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 Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 12:30 am
Tariel's eyes landed on the pink Naiad that seemed to appear out of nowhere to interrupt her. This was an open court, and naiad were encouraged to speak their mind, but this interruption was not welcome. She knew immediately who this naiad was without any formal introductions. She could see it in her eyes.
Tariel hated this naiad right now. Not for any good reason either. But she stowed herself to be diplomatic, because she knew better than anyone else that she could be maliciously vindictive if prompted. And if ever there was a prompt...
Sadron's words broke her reverie and she turned to look at him. He was smiling? She furled her brow, feeling her anger elevate, but only for a moment before she couldn't help grin. She knew -- well, thought she knew --- what he was thinking. She lowered the trident. "Train them, please. We need leaders to help train more Hunters. With these two directly under you, we will have a chance at having a smart, tactful and successful offense -- if war is eminent. I pray to the Waters that it is not, but we need to be prepared."
Tariel looked towards Anatolio. "You have a choice. You can help us, or you can hide and pray that those who are helping us succeed. I believe in you, if you are Captain Turin's son."
Her gaze moved to his mother, and a very brief flash of her true feelings on the matter was evident, but as quick as it flashed, Tariel was just as quick to mask it. Tariel's next task was to assign Moana her duty, not dwell on her jealousy. "Moana, I want you to be one of my Ladies. I want you to stay close to the court."
Tariel had plans for all those in attendance this day. She just hadn't planned on most of them being Turin's secret offspring.
One quick glance over the court, and Tariel noticed another naiad in attendance that she had called forth. She pointed towards the red and yellow female. "Come forth. What is your name and your job, skill or talent."
One last glance to the son who didn't make any sounds, except an occasional yelp or whimper. "You. What do you do?" She glanced very quickly at the pink naiad and asked the same question.
There was a glance over her shoulder towards Turin and Ocie. She did not forget about him. She had hoped Turin didn't either, but right now, her petty-self doubted his commitment to the court.
There was a fleeting moment when Tariel felt sad for Turin. She wondered to herself if she would have felt the same way had it been Sadron or Aeroniel with the secret life.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 12:39 am
"As you wish," Sadron said as he backed away to lean once again against a column. He had no intention of being anything but brutal to his trainees.
=======================
Calder watched from the back of the crowd. He was pretty happy that he chose to not sit up close. His scales shifted from color to color as the room became more tense. Being a lake naiad and shy to boot, he had nothing but mixed fear for the queen and her violent entourage.
He watched as she called Serefina. Just looking at her again after all this time made him blush. He hoped she would be safe here and that he too would make it out unscathed.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 12:57 am
Zoran swallowed down the lump in his throat when the queen spoke to him. He was not blind and could clearly see the daggers she glared at his mom, which did not sit well with him. His mother was the most kind, gentle and compassionate naiad ever to exist, so she certainly couldn't have done anything wrong.
"I ... I ... fix things, build things. Small useless things." he muttered, fidgeting his fingers in front of him trying to not make eye contact. He really hoped he'd be off the hook for helping with anything with his useless skill.
He still had no idea what was going on, but there was something because the queen wouldn't get mad for no reason, would she? And why did his mom come to protect them? Were they in danger? And why did dad not want Anatolio being a Hunter? He hoped that his father would try and dissuade the queen if she tried to assign Zoran a job, too.
He was entirely too scared to speak up and say anything that was not asked of him. He didn't want that trident pointed at his throat, ever.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 1:16 am
Realizing that she was still grasping each of her brothers' arms, Moana quickly let go as if startled, realizing that she was once more being addressed directly by the Queen. Great Waters, was she always this...dramatic? Though, she supposed that being a queen, one could get by with such things...must be nice...
But wait, she was to stay here? In the Court? Moana's eyes widened in surprise, glancing about as if seeing the room for the first time. She...she could be...well, not quite royalty, but close enough! She could live in a palace and have servants and be waited on and ladies would wait to do her hair and dress her in fine jewelry and things...
...wait, was that what she was supposed to do? Hmm...confusing. Ah well, she'd find out. She never even considered the question of what any of this had to do with her healing abilities. She simply smiled and bowed, murmuring, "Yes, my Queen," before backing away to make room for the others being summoned to the dais.
---
The waters around Serefina had warmed substantially when the trouble started. Alarmed, she had inadvertently activated her defense mechanism, and fortunately no one else had been swimming near her at the time. She could just see interrupting things because she'd burned someone...though, maybe some sort of distraction would have been a good thing. Anything to break the tension long enough for the aggression to give way to sense.
She was quite familiar with anger, the way it burned inside you, yearning to get out until it flared up strong enough to burst free. Serefina just had the added caution of making sure that didn't happen literally. She'd spent some time studying this ability of hers, rather than fearing it as she used to. She now understood, yes, it could be dangerous, but it could also be controlled. And in an emergency, it might just be useful as well.
Didn't make her any happier when it emerged on its own when she was angry or startled.
And she was definitely startled now. Why was she being singled out and summoned forth? Oh great, she'd probably done something wrong and now they weren't going to let her into the palace anymore...she'd be on her own again, all alone in some dark cavernous corner of the lake...
There were still some small bubbles forming and rising towards the surface as she hurriedly attempted to dissipate the heat shield before speaking. "I..." she coughed, clearing her throat so that she could speak clearly. "I am Serefina. I was born and raised in this lake, and I...can create heat shields around myself in times of need," she said, the words chosen carefully. She was suddenly quite thankful to have taken the time to make sense of her 'ability.'
---
Well aware that he still hadn't been directly spoken to, Turin wasn't exactly sure if this was a good or bad thing. On one fin, he sure had a lot of things running through his head at the moment that he wanted to say. The less emotional, less suicidal part of his brain knew that some things were better left unsaid. Especially when tempers were still running hot. And yet, some things were going to have to be laid to bare eventually...this was just not the place.
He had done what he could for now. His son was being offered a choice now, not an order...and he was an adult, so he could make his own decisions. Just as long as he knew that he wasn't being pressured into something that he wasn't comfortable in doing.
Since when had Turin started thinking this way? His temper flare, his righteous anger, all new feelings, and all stemming from the same source: a threat aimed towards his children. And it seemed that Anatolio wasn't the only one of his offspring that the Queen had plans for.
Had she planned this all along? If so, she'd kept it even from her Court, a skilled accomplishment indeed. Turin at least had had no idea that she was going to be assigning roles to those present, however, what if this was something she'd decided on the spur of the moment instead? That seemed more her general style...but she didn't always treat such important tasks in that manner.
Unable to focus on the Queen or even his children any longer if he was ever going to get his own tumultuous emotions under control, he turned his attention back to the strange teen boy. He had a simple job to do...watch the boy until they could question him. Easy. Yes, the order came from Tariel, but at the same time, Turin could reason that this at least was a logical decision that anyone in their right mind could make.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 2:00 am
Tariel stayed still on the dais, bowing her head towards Moana. She was taught well, she thought. Very respectful girl. Despite everything, the queen managed a smile for her. Shame she would be a constant reminder of Turin's betrayal. But talent is talent and Tariel wanted a healer on her court.
"Moana, how much sunlight do you require to heal? Can you heal at these depths?"
When the other naiad approached and introduced herself, Tariel greeted her with class. She was not a tyrant after all, even if her emotions seemed to cause her to boil every now and then. She just had to keep reminding herself to not over react at court. "Born and raised here, hmm? How well do you know this lake?"
It was true Tariel did not discuss any tactics or promotions with anyone on her court. She didn't come to court expecting to hand out duties. But she also didn't expect to come to court with the threat of war looming. She'd never been in any real war of any kind, at least not among civilized beings. Being the only sentient creatures in the sea kind of made war non-existent. Sure there was fights for food and turf, but do you really war with your food?
Truth was, Tariel was doing all she could to keep her mind focused on things other than Turin. She knew she'd have to talk to him, but she was scared. Scared of the outcome, scared that it'd be the finality of her friendship with him. Scared she'd lost him. Scared she would never able to trust him. Scared that things had changed forever.
Now to address the cowardly Zoran who tinkers. She couldn't see any useful purpose for that. At least not immediately. He didn't seem brave or clever enough to be a Hunter.
"I will call on you later, Zoran, after we've received confirmation of what is to come."
The queen took a deep breath to still herself. She counted to ten and addressed the pink naiad this time. "What is your name, and your job?" She tried to not focus directly on her, because she didn't want to see what it was about this girl that Turin liked, because she knew it would likely cause her to like her as well, and to feel guilty for the anger she felt, and she wasn't ready to let go of that anger yet.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 7:00 am
(( Sorry about disappearing last night, 50 hour work week with all morning shifts and I was exhausted ^^;; ))
Ocie placed a hand over his mouth, wishing he hadn't spoken his thoughts aloud. He knew he'd slipped up, and that she'd demand to know where he learned this information from. There it was, her voice was amazing as she told him to stay where he was. He grinned a bit, perfectly content to stay where he floated.
Oh there was a nice bit of drama around the bright colored naiad with a spear, this would be interesting to watch. Really did she need to issue a command to keep him here? Who wouldn't want to watch this unfold. Ocie floated idly by, listening to everything. It was certainly amusing to see the anger in the spear guy's eyes, though the queen did give him a mild shock. What was that energy she was exuding? He'd never felt anything like it!
Damn, she managed to calm down.. Something about her rage.. Wasn't exactly scary to him, no he'd seen his mother in far worse moods. It was kind of a turn off actually. He frowned a bit, ignoring the thoughts now, he likely wasn't going to get a good chance at her bed any time soon now. She was furious and part of that would likely be at him for slipping that small amount of knowledge he'd managed to charm off an old fae.. Something had to be said for odd creatures like him, they looked damn good.
Even still, Ocie was amused to see that Queen Tariel had been calling forth the rest of the naiads in the court to hand out titles? That was interesting, seemed she was preparing for this war even if he didn't like that it was coming. Too bad none of them seemed very experienced with fighting like the queen and the two she seemed angriest at. The thought was sad, if he had to place his alliances with someone, he'd really rather it be here. The finned naiads were the ones he looked most like, even his wings could pass as large frilly fins if he wanted to..
Curious how Tariel was questioning those useful abilities to put them to use. She was truly a good queen if she was thinking things through, even when she was so clearly distressed about the thought of her spear guy betraying her and the idiot with the piercings shouting about not wanting others to go with him. He had to give her props for that. Ocie probably wouldn't have done the same, and he just smiled at the thought. There was more to this queen than he thought. He'd have to get closer to her, see what was really behind that gorgeous face of hers..
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 9:26 am
Oh gods and little fishes, Kelebek had been hoping the Queen wouldn't call on her. Suddenly she feels like a child who'd been caught skipping school.
Keeping her eyes down, she bows gently. "I'm Kelebek, my queen. My job is to stay out of the way...I'm clumsy and timid and I frighten easily." She shrugs gently. "But since you are looking for usefulness in everyone, I too have a unique power: I can camouflage myself in the water." She demonstrates, turning a vague shade of blue and blending slightly with her surroundings. "O-obviously it works better when there are no lights..." she finishes lamely.
Kelebek fiddles with her own hands. She'd seen the way Tariel had looked at her when she realized Kelebek was the mother of these children. She shudders to think what kind of revenge she'd have on her, and probably on Turin as well. She sighs softly.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:32 am
Anatolio bites his bottom lip. Although he's no coward, hiding and praying did rather sound like the more desirable option, if it meant he wouldn't have to hurt anyone. The queen believed in him, Toli realizes, but not because of his own merits.... He lets his glance wander over to his father. The queen believed in him because she believed in his father. Toli bites his bottom lip, his decision made.
"I accept," he says. "I pray it doesn't come to war, but if it does, I will offer all I have to protect my family."
Gods and little fishes, did he just enlist as a soldier?
I hope you're proud of me, Papa.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 1:08 pm
Sadron remained nonplussed. The rest of this meeting would be... well, a meeting it seemed. Sitting still too long and talking about feelings was women work. He definitely needed to blow off some steam; he longed for the thrill of a good hunt. His fingers itched to clasp his spear once more.
He watched at Toli accepted being his charge. "Heh," he mutters. Looks like no matter what he did at this point, he was stuck with a woman and a tadpole. Tari's emotions made her lose sight of her rationality. That had to be it. Otherwise, she would have confidence in his words. Otherwise, she would send able bodied hunters, not women and children.
True that brightly colored one, one of Turin's hatch, was technically an adult, but he was naive. Court life had not prepared him for danger. Plus his coloring was bright, very bright. Camouflage? Ha! Sadron figured he would roll the boy around in the mud the moment they hit land. If nothing else, it would be hilarious.
The thought made him laugh.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 2:01 pm
Itsaso, understanding Sadron's fear about her competence, but offended by his words nonetheless, casually makes her way over toward him. She figures a bit of a spar would change his mind about her. Even if she lost--which she probably would; there's no better Hunter than Sadron--she'd still give him a good tossing-about. She knows respect must be earned, and if she must earn Sadron's in order to do her job, then that's what she'd do.
"I can see you have some doubts about a mere woman joining your forces," she says, a bit of a sneer evident in her voice.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 4:06 pm
Tariel listened to Kelebek, tempted to send her into the shark waters to fetch trite items like a shark nest feather. It'd keep her busy and away. But she knew that she was better than that, and not that cruel. But it didn't stop the bad thoughts racing through her mind.
Kelebek had a useful talent that would keep her alive if war did come to the lake. But with luck and lots of prayer, the waters would be safe because most land pae'il don't like getting wet and even more can't survive the depths without some special powers or equipment anyway.
The flicker of one of the lights in the throne room broke Tariel's train of thought and her attention was briefly drawn away from the pink naiad in front of her. It's hard to explain why that particular flicker at that exact moment sparked old memories, but it did. The light reminded her of the way the sun looked when viewed from below the sea. Just a flickering light in the darkness. She turned and looked over her shoulder at Turin, and he looked like he was struggling as much as she was. She wanted to be angry, she really did. The guilt from over-reacting and jumping to conclusions was starting to set in.
She decided to test something.
"Kelebek, I want you to accompany Sadron as well."
Tariel moved to Anatolio, getting a little uncomfortably close to him and put her arm around his shoulder. She leaned close to whisper to him. It's not that she didn't want others to hear, but she wanted to ease his fear. Okay, and she didn't want others to hear.
"Sadron is to train you, but you will be serving at the temple. Don't worry, I will not put you in harm's way. This is only an information gathering mission." She glanced to Turin, faked the best mischievous smile she could then removed her arm, giving Anatolio a pat on his shoulder. She didn't know if anyone else heard, but she had whispered and hoped not.
She knew Turin was right about his bright coloring being unsuitable for covert missions, and he was right in that she used that argument to keep him at the palace. But she was questioning her motives now considering everything that had gone on.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 6:20 pm
"I don't have doubts, milady. There's nothing to doubt. I'm stuck carrying a couple of novices into a potentially deadly situation. Your deaths will be on my hands," Sadron responded with a roll of his eyes. "Honestly, I don't care to have that on my conscience all because a little girl wants to play spy."
He hoped for her sake that she chose to stay behind and be safe. Not that he held anything against her personally. Itsaso was pretty enough; that in itself would usually be enough to have Tariel send her packing. Sadron was a fin chaser. He figured that was why she picked Turin's tadpole as well, to keep him from trying to shack up with Itsaso somewhere and forget his mission. "It'd only be for a little while. She takes all my fun," he muttered to himself without realizing.
He shook the thought away. No sense in letting his libido run wild if he had to be saddled with this lot. Last thing the hunter needed was to have a tryst that kept following him around. That never ended well... ever.
He looked back to Itsaso to gauge her reaction when he heard those few horrible words.
"Kelebek, I want you to accompany Sadron as well."
"WHAT? Oh ******** me with a jagged swordfish, not another one."
This was getting ridiculous. He may as well just take the whole hatchery with him, give them a tour of the Isle. While he was at it, he could start wearing his hair long and put on pretty dresses.
Luckily for Sadron, his outcry was just loud enough to be heard clearly, but not so loud as to interrupt what was going on at the throne.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 6:45 pm
Ocie was vaguely listening to Sadron, and had managed to hear the line about the jagged swordfish. He couldn't help but laugh at the thought of that even happening to anyone.
Shaking his head lightly to himself, the water sprite made his way up towards where the queen would normally be at. He vaguely wondered if she would be offended that he'd moved. Certainly she would take it as a sing that he would stay where she wanted him to right? Whatever, Ocie really didn't care too much about what she thought. He was just hoping to see her in bed, not that that was a likely thing to happen anymore. She was furious and he'd let information slip.
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 6:45 pm
Itsaso scoffs. "Don't milady me," she says, her voice low and gravelly. "After this little family reunion is over I'd be happy to challenge you to a bit of an ocean spar."
She'd seen him give her that appraising look, and Sadron's appetite for women was well-known. But damned if she was going to let him underestimate her as being just another piece of tail.
Kelebek looks alarmed. She glances back and forth between the Queen and Sadron. She would be of absolutely no use to him, and he would most likely beat the breath from her. Gods and little fishes...
Toli nods, suddenly wondering about the Queen's motivations. "Y-yes, of course," he says. He briefly glances toward his father, who still seemed consumed by his own emotions.
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