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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2017 10:13 pm
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"A piece of the thing holding Professor Noor, if that's possible? Oh but maybe he's already out? You know a lot more about these things than I ever will, sir. But if he's still stuck I want to do everything I can to get him out safely. Oh and there's this deer boy Pax. He's in trouble, because of Heliodora being dead and something being wrong with the third, the tree, and maybe because of court stuff I guess the other deer people are in trouble too? And Sonny said she doesn't sleep and that's so sad, that's a terrible thing and I don't know how to not mess things up further for all of them, and I don't want to die, okay? I'm trying really hard and I don't want you to kill me can we talk this out I can't I can't..."
She couldn't breathe for a moment, her words had been a long train of panic and fear going totally off the rails. Finally taking a deep breath, she went on, awkwardly, "So um...Professor Noor's trap..a piece...of it...would that be okay?" She had been wrong before. She definitely wanted to die right now.
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Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2017 10:58 pm
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During the silence, America's breathing turned audibly uneven, a quiet hiccuping sound came over the line before he finally answered her. The girl sat down hard at the reassurance, her legs giving out with the relief of it. Maybe he didn't know. Maybe he never had to know. Maybe she could make sure Sonny never...
NononoNO. NO. NO. NEVER. Must not. Don't even think it. The urge to call Sonny immediately after to apologize was so strong it felt like a frog was ready to jump out of her throat for it.
"O-okay, sir. Alright, thank you," she said faintly, voice a little disjointed from the, quite frankly, self-inflicted emotional upheaval of the past few minutes. "Bye."
After hanging up she had a small panic that that'd been a rude way to end the conversation. She called again a half hour ahead of her arriving at the Shore House, and then spent the whole trip over doing her best to not think about being one of the principals. It was definitely someone else. America Jones was a Warg and a Friend of Sonny and absolutely nothing else of interest. Why would somebody harm little ole her? Gosh! What a silly thought to have had. Ha ha.
By the time she knocked on the door, she had successfully deluded herself into not having a panic attack over Renard being in like, stabbing...or throttling...shooting? Magical lighting striking? Distance of her.
Ha ha. He could probably just end her with a mean thought from several towns over anyway. Oh god.
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Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 10:54 am
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There was something immediately comforting when she saw Renard. Firstly, and most importantly, he didn't look mad at her. Secondly, he looked like someone who absolutely knew what was best and could guide her with wise authority and strength. America took a deep breath and let it out with a small, shuddering laugh, letting go of some of the anxiety that had been plaguing her since...well, it was possibly her most constant companion in 2017.
It would be nice, to just let it all fall into someone else's hand for a bit, to just follow obediently.
"M-mister Renard, thank you for meeting with me, sir." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, ducking her face before too much eye contact could be made, and began walking in the half remembered direction. "Yes, it's um..." she explained quietly, "...a different perspective this way, though."
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Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:10 pm
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"I don't remember you being this shy," Renard said, mostly to himself. Then he seemed to brush it off. "Yes, I'm sure," he said, louder. "A piece of the trap, you said you wanted?" He paused several tens of feet back from the cliff's edge. With a strange, geometric gesture, he opened a door to the otherworld. On further inspection: not just to the otherworld, but to the cliff-face cave. He gestured for America to follow, and stepped through.
The light was misty and green, like the world viewed through an old-fashioned glass Coke bottle. Liam's crystalline confinement was as solid as it had ever been, though there were pock-marks showing the results of Renard's efforts to win his husband free. "It looks quite a bit different than last time, doesn't it," he said. "Stay away from it. I'm not sure whether your presence will induce it to change form again, and it's rather easier to see that my husband is in there like this."
It still reached for America, that presence gently tapping at her mind. America, America, it sang. America, come here. Let us take you. It sounded familiar, welcoming, the voice of someone she loved.
Renard didn't react. He didn't seem to hear it at all.
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Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:56 pm
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"Yes...to work on figuring out how to get him free," America replied softly, a small tremble as she stayed behind Renard.
"It looks a lot less.." Even though he told her to stay back, even though she was sure he was right and definitely intended to obey, America's voice stumbled to halt and she swayed forward slightly.
"Taym...?" Her voiced raised a bit, suddenly calling out to the crystal structure, "Why're you...take me where?" She took half a step and looked toward Renard, eyes suddenly shining with impending tears, "Is he in there now, too?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 1:14 pm
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Renard whipped around to look at her. "Miss Jones," he said, sharp as piano wire, "stay where you are."
He didn't look back to the crystal, ocean-blue eyes fixated on America. This was likely why he missed it rippling, a hand forming from the opal stone to reach out for her. Come here, it whispered. We know you as none other. None other will love you like we do; come to us, let us make you stronger, prouder, braver...
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Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 1:44 pm
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"They?" Renard definitely wasn't hearing what she was. Now he looked at the crystal, at its reaching appendage, how far stretched it was for America's hand, only for a moment, and then he turned and manhandled America out of the cave, one hand on her arm until they were standing on air outside the well-camouflaged crack. "America," he said, his voice quiet, calm, an undercurrent of strain there. "What did you hear?"
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