koholint | [sample thread] In the Suhalla

[sample thread] In the Suhalla

[It was really hot out...

Sheba was certain that her mind ought to be on other things right now. Like how this desert was even more monster-infested than it had seemed to be at first glance, how those sandstorms were actually caused by monsters, how the guards escorting her back to Lalivero had been defeated, how she was now stuck in the company of... these people.

The blue-haired man at the front of the group had a smug little smile, though Sheba supposed he had a reason to be smug. After all, he had somehow managed to call water out of the ground... in a desert, no less. That was no small feat. There was just something about him, though...

She wasn't sure what to make of the old man and the young girl. They weren't unkind - quite the opposite, in fact - but Sheba was in no mood for anyone's company right now. Why they were traveling along with these people, she didn't know for sure, but she suspected their circumstances were not altogether different from hers. That didn't mean she wanted their pity, though...

The man and the woman at the back of the group sort of... frightened her, if the truth be told. There was just something about them that didn't seem quite right. They were clearly obsessed with something, and clearly had no qualms about forcing others to do their bidding. She'd thought some rather unkind things about them already, in the short time she'd known them, and she was sure they wouldn't like it if they knew. Luckily, none of them had her skills... she'd touched their minds, just briefly, but what she'd found there was enough to make her keep out, and certainly enough to keep her from making a break for it. She might have been able to survive the Suhalla on her own, after making it that far with the guards, but not any longer. Not with those two keeping an eye on her.]

Ugh...

[She frowned a little and brought up a hand to fan herself. It was absolutely sweltering, but the group didn't seem to be stopping and she wasn't going to be the one to call for a break. They could force her into their company, they could force her to go all the way to Venus Lighthouse and beyond - but they couldn't force her to show she was scared, and she wouldn't show weakness in front of them. If they were going to stop, it was going to be because one of them called for it, not her.

The last member of their group trudged on in the sand not too far away from her. He hadn't done anything outwardly threatening, but a small part of her couldn't help but be a little morbidly curious what lay in his mind. If he was traveling with this bunch, well...

Whatever it was, she told herself, it couldn't be worse than what was in Saturos' and Menardi's minds. She kept her eyes resolutely ahead and called upon her Psynergy. Whether she found anything interesting in Felix's mind or not, she didn't want to make it totally obvious that it was her doing it. The less these people knew about her, the better; the more she knew about them, the better off she'd be if she did try to make an escape when they neared Lalivero and got out of this godforsaken pit of sand.]

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...thank you, Felix.

[It would have been a lie to say that Sheba's expression wasn't at least a little relieved. She could be as stubborn as she wanted but that didn't change the fact that it was ridiculously hot in this desert.

She wasn't quite sure what would count as a good spot, but she'd keep her eyes out nonetheless...]

Look, over there... do you think that would work?

[There was only a little bit of shade from the sun, but it was better than nothing. Besides, the ground over there looked a little more solid than the sand they were on now, and the cliffs on either side looked pretty solid as well. Maybe not the best spot, but certainly better than just plopping down to rest in the middle of the desert.]

[He nodded slightly in response to her thanks. It wasn't a huge deal, he was just doing what he thought anyone should do.

Upon her suggestion, he looked in the same direction she was. It did seem like a fairly good spot. He was a bit impressed she had found it so quickly, but then again if she was really from Lalivero, she was probably more accustomed to desert landscapes.]

It might. I'll see what they think.

[He turned toward Saturos and Menardi and pointed in the direction of the area.]

What about there?!

[Saturos turned his head to look in the direction Felix had indicated. While it was true that there were probably better places to rest in the desert, he wasn't sure of how many of them he'd find this far out. He sighed.]

It will do.

[Menardi rolled her eyes, but for the moment Saturos ignored her and called out to the rest of the group.]

All of you stop! We'll be taking a short rest.

[This came as a bit of a surprise to Alex, who was still leading the way since he was regrettably the only one who could. It was such a burden being him, it really was. He did stop and turn to approach the others before speaking, however.]

Are you sure? I suspect there's not much further to go in this desert. Or is this for the benefit of our "guests"?

More like it's for your benefit. I'm sure they're just worried about whether or not you're able to handle yourself here.

[Surprisingly, the biting comment came from the youngest member of their group, and not Jenna. It also came more quickly than Saturos was able to speak.

A beat passed, and then Sheba ducked her head and tried to look as innocent as possible while shifting herself to stand a little behind Felix. Oops.]

[Alex seems a bit surprised at her comments, however no hint of anger ever crosses into his expression.]

Ah, you'll learn soon enough just who in this party is capable of handle what.

[And top it off with a pleasant smile~]

[Felix was fairly shocked at this outburst as well. Fortunately he also knew that Alex was comparatively harmless to what one might expect. He just hoped this was an exception.

Sheba was definitely capable of handling herself, which would normally be good, but in this group it wasn't necessarily the best kind of attitude. He still becoming more and more concerned over whether or not she could get out of all this safely.]

Er, look, it doesn't matter why. Let's just take this opportunity to get our strength back so we can get out of this desert.

[Sheba opened her mouth to say something else to Alex, but before she could say anything, Felix had already spoken up. She pressed her lips together in a thin line and folded her arms over her chest.

Perhaps Alex had less of a temper than the others, but there was just something about that oh-so-pleasant smile that rubbed Sheba the wrong way. As the rest of the group moved to settle down and take a break, she lingered by Felix, idly glancing from Saturos and Menardi - who were, of course, sitting together and keeping an eye on the others to make sure no one got up to anything they weren't supposed to - to Jenna and Kraden, who didn't seem at all inclined to sit near the two Proxians or Alex.

She sighed a little.]

This... definitely isn't how I was expecting to spend my day.

[Felix sighed a bit guiltily initially. He had tried his hardest to make sure nothing like this happened, but Saturos and Menardi were as willing to compromise as ever, it seemed.

He keeps his voice low once again. It would probably be easier to overhear this conversation and he really couldn't afford that.]

Yeah, I'm still sorry they did this to you. I'll try to convince them to let you go home as soon as it's safe to.

I can't see them being too happy about that...

[Like Felix, Sheba kept her voice low; she didn't glance directly at Saturos or Menardi, but she was pretty certain that it was clear it was them she was talking about. She sighed again and tapped her fingers on her arm, silent for a couple more moments. Then she looked up at Felix carefully.]

...though... if they were to return me safely to Lalivero and let me go, your journey would be much easier. [She closed her eyes, shrugging just a bit.] The people of Lalivero have very little love for Tolbi. If it appeared that you'd rescued me from Lord Babi's soldiers and had brought me home, they'd probably be so grateful that none of them would even think of getting in your way. Quite the opposite, actually. They'd probably be more than glad to help your group get into Venus Lighthouse.

...that is where you want to go, isn't it? There's just not much else that would bring people to this part of Weyard.

[He was actually a bit surprised that she had figured that much out, and his initial silence spoke enough for that. Just how many people had expressed interest in getting into Venus Lighthouse?]

Yes, that's right. [And leaving it at that.] I'm not sure it will be that easy, though. You make it sound like you have a lot of influence in Lalivero. They may see that as more of a reason to keep you with us. That's why...

[Why his sister and Kraden had ended up getting dragged along despite his wishes. He was really starting to hope this bad feeling regarding Sheba would stop growing...]

My... father, Faran, is the mayor of Lalivero. It's more his influence than mine.

[That wasn't entirely the truth, but luckily, the only person around who'd be able to confirm it was the one who was lying. And speaking of that, the way his voice trailed off made her curious - so she made a quick attempt to read his mind before remembering that he was one of the few who was able to tell, and then she retreated from his thoughts and made a valiant attempt to appear innocent.]

Your companions have more to gain from freeing me than they do from bringing me along. I'm not a fighter - if I was, I wouldn't have needed your help to get out of this desert, and I would have gone back to Lalivero on my own very soon after Lord Babi took me. There's nothing I can do to help you on your quest, and if they forced me to come along, I'd just be a burden they'd have to take care of. But by returning me to my people, they'd have an entire town willing to help them in any way, including covering their tracks if anyone tries to follow you.

...which, all things considered, is likely. If those soldiers manage to survive the desert, they'll definitely report you to Lord Babi. I'm sure they're more than capable of fighting off any number of Tolbi soldiers, but Lord Babi's influence is wide. It would be much easier on them if they didn't have more enemies than they do already, no?

[Yeah, he knows what you were trying there, but he won't push it for the moment. Though that just once again brought up the point of how strange her Psynergy was. Still, that didn't necessarily mean they might need her. They had only gone through one lighthouse that had been strictly guarded by Alex's clan until he changed his mind.]

It would, but they aren't really the sort to seek allies, either. They only accept help from others if they're positive that they're the ones in control. I doubt they would be so trusting of an entire city. And they wouldn't hesitate to attack anyone that showed aggression against us.

No one will show any sort of aggression at all if you deliver me to them safely, though. The only way they'd be mad is if your companions tried to keep me with them.

[She sighed and hunched her shoulders, keeping her gaze on the ground.]

At the very least if they brought me back safely, they wouldn't have to worry about anyone around here trying to stop you from getting into the Lighthouse.

As long as they don't have a reason to believe it would benefit them, they should let you stay. I'm afraid any number of typical soldiers wouldn't intimidate them. They'll force their way through if they have to.

[Getting into the Lighthouse...yeah, that's exactly what he's worried about. Or if not this one, then one of the ones after this one. But she's from near Venus Lighthouse, maybe these powers she has are just one his descendants never acquired.]

...the people who live in Lalivero are my friends and family! I won't let them get hurt. [She frowned heavily. If Saturos and Menardi thought they could just muscle their way in, when there were more peaceful solutions--

But what could she do to stop them? After a moment, she made an aggravated noise in the back of her throat. This was hopeless. She couldn't see how she'd be useful to them - That's a lie, said a small voice in the back of her head - or why they'd even want to keep her around.

Her people praised her for having strange powers, but if they couldn't get her through the Suhalla alone or get her away from these people, what use were they?]

[Ah yes, Felix had been in those shoes before, and he knew how frustrating it was. That thought just frustrated him all the more. This was supposed to save the world, he could just let them tear apart any more families or towns. Sheba's obvious frustration just served to make him feel worse.]

... I'll do whatever I can to make sure no one from Lalivero get hurts. I'm not as powerful as them, but...

[...Yeah, if it came down to it, he'd fight them. He was seriously fed up with Saturos and Menardi, anyway.]

...

[She stayed quiet for a few moments and studied him carefully. Trying to read his mind was too risky, but she didn't really need to read his mind to figure out where his thoughts were tending.

The way he talked was almost enough.

She dropped her voice low and tried to keep her expression neutral.]

...if it comes to that, I'll help you.

[Yeah, Mind Read was kind of moot when someone's emotions could be pretty easily read by body language alone.

Even though right now, Felix was doing his best to look neutral. He didn't need Saturos and Menardi thinking he was plotting against them. He wasn't after the agreements they had made before all of this started, but they were good at twisting things.]

Just...don't do anything unnecessary. You're also from there, so that included you, too.

Define "unnecessary."

[She couldn't help it - her expression was less neutral and more determined; her eyes were hard.]

My father is the mayor, so I have to do what I can to protect the people who live there.

[There was a slight hesitation before "father," but if Saturos and Menardi weren't already aware of the fact that she'd fallen from the sky and hadn't actually been born in Lalivero, she wasn't going to be the one to tell them.]

[...She was gonna be a bigger handful than his sister, wasn't she? He exhales before responding.]

Anything that would put you in direct danger that someone else can do.

[And by "someone else" he of course means "himself", but why clutter it up with details?]

I understand that, but sometimes the best way to protect people is to leave them out as much as you can.

[You should have seen his mask, it was definitely awesome.]

[Yes, Felix. Yes, she was. Chances are, you'll never have to jump off a lighthouse for Jenna, anyway...]

There are some things that only I can do, you know.

[Almost the moment the words were spoken, she clapped a hand over her mouth. That might come a little too close to something that would help him, Saturos, and Menardi with their goal... he'd already said he would have to tell them if that was the case.]

Sometimes that's also the best way to get people hurt. If someone gets hurt because I stood by and did nothing, that's worse than if I accidentally wind up hurt myself in the process of trying!

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[sample thread] In the Suhalla

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