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Post by Helen of Troy on Oct 14, 2008 11:56:34 GMT -5
Helen, on her hand, was not happy with the thought of Kiba going without her. She knew he could track down Menelaus easily, but she would be worried sick that something could happen to Kiba. She looked at him, clearly worried, and with tears in her eyes.
"But... you'll be alone. What if he is surrounded by soldiers? We can't afford to lose you either, Kiba."
She lowered her eyes and blushed.
I can't afford to lose you.
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Tsume
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Post by Tsume on Oct 14, 2008 13:15:39 GMT -5
Tsume didn't like being in the middle of things--didn't anyone here have the sense to be quiet and listen for a few minutes? In fact, just shutting up was the best thing to do when Kiba was mad.
He stepped between the two, since the white wolf wasn't calming down any time soon.
"You guys have no idea what's going on in that screwed-up head of his, do you?" he asked. "Kiba may have been alone for who knows how long, but even he knows that if someone in the pack's good at what they do, you step back and let them handle it. You've stepped back, Brandi, and that was damn smart of you. But Helen? He's not human. You can't reason with him like he's human, because he's already decided."
He glanced at Kiba, who had visibly relaxed but was now focusing on the door--as if envisioning Menelaus would walk right in so he could tear the man's throat out.
"He'll calm down later and he might let me go with him, but he'll go no matter what."
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Post by Helen of Troy on Oct 14, 2008 13:20:19 GMT -5
*Helen sighed, but gave in, lowering her head.*
"My mother always said there's no reasoning with men..."
*She said quietly in her broken English.*
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Post by Brandi on Oct 14, 2008 15:23:43 GMT -5
*There was something about Kiba...his feral demeanor, even in his human shape. It put Brandi on edge. Not a bad thing, necessarily, but it made her want to...hunt. Be out of the dress and covered in blood, the quiet simplicity of destruction. She shifted her weight as her body tensed. She knew damn well that she hadn't 'backed down'. She was standing her ground for her children. His children...whatever. It wasn't that clear at the moment, but it didn't have to be either.*
"Look. Kiba is beta here. And I don't see my alpha present." *Her words were sharp and pointed.*
"So what he says is the law. If he wishes to go alone..." *Brandi couldn't believe she was about to say this.* "...Helen will stay here." *She didn't want her here. She wanted Helen anywhere else actually. But she understood how tedious it would be to have a human--a normal human--one that could not fight--holding him up. He was an efficient predator.*
*She lifted her hand to stop any protest from Helen.*
"You have asked for his protection, and he has granted it. But in such an agreement is a trade. You must obey him. You have already proven that your presence will exasperate things. You will stay here. Inside. All the time."
*She nodded tightly to Kiba.*
"Until you have finished your task."
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Post by Helen of Troy on Oct 14, 2008 15:29:14 GMT -5
*Helen looked sadly from Kiba, to Brandi, to Tsume and over to Kiba again. She understood very well that she was a burden. Whether she stayed or she went, she would be a threat at the place she was. Helen had to accept the terms. She was not happy for it. But she had no choice.*
"Fine, I will stay inside until Kiba has finished his task."
*She replied.*
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Post by Kiba on Oct 14, 2008 21:47:08 GMT -5
Upon sensing Helen's sudden distress and an angry shift in Brandi's scent, Kiba's relative calm faded.
"I... I don't understand. Why are you upset?" He asked. What was he doing wrong? Kiba's plan was simple--find Menelaus and kill him, along with anyone else allied with the man. Wasn't that enough?
"If you want to come with me, then I'll carry you wherever I have to!" He pleaded. "If you think I should wait for him to come, then lock me up and make me wait! If you want proof that I've finished him off, I can drag his corpse here after I kill him! Shouldn't that keep everyone safe? Humans die here, don't they?" His voice rose to a shriek, ending on a plaintive whine as he lost control of his illusion.
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Tsume
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Post by Tsume on Oct 14, 2008 23:45:09 GMT -5
"What's up with you now?" Tsume asked, surprised and a little worried. He'd never heard Kiba whine from anything other than pain. "They're humans, Kiba--they think everyone should run off and get killed together, no matter how pointless it is. They'll be fine once you're on your way!"
He stepped a bit closer, almost flinching as he gave Kiba a nudge. The last thing anyone needed was getting bitten by an unstable pack member; whatever happened after Tsume died, Kiba was obviously traumatized by it, and from whatever he'd been through in this place. Why the hell didn't he notice before...
Right. Any idiot can realize he's not thinking straight--the problem is how I dealt with it.
"Kiba, I'm sorry for all the screw-up jokes," he apologized. "You know I don't do that happy-cheerful-friendship shit. Now calm down before you bite someone."
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Post by Helen of Troy on Oct 15, 2008 4:09:01 GMT -5
Helen looked over at Kiba, tears still in her eyes.
"I don't doubt you can track down Menelaus, no matter where he is hiding. But I worry sick about that you might get hurt as well. If you get wounded, and I am not with you - who will take care of your wounds then? It is true the humans can die here - but they can also put up a fight before they die. I have seen it before - in the fall of Troy. I don't want it to happen again. Not to you. Especially not to you."
She was so upset that she didn't notice the panic in her voice. The thought of losing Kiba frightened her. And she had no idea why.
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Post by Brandi on Oct 15, 2008 7:32:59 GMT -5
*Brandi's expression shifted. She hadn't been angry before, just anxious. But she had been supporting Kiba. Supporting her pack. Was this not how it was supposed to work? She swallowed carefully, her words softer.*
"Kiba...I am not second guessing you. I am trusting you. I'm trying to help you do what you feel you must. Take only those you need with you. You are a skilled hunter. I require no proof of the kill. I will trust your word."
*She prayed that things weren't going to go south suddenly. But at least Cry-Baby was home if push came to shove and Menelaus showed up before Kiba was back.*
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Post by Kiba on Oct 15, 2008 13:03:04 GMT -5
If Brandi wasn't angry, then why did he smell adrenalin when he'd lost control? Not that he wanted a pissed-off alpha, but her scent didn't match her mood at all. Did that mean he couldn't even trust his sense of smell here?
He shifted, trying frantically to put things in perspective as Tsume had done. They were humans--humans were emotional. Humans did not like one of their number leaving because they were unreasonably quick to attach themselves to others, or at least get accustomed to them. They didn't like most kinds of change... kind of like wolves, actually. The main difference was that wolves grew up--humans, on the other hand, attempted to keep themselves in an emotionally-safe bubble for the rest of their lives.
Is that it? Kiba thought. Species-wide immaturity? And Brandi's a little young for any kind of status, let alone alpha female.
The realization was both annoying and slightly frightening--he was trusting his life to an alpha barely into adulthood? Age wasn't everything, since Kiba himself was fairly young, but there were limits....
At least he wasn't losing it anymore. He could deal with being annoyed, but actually losing control tended to drain his energy. He resumed his human disguise, giving a resigned sigh.
"Helen and Tsume can come with me if they want. You can bring enough food for a day or two, but money would probably be more useful the rest of the time."
Why was he the first to remember that?
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Post by Helen of Troy on Oct 15, 2008 13:24:59 GMT -5
*Helen brightened up. If she had been a bit braver, she would have embraced him. But since she didn't know how he would react if she did, she let it be, for now. She needed to get to know him better if things like that was supposed to happen.*
"Thank you," *she replied warmly.* "In that case I bring food and water for two days only, and go with you. I have money enough to start a new life without my so-called husband, and even live comfortably."
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Post by Brandi on Oct 15, 2008 13:48:27 GMT -5
"So be it." *Brandi turned to bury her head in the pantry. This was confusing, but it was not her decision. So she started packing some dry goods for the journey.*
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Post by Helen of Troy on Oct 15, 2008 14:04:03 GMT -5
*Helen smiled warmly and looked over at Brandi.*
"Thank you, Miss Brandi. I am grateful for your help. I will pay you well for all you have done for me. And it will be better this way. If my husband comes looking for me, and I am not here, he will hopefully leave without damaging your inn. I was more worried about you and your family and the other residents than I am for myself. I have seen a city fall once. I do not want to see that happen again. Not if I can help it."
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Post by Brandi on Oct 15, 2008 15:02:41 GMT -5
Yeah, whatever.
*Brandi handed her a large satchel with the food and some matches. She probably didn't know how to use them, but there were instructions on the box. Then she started to fill two waterskins.*
"If he comes and starts trouble...the worse for him." *Brandi muttered lowly.*
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Tsume
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Post by Tsume on Oct 15, 2008 15:48:08 GMT -5
For Tsume at least, everything was back to normal. Brandi and Kiba were a little pissed off, but everyone was in one piece; Helen wasn't being weepy, and Kiba was back to his somewhat-stable self.
"Kiba, I swear I'm losing all respect for you if you ever pull something like that again. You are NOT Toboe."
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