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 Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:33 am
Sable sighed. He had no idea what was going on, as usual. Actually, he hadn't really figured out what was going on since he got here, but that was alright. He worked in a lab. He'd catch on sooner or later.
He was lost in his own ponderings when Rylenn called him. Startled, he glanced over, realizing the group was ready to move again. Oh dear. "Coming!" he hollered, trotting to catch up with the boys. "Sorry," he muttered sheepishly, pushing his glasses back up his nose. With that, he started walking in the direction they were heading before.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:35 am
RuiZhi had been settling in for the evening with a book - he knew all he had to do was wait, so he might as well sleep the time off after some studying - when he saw a flash of white in the forest, followed by a voice he recognized. "Doctor!" he exclaimed, dumping his bag of belongings on the ground along with his book, scrambling over towards the edge of the forest. "U-uhm, hi! How'd it go? Did you find anything? Did..."
He saw the man that was his inspiration, and he saw Sable's friend, but he did not see his sister or the boys from earlier. The boy blinked a few times, wondering if perhaps they were still coming, but there was something about the looks on their faces that made his heart skip. "Doctor?" he asked uncertainly, not wanting to jump to conclusions.
Herei turned from his place just outside the small group where he had been keeping watch for Dante's party. His dark gaze fell upon the pale figure of Doctor Kenth, followed by the man that had been assigned to him. He saw RuiZhi trying to talk to Kenth, but couldn't hear what was said; he didn't need to hear anything, really, for he could see perfectly well that something was not right.
The Advisor slowly walked a few steps closer, hands clasped behind his back. There was no sign of the boys or that woman following, or that Kenth was at all indicating where they were. The man felt something tighten, felt a type of darkness welling in his stomach; even so, he retained his nonchalant smile, lifting his eyebrows in silent question at the doctor.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:46 am
Rylenn looked at Sable. He smiled and shook his head a bit. "Speaking to the mushrooms again, Sable?" He decided to try and lighten the mood slightly and forget about the... corpse.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:58 am
Kenth was silent, debating how---or whether or not he should answer Ruizhi. What could he say? That his sister was lost in the forest, that the two students ran off on their own to look for Alex? That was clearly what happened, but...he...why didn't he go back? He was scared, and all he thought at the moment was to get out of the place, finding others so that he could be safe. Kenth hated himself for having the guilt. He left Alex once, and now he's doing it again. The only difference was that this time he wasn't sure if she could come back.
Looking past RuiZhi Kenth spotted Herei. What would the advisor think? Kenth couldn't read the man's thoughts because of his usual cheerful smile. What would he think of him? He was useless, unable to even protect 3 people in his group. No, they shouldn't be there in the first place. It wasn't Kenth's duty to babysit them! Kenth felt a surge of rage, guilt and confusion. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Kenth frowned and rubbed his temple, trying to calm himself. Eventually he spoke, his head remained low, and his voice deep.
"Your sister...RuiZhi..."
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:09 am
"...she left, didn't she." It wasn't a question, or even a comment; no, it was more of an acknowledgement. He knew her well enough to know that she probably got some crazy idea and took off without warning; he hadn't asked where anyone was, yet the Doctor had mentioned her first, so he could only guess that's what happened. He'd lost count of how many times she did that on their way to the school, finding her an hour later with a stupid grin at uncovering some path or having found some provisions for the road. RuiZhi felt his heart sink, lowering his gaze to look at his hands. This wasn't a simple path, though, and from that grim look on her face the whole time they'd been here...did she not...think she was going to come back? She came here to protect Weiyuan and himself...
RuiZhi uttered a quiet sigh, seeming to deflate. He wouldn't think of that right now...not yet. "A-and...Farlest? And Ka'hmesh?"
Herei simply watched, able to hear what RuiZhi was saying now. He was most curious to receive the doctor's answer.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:14 am
Sable blinked, eyeing Rylenn. "N-no!" he stuttered, trying his best to sound indignant. He did not talk to mushrooms that often, thank you very much! "We should get going," he muttered, turning to look at the redhead. "We don't want to keep everyone waiting..."
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:18 am
"They went to look for Alex." Kenth said simply and abruptly. He looked up at Herei, face hidden behind his gray hair and glasses.
"If you have something to say, say it now."
Knowing the advisor, Kenth braced himself for the worst possible moment in his life.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:22 am
Rylenn laughed and elbowed Sable. "You're so cute when you blush Sable.. it really is unfair." He smiled. "What are you going to do once you get back home?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 12:01 pm
Herei walked forward the rest of the way, meandering through the makeshift camp and stopping just behind the small boy. "RuiZhi," he asked pleasantly, "would you give the doctor and I a moment?"
"U-uh, I, uhm...y-yes, Mr. Herei." RuiZhi turned his large brown eyes to Kenth, wondering what the man thought, or if he even cared, before padding off towards his belongings. Once there, he gathered his items and sat on the bag, his gaze turned blankly towards the forest. Sleep was not an option right now.
The Advisor watched the boy go, his smile gentle before looking back to the man before him. "Doctor." His voice was lilting as though sharing a joke, but quiet enough that the words could only be heard between the two men. "While I understand that you didn't want anyone else to come along, losing three people was not the best way to handle the situation."
Herei turned the full shine of his smile onto Kenth, his expression serene and unfettered by the sting of his words. "It doesn't matter what I have to say, since you are the one leading us. What do you propose to do, then? Do we continue on, and leave the lost behind?" While Herei would never do such a thing, he had to hear it from Kenth. The man had to take responsibility, like it or not.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 1:09 pm
Herei's smile pierced into Kenth's chest like an ice javelin, and the young doctor stumbled a little, even though he had prepared himself. This man...he was a devil with an angel's face. But nonetheless, Kenth knew the man was right, and that it was perfectly fair to say the fault was his. And what? Why was he still calling him a leader? Kenth chuckled dryly, half mocking Herei's words and half mocking himself.
"Advisor." Kenth started, straightening up. His blue eyes looked clearly green under the dim moon light. His puple focused into a tiny dot that looked more sharpened as ever. "I understand my responsiblities. So from now on, the group is in your hands. I will go back and look for those three."
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 1:19 pm
"I'd prefer you'd not," Herei quipped on the heels of Kenth's statement. "We need you here, doctor, because you know more about this particular place than any of us. While Weiyuan knows as well, I'm afraid his psyche is still fragile. I would not put this on shoulders I did not think could handle the burden." The man offered his backhanded compliment with a slight grin, all play and nothing else to read by. "Myself, I am an advisor, and this is my advice."
His eyes moved only momentarily to the forest before settling on Kenth. "Each person is responsible for their own actions, doctor. If you want to help the boys, getting lost with the other three in the middle of the night will help no one. We can garner a group tomorrow if you are so inclined, but right now we're still missing one group. Do not be rash." The man released his hands, motioning towards the space behind him as though they had been talking about nothing more serious than the weather. "Why not settle in? It's going to be a long night."
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 3:06 pm
Lina felt her heart stop.
"Alex....ALEX!!!!"
She took a few steps in a random direction, not thinking rationally--
And bumped into Dante.
The Professor blinked, looking down. "Erm...Miss Lina....?"
"Let me go! Professor! My friend--she's--"
Dante's eyes darted around. And he realized it.
One woman. Two students. Missing.
"Ai Anin," Dante cursed, then tightened his grip on Lina. "Lina, now is not the time to lose your head. Take a deep breath, calm down, and gain control of yourself. You're only putting stress on your body and what's within in your condition."
"Ah--!"
Dante ignored her startled look, turning instead to Kenth. "Kenth. You are the one leading us. I suggest from now on we all stick together--you are our guide now. I am putting my life in your hands and surrendering my authority to you."
In other words, I trust you. You can do this.
Now prove it to me.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 6:20 pm
Herei glanced over towards Dante, offering a somewhat more genuine smile at the elven man's return, before looking to Kenth with one eyebrow cocked. His expression conveyed that his words were truth; the people here needed the doctor, and trusted him, no matter what. It was bad the there were people missing, but the man was willing to bet Kenth couldn't have stopped them with leashes, especially that Farlest. Where he went, Ka'hmesh would follow, so it only stood to reason that they were both gone. The other woman, he couldn't put a wager on, but RuiZhi seemed to know well enough, and the boy wasn't terribly worried by all outward appearances.
Of course, Herei knew all about deceiving outward appearances; perhaps he would talk to him later, after Kenth had been secured.
The small Chinese boy was not moving. He sat upon the bag with his belongings, his legs loosely crossed beneath his long robe, his elbows propped upon his knees where his hands cupped his cheeks. As this, he stared into the unyielding black wall of the forest, willing it to release the precious hostages within its bowels.
He only heard Lina and Dante dimly, some distant part of his mind noting that Dante's return meant his brother, Rylenn and Sable had arrived as well. RuiZhi exhaled deeply through his nose, continuing to cast his hopeful gaze into the depths of the forest, inwardly demanding that the woman had a damn good reason for disappearing and leaving them all like this.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:26 pm
These people...they..they are...
They are helplessly stupid.
Kenth finally reached a conclusion that seemed satisfying to himself. He had lost three people, and these people who were NOT missing trust him even more now? What kind of worms dug in their brain during the past hours? Kenth didn't say his thoughts outright, but his expression was obvious enough. It screamed "are you all insane?"
"Advisor, I don't think it's a good idea to rely on my judgement now. I have failed to protect the people in my group, that should be conviencing enough that I'm not a good leader."
When did he become so humble? Kenth decided that while having confience in his lab works, he'd make a horrible leader in the society. Perhaps that was why HE...was better than him, that HE was always more social and thus more popular. Kenth frowned at the thought. No...nobody's perfect, he'd surpass HIM in other areas. But for now, giving up his authority seemed to be the only logical thing he could do.
He would absolutely not want to embarrass himself again.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:28 pm
Audun rubbed the back of his head with the switchblade hilt, his expression and general attitude about the whole case of reuniting with the others a state of not caring. It was okay, he supposed, that everyone in the other group got there okay and it sort of made him inwardly grin that the supposedly super capable doctor lost three of his people.
He, of course, wasn't stupid enough to leave a group. Not in a jungle, and certainly not in China. He didn't speak Chinese after all and wasn't going to chance having to speak English like an idiot to get some answers.
As Audun started to look around to match faces with names from before, his eyes fell on RuiZhi...and he tried to make a connection to the people from before. He thought that the little runt may have been related to someone other than the boy he saw earlier with another boy (not Far and Ka, he knew that much) ...but someone else.
It nagged him, who was it? Alex, maybe? Well...that would suck for the youth to loose a sibling out here. He almost felt a tinge of pity that would make him go over and try to reassure the youth that everything would be okay, and that Alex was a monster-woman who could tear a tree from the ground with her bare hands....but he didn't. Instead he jsut simply walked over and placed his hand on RuiZhi's head.
"Hey again kiddo."
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