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Post by Melissa|Tristan on Aug 9, 2009 9:28:10 GMT -5
Aras's eyes looked troubled at her question. While he was pondering his answer, Mel observed his body language. Completely facing her, she clearly had his undivided attention right now. His posture was open, suggesting his willingness to speak with her. Aras wanted to be here, had wanted to warn her. That, or she could be completely misreading the signs altogether.
"I couldn't let you walk into all this without a clue." Here, Mel was divided into three separate parts. One part -the part she chose to ignore- was making sarcastic, snippy comments, such as 'oh, so now you warn us'. The second part was saying that it was sweet and thoughtful of him to be warning them at all. Her talisman agreed with the second voice, and that's what Mel decided to go with.
Defiance sparked in her eyes at his answer. Why? Why would you care about something like that? She was pleased her voice was calm, without a single hitch or quiver. Her tone wasn't angry, since she wasn't mad. It was just frustrating not being able to say what she really wanted to. For once, she just wanted to have an open conversation with someone who could tell her exactly what the hell was going on in this messed up town.
Inside she was so tense, her stomach hurt when she breathed. She knew full well that Aras was late for meeting the woman he'd called Ofelia, but Mel truly didn't want him to leave. First, because she didn't want to be left alone again, and second because he had the answers (hopefully) to her questions. There were tons of questions she was dying to ask, but Mel was also pretty sure that she didn't really want to know the answers to some of them.
Was this warning part of some battle he was having with his conscience? Something was clearly going on, judging by the emotions she was able to discern in his eyes. Mel took another hesitant step closer, now on the brink of entering his personal space. She wasn't trying to pressure him, but she wanted him to know she was there for him, if he wanted her to be. Which was ironic, considering minutes ago that she had been the one needing comforting.
Don't overreact. Her talisman repeated itself gently, keeping it's gaze warily on Aras nonetheless. How do you know what's their territory anyways? This time, the quaver of fear in her voice would be obvious to any who heard her speak. She refused to speak the word 'Hunter', as though fearing that Vicky would hear her and return to finish what they'd started before. A ragged breath followed these thoughts as fear pulsed through her again, accelerating both her breathing and her heartbeat. She tried to suck it in and let it out evenly, so Aras wouldn't notice, but she wasn't sure how well the tactic was working. He was very perceptive, it seemed.
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 9, 2009 12:00:07 GMT -5
Her voice was calm, but Melissa had a defiant look in her eye when she asked why he cared. As justified as she was in asking that question, Aras couldn't suppress a flash of irritation. If anything, he hated having to explain anything about his situation, and she was definitely trying to head for that territory without asking outright.
"Would you have let someone walk unknowingly into the lion's den?" he asked, sharper than he'd intended. It wasn't as if he'd spent a long time debating whether or not he should help Melissa; he just did. He didn't regret it, but there was no denying that his life would have been somewhat easier if he hadn't. His talisman must have known the moment they came to her aid, but keeping a respectful silence, it hadn't tried to convince him otherwise.
She had taken another step closer, as if she were trying to close the metaphorical gap between them. "How do you know what's their territory anyways?"
Aras sighed and looked away, finally breaking eye contact. Part of him was tempted to give a vague answer--'I've been here a while,' or 'Someone else told me'--but he knew there was no way Melissa was going to settle for that sort of response. Still, he didn't want to tell her. Although she had likely drawn the correct conclusions, he was nevertheless reluctant to say it out loud.
"You're not stupid. You've figured it out." He took a step in the direction of the dock. "I've got to go."
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Post by Melissa|Tristan on Aug 10, 2009 9:50:32 GMT -5
Despite Aras's obvious irritation with her, Mel did feel justified in asking her question. He seemed to be overreacting, not that she of all people could blame him. She hadn't meant to make him angry, and for the second time ever she was afraid of him. His tone had taken her aback, but her recovery was swift. The only explanation she was able to conjure up was that Aras regretted helping her, regretted ever meeting her. If she’d known that he was going to act this way, then she would have told him not to bother; let the bear eat her if he wanted to. This time she couldn’t hold back her own frustration. You should have let the bear get me and spared yourself this regret. Her tone and expression were both bitter, as she realized that he had never really liked her at all.
Would you have let someone walk unknowingly into the lion's den? The cheetah lifted it's hackles and growled at him. Aras’s normally smooth and calming voice suddenly became rough and harsh. He’d never before taken that tone with her, and it upset Mel more than anything else he’d said or done up until this point. Good job. Her talisman’s sarcastic comment echoed Mel’s own, but it still didn’t make her feel any better. You already did, if that’s what you mean. Her accusatory tone spoke for itself. Mel didn't want to be angry with Aras, but he wasn't helping her at all.
Aras’s sigh seemed more bored than anything else, and for some reason that bothered Melissa. Worse still, now he wouldn’t even meet her eyes. And, to top it off, he was leaving her. Again. There were two options at this point. The first was to watch him leave, and wait until he was out of earshot before letting her emotions take over. Or do something about it. As Aras moved towards the dock, Mel moved with him, taking a hold of his hand. Grabbing his arm would have seemed aggressive, which she totally wasn’t. His hand was warm compared to her own, and she held on as gently as she could.
I need you to say it to me, to tell me that you hate me, and never want to see me again. You and I were friends long before Vicky hurt me. We can be friends still. Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. There was no desperate note in her voice, only gentleness and acceptance of him, and who he supposedly was. Unless Aras told her those things and meant them she was determined to be his friend. She owed him her life. First though, I want to know what's going on in this town. Whatever it is, you can tell me Aras. Now slightly pleading, Mel tried not to look confrontational, even though that's sort of how she was being at the moment.
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 12, 2009 1:22:31 GMT -5
((OOC: A slight auto, if you don't mind?))
The vulture hissed at Melissa, hackles raised. Its patience was wearing thin. Ungrateful! We should fly off and leave her here. Aras had to admit it was a sorely tempting thought. She was starting to act rather immature about the entire thing, telling him that he should have left her to the bear. Her tone was uncharacteristically bitter, and she looked more upset than ever.
He didn't know why he wouldn't just give up and walk away when she accused him of letting her walk into Noatak without a clue--which simply wasn't true. The fact that she found his warning useless stung a bit; why had he taken the trouble to tell her, then, if she thought it wouldn't have made any difference? But it did make a difference, the vulture snapped. She just pretends it doesn't.
Cool fingers wrapped around his own, and all of a sudden Melissa was holding him by the hand. "I need you to say it to me, to tell me that you hate me, and never want to see me again."
The look he gave her made it clear what he thought of that request. "Why would I tell you that?" he asked, exasperated. He walked onwards, and Melissa had to keep pace beside him to keep hold of his hand. "I've already told you what was going on. No-one would blame you if you decided to get out of this town. And no, I'm not going to tell you--"
"Hell, Aras, what's taking you?" Ofelia's voice rang through the trees. "Just because I usually run on Asian time doesn't mean--what the hell are you still doing here?" She stepped into view, a pointed look directed at Melissa. "No wonder he's late, if he has to drag you along like that."
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Post by Melissa|Tristan on Aug 12, 2009 9:48:15 GMT -5
((OOC: No worries, I don’t mind.))
Knowing full well that she was acting like a brat wasn’t really helping Melissa control her temper. All she wanted was a straight answer from Aras, explaining what the Hunters were, and why exactly they wanted her. He obviously knew, and just didn’t want to be bothered telling her. She didn’t like Aras being mad with her though, so she tried to calm down again.
At her request, he simply gave her a look and his voice morphed into one of exasperation. It was confusing, to say the least. He didn’t want her around, but he wouldn’t tell her to leave? Oddly enough, Mel was alright with that, and decided not to push him on this matter. Besides, she was painfully aware that they were still holding hands as he gently pulled her through the woods. He seemed to check himself, which was a good thing. They were both less likely to say something stupid if they were thinking about what they were saying first.
I've already told you what was going on. Mel opened her mouth to contradict him, but Aras hadn’t paused for a breath yet. No-one would blame you if you decided to get out of this town. Again, she opened her mouth, but promptly closed it when she realized he wasn’t still finished speaking yet. Interrupting him probably wasn’t the greatest idea considering the words that had just been said, so Mel wisely decided not to talk yet. She knew that she’d get her turn when he was done, and that he would listen to her, even if he didn’t like what she said. And no, I'm not going to tell you— What he was going to tell her, Mel didn’t know, because a snippy female voice that was painfully familiar rang out.
Just then, an angry voice echoed through the trees in front of them. Unconsciously, Mel flinched and twisted so that she was standing less than a half-step behind and to the side of Aras as Ofelia came into view. The woman was looking at her like she was a bug, and an ugly bug at that. Not brave enough to speak to Ofelia, but also not brave enough to continue the conversation she and Aras had been having, Mel remained silent for a minute, trying to gather what remained of her courage.
No wonder he's late, if he has to drag you along like that. The cynical look that Ofelia was casting in her direction didn’t help Mel’s confidence any. Knowing that Ofelia was now even more angry at her for making Aras late, wasn’t helping their friendship either. Her cheetah growled and nastily called Ofelia a choice swear word, prodding Mel to say it out loud, which she refused. Thanks, but I don’t think that will help us out any. It would only make it worse, and since she's friends with Aras, we should at least try to be nice. It nodded grudgingly, slowly lowering it's hackles, but maintaining a watchful gaze on Ofelia. Mel finally decided that the best plan was to ignore Ofelia; she’d only become more angry if Mel spoke to her. Paying no attention to Ofelia, who was practically hissing at her, Mel addressed only Aras, looking somewhere over his left shoulder. I can’t go back. This is my home now. The words were spoken in hushed tones, so hopefully Ofelia wouldn’t hear, but the fear and hurt in them was obvious anyways. Even if Ofelia did, she wouldn’t understand what was being said, with any luck.
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 12, 2009 13:55:17 GMT -5
Of course Ofelia would come search for him. She'd get tired of waiting, get up to give the woods a perfunctory look-over in case he knocked himself out on a low-hanging branch, then leave if she did not find him. But find him she did. To be honest, Aras was a tad surprised that she hadn't come traipsing through the woods earlier to search; she wasn't exactly the patient sort. And right now, he wasn't sure whether he should be perturbed by or thankful for the distraction she provided. Thankful, the vulture grunted, moreso if she can get this girl to leave.
Silence as Ofelia scrutinized them, irritation written on her features. The girl, still holding Aras' hand, had arranged herself so he was somewhat between her and Ofelia. She could tell he clearly did not want her there, especially not while she hung on to his hand. Ofelia had to wonder what was up with that. Hints and suggestions might have fallen on deaf ears, but baldly telling the girl to leave worked quite well for her, though he was probably too polite to do that.
The girl ignored her, the earlier incident obviously still fresh in her mind--not that Ofelia had expected her to forget. She strained to her what was being whispered into Aras' ear but could only catch a few words: can't, is, home. That wasn't nearly enough information for Ofelia to know just what it was they had been discussing, but she jumped straight in anyway.
"Home. Yes. Go there." She waved her off again in exactly the same fashion as before. When that did not produce the same desirable effect as it did last time, Ofelia rolled her eyes and continued to speak. "Do you two know each other? Or is she just foisting herself on you like she did with me?"
One hand on her hip and the other tapping an impatient rhythm on her thing, she focused on the girl. She knew what Aras would say; what she wanted was an answer from her. Besides, seeing the girl fidget under the gaze was bound to be satisfying, to a degree.
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Post by Melissa|Tristan on Aug 12, 2009 14:47:26 GMT -5
The fact that Ofelia leaned closer in order to hear what Mel was saying irritated her. It was none of her business, and Mel was about to repeat what the woman had told her about minding her own, when her talisman cautioned her again. We don't really want to make her mad, right? She's obviously friends with Aras. Though Ofelia's tone sure didn't make it sound like they were.
Under Ofelia's angry glare, Mel's forehead wrinkled worredly. Her hearbeat had accelerated again, adrenaline beginning to pump through her veins in preparation to flee if necessary. Mel hated fighting, and was pretty sure that she could outrun them both, unless the Asian woman was another cheetah or something. As the glare focused in on their held hands, Mel rapidly released it, but stepped a fraction closer to Aras. Despite everything that had happened so far, she still trusted him not to let Ofelia hurt her, which appeared to be somewhat likely at the moment.
Home. Yes. Go there. Devastation hit Mel's features, making her remember the phone calls that were left on her answering machine almost daily now from her father, as he ordered her to come home. Or rather, to what had been her home. Noatak was her home now, or at least it would be if everyone stopped trying to kill her. Do you two know each other? Or is she just foisting herself on you like she did with me? Foist? Is that what they thought she was doing. A glance at Ofelia's expression showed that she totally did.
A growl almost actually escaped her lips, but she swallowed her temper back. Again. Aras saved my life. Not that it's any of your business. What was it about Ofelia that mad her so mad all the time? Maybe she needs to have cubs. Then she'll calm down. This innocent, sincere suggestion from her talisman almost made Mel laugh. As it was, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. Ofelia wanted an answer from her and not Aras, judging from the direction of the glare, but that was all she'd get until Mel had some answers of her own.
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 13, 2009 0:21:26 GMT -5
Though the girl did not leave, telling her to go home had more of an effect than Ofelia had thought it would. Her face fell like a ton of bricks, and even further when Ofelia made it clear that she was being a clingy nuisance to both her and Aras.
She didn't squirm under the glare, which was disappointing, to say the least. In fact, she seemed to be smiling at some joke privy only to herself. Ofelia felt a twinge of annoyance, but she shrugged it off. She hadn't come to puzzle out this girl's facial twitches; she had wanted to find, and hopefully talk with, Aras.
"Oh? Did he now." Even if the girl weren't exaggerating, Ofelia wasn't surprised. Aras struck her as the type of person who would do something like that. It really wasn't her concern. However, he didn't look like some gallant savior at the moment, with slumped shoulders and a defeated expression. "Looks like you would've saved yourself a bit of trouble if you hadn't," she said to him. Cruel, yes, but Ofelia didn't care if it worked to get the girl out of the way.
Aras merely gave her a flat look that said 'you aren't helping.' Ofelia offended people even when she wasn't trying, and she was definitely trying right now. There had to be a better way to get Melissa to leave, but he had to admit that he was drawing a blank when it came to ideas. She seemed pretty intent on getting her answers. Though she'd dropped his hand, she still stuck obstinately around.
He sincerely hoped this would not devolve into a replay of the Oceana incident, except with him caught in the crossfire this time. He really ought to say something before the situation escalated; he just didn't know what.
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Post by Melissa|Tristan on Aug 13, 2009 9:49:57 GMT -5
Though Ofelia showed no regrets about commanding Melissa to go home, Mel tried not to hold it against her. She didn't understand though, why Aras was just watching her rail at Melissa. He does want us to go away. Maybe he's hoping this'll do it. Well, they were going to have to handcuff her to the nearest tree if they weren't going to answer her questions, because Mel wasn't letting Aras slip away again without explaining.
She knew full well from his expression that he was irritated with her questions, but since he wasn't telling her much of his own accord . . . She felt guilty already. He obviously didn't want to tell her, and Ofelia obviously didn't want to give her the opportunity to ask, but Mel had always liked longshots. After all, what was the fun in picking the obvious winner?
Ofelia didn't seem surprised in the least by Mel's explanation, and for a miniscule amount of time, Ofelia's anger was directed in another direction. She was grateful for the reprieve, and took the opportunity to unclench her hands, wincing at the marks her own fingernails had made in her palms. Reminding herself to take deep breaths was helping too; in through the nose, and out through the mouth. In and out. She felt calmer, and almost relaxed already.
Noticing Aras's beaten expression, Mel winced. Maybe we shouldn't have said anything. Deciding it was better to let Aras do the talking for a little while was probably the smartest thing to do in this situation. Looks like you would've saved yourself a bit of trouble if you hadn't. This time, a gutteral snarl managed to somehow escape Mel's lips. The cheetah had finally decided to override her commands and demanded that it's input be heard by Ofelia.
No agressive move was made by Mel; in fact, she held herself very still, hoping that no attack would come. She wasn't in much of a condition to fight, no matter what her talisman said, and Mel would rather be friends than fight, even though Ofelia seemed dead set against it. I just really need to talk to Aras. It's important to me. Her tone had turned slightly pleading now, since she was pretty much desperate to know the answers. What are the Hunters? Why do they want me? Who are they fighting against? Why are they fighting at all? Why are you fighting with them? Can I trust you, because I do anyways? The jumbled mess inside Mel's head wasn't reflected outwards yet, but she tired of having the thoughts swirling around inside her. It was time she found out what the hell was going on.
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 13, 2009 14:59:26 GMT -5
Clearly her words were having some sort of effect on the girl, if she had to force herself to relax. She forced herself to open her clenched fists and took several deep breaths but kept looking towards Aras, as if expecting him to come flying to her defense. Ofelia nearly snorted in amusement. She'd wish the girl luck with that; Aras had a habit of simply clamming up when it came to things he'd rather not talk about, and right now, he looked more than reluctant to discuss whatever the girl was trying to pry from him.
Her calming techniques seemed to work--until she suddenly emitted a deep-throated snarl at Ofelia's words. The cheetah, definitely. The talisman was finally coming into the foreground; it, if not the girl, was ready to take Ofelia on. Still, it was kept in check, and the girl made no move towards her.
"I just really need to talk to Aras. It's important to me." Her tone was imploring, and there was a note of desperation in her voice.
Ofelia eyed the two again, piecing together what she knew. She had an idea of what was going on. The girl was clearly fairly new to Noatak, though she'd already seen some trouble; however, she only had the vaguest of ideas of the situation in town. Aras had helped her out once, and now she was looking to him for further explanations, which he was unwilling to provide.
"Oh, don't let me keep you," Ofelia said, an eyebrow raised. Her fingers continued to drum impatiently. "Go on."
"Ofelia--"
"I'm not even here. By all means, proceed."
Aras gave her a rueful glare. You explain. Ofelia responded with a smirk and a brief nod. Fair enough, if it makes us even.
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Post by Melissa|Tristan on Aug 13, 2009 15:29:42 GMT -5
Ofelia's satisfied smile made losing her temper even more embarassing than it already was. If anything, Mel was slightly ashamed of the noise that had escaped her mouth. It's what she wanted all along. The cheetah cast an apologetic look in her direction and promised to back off from now on, for which Mel was grateful.
Aras's reluctance to speak was clear, since he'd apparently gone mute in Ofelia's presence. Comprehension dawned on Ofelia's face. She knows. It was a whisper, spoken lowly so that the woman wouldn't hear, though she couldn't hear them anyways. The volume was a tribute to how well behaved the cheetah was being, and how intimidated by Ofelia it was.
It was entertaining, watching the wheels turning -humming actually- inside Ofelia's head. It would be interesting to see how much she could figure out, given what she knew. Living for the seconds in which Ofelia's piercing gaze settled on Aras instead of her, Mel would take the opportunity to let her eyes wander between the two of them. Where on earth had these two met each other? An unlikelier pair, Mel had never seen before.
Oh, don't let me keep you. Go on. If anything, this new look was more frightening than the last one. Before at least, Mel had understood why her expression was the way it was, but this new politeness was . . . unnerving to say the least. Ofelia-- With an almost audible click, Mel understood. She likes to watch him squirm. She and her talisman had reached the conclusion at the same time.
Aras was giving Ofelia the same helpless look he'd been wearing for the past several minutes, but the Asian prodded him on, seeming to savour his discomfort. The funny part was that now that Mel had apparently gotten permission to ask her questions, she was afraid to. Some sort of unspoken agreement was passing between them, and because she didn't understand it, Mel was afraid of it. What were they up to?
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 13, 2009 20:19:35 GMT -5
Silent exchanges were surprisingly easy with Ofelia. She was just as skilled in reading facial expressions as she was making them. A few raised eyebrows and pointed looks later, it was settled: Ofelia would do the talking, and he would sit back and enjoy the show. ('Enjoy' being a relative term, of course; she might find some sort of twisted pleasure in his and Melissa's discomfort, while Aras would silently wish he were elsewhere.) Ofelia owed him one for dragging her out of Oceana before she got caught in that giant drunken brawl. This was her way of repaying him, he supposed.
"Ofelia's better at explaining," he finally said. She was more aware of shifter politics, she knew the town better, and she easily had more experience in pretty much everything. And this way, she couldn't criticize him for saying anything stupid. Besides, she liked to talk, especially when it meant she got a chance to show off a bit.
Ofelia turned her focus back to the girl, who was, amusingly enough, still unconsciously placing Aras between them. Despite her petite stature, she seemed to intimidate a lot of people. It entertained her to no end.
"First of all, let me see if I have this right. You're fairly new here. You have only a very basic idea of what's going on. Aras somehow helped you out, dropped a few vague hints that really didn't answer any of your questions, and you haven't seen him since, until you ran into him just now. Well?" The finger-drumming had stopped, but Ofelia had fixed the girl with an expression that told her that they didn't have all day.
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Post by Melissa|Tristan on Aug 15, 2009 14:21:38 GMT -5
Even though she was positioned slightly to the side of Aras, Mel could still clearly see the silent exchanges going on between Aras and Ofelia. Trying to be tactful, she turned her head towards the trees, obviously looking away. She let the uncomfortable silence stretch, unwilling to fill it with meaningless chatter when she knew from experience that Ofelia didn't like that.
Finally, Aras seemed to regain his voice long enough to utter four words that were sure to make Mel miserable. He already knew that they weren't getting along, so why was he letting Ofelia explain? Was it like some sort of test? To see how badly she wanted the answers to her questions? If so, she could deal with it for now, so long as Ofelia wasn't too rude.
As Ofelia rattled off in one breath Mel's basic history (minus recent events) Mel nodded, still not speaking. In truth, she was terrified that the instant she uttered a single sound would be the same instant she got her head chewed off, curtesy of Ofelia. The irritated, 'I-have-somewhere-to-be' look that Ofelia was sending at her made Mel want to hide behind Aras. As it was, she moved forward, so that she stood closer to them both.
When the go ahead nod from Ofelia was given, she took a deep breath, knowing she'd need every possible molecule of oxygen she could get. What are the Hunters? Why do they want me? Who are they fighting, and why? Are you both on their 'side'? What are the Elders? The words that had been contained for so long seemed to spew out of Mel's mouth involuntarily now, and she had a hard time stopping them. She could easily have continued, but figured that too many questions would irritate Ofelia, something she wished to avoid at all costs, since her talisman was already rareing for a fight. Why couldn't everyone just get along?
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 15, 2009 15:16:48 GMT -5
The girl's nod proved that she was right--minus a few details, of course. It hadn't been too difficult to put the pieces together; her tale was just a variation on a common story told by newcomers in Noatak. She looked quite crestfallen that Aras had handed off the responsibility of explaining to Ofelia, but her desire for answers was so strong that she didn't have a choice.
The girl moved forward, finally stepping out from behind Aras. Ofelia did likewise, so the three of them stood in a sort of circle, each with a clear view of the others' faces. It was a bit annoying to have to look up to both Aras and the girl, but it wasn't as if that were anything Ofelia wasn't used to. Pretty much the only people she towered over were children and midgets.
"What are the Hunters? Why do they want me? Who are they fighting, and why? Are you both on their 'side'? What are the Elders?" The girl rattled them off one by one, not even waiting for an answer before she proceeded to the next. She had wanted to know the answers to these questions for a while, undoubtedly, but she had hitherto been unable to find anyone who would give her a satisfactory answer. That, or she'd been afraid to ask.
"The Hunters are the Innocents' enemies. Plain and simple. Don't be fooled; the names mean nothing. How am I supposed to know why they want you? Probably because they think your talisman could be useful. Or because they want you on their side before the Innocents can get to you." Ofelia raised an eyebrow. "You've had someone come after you?" Whoever it was had probably scared her away, too; many of the Hunters suffered from a deplorable lack of tact or subtlety. Their ham-handed tactics--or what they liked to call tactics--often tended to scare potential recruits away.
"What was the next question? Oh, right--like I said, they're fighting the Innocents. Why? Well, if you find out, tell me, I'd like to know myself. Everyone has their own reasons for fighting, or not.
"You're stupid if you think I'll tell you which side we're on. And the Elders--they're the leaders. Any more questions?" A pause. "What's your name, anyway?"
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Post by Melissa|Tristan on Aug 17, 2009 13:47:48 GMT -5
Ofelia didn’t appear the least surprised by Melissa’s story; in fact, she seemed to have been expecting it. As Ofelia moved so that they stood in a rough circle, the temptation to back off again was strong, and it took a lot of strength to resist the instinctive urge. This was what she’d been waiting for; a chance to find the answers to her questions.
She wasn’t what you’d consider extremely tall, since Mel was about 5’ 7, but now that she was standing next to Ofelia she felt like a giant. The height comparison between Aras and Ofelia was even more comical, though laughing would probably get you killed in this sort of situation.
The names mean nothing. What was that supposed to mean? If the ‘Innocents’ were as bad as the ‘Hunters’, then Mel didn’t think she wanted to choose sides. However, so far not choosing a side had turned out to be more dangerous than picking a side would be. Not that she’d really know; she was just guessing. . . . they think your talisman could be useful. Eyes widened slightly in fear, Mel glanced between Aras and Ofelia. How would her talisman be useful to them? What would they need my talisman for? Don’t they have people on their side with talisman’s that are better than mine? There was no way in hell that Mel was fighting someone else’s fight, no way.
You've had someone come after you? There was no concern in Ofelia’s voice, only curiosity, so Mel didn’t really know whether to answer or not. They’ve She’s shared information with us. She deserves the same. Mentally Mel agreed, though she chose her words more carefully than she had with Aras. Yes. Vicky. Her talisman’s a badger. Simple and to the point. You're stupid if you think I'll tell you which side we're on. Mel wasn’t stupid; she hadn’t actually expected any answer to that question, though it might have been nice. She was starting to wonder if they were Innocents, because she’d already told Aras about Vicky’s attack. Surely if they were on the same side they would have followed suit and attacked her already, right?
What's your name, anyway? The way Ofelia said it made it seem unimportant, like an afterthought. Still, when Mel responded her tone was friendly. I’m Melissa. And thank you for telling me this stuff, Ofelia. An irritated glance in Aras’s direction clearly indicating that she thought he should have told her. Why he couldn’t have simply given her all this information was beyond her, and it was frustrating to think about. Therefore, she'd try her best not to.
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