an entrance (( naa/open ))

[Dawby]

Nameless' eyes move beyond Broken, past Harily, and narrow in frustration on Syneh and 24601.

Why couldn't they all understand how dangerous anything associated with that place could be?

Harily, she begins carefully. Whoever he once was, was part of, he is not that same naa now. His body is not the only thing that would have changed.

She sighs, unsure how to go on.

What do you want from me? To help him? I couldn't even help myself. There's nothing to be done for him; he is dangerous. None of you will listen now, but wait and see. He's out here for a reason. For Bismark and I to have escaped was an accident they would not permit to be repeated.

[sera]

Bismark's ears went back, but he sent his acquiesce with her point. It had been luck they had escaped, and nothing more.

Solearth inclined his head in agreement. I concur, the Kaigaihen said quietly. But we can't segregrate him because of that. As a failed experiment, purposefully released, or an escapee such as yourself, he deserves a chance, just as you do. We don't meant to be flippant about the danger, but everyday we exist is a danger. There are more hunters than those that captured you, more paths to death's embrace than a misstep. He sent her a sort of gentle mental smile. We are Naavainemar, his voice held his pride and pleasure at the fact. We are made for adaption; we can exist on the highest mountains or the lowest valleys, rainforests and deserts. We are made to survive, made to thrive, made to /live/.

[kchan]

Syneh pinned her ears and bared her teeth at the mare.
You're paranoid, she said quietly. Why don't you try being nice for a change? The scarred mare was sick of the other's attitude, though she wasn't disinclined to share her own.

[sera not logged]

(( . . . and in case ya'll don't know yet. . . << hehe 24601 will be adopted out to one of you three based on. . . uhm. . . >>;; something i haven't yet figured out, maybe character interaction. *shrugs* bonus points will be given to whoever knows where he got his name. ^^ *innocent look* PM me if you know or have a guess. there's a chance i'll confirm if you got it wrong, or maybe only if you get it right. ^^ don't really know yet. anyways, he's drawn and coloured, and is ready to be scanned and uploaded which i'll do as soon as i get back to japan. ^^ g'luck. ))

[Nyx]

Harily stepped between Nameless and Syneh. If what you say is true, then why should we trust you and Bismark? How do we know that you really escaped? How do we know that you weren't sent out to trap all of us? he sent looking around the group.

[sera]

Enough, Solearth put in firmly, glancing at Harily and Syneh pointedly. We are not here to lay blame or spread dissension. The Kaigaihen have a mission. Feel free to walk away from it, but we cannot afford to fight.

Bismark's ears were back and he glared at Harily and Syneh, but made no move once the Kaigaihen spoke.

24601 continued to stare towards the other changed Naa as though he hadn't heard the exchange, still perfectly motionless.

[Nyx]

Harily looked at Solearth with a pained look on his face. I do have a point though. he said with a mental frown. I will not walk away from this. If someone or some-thing he said with distaste showing on his face is doing this to others of my kind, then I intend to see that it stops. he said with a sense of purpose.

[Dawby]

Something about Harily's last statement hits home for the young mare, and she flinches, but she regains her composure swiftly.

If not trusting Bismark and myself is what it takes for you to not trust this one, she says coldly, then so be it. I would welcome that as opposed to blind faith in our fellow naa.

She sends a scathing look at Syneh with this last statement.

Let's move on, she sends impatiently. We're not gaining anything by standing here.

[sera]

Broken moved past the changed pair to stand beside her partner, mental voice tight and thrown to him alone, Wot is it?

The Kaigaihen didn't look at the mare, but knew she sensed his frustration and sorrow. All is doomed. Yet again.

We'll do our best.

Sometimes that's just not enough.

Broken silently watched him approach the silvery-blue stallion, whose eyes shifted to the Kaigaihen, simply staring.

We are pleased by your appearance, Solearth said, ignoring all the others in the group for now. A new note of authority has entered his mental voice, almost as though his patience has been fully drained away. I hesitate to immediately question you, but it seems we have little choice. Where have you come from?

24601 reacted to that new note, body stiffening slightly and ears flattening. I have ventured from the East.

From where? Solearth's voice kept the sharpness.

A laboratory. The stallion's voice went wooden.

How did you leave the laboratory?

I walked out.

Walked out?

24601 stared beyond the Kaigaihen towards Bismark and the nameless mare. They left me behind.

(( they == the lab ))

[kchan]

Syneh snorted quietly, but kept her thoughts to herself. She stared off into the distance, wondering what it must be like to lose your whole I'er, memories and all. She thought of the members of her I'er and wondered what they would do.
What do we do now? Syneh asked no one in particular. Do we have a plan?

[Dawby]

I told you so, mutters Nameless to no one in particular. If that's not deliberate, then I don't know what is.

She walks slowly towards the stallion with a number instead of a name. You can't remember anything, can you, she says quietly to him. All your memories were very carefully burned away, weren't they? But you can't remember if you had memories or not, so you can't answer that. I'd be in the same state as you if it weren't for chance - chance and Bismark, of course. But they never finished with me. And while I can't remember everything, I can sometimes remember what it was like to be raped of my memories, one by one. They changed my body, but they couldn't change my mind in time. And I'm still me. You are someone else now.

[sera]

24601's fox ears went flat against his head as he watched the mare approaching him. Bismark did the same, his own ears flat. The silvery-blue stallion only stared at her, not denying or confirming anything she said. Bismark made a small noise of distress, but the other stallion just continued to stare for another long minute or so.

I remember you, he said quietly. I remember. . . a river. With the large gold and black fish with long fins and whiskers.

Bismark started at the description, tilting his head to stare at the stallion again. The memory obviously clicked something within him as well. Perhaps the mare would remember the fish from their home territory.

[Dawby]

Nameless' ears shoot straight forward in surprise.

Perhaps there is hope for you, she says neutrally. Or perhaps even they cannot completely clean away memory.

Without waiting for an answer, she begins walking away from the river.

I guess we're keeping him? she calls back to the rest of the naa. If that's the case, we might as well keep moving on.

[Nyx]

Harily was growing more confused by the moment. How can you be so cold to someone who has been through the same things you have, if not worse? I would think that they two of you would be the most sympathetic.

[sera]

Watch yourself, Bismark growled at Harily as he strode easily by, following the mare onward. He left the threat as it was, moving past the sub-Season as though he was of little real threat.

Solearth silently followed the pair even as 24601 fell in to step as well. Interesting group dynamics. That was certain.

Broken silently took up the end of the group, mentally shaking her head. They were going to run into trouble. She could tell already.