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 Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 9:27 pm
 The more distance they put between themselves and the source of that...dark feeling, the better he started to feel. But he didn't slow his pace. Instead, he kept moving with his natural agility, at some points leaping to the lower branches of trees and springing from one to the next on all fours when the forest floor became more difficult to traverse.
He kept an ear out for his tail, only slowing when it seemed that the distance between them grew too great. The boy seemed to be following well enough, but Kane didn't want to leave him behind now that he'd taken it upon himself to lead him to safety. He didn't have time to wonder why.
After they'd covered some distance, he turned his path slightly, angling towards their goal. Of course, he was going on a hunch here, but if the kid had been out with Texas', and the combination of scents he'd picked up from the pair...and given the knowledge gained the last time he'd been there...
He'd aimed their path for Texas' house, and quite honestly, he wasn't planning to stop until they got there.
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 10:16 pm
 Mikasi was nothing like the cat Kane was.
Sure, he got the same uneasy feeling as Kane had, and something of relief came to him as the danger became less and less prevalent, but once the danger became less prevalent, Mikasi was inclined to slow his pace just a bit, thinking about what exactly he was doing with more measured moments. He was nevertheless graceful, able to handle the terrain with relative ease, though he never ... dropped to his fours.
Odd.
Mikasi spent a lot of his time walking trying to figure out the man in front of him, wondering why he was even following him--besides for Ignatius' urging, he guessed--and wondering what was going on with the majority of his behaviors. The tiger seemed overly alert, overly tense at times, and he walked like he knew this terrain and yet with how rushed he was acting, seemed to want to go somewhere else. Was he going home? Mikasi had to wonder what home was for this man, but then, there was another thought in his mind.
He had implied they were going to something Mikasi might consider home, but Mikasi only had one home, and it certainly was not wherever this man lived. If it was, they probably would have actually run into each other before this.
Mikasi reached a hand up to run his hand through his hair, grumbling under his breath. He probably looked awful right now. Full of leaves and dirt and he was pretty sure he probably stepped in some mushrooms a little while back. He hated mushrooms. Why did anyone ever eat those things? They were literally things that spent their time eating other dead things, and while he supposed that was not so different from most Pae'il, that was all they consumed. Dead, decomposing anything ever.
Ew.
Mikasi shuddered, attempting to speed up his trek out of the forest. Really, he wanted nothing to do with this place. The beach sounded good, where his father lived. Was that where they were headed?
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 11:09 pm
The boy kept lagging behind, much to Kane's irritation. But, then he'd pause and remind himself, not everyone could keep up with his speed. He slow until the boy caught up again, glance back, then resume leading the way. Funny; a few seasons before, he'd have grown frustrated enough to either launch into the boy with a verbal tirade to hurry up, or simply get pissed and leave the kid to fend for himself.
Even if he'd only had mixed success, it seems those hunting lessons for Vika had taught Kane something as well.
Well, at least the dark feelings of despair and fear had lessened, weakening the anxiety and urge to flee. After a bit, Kane slowed his pace again, resigned to do so for the kid, as long as they kept moving and didn't stop completely. He paused, perched on a low-hanging branch as he waited for Mikasi to catch up. When the nymph came into sight again, he managed to keep his tone neutral when he asked, "Keeping up okay?"
He looked ahead, then sniffed the air to see how close they were to the beach. Only the slightest scent of water on the air, but given his sense of smell, it could still be a few minutes walk before they saw anything. "Shouldn't be too far now," he mused, then added under his breath, "Hopefully those fools stop being stupid and follow us."
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Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 7:50 pm
Mikasi didn't quite notice that the demon had stopped until the demon spoke to him, which made him jump. As good as his hearing seemed to be, and as quick to straighten himself out as he was, he still did not seem to be particularly prepared for those who might sneak up on him.
The nymph managed a mild glare, but he was still entirely too unnerved to put his full force behind it, the glare melting away as he glanced off in another direction.
"Sure."
He was keeping up just fine. Sure, Mikasi didn't come out here often, but it honestly felt like they were just retracing the path that Ignatius had insisted on flying over earlier. He had no idea what could have driven Ignatius to think this was all even a good idea, but either way, he recognized the path they were walking across, the very faint of the water nearby was familiar, and the annoying bird on that tree looked like the same one he saw earlier.
Mikasi squinted.
Okay, maybe he was just insane, and he really didn't know where he was going, but it was good to pretend. How did this man know where they were going so well? And what exactly wasn't too far now? If this man was heading towards his own home, he doubted he would be leaving the forest. With that four-limbed running, he might-as-well have been one of the animals of the forest himself.
Seriously, why the hell was he running on his hands?
Never mind.
"Where are we going, exactly?"
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2013 10:22 pm
Kane snorted, leaping out of the trees as the forest grew sparse and the first of the sands of the beach started to appear. "Home, of course. I thought that's where you wanted to go." It wasn't until his feet hit the sands, the coarse texture beneath his toes, that the demon started to slow, his thoughts catching up now that his instincts were no longer screaming over everything else to get away.
Oh crap.
He wasn't supposed to know where the kid lived.
He had been making assumptions so far, of course, given his company, the scents that followed them both, his knowledge of how the calm, peace-keeping demon kept his home...and family... Kane could safely assume that the kid still lived in Texas' home, and he remembered well enough where that was.
But, he hadn't exactly been looking to have this conversation today. He was supposed to be a complete stranger. Yeah, he'd given into his own curiosity earlier when he'd picked up their scents in the area. He couldn't help getting a peek at his and Texas' kids...not when he'd never laid eyes on either of them before. Yeah, he knew they existed, of course. Back when the fairies of the Isle saddled him with Vika, he figured it'd been safe to assume that they'd done the same to Magnus, once he'd started working all this out. But, he'd never really...gone to check for sure. He'd heard hearsay, of course, their extended families kept in contact. Especially when his half-brother came home with another surprise kid...this one, Texas'. Oh, the tiger demon had gotten some amusement out of that one, even if Saffron hadn't been nearly so entertained by the situation.
Kane saw some irony at the time, given some distance at that point, in the similarity of their situations.
Looking back now, it seemed...just a bit silly. It wasn't that he was afraid or anything. He'd dealt with his issues that he'd had in the beginning, regarding what had happened between him and the Fae. And when the kid came along, well...he'd been kinda' busy for a while. He didn't have much time to worry, or care, what the heck the Fae might be doing in the same situation. But now, Vika was full-grown and could take care of herself, for the most part, and yet...Kane had still never returned to Texas' house after that last night he'd spent before the storm blew over. Before he'd officially become a father.
Nope, not afraid, of course not. That would be silly. Why would he be afraid of the silly Fae? He couldn't deny some level of curiosity about the son he'd heard of, but never seen. But as long as he'd remained some mystery in that house, he'd not been temptation enough for the demon's curiosity to win out over reluctance to venture into a potentially awkward situation.
Instead, today had provided just the perfect situation for him to blunder into without thinking about the consequences of opening that particular door. Fantastic.
The demon had stopped at the edge of the beach, realizing his mistake now that he had time to think clearly. Taking a deep sigh, he turned and shot a look over his shoulder at the boy. "Don't suppose we can call it coincidence, eh? Come on, at least keep walkin'. I'm sure Texas will wanna' make everyone tea, or soup, or I dunno', whatever he does in these situations..." he grumbled, realizing that he was going to have to explain something to the kid now. He might be a hopeless flirt, but the kid couldn't be stupid. Kane figured he had to have something from him in there too.
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Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 4:20 pm
Home, of course. I thought that was where you wanted to go.
Mikasi's eyes narrowed, walking suddenly halting as he looked to the older demon. That was what he thought; they were going to what Mikasi thought of as home. But how did this demon know that? He had never seen this demon before in his life, so it wouldn't make any sense that he had any idea what home was. He wasn't someone he recognized as a friend of Texas', or a friend of Vangelis', or even a friend of Criofan's and Ei-Kal's, as they showed up at the house on occasion. Magnus didn't really seem to have any friends, so he didn't count in Mikasi's overall list.
This wasn't funny.
Kane was certainly right about one thing--Mikasi wasn't stupid. He wasn't born stupid, and Texas didn't raise stupid children. Vangelis and Ignatius might have been enough proof of that on their own, by the way Mikasi growled hostilely at the response that Kane gave may have given the hint that Mikasi was sharp, too. He knew that this demon should not have known where he lived, and the reaction he gave showed that.
To Kane's nervous response, Mikasi snorted, stalking forward to confront the tiger-striped demon more face to face. He walked around him, for a moment, wings flicking back and forth as he studied the other man. He wasn't certain he could win against him if it came to this man being something of a threat. He seemed much stronger than Mikasi was, and he already had proven he was much more efficient at getting through the forest, even if running around on his hands and feet was not something that Mikasi would ever want to try.
So he wasn't going to try and fight him physically. Coincidence was something that was not an option, though.
That much was obvious by the way he was glaring into Kane's gaze.
"No," replied Mikasi, flatly.
Without taking a breath, he continued, "Who do you think you are?"
It was very clear from the way he was looking at Kane that he wasn't going to take any of his delaying excuses as an answer.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 10:11 pm
The hostile growl was the first sign of resistance the boy had shown since they'd taken off, and as he stalked around with his own form of natural grace to stare the demon down face-to-face, the hair on the back of Kane's neck started to stand on end. His feral, predatory side was practically screaming 'Dominance challenge! Assert your superiority!'
He answered the boy with a full growl, fangs bared, but they were only in a stare-down for the moment. Posturing predators, trying to out-threaten each other. Kane's wings flared, arching overhead, as he refused to turn aside from the boy's stare. He wanted an answer? Fine, he'd get one.
"Your father, whelp! Or hadn't you picked up on that yet?" the demon snarled harshly in answer. Then he hesitated. With a different sort of snarl, he broke the dominance-asserting stare to reign in his instincts and cover by rubbing between his eyes as if he had a headache. "Dammit, kid, this was not how this s**t was supposed to go." He leaned on the nearest tree with his free hand, still rubbing his eyes.
He hadn't wanted to address any of this. Not yet. Not ever really, if he could help it, but it didn't seem likely, when fate liked to throw this s**t at him when he least expected it.
Though he supposed, this one was all his own damn curiosity's fault for even going to see what he looked like in the first place. Should have kept far, far away. Under his breath, he grumbled, "Let's just get you home."
Before I say anything else I might regret.
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 3:59 pm
Perhaps Mikasi was bold or just plain stupid, but when Kane started his own posturing in turn, Mikasi's gaze only hardened. When Kane growled and showed his fangs, Mikasi might have been impressed if he wasn't concerned with making himself look even more daunting. His back straightened a tad, his legs spread out to widen his stance to hold his ground, and another, lower growl left his lips. Who the hell did this guy think--
His father?
The answer made so little sense he snarled again, but internally, his mind was reeling. His father? Wasn't Magnus his failure of a father? He had another failure of a father? How had he ended up with two failed fathers? At least Ignatius had one parent who wasn't a failure. How had he ended up with two?!
This wasn't how this s**t was supposed to go. That's it.
"Okay, father." The tone he was using was filled with dripping sarcasm, eyes narrowing as he stared at the now exasperated animalistic demon. While he was no longer showing the same level of defensiveness that he was, he was certainly not showing any level of friendliness. "Next time some guy I don't know tries to take me to my house, I'll make sure to pretend it's perfectly, one hundred percent bonafied normal and I won't question anything about it."
He snorted.
"I don't know why I ever let my cousin drag me out of the house."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 5:27 pm
Kane rolled his eyes, setting off across the beach nonetheless. "Snarky little s**t, aren't ya'?" Definitely mine, he thought with a trace of amusement...then tried to push that aside. Where'd that thought come from? Not the time.
Why had he said anything at all? His damnable instincts told him to put the boy in his place when he'd challenged him. Apparently, that had seemed like the best option at the time. Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid.
"Course you shouldn't. Never trust anyone but yourself, obviously. Question everything," he shot back with a snort. "Though, if I know Texas, he's likely to have kicked you out of the house himself if you didn't leave at some point on your own."
Which raised a sudden question in the demon's mind: what about Magnus? From what he'd put together the last time he had been there, holed up in Texas' house during the monsoon, Magnus hadn't exactly been himself either at the time. He'd never even seen him, despite being under the same roof. He'd not heard much to imply that had changed after all this time. Kane had faced his own demons so to speak, coming to terms with what had happened...to some extent. He'd accepted Vika's presence in his life...but, he'd never gone back to seek out the son he'd heard he'd also had.
Maybe it was the complications he thought it would bring. Because he needed more of those.
Too late now.
Still...had the Fae ever shaken off whatever the hell was going on with him? Or was he still moping? The hell was wrong with him anyway?
Why did he care?
Rolling his eyes, Kane pushed his hair back, seeming visibly calmer now, if more exasperated. "Look, we can bicker while we walk. You at least trust I'm taking you home to Texas now and not trying to kidnap you or something, right?" He resisted the urge to add ...be too easy anyway.
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 6:17 pm
Never trust anyone sounded a little extreme. He trusted some people. He trusted Texas, namely, Ignatius, because he could count on him to act the same he always did, and Vangelis, because he was quiet. The Criofan-branch of the family was always a bit mischievous, so he kept on alert around them--though he certainly trusted them not to cause them any trouble. Magnus?
To be honest, he wasn't sure he really trusted his father, although maybe he did. It wasn't like he had done anything to not deserve the trust.
At the remark on Texas, he rolled his eyes. "You know him fairly well, I suppose, though he won't make Magnus do much of anything."
The fact that Mikasi said 'Magnus' and not 'Dad' or 'my father' was probably more telling than he realized.
At Kane's next remarks, Mikasi looked over, quirking a brow. After a moment, he made an, "Eh," noise and continued walking. "Not totally," remarked Mikasi, with a shrug. "But the salt in the air is getting stronger, and there's actually some sand on the ground. Probably tracked from the beach. If you are planning on kidnapping, I know you're taking me in the right direction."
It was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic at this point, too, or if he was actually being serious. It wasn't accompanied with snarling this time, so he probably wasn't agitated anymore, at least. For the moment, Mikasi seemed to be at ease...
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 7:51 am
Kane rolled his eyes, nevertheless resuming moving forwards towards the beach. Good enough, he supposed. Under his breath, he muttered, "And here I thought your sister was bad. Maybe I got a better deal than Magnus after all." He didn't even try to censor the jab, snorting a bit to himself. Honestly, he was still in a bad mood, with himself as well as with the kid.
However, he'd convinced himself that the sooner he got the kid home, the sooner he could be gone and away again.
He hadn't missed the lack of honorific used when the kid referred to Magnus. Of course, that in itself could mean nothing. Could just be the way he referred to him when talking to strangers...made sense when they knew them by that name. Still, for what issues they had, Vika still referred to him as 'Dad' or 'Daddy', even when speaking to others, so he couldn't help but notice.
Eh, what did it matter?
The trees began growing sparser and the sands beneath their feet more plentiful. Before much longer, the beach stretched out ahead of them, the water shimmering with reflected light in the distance. "So...here we are. Can you manage from here, or you need me to walk you all the way home, kid?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 8:18 am
Mikasi wasn't deaf, and muttered or not, Mikasi certainly caught the comment Kane made about Magnus getting the harder part of the deal.
Whatever.
Mikasi just rolled his eyes at the remark, deciding it wasn't really worth engaging it any further. Fighting took too much effort and he just wanted to get back to the beach so he could take a nap, away from tiger fathers and mentions of a sister he was barely aware existed.
He guessed it made sense this Kane Father had a child too, though. Ignatius had a brother too... Aster or whatever his name was? Mrr.
Mikasi was relieved to finally feel the sand in-between his tows again, away from dank scary jungles with weird teens and senses of danger at every corner. This was safer, and as a cat, Mikasi preferred places where he could safely curl up for a cat nap.
At the kid remark, Mikasi tensed slightly, and swirled around to make a remark but... just yawned instead. "Yeah. I know where I am. Bye Dad." As unnecessary as the emphasis was, Mikasi marched off in the direction of Texas' house. Stupid exhausting day. Why did he let Ignatius bring him anywhere?
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 9:17 am
With a dismissive snort, Kane waved a hand in the air. "Alright, see ya'." He turned to head home to Takeko's, then hesitated just a moment, entertaining a passing thought. Should he send a message along with the kid? Why? To whom? What would he even say?
Deciding it was too much of a bother, he dropped the notion. Clearly, he wasn't ready to deal with this mess just yet, and if he wasn't, he had to guess neither was Magnus, if some of what he'd heard were true. And he didn't exactly have a particular message for Texas so...
Ugh, why was he thinking about this so much? Stupid. He was too wound up now, lingering aggression from the earlier strangeness was affecting his current mood still. He needed to burn some energy off. Maybe he wouldn't take the most direct route home. Moving towards the line of trees, he slowly started the shift, dropping to all fours and stretching out once in full tiger form. He shook out his fur, prepping his muscles, then leapt into the low boughs of the nearest trees, shooting off through the forest as a blue blur.*****
[FIN]
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