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"Then send a letter," Owle snapped. Really, was it so hard to just say something to someone you supposedly cared about? Even Sun had stopped by more often than Vahn had...

So she didn't know the full extent of what Vahn had been dealing with, or what horrible little things had been buried in his past. She hadn't told him about most of her demons, either, though they were probably fewer in number than his. She just knew, that when you cared about someone, when you loved someone...

...you shouldn't just vanish without a word.

"She's in Latent...I'm at the Firebrand in Gambino. I guess I can meet you at the gates to Latent."

She was going to walk. Lucind wasn't planning on leaving for another three weeks or so, anyway, and if Vahn was kept waiting, well...he could find Lucind without her, couldn't he?

Maybe she was being too hard on him...but in the many months that had passed since Guldor, you'd think he could have found time to meet her...even if it was just to say goodbye.

Not...alone? Owle's mind leapt to the worst case, which was that Vahn had found himself another woman and was traveling around with her. She knew he couldn't be with Sun...it wasn't too long ago she'd seen Sunstrike, and he'd still been successfully avoiding Vahn.

"...is that why you vanished?"

To be with someone else? She tried to tell herself it didn't matter, but she was only lying...

"Oh...well...alright, then..."

Owle didn't sound alright with it. She sounded uncomfortable, like she were fidgeting in her seat.

"Well, um...I guess I should let you go...get on my way myself and all..."

More of that fidgeting. In truth, Owle was already walking along, changing course towards Latent.

As if on cue, Tiamika exited the bar with a smile on her face, her almost golden eyes looking expectantly at Vahn.

Owle said nothing more; she let the connection close, and continued on her way, her semi-confident stride becoming more and more nervous as she drew closer to the town of Latent...and a meeting with Vahn.

---

"Yeah, that's fine," Tiamika nodded her assent, smiling. "I don't know where my father is...he might have left Barton a long time ago, anyway, so there's still a chance that we'll find him wherever we go."

She'd grown to her usual optimism after meeting Vahn; he was the answer to her oft-repeared prayers to get her out of those mountains. Where he led, she would follow. And if he tired of her following, well...he'd promised not to leave her alone again.

"Where to?"

((Sounds like a good plan.

*turns on the scene transition music*

Hmm...hey, Vahn, if it's all the same to you I'm going to just post what will happen when he gets to the gates of Latent. Owle's going to be a bit late, mostly because I'd like to have Lucind around when Owle and Tiamika first lay eyes on each other.))

Whenever it was Vahn reached the gates of Latent, Owle would get in touch with him one more time. The journey was a lot longer than she remembered, and over the months of her pregnancy she had fallen out of shape. Figuring he must have gotten to the city by now, Owle reached out to him once more.

"Hey, Vahn, I'm still about an hour's walk away, so why don't you go ahead and meet Lucind at..."

...and then Owle remembered.

"Lucind?" she sent, reaching out to the half-Siren. "Vahn's at the gates, he's got someone else with him...I'm going to be a while yet, where should I tell him to meet you?

He doesn't seem to be in a bad mood or anything."

Owle's voice shook a bit; he didn't seem to mind doing a favor for Lucind, but he was pretty awkward around Owle.

Using her own, still weak locating abilities plus relying on the connection to Owle, the data she could retrieve without actually touching any no-no areas in the other woman's mind, Lucind waited a moment before answering:

"Sure... Uhm..seems he's moving, though. But I'll find him dun worry.."

Some of the customers on the third, the restaurant store of Feimurgan, googled at Lucind when she started mumbling all of a sudden: it was the same effect when someone used a wireless earplug to communicate via his mobile.

Only when she noticed the curious or confused looks, she simply changed from speaking to thinking.

...or...hmm, yea that's better: please tell him to come to Duncan's Hole, Tesharon Street...he should know the place or at least the street, it's in the Inner City, right at the beginning of the gastronomy mile - though the less sunny side of it heh.. In case he doesn't have a slightest idea I can "mail" you an image of the area.



Ten minutes later, the Half-Siren left her store to walk over. It would take her approximately 15 minutes to get there - the Duncan's Hole was indeed one of those pubs that were frequented by...let's say unusual and..interesting people. Still, you didn't have to fear to be shanghaied there the moment you entered the place.

"T'aka, let's go."

He swept his cloak to the side, a brief glimpse of the sheathed sword at the back of his waist seen, before his metal boots resounded along the street.

He had a direction to head in now, the harbor town known to him like the back of his hand. The fact that the Stadium and its evere looming presence wasn't too far off didn't seem to bother him in the least.

Considering all the drama and battles that had taken place there.

It felt good to be somewhere else for once.

[referrence pics for Duncan's Hole, feel free to ignore those customers/my dad in front of me XD

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/Tagis/Azum/Photo0007.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/Tagis/Azum/Photo0006.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/Tagis/Azum/Photo0003.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/Tagis/Azum/Photo0004.jpg ]



If anything, this pub was really nothing short to a hole: even with the brightest sun outside you'd always find a distinct semi-darkness in there - no wonder with what little attention those tiny windows were scrubbed with an ol' dirty piece of cloth every once in a while.

Also, it wasn't exactly on the to-do list for tourists and surely not named in any town guide, but those who frequented such more 'private' and 'special' corners of Latent knew that, compared to other shady places, Duncan's Hole was harmless. Not safe either, though, and if one was stupid enough to leave his belongings unattended...well, not even the Latent Spears would care.

Nevertheless, the pub had turned into something like a neutral zone over the years:
no clan or gang of whatever kind claimed this place to be their secret hq or local hangout base, murder happened only once or twice a year, and you were actually able to talk in private there, without continuously being interrupted by some involuntary hand-shake...brawl...whatever.

Might be that not so legal things were the order of the day, might be that you could find a girl sitting at the counter, all alone, her clothes a bit too promising. But most people there simply wanted to follow their own business and not poke their nose in anyone else's affairs - for the sake of not getting into (more) problems.



Sitting in a corner opposite of the door, Lucind obviously enjoyed the atmosphere. It was only late afternoon, but someone upstairs was already giving a shanty to it best, his words heavily blurred by whatever booze he'd enjoyed well enough.

One of her boots resting on the table, she took a full swig from a pint of dark beer, staring into the room but not focussing on anything in particular.
Her long, worn out coat hung open to reveal a pair of plain used-look type jeans and a seemingly ragged sweatshirt, which could've as well been bought in a noble boutique as a closer look wanted to tell you.