Logs

Logs Home

2010 August 28

2010 August 30

2010 September 01

2010 November 08

2010 December 26

2010 December 27

2011 January 03

2011 January 10

2013 May 17

2012 March 05

2010 August 16

2010 September 03

2010 September 08

2010 September 09

2010 September 12

2010 September 29

2010 October 06

2010 October 19

2010 October 20

2010 October 27

2010 November 03

2010 November 10

2010 November 23

2010 November 30

2010 December 07

2010 December 15

2010 December 18

2010 December 22

2010 December 28

2011 January 04

2011 January 12

2011 January 18

2011 January 26

2011 February 11

2011 March 09

2011 March 16

2011 March 20

2010 October 04

2010 October 04

2010 October 04

2010 October 04

2010 August 29

2010 September 13

2010 October 18

2010 November 01

2010 November 15

2010 November 21

2010 November 22

2010 November 24

2010 November 24

2010 December 13

2010 December 18

2010 December 18

2010 November 22

2010 December 13

2010 December 24

2011 January 03

2011 January 16

2011 January 23

2011 February 13

2011 February 20

2010 October 04

2010 October 04

2010 October 04

2010 October 04

2010 November 15

2011 February 25

2011 February 26

2011 February 27

2011 February 28

2011 March 07

2011 March 07

2011 April 10

2013 May 15

2011 April 24

2011 May 08

2011 May 24

2012 March 05

2012 March 05

2011 January 25

2011 January 22

2011 January 24

2011 February 06

2011 February 07

2011 February 09

2011 February 12

2011 February 15

2011 February 20

2011 March 01

2011 March 01

2011 March 04

2011 March 05

2011 March 07

2011 March 13

2011 March 14

2011 March 18

2011 March 26

2011 March 28

2011 April 05

2011 April 09

2011 July 13

2011 July 15

2011 July 30

2011 July 30

2011 April 23

2011 April 21

2011 October 31

2011 March 22

2011 March 31

2011 April 05

2011 May 04

2011 May 11

2011 May 19

2011 May 26

2011 May 30

2011 June 01

2011 April 30

2011 October 31

2013 May 15

2013 May 15

2013 May 15

2013 May 15

2011 June 02

2012 January 22

2012 January 26

2011 October 31

2011 November 15

2011 November 29

2011 November 11

2011 December 11

2011 December 16

2012 January 05

2011 December 25

2011 December 30

2012 January 22

2012 February 08

2012 February 18

2012 February 20

2012 March 05

2012 March 09

2012 March 13

2012 March 25

2012 April 02

2012 April 02

2012 April 05

2012 April 13

2012 April 19

2012 October 08

2013 June 09

2013 July 09

2013 July 20

2013 July 31

2013 July 31

2013 August 07

2013 August 18

2013 August 28

2013 November 07

2013 November 07

2014 January 01

2014 March 08

2014 March 08

2014 March 19

2014 March 26

2014 June 05

2014 June 12

2014 June 20

2022 March 04

2022 March 04

2022 March 04

2022 March 04

2022 March 04

2022 March 04

2022 March 04

2022 March 04

Neverneverwhere

Neverneverwhere Home

Game Background

Mechanics

Maps

Dramatis Personae

Game Logs

Realms

Realms Home

Dishonored

Goblin Town

Neverneverwhere

The Whole of the Law

Waking Dreams

When The Bough Breaks


One-Shot

Retired

Birthright

Burning Man

Cosmic Guardians

DNAnimals/Tamashii

Fukusei Crystals

Heartwood

Hunter

Idlewild

Indigo

Inizii

Morning Rain

NachtMusik

Oloth

Paradon

Scarred Lands

Shattered Stars

Starfall

Weston


Style Test

Reality Fault

Home

Player

Character

Referee

Programmer

Administrator

Operations


Search RealityFault:

General Info

Glossary

Realms

Events

Credits

Help Files

Help Files (old)


Reality Fault

Realms: Taps Logs

I Feel the Earth Move

The caravan has come to Chicago with several different engagements. For example, they acted as security for several minor lordlings in the surrounding area to travel to the city for the wedding of the head honcho. Suraksha has been engaged as Hetaera for one of said lordlings, acting as his escort to several of the prenuptial celebrations and the wedding itself. Cargo was contracted for the city, and several of the entertainers have been contracted by the Lord of Chicago -- payment ahead of time, much to the happiness of the caravan's accountant, Sna'tha -- to play at a festival in one of the outlying towns. The festival is in celebration of the lord of Chicago's daughter's marriage. Of course, the peasantry aren't invited, but they are expected to be elated. Most of them really are enjoying themselves.

Chanticleer and Dominic have been detailed with the entertainers as protection and roustabouts. The sidhe sometimes throws in a hand to perform himself when an extra act is needed, and Dom is well-trusted by the caravaneers for navigation through territory both unknown, and even known. Illinois is a place where his expertise is often needed, due to the underlying schist, which makes it prone to sinkholes. Chanticleer keeps himself discreetly armed -- no sword, for example, though he does carry a club off his belt. No need to cause grievous mortal wounds in the course of his work. This time, though, he also has to provide some entertainment: tumbling and acrobatics with just a touch of glamour -- enough to not make him recognizable and to make it look a little bit harder than it is.

Dominic keeps himself busy -- ever since he was young, when Suraksha first picked him up, it was a learned skill. He's forgotten now if it was that he was trying to thank her for taking him in, or trying to impress her, or if it was that not keeping busy made his mind wander and therefore lose track of whatever else was going on around him. Over the course of the years, though, habit has made his mind less distractible, and more like the steady earth -- with which he has developed an even stronger relationship. However, when Chanti gets in on the act he does take the time to watch the pretty fae with a small smile on his face.

The crowd is quite obviously enjoying the acrobatics of the glamour-disguised sidhe. There are whistles, cheers, and applause coming from all directions. Parents are holding children up to watch the amazing feats he's performing -- and then suddenly Chanticleer is gone! -along with several people around him. There are shouts and screams of startlement and fright. A sinkhole has opened, fifteen feet across.

The stage is silent for several moments. Then Chanticleer's voice comes up from the sinkhole a few moments later. "Well, that wasn't part of the performance."

Dominic looks stunned... how in the world did that sneak up on him?! Was he that distracted? "Chanti? Y'all all right down there?" he demands, trying not to sound too worried... even though the situation could turn worse without warning.

Chanticleer is clinging tightly to a small ledge of limestone, finding himself also holding on to a citizen of Chicago. He blinks, suddenly realizing the enormity of what's happened. "Somebody get some rope!" he calls up. "It's all right," he says to the little person. "I've got you; I'm not letting go!"

Dominic starts directing the other roustabouts. "You heard! Get rope, y'all, and strong folk -- help pull people up!" he barks. He then moves carefully closer to the edge, trying not to disturb the earth further. "Help is on the way!" he assures, as he opens himself up to the earth to see what the hell happened...

The person Chanticleer grabbed is perhaps ten years old and trembling as well as sobbing. She's also trying to climb up over Chanticleer toward the top of the sinkhole. The hole is perhaps twenty-five feet deep and there are shouts and groans from the bottom. Chanticleer winces, holding on to the girl. "Hold on, miss, please!" he says soothingly. "It's too far to climb! Someone will bring a rope shortly. Here... you saw how I was earlier? I promise you, you're not in any danger as long as you hold on to me now."

Up at the lip of the sinkhole, several people are grabbing ropes and anchoring them to things well back from the edge. The spectators are shouting and trying to crowd around close to look down into the hole. Dominic feels nothing unusual. The earth under his feet feels solid and stable. Dominic just shakes his head... this feels wrong -- that this just happened -- but he shakes it off. There's folk that need help, and at least it doesn't seem like it's going to get worse. But then, it didn't feel like anything bad was going to happen the first time either. So he gets back up and starts marshaling the gathered folk. "You four over there, lower that rope to the bottom, where the rest of the victims are! Be careful, make sure you're well anchored! You three with me -- gotta help my pal with the li'l girl!" He brings them over to where he can see down on the ledge with Chanti. "Help's on the way, buddy!"

The little girl settles a little bit, still clinging to Chanti. Her face is pressed into his chest and she's still shaking like a leaf, but she isn't trying to use him as a ladder any longer. Chanticleer murmurs comfortingly to the girl, in part to drown out the sounds coming from further below. Dominic makes sure one of the men loops the rope around his waist. Once all his aides are set, he starts lowering the rope towards Chanti and his young charge. "Thanks, Dom!" the sidhe calls back. To the girl he adds, "There, you hear? We'll be out of this soon."

As Dom is organizing people to get folks up the side of the hole, there's a screech of pain from someone in the bottom; the girl in Chanti's arms flinches. Dom feels the earth getting ready to shift again. Though Dom reaches out, he can feel the earth is being collapsed and eroded faster than he can easily stabilize it. All he can really keep in place is the ledge Chanticleer is balanced on. Chanticleer holds the girl a little tighter as he hears the screaming. "Just a bit more!" he says to her urgently, then to the people up above, "Dom...?!"

Dominic can't call out... he's got to concentrate! He grits his teeth and struggles for that one ledge... he's got to at least save the people he can, as he carefully tries to lower the rope and concentrate on keeping the ledge stable at the same time... Chanticleer doesn't bother risking a glance down when he hears more screams; it's now or never. "Hold on tightly, Miss!" he says quickly. With the girl holding on for dear life, he scrambles up the side of the sinkhole, trying desperately to be absolutely certain of his holds each moment of the way.

Chanti gets three or four feet up the side of the sinkhole and reaches the rope that Dom is lowering, just as the wall he was climbing crumbles in a slurry of mud that slides down, splattering the people at the bottom. Dominic grips the rope tightly when he feels the weight on the other end! "Heave!" he gasps out, not realizing he was holding his breath. "Get more people, more rope! I can't guarantee the sinkhole won't get worse!" he calls out.

Chanticleer gets the girl to safety as far from the sinkhole as possible, then hurriedly makes a rope fast to himself, intending to go down into the pit with another rope to help up people who are wounded. The girl's eyes are wide and she's shaking. When Chanticleer starts heading toward the edge of the hole again she grabs for his hand and says, "No! Don't! It's deep! And they get bigger..."

The earth feels like it has stabilized again... for the moment. All around, the caravaneers that weren't caught in the sinkhole are working on getting down to the bottom. The people around the edge are trying to crowd around close to look in, yelling to their family and friends at the bottom. Chanticleer smiles encouragingly to the girl. "It's fine! I'm tied off." He doesn't say that he's terrified she's right -- that this is just going to get bigger. "Besides, have to help the people down there! Don't worry, I've done this before." [Liar,] he says to himself as he starts to rappel down the side of the sinkhole.

Dominic looks between the girl and Chanti, and smiles at the fae's bravery. "Vaya con dios, man," he says to Chanti -- something one of the crew taught him -- as the sidhe slowly makes his way back down. The young Tap gives orders to his companions to give Chanti slack bit by bit. The little girl is sobbing and has her hands pressed over her face. As Chanticleer and a couple of the others are making their way down the side, Dom feels another sinkhole starting. This one feels like it's going to open not far from the first. Dominic grits his teeth. "Dammit to hell! Everyone not helping folks, get clear!" he shouts, before he drives his will fiercely... he's got to stop this mess before it gets worse! His mind demanding that the earth stabilize.

Chanticleer hears Dom's call and freezes for half a second, before sliding down the hole faster. [Never rains....!] The people scatter except for the little girl, who is peeking through her fingers and watching them. Dom reaches out, feeling for the earth and making it cling together despite the water that's trying to rip it away and collapse it. Chanti slides down a little faster than the others, being lighter and more agile. Dominic is sweating from the effort, and keeps helping Chanti deeper into the hole. Only problem now is the girl's refusal to run is making things more difficult... he can't stop what he's doing, and now anyone who would have helped the girl away has just run off! "You... li'l miss, what's your name?" he queries, once he takes a breath.

The girl looks at Dom and says, "M-Mary..." She looks horrified and nervous as she whispers, "You should go! It's just... it's getting bigger..."

Dominic shakes his head defiantly. "We got people down there, yours and mine... I can't just abandon them -- not when I can help. You should go... or if you won't, then at least help with the rope, hey?" If he can't convince her to leave, at least maybe he can give her something to do to help keep her brave.

As she speaks, Dom's hold on the earth slips and he stumbles, losing his grip on the rope and sending Chanticleer into sudden free-fall. His control of the earth keeps it from being catastrophic, however, the ground simply slipping a few inches rather than opening up like a hungry maw. Chanticleer's voice rises an octave or two as he slips down the rope, trying to find purchase along the muddy wall. Dominic gasps, and he grips the rope, making it slowly slide to a stop so Chanti doesn't get jerked too hard! Thank goodness Dom's always worked hard; his hands are callused and firm, even as they ache from the burn of the rope.

The little girl is gulping air as she runs over, wrapping her hands around the rope Dom is holding. She's not large or really very clean, but she does try to help. Of course, it's just when she grabs the rope that Chanticleer reaches the bottom. There are around a dozen people in the bottom of the wet and muddy pit, two of which aren't moving at all. The other four caravaneers that came down the ropes are checking on the wounded, which is everyone else. The damage seems to range from a sprained ankle to something that seems sadly like a broken back.

Dominic nods at the girl, impressed with her willingness to stay and help, and wordlessly showing support for her guts. He's trying to breath evenly now, waiting for Chanti to come back up with someone... or for the next collapse. He's got to be ready. As the little girl calms down, she starts breathing more evenly as well. She says, "Will the flying man be OK?"

Dominic nods confidently. "Chanti's a survivor. He'll be just fine, specially if I have anything to say about it," he rumbles, breathing deep. Chanti will be fine. He's been in worse situations. They all have. Just hard to remember what those are, now.

Down in the pit, Chanticleer finds himself calf-deep in cold, muddy water. One of the injured is another of the acrobats. She's a human in her late teens, meaning she's not as skilled as Chanticleer -- but she is quite skilled given those limitations. She's swearing in Russian and holding her left upper arm with her right hand. Chanticleer calls up to the top, "We're going to need some stretchers and at least one rigid board down here!" [Oh, that's so not good.] He crouches beside the other acrobat. "Is it broken, Natalya?"

Natalya smiles a strained little smile at him, "Da. It is." She nudges one of the still forms with her toe, "This oaf landed on it." It's obvious she's trying to be lighthearted, but it's really an awkward time for it.

Chanticleer nods a little. "Hold it still as best as you can. We're getting stretchers and boards down."

Up top, Dom can feel the ground seems to have stabilized. Dominic relaxes just an iota... maybe something's turning their way. He stays vigilant, though, and pipes up to little Mary behind him. "You're a brave girl, hey? Once this all all done, and we're safe, the flying man will give you a special performance."

It takes some time and some very careful strapping down of limbs and improvised splints, but they get the injured up to the top of the sinkhole. Chanticleer is invaluable, with his light weight and quickness of reaction: more than once he is able to grab someone who is slipping. When all is said and done, it's a couple of hours before all of the injured and dead are out of the sinkhole. The town's citizenry have taken away their own and the caravaneers are left with Natalya and the little girl, Mary, who is fussing over the injured acrobat and generally getting in the way. Chanticleer at some point checks to see what happened to Mary's parents; if they were one of the ones who died in the fall. He really hopes not.

Dominic is glad once it seems like the earth is done being temperamental, though he does take a moment to thank the earth for finally calming again. He doesn't know if the earth can actually understand him the way he understands her... but it doesn't hurt. They've come a long way together, and it's been a -- heh -- rocky relationship. He finally takes a moment to rest, and notices Mary fussing near Chanticleer. He smiles, in spite of the fact that the way it all ended wasn't all sunshine and roses.

None of the townsfolk seem to know the little girl. They are, however, able to tell Chanti the two dead are not her parents. Those are claimed by their own families, who thank the caravaneers tearfully for their assistance in retrieving the wounded and dead. Chanticleer is mildly relieved, but then he has the task of asking Mary, while she's fussing with Natalya, "Mary? Where do you live? Will your parents be worried?" He half-suspects she doesn't have any parents by this point.

Dominic responds to the thankful folk with aplomb, and wants Chanti to get his own just rewards, what with leaping back into the lion's mouth the way he did. He was searching for Chanti to do just that, when he came in on Chanti asking questions of the girl... he quiets up and slows his pace. Not trying to be nosy exactly, but... Mary licks her lips and looks down and away from Chanticleer, "My folks won't worry." She's petting the injured Russian acrobat's hair. Natalya is asleep, thanks to some poppy syrup. "I, uhm... I live... I live in town."

Chanticleer blinks a little and glances to Dom before looking back to Mary. "Ah," he says smartly. "I see. Uhm...."

Mary looks up at Chanticleer and asks in a quiet voice, "Those people that weren't moving... are... did they... did they die?" She seems quite nervous about his answer.

Chanticleer bites his lip a little, then nods. "Yes," he says softly, taking Mary's hand. "I'm afraid so." He can't bring himself to lie to her, especially when she's already been so brave.

The little girl swallows hard and says quietly, "Oh." Tears are starting to flow down her face and then she wraps her arms around Chanticleer's waist, wailing, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" As the girl starts to sob, Dom can feel the stability of the earth under his feet starting to shift.

Chanticleer blinks, and hugs Mary. "Mary, hush, don't be that way! You don't have to apologize; it wasn't anything you'd done!"

Dominic blinks. That's not... oh gods above and below. He starts to speak, but when Chanti is... well... when the sidhe is just being himself -- comforting and kind -- Dom lets him work, and instead tries to calm the earth again. If the young Tap is right, Mary's just like him... she's an Earth Tap, and setting things off without even knowing it. Or maybe, the way she's acting, maybe she does know. But in this moment he brings forth his will first, to try and settle the ground beneath.

Mary is sobbing and isn't really clear about what she's saying, but she starts to pull away, "I'm so sorry. I'll go away... and then... maybe... I'm so sorry... oh..." She's obviously devastated by the goings-on. Dominic grimaces! He tries to get Chanti's attention, waving his hands, mouthing 'don't let her leave! Calm her down!'

Chanticleer blinks, looking to Dominic, "Uh... no, no, Mary... please, try to relax...." He doesn't let go, hugging her close. "It's okay," he says as soothingly as possible. "It's okay... really, it's all right." Mary is just a little girl, obviously underfed, so even struggling doesn't get her out of Chanti's arms. Eventually the sobbing tires her out and she goes limp in his arms. As she does, Dom finds he doesn't have to fight the earth under his feet any more. Dominic lets out a shuddering breath. Oh, thank the gods. Crisis averted. Of course, if it was the girl being upset that triggered the sink hole to begin with, he has to wonder... if she liked the performance, what set her off? For the moment, he just nods encouragingly to Chanti, trying to figure out what to do next. Chanticleer keeps hugging the little girl, softly crooning to her that it's all right, she's not in trouble, she'll be okay. He looks to Dom worriedly and questioningly.

Mary is obviously very tired and distressed and she's starting to sound sleepy as she asks, "Is the flying lady going to be OK?"

Dominic comes over, putting a hand on Chanti's shoulder. "You should do some tricks for her. I promised you would. We'll talk in a minute." he suggests, smiling and squeezing Chanti's shoulder to make sure he's understood. "I'm going to go find Ohkwari." Dominic nods and trots off, hoping to find the bear-shifter quickly, even though he's confident in Chanti to entertain. Mostly. Well, it's not so much got to do with confidence in the fae as much as worry about dealing with an untrained talent.

Chanticleer nods, then smiles to Mary. "Here, Mary... this is something I didn't do in my act on stage!" He does some simple sleight-of-hand for her, hoping to keep her distracted and entertained. Mary watches Chanticleer's sleight of hand; it seems to calm her down -- even making her smile.

Dominic starts to trot off... oh, wait! What was he thinking! In all the fuss, he completely forgot the caravan is whole hours away. He can't possibly get approval with any kind of speed... it's up to him and Chanti to make a decision, what with him being the grizzled vet and Chanti being the friendly face. He mulls it over a bit as Chanti shows off for Mary... and after a bit he gestures to the fae for a private palaver. "Look, don't get nervous... I think the girl might have accidentally set off the sinkhole," he says sotto voce to Chanti.

Chanticleer remains in view of Mary, and so does not let his face show any sort of reaction to Dom's revelation. Nevertheless, his voice does betray a lot of surprise. "Set off the sinkhole?" he asks incredulously. "But..." He blinks; it makes sense, then -- the way she was apologizing so strenuously. She's a Tap, and she knows it. "So what do we do?"

Dominic scratches his chin. "Now that I know, now that I'm ready for it, I might be able to prevent any more problems... especially if we can talk to her about it. But we need to convince her to at least come back with us when we return to the caravan... see if we can find out more about her situation, too. If she's got folks... or if she doesn't. But one way or another, we can't just put this under our hat. We gotta help her, make sure this sort of thing doesn't happen again. Maybe I can teach her to have better control... but first we've got to get her to trust and like us, hmm?" He nudges Chanti. "That's your job... you do that good, pretty boy," he rumbles, smiling just a little.

Chanticleer lets his lips quirk at the sobriquet. "We need to find her parents, if they're still alive." By the time the two get back, Mary is asleep on the litter next to Natalya. The sidhe looks at the sleeping girl and sighs, smiling. "Well. We can't just leave her here, and it's only a few hours' journey betwixt here and there. We can take her with us. But I wonder what triggered it the first time?"

Dominic nods. "It's a fair question. One we should start asking... what do you remember? What were you and the others doing when the sinkhole first opened?"

The trip back to the caravan is uneventful and Mary sleeps through the whole thing. When they get back, Mary is tucked into Sabrina's wagon to sleep, with Sabrina herself watching over the child. A couple of hours later the older woman emerges, looking grave, "We don't have to worry about getting her back to her family."

Chanticleer blinks a little, frowning. He is seated atop the caravan wagon with Dominic. "Why not?" he asks Sabrina softly.

Dominic stands at that, hat in hand. "Was she an orphan, then? Or in a bad family situation?" he queries, curious. He has to wonder, figuring there might very well be emotional issues from either her home life, or her lack of one.

Sabrina's face is grim, "It would seem her family abandoned her. From what I got out of her, they were in a wagon train and she woke up one morning to find the train gone on without her. It's been a couple of years at least. She's not good with time, but it's been at least two winters. I think her Tapping ability scared them."

Chanticleer's brow furrows. "That seems grossly poor of them."

Sabrina's eyes are snapping and she has her hands on her hips, "It seems cruel and inhuman of them. To abandon a child so young because of something she can't control? The poor girl seems convinced she's evil of some sort. She was too young to remember much, but it sounds like her parents were in with one of the anti-Tap sects."

Dominic's eyes knit... the grizzled scout looks almost... angry. "That's madness," he rumbles, looking at the wagon with a mix of compassion and outrage. The idea of being abandoned, particularly from a wagon train situation -- that's almost anathema to him, given his own life up till now. "Taps require good training, special handling, but this idea that she'd be abandoned because of it, particularly..." he can't even finish the thought, his eyes glittering like diamonds. "I can't just leave her like this. I want to take her in," he says fiercely.

Chanticleer shakes his head. "She's fortunate this town isn't inherently against Taps," he murmurs. "Before we take her in, we will need to check with the Lady."

Ohkwari is leaning silently against Sabrina's wagon, smoking his pipe. The sweet-scented smoke curls about his head as the big bear-man removes the pipe from his mouth and rumbles quietly, "She'll take her. We all know she ain't got the heart to abandon a child like that."

Sabrina nods, "You're right that we should check, but I'm not chucking her out. And Suraksha is, as Ohkwari said, not likely to want to abandon her. If she's as dangerous as it sounds, however, we'll have to figure a way to help her control herself. I think she's fine as long as she's calm. Apparently she was scared before."

Dominic glances at Ohkwari and Sabrina and looks grateful. "I'll take responsibility for her," he tells the big man, as if trying to follow up on an advantage, trying to cement what he's saying into an utter truth. "I'm the best one to do it, anyway. I can teach her control."

The big packmaster smiles faintly at Dominic, "Don't shoulder more than you can lift, boy. If she's an Earth Tap, yeah... but if not, let the best person to train her do the work." He draws on his pipe again, then adds laconically, "Either way, she's gonna need all the friends she can get."

Sabrina nods, "Earth Tap or not, Dominic should probably talk with her about how to shut out the leylines. And... she doesn’t talk like it's Earth she's controlling. That might be why you didn't sense it coming, Nicky."

Ohkwa nods peacefully, drawing on his pipe again and exhaling more slow, twining smoke before he rumbles, "'At's good. We settled here, then? I'm off to bed, if so."

Chanticleer nods a little, quietly. "Good night, Ohkwa." He looks to Dominic. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Dominic twitches a little at being called Nicky. 'Dom' is a common nickname, but 'Nicky' feels weird... not bad-weird, just weird, like he's a kid instead of a grown man. "Maybe," he rumbles. "You were saying something about anti-Tap groups? Those sorts of people exist? This is news to me. What's their deal?" He looks at Chanti too, curious if the fey has heard of this before, when Chanti inquires of him. He too nods a farewell to Okhwari.

The big packmaster snorts quiet amusement and smiles as the eager young trail scout keeps asking questions well into the night, instead of waiting until the next day. He politely tips the long-stemmed end of his pipe at the two young men, then nods to Sabrina, "Sleep well," before he pads silently off to his wagon.

Chanticleer shakes his head, "I've heard nothing about them here in this town, that I recall clearly. A lot of towns are like that, though, and Mary's parents could have come from such a place. Plus it's safer, sometimes, to not show that power. Just like I try to keep my glamour on as much as possible."

Sabrina sometimes slips up. She has, after all, known Dom since he was quite young. "Most of them believe Tapping is a sign of demon possession -- being able to influence the world is trying to play God. Idiotic, of course." She pulls her shawl more closely around her shoulders and glances at the wagon, "Poor child."

Chanticleer nods softly. "That's no way to treat one's blood kin," he murmurs softly. He nods resolutely. "Dom, I will help you however I can."

Dominic doesn't realize till much later how intense he is about this, in comparison to anything else. He takes his work seriously, of course, but he tends to be far more laid back usually. "Madness," he repeats, rubbing his forehead. Of course, bigotry is nothing new to him in regards to non-humans; they've dealt with it enough. But the idea of Taps being demonic... well, he supposes it's not so big a jump. He eyeballs Chanti. "I'll tie up the loose ends of my duties... if you could see to her comfort till I get back, I'll watch over her, and talk to the Lady in the morning," he murmurs hopefully. She does, of course, know the two of them best.

Sabrina nods, "Just like we always do." She smiles warmly, "You boys have had a long day, I think, and little Miss Mary needs to sleep somewhere she feels safe. Dom, I think you should stay in the wagon with her."

Chanticleer nods to Dominic. "I will. She's sleeping at the moment." He looks to Sabrina, and smiles to her. "Thank you."

Dominic nods. "No question. Till we can settle her down, make her feel at ease and comfortable, till I can teach her proper, she needs to be handled with kid gloves. So to speak." Under more blunt circumstances Dom would say she's a 'danger'... but he doesn't like using that word with Mary, as it's far too uncharitable to her. She doesn't know any better. "I'll be back when I can."

[Previous Log] [Index] [Next Log]





Last modified: 2010-Aug-28 20:29:49

All material on this site is
Copyright © 2010-2024 Reality Fault
unless specifically indicated on each document.
All Rights Reserved.
Administrated by Reality Fault Webmaster