Star Wars Man Cubs

Sara Kharatyan, daughter of Dionysus
The Panther Centurion

In the stars, time passed differently. Without the sun and moon passing across the sky, everything flowed together into one endless nighttime. Sara wasn?t sleeping much. Sometimes at ?night? she lay in bed awake; other evenings she wandered about the ship, learning its corridors, trying to understand it as she had understood her home. But the cold metal didn?t breath, as the trees had, and even though it spoke, it seemed a strange creature to Sara.

The only room she avoided was Bakara?s. Since leaving Alderaan, she had done her best to avoid him, though she couldn?t free her mind of guilt.

She kept quiet during her nighttime wanderings,and she also kept mostly quiet when others were around. She just didn?t know what to say. To anyone. She felt like she had failed her entire family - nearly half of which had been killed or crippled on Alderaan. But it wasn?t even the loss that bothered her so much as it was the guilt. It wasn?t just that she had failed her own siblings, but she had brought the wrath of Shere Kahn upon the entire tribe. Practically everyone who was left had lost a father or husband. Some had lost both.

So Sara was glad to hear her time aboard the Panther Centurion was nearly at an end. She hadn?t particularly disliked it here, but she needed to get moving again. Hopefully she?d be able to get past what had happened on Alderaan. She wasn?t counting on it, but it?d be nice.

She stayed quiet Bagheera gathered her family together in the cockpit. ?We are landing soon. We left the Core some time ago, and are heading for a world called Mindor. There we will have to say our goodbyes. You will be taken into the care of a friend of mine, a Wookiee named Baloo. I must take the women and the cubs somewhere else, to a safe hiding place. Baloo has certain orders: he is not going to look after all of you. It is necessary that you are split up. Some of you will be sent onwards to Colonel Hathi, who you know, and some will be sent to Sarabi Sei'lar, an old friend of your parents.?

So they would be split up. Fragmented again. There goes the other half of the family. Sara sighed inaudibly. There wasn?t much she could do about it. The other children had already begun asking to be sent with certain others; Sara decided she would leave it up to the captain to decide. It didn?t feel like her decision to make.

Tag: Winged, cubs

 

I don't know why I keep being surprised, but I am.


IC: Mischa, Child of Poseidon
The Netherworld

Mischa frowned at Krasus' back as she followed him through the maze of tents. Only Mother? Had Father and the men survived then? (How had he gotten that trio of nasties off her? He hadn't so much as touched them - Mischa was very glad he was on her side, but what -)

Then he pointed at a human woman sitting by a fire, and all puzzlement fled from her mind.

She knew, of course, that she hadn't actually descended from Rama and Raksha, and neither had her brothers and sisters. All eight of them were obviously not Shistavanen, and besides, the tale of how they had been found had been a favourite of Bagheera's. But Mischa had entirely forgotten that that meant somewhere out there, there was a human man who had fathered her and a human woman who had given her birth.

At a loss, Mischa glanced up at Krasus and then back at her. Of course he couldn't have known about Rama and Raksha and the Pack, and would thus logically lead her to her birth parents ... but it was weird, looking at her and seeing an older version of herself. Mischa had never really thought of meeting her human mother, and yet here she was, no question about it.

Questions exploded in her mind. How had she died? How had she lived? Why had she left Mischa in that cave, along with seven others? What had happened back then? Maybe Shere Khan had gotten to them too - or they had been on the run from pirates - Mischa's imagination threw up several other scenarios, ranging from possible to absurd, before she reined it in firmly. The answers were easy enough to get. Just ask her.

Hesitantly, Mischa approached the woman at the fire. Mom had always meant Raksha, before ... but now maybe ... "Hi," Mischa said in a small voice. "Mom?"

Tag: Wing

 

Aboard the Panther Centurion

"Who is going with who?" asked Elisthia.

"Is it possible I could have Ecko come with me?" said Vic. "I'd rest a bit easier that way."

"I stay with Bakara," announced Elora.

Bagheera simply nodded, as calmly as he could, trying not to let his face crumple into worry or even impatience. He cared for these children deeply, and he felt their grief as if a part of his own heart had been torn from him...but they were still just children. They did not understand what had to be done. They did not understand how to put their emotions to one side. And above all, they did not understand their importance...their importance in one day bringing down Shere Khan and ending his reign of tyranny. These children needed to be shepherded.

"I will see what I can do," said the Cathar captain simply. "These were difficult decisions. We do not split you up lightly, but we cannot present Shere Khan with a single herd to hunt. We must scatter his attention in many directions. Once we meet Baloo, I will inform you who is going with who. I would tell you now, but I need to confirm something with him first. Until then, please prepare yourself. We will be landing soon."

He smiled slightly, and turned around in his seat, sighing to himself.

Tag: Nick, Anne, Reynar, ramza, Hamm, Sirak

---

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppwLAWpBrDw]Medical Bay, Panther Centurion
[/link]
"Where am I?"

"You are aboard the [i]Panther Centurion[/i]," came a voice. "The vessel of Captain Bagheera, your friend, the Cathar."

A face swam into [b]Bakara's[/b] vision. He would have been forgiven for thinking it was his mother, but within moments he realised it was [b]Susanna[/b], another huntress of the Pack. She did not seem alarmed by his injuries. At least, she allowed no emotion to show on her face.

"You are a brave cub," she said. She laughed a little sadly. "All the male wolves have scars, so you should be proud. Now you look as ugly as my husband."

[b]Tag: Peng[/b]

[hr]

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rZNpiUAuxM&feature=related] Shanti's Tent, The Netherworld[/link]

"Hi...Mom?"

The woman looked up, catching [b]Mischa's[/b] gaze. For a few moments they simply looked at each other, twin pairs of eyes meeting for the first time.

And then the woman burst into tears, and threw the instrument from her lap. She rushed towards the girl, wrapping her arms around her, kissing her forehead, crying softly into her hair. Her face was wet with grief and relief and her grip was so tight and unyielding, as if she was afraid her daughter would suddenly vanish, and she only had a few seconds to make up for a lifetime of missed embraces.

Krasus looked on with mild contempt.

"Mischa," breathed the woman, detaching herself at last, beaming. "Mischa, Mischa, Mischa. I didn't forget. I didn't know if you would ever come, if I would ever see you, and it was so lonely here, but I never forgot you. I waited for you."

She guided the girl to sit down beside the fire, unable to stop herself asking question after question.

"Who raised you? How many of you were there? Where did you live? How old are you? You're such a beautiful young woman, I'm so proud of you, I'm so sorry I wasn't there. I'm so sorry. I never forgot. I waited here so long."
[b]
Tag: Xan[/b][/blockquote]


OOC: Yeah Xan, I love to surprise people. I was delighted when you simply specified 'parents' to Krasus, it made it so much easier for me.

 

Bakara, Child of Hephaestus
The Panther Centurion

Through the murk came the voice, and a vision of Raksha floated before Bakara's eyes. The stupor cleared, and pain flashed through his face for a moment before subsiding; it throbbed dully with his pulse. It was not his mother, this was Susanna, another huntress. "You are aboard the Panther Centurion," she said kindly. A flash of the Cathar Bagheera - this was safe.

Then she laughed, which struck Bakara as odd. Sadness in her voice. "You are a brave cub. All the male wolves have scars, so you should be proud."

What scars? he thought.

his face was gone

He felt ill, and sat up, straining to free his head from the heavy cover of narcotic illusion. Pain shot through his face, breaking through the stupor for a moment, and he realized his wounds, whatever they were, were beginning to coagulate.

Susanna spoke again. "Now you look as ugly as my husband."

Bakara's head swam, and he suddenly became very afraid of catching his own reflection. "...where is my family?" He slid his legs off the cot he lay on, standing and immediately stumbling. His legs weren't quite awake yet. Where are they? Mischa must be worried...

Tag: Winged, others

 

Medical Bay, Panther Centurion


Susanna leapt to Bakara's side immediately, steadying him at once with firm hands.

"...where is my family?" mumbled the boy, clearly still half in a daze. The huntress hesitated.

"Your brothers and sisters are on board, with the women and children of the Pack," she said at last.

She paused again, and Bakara felt her grip on him tighten ever so slightly, as if trying to keep him in place.

"And I am sorry to tell you this, man cub...but your parents, and your sister Mischa...they died at the hands of Shere Khan."

Tag: Peng

 

Bakara, Child of Hephaestus
The Panther Centurion

Susanna's grip steadied him, holding him firm. His head swam, and she spoke. "Your brothers and sisters are on board, with the women and children of the Pack." He breathed deeply at that, feeling better for a moment. Her grip tightened, and he felt a cold fear wash over him. Something was wrong, very wrong, and he didn't want to hear it, he needed to see Mischa, she'd make him smile, make him feel better, pull him out of this haze.

Then the huntress spoke, and his heart dropped.

His parents, gone.

Mischa, gone.

Bakara's legs buckled and he fell into Susanna's arms. His heart was in his stomach, and he felt tears stream from his eye - only one eye. The other burned with a fiery pain.

Had he been a great hero of old, his tale would have been one of justified vengeance. But Bakara would not be a hero. He would have his vengeance. He would make them pay. It was on this day, the day he lost his family, that the seeds of the future were planted.

Tag: Winged, others

 

Elora, Daughter of Ares
Aboard the Panthera Centurion

So, they would have no say in it. She would have to trust Bagheera. At least they asked her to trust some, she actually did trust. The Cathar had always been kind and had saved them, after all. The idea of being divided from her others brothers and sisters didn´t go down with her, despite good reasons.

Or was this again the same force driving the events to unravel? She had to think about this more. As soon as she was sure of it. Slowly she entered the med-bay. Only to find Bakara awake and talking to the huntress who had looked after him. He seemed to have collapsed into her arms.

"Baka, you are awake." She smiled sadly. She would have loved to be happy about it. But a slight feeling of relief was the best her heart could come up with. Nodding to the huntress she helped him up again. The scars did not disturb her anymore. She had clenaed them. And it was still her borther beneath them all.

"You . . . know what happened?" She asked him carefully. Taking care of her brother brought her a little ease. At least she had not failed to be a sister. She had tried to save him. She just had not had the power to do so. One day she would.

"Lay down. We are in the middle of space. Nowhere to go, Bakara." She whipsered and tried to gently turned him back to the bed.

Tag: Peng, Winged, others.

 

IC: Vic, Son of Hades
Aboard the Panther Centurion

---

Bagheera would... see what he could do? That was... mildly good. Yes, not great, but good. Vic still felt a little off. Muja fruit withdrawal?

He led Ecko back to the main portion of the ship. Vic noted the sound his feet made on the metal. Hollow. He wished he were hollow.

He heard Bakara's voice. Bakara was awake. Bakara...

Vic allowed himself a small grin as he felt the whirling currents of himself settle back into place, at least for now. What had caused all of that in the first place? It had been like he was trying to get away, like the aspects of himself had all wanted to go whirling off in different directions, like pieces of an overripe fruit smashed against a tree. Like back home. Home... With his parents, and Mischa, gone, did he even truly have a home at this point?

Why had Bakara waking up brought him back to this normal state of mind? Was this his normal state? He felt disturbingly aloof, not sad, not glad, just... Vic. How strange.

He was relieved that Bakara had woken up, at least he was sure of that much. But there was no way he could bear to see his brother just yet. Too much pain, too many... feelings... And he wasn't sure if Ecko was ready yet either. Not that he could tell. Mother had mostly communicated to Ecko through gestures that seemed to have a sort of pattern to them, but that Vic didn't know. Did he even have a right to insist on staying with him, then?

[b]TAG: Reynar et al[/b]

 

Bakara, Child of Hephaestus
The Panther Centurion

"No no no no," mumbled Bakara, hoping beyond hope that it was all untrue, that this was another fever dream. He coughed hard, feeling ill. With a start Bakara his voice gravelly and hoarse from his screams earlier. "It's not true! Lies!"

His face ached, his chest ached, and despite the cold of space, he was suffocating in the heat. Elora was telling him to lie down, but he couldn't, he couldn't relax. He gasped for breath, slipping to the cold metal deck. His eye burned, the other wet with tears, and suddenly the haze was gone; the Child of Hephaestus could feel the pain, throbbing away, and he inhaled sharply, trying to fight it off. Slumped on the deck, his body shook with each sob. Why me? Why now? There's no one here anymore, he thought, the anxiety giving away to hopelessness.

"I don't want this," he whispered.

Tag: Sirak, Ramza, Winged

 

Peng, now you're going to make me cry ...


IC: Mischa, Child of Poseidon
Shanti's Tent, The Netherworld

The woman looked up, and Mischa was immediately struck by her eyes. Or rather, their eyes - their eyes were the same - it was like looking into a mirror, albeit a strange time-warping sort of mirror. Mischa stared -

And then her mother (mother!) burst into tears and ran forward. Suddenly Mischa was being hugged tighter than she had ever been, with her mother kissing her forehead, her mother's tears running into her hair - and after everything that had happened to her today she couldn't help by cry too, burying her face in her mother's shoulder, the sensation of being held so familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

She drew away finally and guided Mischa over to the fire, asking question after question. Mischa let out a small giggle. She could tell they were related.

"I never thought I'd get to meet you," Mischa said wonderingly. She sniffled and swiped at her tears with one hand - the other was still tightly clutching her mother's - and tried to organise her thoughts. "The Pack took us in, on Alderaan. Akula's pack, I mean -" It occurred to Mischa that she should possibly explain better, or they'd all get confused. "Um. Bagheera found us in a cave - he's a Cathar - he brought us to the Shistavanen pack and Rama and Raksha adopted us, all eight of us. And I'm thirteen ..."

Her voice trailed off as something else occurred to her. How many of you were there?

"We were ... put there?" Mischa said slowly. She looked up at her mother. Of course they had been; but why? "Why - who put us there? What happened?"

TAG: Wing

 

Elora, Daughter of Ares
Medbay, Panthera Centurion

She watched her brother collapse and her heart broke. If she could only have offered any words of comfort. Any.

After a long moment, she did the only thing she could do. Her own tears came streaming from her eyes now. She knelt down to her disfigured brother and embraced him. Holding him tight, while joining him in tears.

"I know. I know." She whispered. "It isn´t fair. It simply isn´t fair." She cried silently, holding him.

It wasn´t fair. One thing she had learnt this day. Fate had nothing to do with fairness.

Tag: Peng, Winged

 

IC: Elisthia, Child of Hermes
Aboard the Panther Centurion

Vic and Elora both quickly asked to stay with Ecko and Bakara, respectively, but Bagheera only said that he?d see what he could do. And he wouldn?t say who was going with who yet?there was something he needed to confirm first. Elisthia frowned at this?she would have preferred to know in advance who she would soon have to say goodbye to, so she?d have some time to prepare?but again, she didn?t argue.

She gave a slight nod of her head in acknowledgement, before leaving the cockpit and resuming her aimless wandering around the ship. She needed something to do, to keep her hands busy and her mind off of everything that was happening, but there wasn?t much to do on the ship that wasn?t already being done by someone else. Bagheera was flying the ship?she couldn?t do that anyway?the wolf cubs were being seen to, Elora had been caring for Bakara?

Bakara? Elisthia had never felt so bad. She still felt guilty for not defending him when he?d been attacked, and Mischa?s death only made it worse. She had kept to herself throughout most of the trip from Alderaan when she should have been with her family. She was oldest after Bakara; she was supposed to look after the others, she should have tried to comfort them. But she still didn?t know how. She didn?t know what she was supposed to do.

As she came to an open part of the ship, she spotted Vic and Ecko there, and she paused to watch them. How much Ecko understood of what was happening, she didn?t know, nor could she begin to explain it to him. Vic, meanwhile, had been unusually quiet since Bakara had been attacked. While he?d often tried her patience in the past with his constant attitude and rude comments, Elisthia was beginning to feel that she preferred a rude, troublesome Vic over a quiet, brooding one. She was impressed by the way he?d been looking after Ecko, though. But back on the other hand, it wasn?t fair for Vic to have to shoulder that responsibility by himself. They?d all been forced to grow up very fast in the wake of recent events, but Vic was still only fourteen; he still needed someone looking after him, as well.

She finally approached the boys, briefly squeezing Ecko?s shoulder as she passed him, and sat down next to Vic. ?Hey,? she started softly, gently pushing some of his hair out of his face. ?Are you doing okay?? She felt ridiculously foolish, asking such a question, but given their current circumstances, it seemed to her a fair question to ask.

Tag: ramza, Reynar, Winged, others

 

Shanti's Tent, The Netherworld

"I never thought I'd get to meet you," Mischa said. "The Pack took us in, on Alderaan. Akula's pack, I mean...Um. Bagheera found us in a cave - he's a Cathar - he brought us to the Shistavanen pack and Rama and Raksha adopted us, all eight of us. And I'm thirteen ..."

Her mother simply nodded, her forehead creasing as she heard the unfamiliar names, but still she smiled.

"We were ... put there?" said Mischa slowly, as a thought struck her. "Why - who put us there? What happened?"

"I-" began the woman, now frowning. She rubbed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked up with a suddenly blank expression. "You know, I've forgotten. I...I just couldn't tell you. I'm sorry."

"That is not unexpected," came a voice, and Mischa turned to see Krasus standing at her shoulder. She had not even heard a footstep. He continued speaking. "This valley is a place of limbo, intended only as a temporary rest stop between Reality and the twin voids of Chaos and Infinity. You can stay here if you wish, but it is a difficult existence. Most people feel completely drained after a few years. They begin to lose their memories- their last ties to Reality. Eventually they are nothing more than empty shells. The records show that your mother has been waiting here for at least a decade, so I am surprised she remembers anything at all, let alone your name."

"I could never forget you," whispered the woman, looking sadly at her daughter.

Tag: Xan

 

OOC: I did a few sketches of pre- and post-mauling Bakara. Not the best representation of what I was thinking he'd look like, though...also, at this point, Bakara has no clue how bad his scarring is/will be, and it's still healing.

Bakara, Child of Hephaestus
The Panther Centurion

As Elora pulled him close, crying softly, Bakara felt all the anger dissipate for but a moment. No longer dulled by the painkillers, he thought clearly. He sat up straighter, gently extricating himself from Elora's arms. His sobs had stopped, and he sniffed, wiping away his last tears. As awful as he felt, he would not wallow in his grief any longer. He stood, pulling the small medical blanket about his shoulders.

"I...I need to see everyone." They'd want to see him, too. Hopefully.

Knowing that Elora would still watch him carefully eased his mind. Bakara stepped out of the medical bay, into the hall, catching movement in the periphery at his left. He turned, seeing Elisthia, Vic, and little Ecko. He wanted to smile, to show them he was all right, but couldn't make his face respond properly. My face is gone, he thought to himself. No wonder it doesn't work properly. The young man wanted to laugh, but couldn't. He turned away from his siblings, heading to the bridge. He had to speak to Bagheera, or at least someone who knew what was going on.

Tag: Sirak, Ramza, Anne, Reynar, Winged

 

IC: Vic, Son of Hades
Aboard the Panther Centurion

---

[color=indigo]"I've... been better..."[/color] Vic replied, turning to his sister. [color=indigo]"It's all so surreal... Sometimes I'm sad, horribly sad, and then I'm just... I'm empty. And I can't shake this feeling that... that somehow everything is all my fault. Like I'm directly to blame for everything that has gone wrong."[/color]

He played with his hair braid with his left hand a moment, clearly on edge. [color=indigo]"Mischa shouldn't have... shouldn't... [i]I[/i] was going to stop her, Lis, and then I... hesitated. Just for a moment... but long enough. [i]I[/i] should be the one that's... that's..."[/color]

He grimaced for a moment before continuing. He shouldn't have been telling her all of this, he knew, but he needed to tell... someone. [color=indigo]"Every time I close my eyes it all starts happening again. Bakara, Mom, Mischa... I was too weak..."[/color] He turned his gaze to the floor in contemplation, almost as if stopping himself. He couldn't tell her what followed.

He couldn't tell anyone his plan.

[b]TAG: Anne, Reynar[/b]

 

Sara Kharatyan, daughter of Dionysus
The Panther Centurion

As the others filed out, Sara lingered a moment longer, until she stood alone in the cockpit with Bagheera. She stared out into space. Sighed. Walked out.

She stood there for another moment, listening to the ship. Bakara had awakened. She still dreaded facing him - she hadn?t yet seen him since they had left home.

Sara walked onward, slowly pacing the ship?s corridors.

Now that he was awake, it would be that much harder to avoid him. She hoped she would be able to deal with him when the time came. No - she hoped she?d be able to deal with herself. But she wasn?t counting on it.

What she really wasn?t counting on was for Bakara to step out of his resting room and into the hallways of the ship. He didn?t see her at first, his attention instead focused on her other siblings at the opposite end of the hallway. But sure enough, he was turning around. Sara could hide no longer.

Her brother was back. And somehow Sara saw no scars. ?Bakara?? she half-asked, half-whispered, half-beckoned; she had lost all other words. Here was her older brother, standing tall as he had back home.

In that moment, a part of Sara?s family - indeed, a part of Sara - had returned to her. She rushed up to him, wrapped her arms around him, clung tight to him, buried her head in his chest; ?Bakara,? she sighed. Her brother was back.

Tag: Peng

 

Gallia Tern
The Panther Centurion

Gallia had blindly followed Sara from the cockpit, back to the medical bay. It hadn?t crossed her mind, that Bakara was still around, until she saw his form. She raised her eyebrows at that. Had she resigned herself to ignoring his survival? Perhaps she felt that if she didn?t think about him, he would disappear.

Gallia might have smiled, if she wasn?t so damn grim. She watched Sara run and grip Bakara around the waist. Gallia didn?t do anything for a minute. She looked at his face; broken. He looked strong. He was lucky.

Gallia spoke in a quiet voice, ?You look awful, Baka.? Gallia normally would have smiled. She didn?t. She just stared at her brother?s broken face, and lamented.

Tag: Peng, Sara, Man Cubs

 

IC: Elisthia, Child of Hermes
Aboard the Panther Centurion

As she listened to Vic, Elisthia caught a glimpse of movement just out the corner of her eye, and she turned to see Bakara standing there, watching them. It was the first time Elisthia had seen him since they?d left Alderaan, and though he had stopped bleeding, and Elora had cleaned his wounds, he still looked a mess. There was no doubt in her mind that he?d never look the same again, but underneath the cuts and scars, he was still the same person. At least he was alive. And he looked like he was feeling better, at any rate. That he was up and about was evidence to that. She would have greeted him, but he turned and headed down the hallway towards the cockpit, and Elisthia returned her attention to Vic.

"Every time I close my eyes it all starts happening again. Bakara, Mom, Mischa...? Elisthia nodded as she listened. She knew what he meant there; it was the same for her.

?I was too weak..." This statement, however, threw her. She had suspected that Vic, like herself, felt bad about what happened to Bakara--and they probably weren't the only ones--but he was really beating himself up over it; and unlike Elisthia, Vic had actually tried to fight with the Togorian, he had actually gone to their brother?s defense, where she had failed. And Mother and Mischa? Elisthia would never forgive Shere Khan for what he had done to her family, but she could never blame Vic, or any of her siblings. Nor should she blame herself, she realized.

?It wasn?t your fault, Vic,? she told him, laying one hand on his shoulder. ?No one can say it was. Mother wouldn?t blame you, Mischa wouldn?t blame you. I?m sure Bakara doesn?t blame you. There?s no reason for you to blame yourself. The only one at fault in all this is Shere Khan.? And if anyone in her family had their way, then one day the Togorian would pay for the things he?d done.

Tag: ramza, Reynar, Winged, Man Cubs

 

IC: Mischa, Child of Poseidon
Shanti's Tent, The Netherworld

"Oh." Mischa looked from Krasus to her mother again. No answers, then ... not from her, at least. Maybe not ever.

But could she really blame her mother? If she hadn't stayed here Mischa would never have met her. What a thing to do - Mischa couldn't imagine staying here for ten years, forgetting things little by little until there wasn't anything left. She tried to imagine forgetting Bakara and Elisthia and the others, the smell of jungle rain, Bagheera's stories and Father's laugh ... and to do that just for a chance to meet ... Mischa threw her arms around her mother again, hugging her tightly. It must have been horrible. "I don't even know your name," Mischa said, her voice slightly muffled.

And that also meant that Mischa couldn't stay here, either. She'd have to leave behind this colourful, interesting valley, and pass on to ... what? Chaos or Infinity? Disappear forever? Just thinking about that, Mischa realised she didn't like that idea very much either.

She drew away again, but this time her eyes were dry. Well, drier. Then, taking a deep breath, Mischa looked up over her shoulder at Krasus. "What will happen to us now?"

TAG: Wing

 

Bakara, Child of Hephaestus
The Panther Centurion

"Bakara?" The whisper carried in the cold steel of the corridor, echoing in his ears gently. Sara. His sister.

She ran to meet him, throwing her arms about him, clinging tightly. The scarred boy gently returned the embrace, glad to see a familiar face. She sighed, "Bakara," truly glad to see him. The thought never left his mind, try as he might, that Sara was now his youngest sister, that Mischa's death made Sara something to be guarded carefully, to protect. At the same time, though, Mischa would always be the youngest of his siblings. She was. She wasn't gone. Not as long as the pack remembers her, thought Bakara, closing his eyes to stop the burning.

"I'm okay, Sara. I'm okay." Of course he was lying; how could he be okay? Disfigured beyond recognition, losing his family and his old life - that he was alive was a matter of chance, and that he was not in the depths of despair merely a product of already shaken resolve.

"You look awful, Baka." He looked up, seeing Gallia, her wide eyes locked to his scars. He turned away, but his eyes never wavered from hers. The corner of his mouth still intact raised in a small smile, weak, but still there. He wanted to help them both, but didn't know what words to use.

The young man closed his eyes for a moment in reflection. When he opened them again, he said, "It's still me." Then, almost as an afterthought: "It'll be okay."

Tag: Hammurabi, Nick, Winged

 

Elora, Daughter of Ares
Panthera Centurion


She followed Bakara in a small distance. Not speaking, doing nothing to attract any attention. He needed to do this, obviosuly. So she would let him. Be there when needed.

Probably you just want to protect him, because of those you couldn´t?

It wouldn´t make a difference. Protection was nothing bad. They were all just alive because their family had offered it to them. And died for that. She still couldn´t let the idea go, that this could all have been meant to happen. If so it might have served a greater purpose. A thought that comforted her, while Gallia verbally attacked her brother. Did include protection slapping her sister for her rudeness? No it didn´t.

A greater purpose? By whom defined? She felt the pressure behind the thought. The moment an obsession was born. In the cold dark of a ship corridor.

Bakara probably needed no further protection. If she would be seperated from him . . . he would be alright. Never the same again, probably. But alright.

Silently she retreated from her family. Smiling at them. While slipping into the lesser populated parts of the old ship.


Tag: Anybody, Winged

 

Gallia Tern
The Panther Centurion

Gallia sighed and took a step forward. This was pain. Her brother embodied the pain that all the Man Cubs were experiencing emotionally. She could see it on him. It would be alright, but it wasn?t him anymore. His life was nothing similar to a week before.

Gallia shook her head. She took a few more steps forward and said, ?You don?t need to hide your scars from me, Bakara. They are simply a reminder, that you are stronger.? Gallia was only a few feet away from her brother; she planted her feet. She wouldn?t cry, despite the tears that threatened to fall.

Gallia blinked slowly and looked down. She took another deep breath and asked, ?Have you heard the plans, yet??

Tag: Peng, Hamm, Sirak

 

Mindor

The Panther Centurion descended through clear skies, towards the outskirts of a small town in the middle of wild, open grasslands.

When the ship had landed, Bagheera emerged from the cockpit, wearing a bizarre scarlet, purple and white robe, trimmed with gold and covered in stitches of arcane symbols. It was about two sizes too big for him, and he scowled as he stepped on the hem and stumbled. He carried a long wooden staff in one hand, and an enormous, leather-bound book in the other. On his head he wore a red velvet cap. He looked like some sort of priest.

"This is part of the disguise," he explained. "You will wear these."

He rummaged around in a cargo container and produced eight very plain brown robes. They were all the same size- small. It would fit Ecko fairly well, at least. He handed one to each child, nodding solemnly at Bakara as he noticed the boy was awake.

"Now," continued Bagheera, "put these on. Apologies for the size, I purchased them from a group of Jawas. Tall Jawas, mind you. Just keep the hoods on, at least. No one must notice that you are human. I will be the Cardinal of the Divine Order of Dxun, and you will be my monks."

The boarding ramp lowered, and Bagheera carefully padded down it, holding his robe up so that he didn't trip again.

"Say your goodbyes to the women and children," he called. "Then follow me."

And he shuffled out onto the grass of Mindor.

Tag: Nick, Anne, Reynar, ramza, Hamm, Sirak, Peng

---

[i][link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rZNpiUAuxM]Shanti's Tent, The Netherworld[/link][/i]

"I don't even know your name," [b]Mischa[/b] said, her voice slightly muffled.

"Shanti," replied her mother quietly.

"What will happen to us now?" asked Mischa to her guide, glancing over her shoulder.

"Your mother can [i]finally[/i] head into the voids," replied [b]Krasus[/b], barely hiding his disgust at the emotional display of the reunited pair. "You should probably do the same, though you will doubtlessly wish to visit the Kaleidoscope of Echoes and the Palace of Irkalla first. The Kaleidoscope offers a glimpse into the past, the present, the future. The Palace is where the rulers of this valley sit. Many souls go there to plead for a return to Reality. None are ever successful, but it does not stop them from trying."

[b]Tag: Xan[/b][/blockquote]

 

IC: Ecko
Mindor

Ecko was softly laughing aloud at Bagheera as he took the brown robe from the Cathar. The sight of him dressed in such bizarre attire was quite funny to the young boy, and he couldn't help himself.

Ecko couldn't tell what Bagheera had explained, but he assumed that he was to put the robe on. If he wasn't, Vic would probably notify him otherwise. And so Ecko reached up and slid robe over his now rather filthy garments, having trouble finding the opening to put his head through. After blindly searching for a moment, he finally found it and breathed a sigh of relief, looking down and admiring the perfect fit. However, having not heard Bagheera's specific orders, he left the hood down and began to follow the Cathar out of the ship. He was anxious to see the sunlight again.

Tag: Ramza, Winged, etc.

 

Priest disguise! (Tall) Jawa robes!


IC: Mischa, Child of Poseidon
Shanti's Tent, The Netherworld

"Shanti," Mischa repeated softly. Shanti. That was her mother's name. I won't forget, she promised fiercely. Never forget, never ever ... a voice at the back of her mind pointed out that the only way she'd avoid that would be to leave for the voids, and then she'd cease to exist or something from the sounds of it.

Krasus answered her question as coolly as ever, but there was a trace of disgust in his voice. Mischa wrinkled her nose at him. Surely he had parents somewhere ... she perked up a bit, though, when he talked about the Palace of Irkalla. If people pleaded with them to return to life, that meant they could do it, even if they didn't usually.

She wanted to go back. She didn't want to stay here and lose her memory, or go to the void and cease existing. And yet either way ... Mischa looked back at Shanti ... either way, she couldn't stay with her mother. They had finally met, and now she had to go. That wasn't fair. But fair hadn't worked in the jungle, and Mischa didn't think it'd work here either.

Mischa stretched out a hand to her. She tried to smile. "I'm glad you stayed, Mom," she said, and meant it. "I - " What to say to her? They had never met until today. "I did okay," she said finally. "The Pack was good to us. They took care of us, and I ..." Mischa trailed off, shrugging. "I wish you coulda met everyone. You would've liked 'em."
This time she managed the smile.
"I won't forget. Love you..."
They had never met until today, but how could she not, when her mother had given up everything just so they could meet?

Then she stood, and looked at Krasus again. "I guess I have to go then," she said. "Can we go to the Kaleidoscope first?"

TAG: Wing