed that already a few small difficulties had arisen. Kenth reminded him strangely of his father...when he was serious in that creepy/spooky, going to kick your rear in a minute sort of way...that wasn't a good thing. Then there was the young woman...Lina, he heard her name was. Farlest was particularly good at reading emotions...she was worried...but beyond that...there was more.
Shaking his head as though to free himself from the oppressive cloud of emotions and feelings, he strode forward with a new burst of confidence, something he could easily muster.
Sliding over...closer to Audun and RhuZhi, he smiled brightly, the expression full of youthful enthusiasm. "Hullo...I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 1:41 pm
DAY 1 HAS ENDED.
==================================================== ((Note: since this is the first day, you have the exception to continue your PRPs. ))
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 1:44 pm
Alex opened her mouth for a tart reply, before snapping her jaw shut; she told herself she wouldn't bother him this time. She could tell he was unhappy - maybe even angry - and she couldn't help but feel it was somehow her fault. She mumbled a barely audible, "Sorry," biting her lip. She glanced over at Greg, her expression one of internal struggle and confusion. Right...best to leave the good Doctor be. She needed to focus.
Herei raised his eyebrows in silent amusement, watching the doctor's frigid display. He decided the man must care for those two in some extent, or else he would not go so out of his way to make them feel otherwise. Kenth was certainly a strange man to understand. He gave a brief shrug that meant everything and nothing, stating, "You're right. We need information, and we've garnered all we can from here. I'd like to propose that we leave as soon as possible."
The Advisor clasped his hands behind his back, tilting his head back thoughtfully; it was as though he was deciding on what ice cream flavor he wanted, more than what to do next. "The natives are unapproachable, that much is obvious from Mr. Henry's reaction." He took a few sliding steps to and fro, watching the ceiling as though deriving his thoughts from it. They had to learn more without alerting anyone else...this would be a sneaking mission. "Doctor Kenth, do you know of any place near the natives that we can set up a place to stay?" Herei lowered his gaze to Kenth once more, offering a kind smile.
RuiZhi almost squeaked, turning around to peer into the face of yet another young boy he did not recognize. "N-no, there's nothing to interrupt," the startled boy assured the new comer. Alex once told him that he had a calming aura that attracted troubled souls; maybe she hit the nail on the head more than she knew. He turned and offered his hand, smiling cheekily at the cute and bouncy youth, "RuiZhi Tai. You're a student, too." It was more of a statement than a question, and there was precious little else that his mind could think of any of these boys as. They weren't here on a field trip, and why else would any other boy be here, if not from the school?
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 1:44 pm
"Good to see you again, RuiZhi."
Audun smiled with his mouth and not his eyes when RuiZhi spoke back and seemed to remember his name. It sort of made him feel a little easier to know that someone here was familiar with him other than Sable...but the feeling dropped slightly as another voice cut in beside him with a little air of energy. He frowned, but quickly took the expression from his face as he turned to answer.
"...Not at all. We're just exchanging greetings again and names as well, though we all seem to be having a fun go at it since I think English is not the native for two of us."
He smiled softly at RuiZhi, as he had been listening to the way the boy spoke enough to notice the slight differences on how he said things and how a native English speaker would - or maybe it was all in his imagination. When he spoke again he made sure his tone was polite and light enough for the situation - there was no need to start anything.
"My name is Audun Fulke, you may call me Audun if you wish though most people don't refer to me by any name. Who might you be?"
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 2:00 pm
Kenth raised an eyebrow at Herei's actions. This man was really a trickester isn't he? Although Kenth felt a sense of defeat rising from his head as the advisor pointed out exactly the same thing that was in his mind. Kenth was silent for a moment, fingers pressing on the bridges of his glasses. After the advisor finished his words Kenth shrugged.
"My thoughts exactly, advisor. There is no point in staying here and chatting. We should start the investigation as soon as possible. But you do bring up a good point in that there is no appreant way that we can get in touch with the natives, if the survivors' words are trust-worthy. I do believe, however, that nothing comes without a cost." Nodding to himself, Kenth looked around at the group of people.
"To avoid too much cost, I'd suggest not to drag everyone here into the investigation. Some of them, espcially the students, don't even know what the real risk is. It's unfair for them...they don't understand. And as for shelters near the natives...I am not sure. There is a small forest near the native village we have visited before, but that's not the problem. We need to know the location of the natives before getting to know where we are going."
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 2:15 pm
Herei listened, nodding at some of Kenth's words, his fingers laced together behind his back. Another smile played across his face at Kenth's insistance to leave so many behind; he was a brilliant man, but apparently hard of hearing. "Leave the students here? Doctor Kenth, the scientists are not baby sitters; we are their teachers and guardians, and I will not allow anyone else to take over their well being. Were this retreat to be found and attacked...well, I'd rather not think of it." His tone was pleasant enough, but there was a sense of finality in his words; there was no room for debate. "Everyone is here for their own reasons, Doctor, no different than you. They all think their job here is vital. They have every right to be here as you do."
The native man looked over to the two by the door, then to the rest gathered below, before fixing his eyes back on the pale haired man in front of him. The protectors above, the advisors below. How intruiging. "Do you think the natives would move from the home they are so venemously protecting, Doctor Kenth?" Herei didn't think there was a question of where they would be, but why. However, the doctor had been here before, and had observed their bizarre mannerisms. He'd have to trust him and his judgement. Releasing his hands and spreading them in a curious manner, he asked, "What would you suggest in finding the natives?" He didn't want to send any of the people here in hopes of 'finding' the natives, not if they were as violent as they'd all be lead on to believe. "I'd like this to be as peaceful and non-intrusive as possible."
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 2:46 pm
Farlest's eyes seemed to sparkle at so ready a greeting from the two, and he inclined his head politely, "Nice to meet you, RuiZhi, Audun. I am Farlest Kanataki." The youngster had a lightly accented voice, the exact origin of such was impossible to trace, as it seemed that he had been exposed to several cultures and languages in his short life.
He was silently assessing the two with his eyes, the green orbs were warm, friendly, but they didn't seem to miss much. Farlest suspected that RuiZhi, at least...was here for personal reasons...he...well...he'd just wanted to help. Farlest was not of the opinion that simply because of his age...he was useless.
"I've learned English alongside Japanese, and I speak a smattering of other languages, but none am I near fluent in, save the first two." For instance, he wished that he spoke more Chinese than he did. Ah well...perfect opportunity to learn now wasn't it?
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 3:16 pm
Greg considered her words for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah that sounds about right. I’m here to watch out for all of you who are just too concerned with other things for your own good. As for being related to Kenth, yeah, I’m sure. At least pretty sure.” He looked as if he were considering that for a moment. “At least pretty sure, anyway. I remember when he was born, vaguely, or when mom and dad brought me to see him anyway. I suppose there’s always the strange possibility of a clone or something.” He smiled and shrugged.
When Alex asked him about fighting, however, he looked surprised. “Well I used to be in the military. I was trained in there obviously.” He said, blinking once. True he hadn’t said which military, but he wasn’t going to volunteer that information. He didn’t like to tell which country he had worked for before if people didn’t ask for specifically.
She didn’t get the chance to ask anything else as Kenth came over to the two of them. He didn’t look at them, and he barely even talked to them. Greg wasn’t surprised at that. Neither he nor Kenth seemed to want to talk to one another, though he would bet that it was for different reasons. Alex responded before he could, and then Herei, the one who Kenth was looking for, came up to them. Kenth didn’t seem to want to talk to him and Alex more than he had to and he moved away from Greg and Alex with Herei to talk. He smiled at Alex weakly as his brother moved away.
“It’s alright, he’s always like that. Don’t worry about it.”
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 3:43 pm
Alex nodded once, a little numbly. There were too many thoughts and confused emotions tied to the doctor, and she would do best to heed Greg's words. Clearing her throat, she slowly sunk back to the ground, ending in a partial sitting position, balanced on the balls of her feet. She closed her eyes, her mind turning over the information that she hadn't had time to digest, thanks to Kenth's meager words. Greg said he was in the military...
Her eyes snapped open as the memory dislodged and played before her wide green gaze. "Generale," she whispered through numb lips, falling back on her mother tongue in her shock; she knew Greg! Only...it was because... "I see," she collected herself only a little, enough to speak English again. Her throat worked with unspoken words, but she didn't know if she should try to remind the man of those times. If he didn't remember...best to leave it that way. There was a reason the memory had been so hard to recall; she'd buried it deeply, although not deeply enough. She turned her burning gaze to Kenth, careful not to look at Greg just yet, trying to calm down. This just kept getting better and better, in the most sarcastic of ways. "I...I know how he is. He just seems more detached than I'm used to."
RuiZhi made an 'o' face of surprise at the boy's ability to speak multiple languages fluently. "I'm still learning English from my brother and sister," he admitted to Farlest, an easy smile forming on his face, "although it's not sister's first language. I'd be more than happy to help you with your Chinese...i-if you're learning, that is." He cast another smile towards Audun and Elijah, adding, "You too, if you want. I know how scary it is not to know what's going on." Thank goodness for Weiyuan and Alex! If not for them, he would have been in the dark the whole time during the last...problem.
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 3:51 pm
Audun raised an eyebrow lightly when Farlest said he spoke Japanese, he smiled as he knew if fallback came he could always try his hand at Japanese with the youth - Japanese being a language he was fluent in with both accent and general dialect.
"Pleasure to meet you Farlest, it's good to meet another multi-lingual person here. It always impresses me how many youth nowadays speak more than their native language."
He was speaking of course about RuiZhi and Farlest too, since he'd never really met others. Back in his home everyone spoke either Norweigen or Finnish - mainly the first, with Audun being a rare being who spoke at least five. He reached over and patted the small Chinese boy on the head after he spoke, a rare and unusual gesture.
"And that would be awesome of you to do so, Rui-Zhi. I'm afraid I have little to offer to teach you in the language department unless you need more help in English...or have a sudden desire to learn Finnish, German, or Norwegien."
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 4:04 pm
Farlest's face seemed to hold a perpetual grin when he was happy, and at the moment he very clearly was. "I would love to have some help with my Chinese, I've picked up a little here and there, but unless I'm in continual contact with the language it doesn't help me a great deal. My father was fluent in both Japanese and English, you see...and it was required that I learn it." The last sentence seemed to bring back a less than pleasant experience, however, and the teen wrinkled his nose, pausing for just a moment before plowing on.
"I enjoy learning new languages, especially if they have a purpose...here...I don't understand what people are saying in their native tongue, and that bothers me for more than one reason." For starters, Farlest hated to be out of the flow of anything, especially conversation...and tumultuous events such as this one promised to be, and for another, he thought it almost inconsiderate to expect others to speak a language other than their own in their own country no less...as the visitor, he should endeavor to learn theirs.
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