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[P] Religious Revival; Keelin
Topic Started: Fri Aug 22, 2014 7:33 pm (1,170 Views)
Claire
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It was problematic when Keelin's prejuidice really presented itself to her. The woman was hovering over her like a hawk, protecting her from outside views and even meeting new people.

"I think I was wrong to look up to you." Claire commented. She stopped and leaned on the railing of the middle road, in this quiet part of the town. A diving beetle came to the surface of the water, a little fish caught in its mandibles. "I know why you said what you did, I know why you want to protect me, but I don't want to be coddled. I can't really express my doubts effectively..." Claire looked aside. Shame and misery struck her as she realized that she had bolstered Keelin up too much within her own mind. She knew her words hurt Keelin, because she had seen how Keelin hovered over her.

"I just wish you were a hero, someone who doesn't guage a person by who they are but what they do and what they need." Claire slumped harder on the deck. A tear fell down her cheek as her conclusions really settled in, how silly she'd been and how much she still wanted Keelin, with all her glamor, bravery and selflessness to be an actual hero. She knew her own perspective was unique, a product of her parent's idealism and the miserable truth of Cascadian opulence. "I really want you to be a hero, my hero, Keelin. Let's talk to Shakti. Maybe she isn't so bad as you think, or maybe she is. I don't know, and you don't either."

She rose slowly, Galea now standing close to her and nudging her head against Claire's hip.
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Keelin
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Claire's response shouldn't have cut so hard. Keelin lost her smile before the first sentence was over. She knew exactly where this was going, and she didn't want that. Nevertheless she listened. The elf had put her on a pedestal and, if Keelin was honest with herself, she totally sensed that and even encouraged it a little. But Claire wasn't stupid. Everything she said was right, except maybe the parts about the angel hunter's prejudice being unfounded. Keelin wanted to protect Claire because she didn't want the girl getting snatched up by something. Shakti had mentioned something about it being rare for people to be born with holy mana.

She wanted to tell Claire about the things she'd experienced -- all the traps she'd fallen for or the puppet strings she's been hung on -- but figured it wouldn't get through to her anyway. No one actually believed those stories.

Honestly, Keelin just hated seeing kids crying, even if they were trying to suck it up and be all tough about it. She saw that tear and had to turn away. Stuffed her hands in her pockets and tried to look angry instead of guilty. It was her fault, after all. She made some snot-nosed orphan cry because she wasn't careful or gentle about anything. No, it's a bigger issue than that, she corrected herself.

"I could pretend to be something I'm not. In fact, it's very tempting right now." The elf's voice had no hint of sarcasm, irreverence, or playfulness like it usually did in tense situations. It was like the positive and negative emotions alike had been wrung out of it. That kind of soft near-monotone was nostalgic for Keelin, a bit. "But I think you deserve better than a lie. If you're looking for a hero, your best bet is to make yourself into one. No hope of changing others, and it's far too late for someone like me." She took a few steps away, stopped, and added some more words. "I'll be in town. Watching for danger. Won't hover. Bye, Claire."

She raised her hand in a casual sort of wave just before disappearing down the street. Keelin didn't want to see what Claire's face looked like after saying all that. Despite finding a dense crowd, the angel hunter pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to force down that all-too-familiar feeling of crushing loneliness that always accompanied situations like this. The real shocker is that I haven't gotten callous about it yet, she grumbled internally.
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Claire
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Claire stared at Keelin as she spoke. The young elf realized what was coming and the tears came thicker. She didn't want Keelin to leave, no matter what she had said. But Keelin left, and Claire did nothing to stop her. She watched her retreating steps, and then walked away herself. Claire tried not to sulk too obviously, but as she walked not towards her house but on a round-a-bout route where she could catch Keelin and bring her to her house, she was intercepted. Shakti lifted herself from a set of railing.

"You look sad." Shakti said. Claire bristled. "Was it that woman? What did she do?" Claire shook her head.

"She didn't do anything. I did it."

"Ah, regret. She seemed like a nice woman. Why would you hurt her and yourself?" Shakti asked. Claire shrugged.

"I just...thought she was someone else. Then I realized my own standards were too high. She's as close as you get to a hero, I think." Claire explained.

"Then you should apologize. If you are at fault, you make amends. Very simple. May I ask how this woman is so heroic?"

"She's the angel hunter, Keelin Madaricatu. The other group, the Forward Path, called her the Saint-Apostate." Claire explained. Shakti didn't blink or budge.

"Never heard of her. The Forward Path is not an organization worth working along, so I cannot blame her for fighting it. Or angels." Shakti pushed Claire on the shoulder. "Time to make amends with the angel hunter."

Claire moved quickly, catching Keelin before she made it back to the tavern. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. You can stay at my house. I was just overcome with doubt and poor expectations." Claire apologized. She pointed back from where she'd come. "This way is faster."
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Keelin
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Keelin's train of thought led to her wanting to go find Claire and maybe apologize or something. What good would that do, though? The girl's problem was with Keelin's very nature. It wasn't like she could change her own past or cast aside some really well-earned prejudices. Didn't stop her from feeling bad, though.

Just as she turned to go back to the tavern, someone caught her by her forearm near the wrist. It was Claire. The girl, sounding like she'd been crying, apologized profusely and let Keelin stay in her house after all. The elf cracked a little smile, plopped her palm on Claire's head and patted a couple times in a friendly manner. "Hey, I still mean what I said. You can still live up to your own expectations. Don't lose hope." She almost immediately lost her composure, chuckling to herself as they started down toward Claire's house. "Rhaich, I can't believe I'm telling someone not to lose hope. Sorry kid, you're just too damn cute, I can't resist saying stupid [removed] like that. ...But, hey, you're young, so don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm lying."
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Claire
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Claire lead Keelin onwards. It had been a bit of a strange time for the pair, and Claire chose to walk in silence instead of offer more awkward conversation. Claire lead Keelin into her little house, which had barely enough room for a living room, a small kitchen, a closet-like water closet, and the angled roof allowed just enough room for a bed in a loft above the living room and kitchen.

"Oh, I don't have a particularly great place to sleep for you. You can take my bed, if you'd like. I can sleep next to Galea." Claire looked back. Galea was cautiously squirming through the door, trying to get her body just slightly at an angle so she could make it through. "Oh dear."
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Keelin
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"Bahahah! You gonna help her or what?" Keelin sure wasn't. It was funny seeing the big fluffy creature try to get into this tiny house. Once that spectacle was over, the angel hunter put her hands on her hips and gave the place a good look. It was quaint, a great house for one person to live in if she said so herself. "Cute place."

After removing her boots Keelin took her hat, jacket and orarion off and hung them out of the way nearby. "Well. Been on the road long as I've been, you learn to never say no to a bed." All it took was a single long pull on the tie around her hair to free the long auburn ponytail. Standing by the loft ladder she began unbuttoning her long-sleeved shirt to reveal the simple sleeveless undershirt beneath. Then she climbed up into the loft.

Unsure of whether things were too awkward to break the lull in their conversation, Keelin mulled around in the loft for a few minutes. Then she appeared at the railing and looked down. "So I'm kind of curious -- how'd you end up with a huge feathery drake anyway? Didn't you say you were an orphan?"
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Claire
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Claire smiled as Keelin laughed at Galea's plight. She would need to get a barn for Galea soon, which would be quite an expense. Keelin seemed to like her little house, and then requested the bed. Claire set about to making a small bed of half-folded blankets and then rested Galea's big blanket across the curled up drake. Claire nestled in, resting her head against Galea's shoulder. Then Keelin called down.

"Galea? I found her on the cliffs of Cascadia. She was just a hatchling then, about the size of a cat. I think her family was used as target practice by the Air Navy. I found blood. I hand-raised Galea. It wasn't easy, I didn't have any money so I had to spend a lot of my time getting meat. It was risky. But I wasn't alone anymore." Claire replied. She hadn't told anyone how she had gotten Galea. Or even who she really was. A former slumrat thief wouldn't get a job as a guard.
Edited by Claire, Wed Oct 1, 2014 10:35 pm.
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Keelin
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They passed the time for a while with this sort of chit-chat until it was time to hit the hay. Keelin lay in bed with her eyes closed, trying but unable to fall asleep. Her thoughts raced. It was frustrating sometimes, letting go of the discipline that gave her complete control over her thoughts and emotions. Her old self re-emerged sometimes, but she hated whenever it did. Better to lie awake like this than to go back to living a lie.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard a thundering impact outside and felt a surge of holy magic pass through the house like an invisible shockwave. She climbed down from the loft and looked out the window, not caring if she woke up Claire in the process. It was the middle of the night by the look of it. A tendril of roiling energy, an inverse lightning bolt, lit up part of the creek and had likely been the source of the sounds and sensations.

Keelin summoned her weapons to her hands. Turned toward the front door of Claire's house, almost went, but reconsidered the girl who had been sleeping nearby on that fluffy, ridiculous drake creature. "Something's happening. Hang tight."

She rushed up to the loft again to put on her shirt, pants and orarion. Near the front door she slid on her greatcoat and hat. All the while she wondered if it was a good idea to stay hidden in the house or if she was just risking something bad. Maybe she should get Claire out and hide her somewhere better, then check out what was going on. Nothing good was coming of what she saw, that was for sure. More powerful thumps echoed through the town from the direction of the creek.

Then the shout that stirred the whole area: "By the order of the Powers of Laneroct, I demand Keelin Madaricatu and the girl Claire Mairuth."

Masculine voice. Not Shakti.

Actually, it was familiar -- just with a metallic tinge.

Keelin cursed. "We need to get out of Creekharbor or this place is gonna get leveled. That's Sahegael, the commander of the Laneroct Repossession Unit. Grab whatever you use to fight. This is no hunt, it's all survival now."
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Claire
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Claire awoke in a heartbeat and rushed for her mace and shield, scrambling from Galea's side on her hands and knees before quickly rising to her feet. Galea awoke as well, but the young drake was drowsy. The drake started when Keelin appeared from above. Keelin disappeared just as quickly to put clothes on. Claire had actually slept in her pants and undershirt because of her proximity to Galea. The drake wasn't precisely soft.

A voice boomed throughout the village. Claire looked urgently to Keelin as the woman gave her orders.

"It sounds like that voice came from the docks. If we go on the road to Stormwatch we'll leave town the quickest and head into some of the nastiest parts of the basin." Claire explained. She bopped Galea on the nose to rouse the drake fully. "Galea, follow me!" Claire took off like a shot as soon as those words were uttered. Galea followed her, cramming through the door in a heartbeat and then taking off after Claire as she took a sharp turn around the tree and onto one of the major roads. It was only a few minutes of running before Claire found herself in the deep murk. The water was less deep here, but the vegetation was thicker. Shrubs and vines fought for space between the roots of great trees. A raised wooden road crossed through the murk, but Claire had taken to hiding amongst the roots. Galea had scrabbled into the tree high above, looking around intently.
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