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Dawn of a New Story [Blink!]

Started by Marakai Trin, July 11, 2017, 06:54:17 PM

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Marakai Trin

Peridot eyes snapped open, just barely visible over the thick blanket wrapped around the form those eyes belonged to. After a moment of collected thought, those eyes narrowed in mischievous delight.

Today was the day - the day of his big heist. The ultimate prank.

Against his whole family.

The small boy had been trying for weeks to finally be awake earlier than his father. Listening intently, he could hear nothing going on in the house whatsoever, save for the gentle breathing of his mother and the semi-quiet snoring of his father from just across the hall. So....today was the day.

Small fingers drug the thick blanket off of his thin body, revealing that he was fully dressed. He'd wanted to get as early a start as he could, and so had put on fresh clothes the night before. They weren't so fresh now, but...

Eh, it sounded good.

His bare feet hit the floor silently, and he crept from his room with nary a sound. His fingertips gripped the edge of his door, and he peered outside to see the hallway, lit by candlelight. His hair, a startling platinum blonde so bright it was nearly white, shone almost yellow in the flickering flame. His clothes - black, styled after his father's - rendered him as a formless blob in the dim light. Perfect.

Very slowly, he crept across the hallway to his parents room....a certain elaborately decorated sword was foremost in his thoughts. He'd somehow have to get it off the wall above his sleeping parents heads...

...and plant it under his sister's bed. It'd be priceless, and maybe she could get in trouble for once.

Blink

So he was at it again... tiptoeing through the halls like some little rat. Kanara half watched out of the corner of her eye while her main focus remained on the book in her hands. She was standing just under one of the candles lighting the hallway in an attempt to get some early morning reading done before her parents woke up.

"It's not gonna work." she sighed, licking a finger before turning the page in her book. "Papa will hear you the moment you open that door and you know it." Her eyes flicked up for a fraction of a second as she took in the sight of her little brother. He really was a bother sometimes....

Sighing yet again Kanara closed her book with one hand. "What are you doing anyways?" Of course, all of this was just Kanara's way of alerting her father to Atsu's devious little activities. She knew the moment she opened her mouth he would have woken up. Her mother on the other hand... well she could sleep through anything.

Marakai Trin

Atsumori cringed, halfway through opening the door to his parents room when he heard his sister down the hall.

....Drat.

He turned to her with an odd little smile plastered on his face. "What? What do you think I was gonna do, Kanara?" He pulled the door closed with a soft click, and padded down the hallway towards her, arms folded behind his back.

"I was just gonna....um....y'know...."

He put his arm behind his head, momentarily at a loss. Perhaps early morning wasn't a good time for convincing lies.

"I wanted to look at dad's maps. He said we were goin' up north some time, and he won't let me touch them..."

At that point, the door opened silently, held fast while a single jade eye peered outwards, listening to the conversation. Behind the door, Itachi held an amused smile.

"l just wanted to know where we were goin' is all."

Blink

With her weight shifted against the wall Kanara folded her arms as she listened to her little brother's excuse. Apparently, he was wanting to sneak a look at her father's maps, something she herself would do if she thought she could get away with it.

The door cracking open down the hall didn't even get her attention as Kanara was too focused on listening to Atsu's lie.

"I'm sure if they wanted to tell us they would have already." Kanara moved her body away from the wall to take another step towards Atsu. "Don't you think your priority should be focused elsewhere."

"Perhaps going to practice at throwing. Or maybe educating yourself..." she paused to hand him the book she was reading. "You would be surprised what kinda stuff you could learn by cracking open a book every once in a while. Like oh, I don't know... perhaps what countries are actually North of us. Then maybe you wouldn't be wondering so much."

The book in question was the brief history of Le'Raana and the countries and territories of the world. She wouldn't let him not take the book either, she practically shoved it in his hands before patting him on the head. It was then that her eyes shifted beyond her brother towards her parent's bedroom where they met the same shade of jade she herself inherited.

"Morning Papa...." she innocently smiled, acting as if she knew he was watching them the entire time. "I was just telling Atsu how important reading was... isn't that right Atsu?" Kanara looked at him again, daring him to even try and say anything else or else she would tell what he was really up to.

Marakai Trin

Gradually, that door opened wider as Itachi listened to the exchange between his children. The amused smile was firmly in place - this wasn't the first time something like this had occurred, and their activities were a constant source of amusement to him.

His daughter, Kanara, was Jaela's spitting image, but with his eyes and his daggers-edge wit. His son, Atsumori, was the opposite, bearing his countenance but with Jaela's eyes and wiley personality. He truly couldn't have asked for more beautiful children.

Too bad, though, that sometimes they were too damn smart for their own good. They seemed to inherit that, as well, from their parents. Itachi knew very well that Atsu knew the layout of Le'Raana, as he'd shown him and his sister on numerous occasions, on the very maps his son had mentioned, where every grand heist they'd pulled over the years had taken place. Atsu had been caught in a lie, but the King in Rags initially decided to wait and see where this was going.

As Kanara spoke, Atsu merely rolled his eyes. Sure, he could practice throwing. He had a decent hand for it, but the slingshot was just so much more fun. And he knew everything that was in the book that Kanara none-to-gently shoved into his grasp - he'd read most of them, grudgingly, under their parents tutelage and that of the more educated Craol. This unfortunately caused him to detest books - he'd much rather be off playing or pulling pranks on people.

He'd just needed the excuse.

He'd opened his mouth to say as much when Kanara addressed their father, and Atsu spun around to spy him leaning against the door frame with an amused face.

"Um...morning dad! Yeah, lots of stuff to learn in these books, guess I better go study, bye!"

Foiled again...

He scampered back into his room, swiftly closing the door behind him and bouncing onto his bed.

Back in the hallway, Itachi grinned as his son dashed back into his room, following him with his gaze before those jade eyes flicked back to his daughter. "Good morning, Kanara. I'm guessing he was up to no good again, eh?" He chuckled quietly, and straightened.

"So...whats your excuse for being out of bed this early? I'm guessing you weren't a part of what he was planning...and I'm well aware he was up to something other than just looking at my maps, so you don't have to cover for him."

____

Back in Atsu's room, the young boy had snuck quietly to his window. He was listening to Kanara and his father speaking, and slowly opened his window when he knew their voices would overtake the sound.

He'd just have to find another way to amuse himself this morning. He grabbed his slingshot from under his bed, and slipped out the window into the fading twilight.

Blink


Kanara merely waved at Atsu as he went back to his bedroom. It was then that her father had her complete attention. "Couldn't sleep" Her tone was flat as she put her hands behind her back. "Decided my energy would be better spent trying to learn something rather than tossing and turning."

Sometimes Kanara was almost too dedicated to filling her mind with information. It was like she let it consume her, the constant hunger to absorb more and more always lingering. At some points she had to be reminded that she was actually a kid and there was more to life than constantly trying to understand the meaning to something. Even now as she spoke to her father Kanara was thinking of her own way to get her hands on those maps, just so she could beat Atsu to it.

Meanwhile inside the bedroom Jaela rolled on the bed, her arm falling on the empty space where Itachi should have been. Half asleep she felt around, curious if maybe he had just shifted away but her search came up empty handed... quite literally. With eyes fluttering open she sat up, rubbing the peridot into focus. The bedroom door was open and she could hear Itachi and Kanara speaking in the hallway.

Half alive Jaela slid out of bed making sure she had her wits about her before she started actually walking about. When she reached the doorframe she leaned against it, crossing her arms over her chest for a moment. "Why on earth is everyone awake?" Her eyes then shifted back towards her bedroom as she gauged the little sunlight peaking through. "Did I miss something?"


Marakai Trin

Itachi listened to the matter-of-fact tone of voice Kanara used, and tilted a brow. "Have you slept at all, then? You know I could give you something to help you sleep. All you have to do is come wake me up."

It was at this point that he heard the sound a of movement from within the bedroom, and squeezed his eyes shut with a grimace. He'd been hoping to let her sleep in for awhile - just to be nice - but that was apparently out the window.

He turned toward her, noting her disheveled, tired appearance, and mirrored her stance. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his bare chest.

"Atsu apparently decided to try some shenanigans this morning. Kanara was up, and caught him. Thus, I'm awake. Thus, you're awake." He glanced towards Atsumori's shut door.

"Atsu's back in his room, now. Hopefully."

__

Atsumori found himself walking toward the grove in the center of town, slingshot in one hand and a handful of small stones in the other. He'd decided to actually do something useful, while still having some fun - Creech had mentioned the day before that ravens had been picking the cherry trees apart....Atsu would take care of it.

Blink


Saved by her mother's appearance Kanara was able to completely avoid telling Itachi how much she had actually slept. "I doubt that..." she chimed in.

Jaela's attention then turned towards Atsu's door and she stepped towards it, clicking open the latch just enough so only she could see in. It was obvious that Atsu was nowhere to be found. Stepping away she pulled the door shut, smiling as she approached Itachi. "Looks like he went back to sleep." she lied, knowing Atsu was probably already getting himself into trouble somewhere.

To help distract his attention Jaela then leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Itachi's cheek. Kanara scrunched her nose at the sight, making a fake gag noise in the process. "You guys are gross..." she mumbled as she turned to walk away.

Jaela only giggled at her daughters discontent before leaning in again to give him another peck. "I'm going to get dressed then.." and Jaela was headed back towards their room, winking at Itachi before shutting the door behind her.

"I'm going anywhere but here!" Kanara called from the front door, having made her way there while her parent's looked at each other like a bunch of creeps.

Marakai Trin

Itachi chuckled at Kanara's reaction, and waved a dismissive hand her way. "One day, you'll know. Not anytime soon, but one day. And since you're edging toward the door anyway, why don't you give the wake up call this morning? Have the boys get breakfast cooking for everyone?"

He smiled, at her before turning to follow Jaela. They'd have a couple minutes alone before having to face the day.

He opened the door quietly and slipped inside, closing it again with nary a sound before creeping up behind Jaela. This was always one of his favorite games, ever since that first day in the citadel eleven years ago.

Once behind her, he quickly wrapped his arms around her middle and pressed a hot kiss to the side of her neck. "Didja really think ya were gonna ge' away wit' jus' s coupla pecks, bird? C'mere an' gimme a real damn kiss, woman...."

_____

Three large birds lay on the ground, charred and burnt, and Atsumori was lining up another shot for a fourth. So far, he'd only made the three shots, and managed a hit every time.

He frowned, though, realizing this stone was slightly larger than the rest...hopefully nothing would catch fire.

Well, only one way to find out, right? He released the sling and let the stone fly, glowing brightly in the dim light.

Blink

Kanara released a very clear sound of discontent as she closed the door behind her, having no other way to respond to her father's 'one day' bit. Once outside Kanara's entire demeanor changed as a devilish grin spread across her face. Wake up call was always so much fun.

Skipping down the dirt road Kanara positioned herself almost in the center of the part of the small village where the majority of the Craol lived. Then standing from the road she lifted her hands to her mouth in hopes it would help her words carry further.

"Aye!" she screamed, taking in a very deep breath. "Ge' up an' do sumtin' wit ya miserable lives! I'm ungry!" After that Kanara lowered her hands and proceeded to walk towards another set of houses. "Up an at em'!" Slowly the faces of The Craol began to emerge from their homes, looking no less fabulous than her mom dead rising from the dead.

"Make sure ya wash yer 'ands!" She then began to walk around, her own little form of patrolling if you will. In her path Kanara found a rather large stick and proceeded to pick it up, now having an all new way of awakening their people. Now hitting the stick on literally every building she crossed she continued shouting, determined to wake up every single Craol in one swoop.

Back at home Jaela smiled when Itachi wrapped his arms around her, rolling her neck as he placed his lips on her tender flesh. Laughing she turned, grasping Itachi's face in her hands as she pulled him in for a 'real' kiss. When their lips finally parted she stuck her tongue out at him. "There now you've had your kiss. You're such a demanding man." Stepping back Jaela then began to remove the oversized tunic she had slept in, swapping it out with something more appropriate for the day.

"Ya' know..." she paused to slip her leg into a pant leg. "... Atsu snuck out again..." Giggling she proceeded to slip on her boots one at a time, sitting at the edge of the bed to do so. "Should we let him burn down the village this time?"

Marakai Trin

Itachi blanched. Atsu was outside, by himself, probably with his slingshot. In a village full of trees and built almost exclusively with wood.

This wouldn't end well.

"You mean...shit. Why didn't you say so before?" He sighed, dragging a hand over his face.

"That boy is going to be the death of me, I swear. It's like there's two of you." He grinned just slightly before pulling a tunic on over his head.

"Well...I guess I'll go save us all...." He  mock sighed and winked at her before he hurried out the door and out of the house.

Just then he began hearing Kanara's wake up call, and found a grin on his face as he began walking the village. She'd make a fine leader one day, if she wanted.

_______

Atsumori heard the wake up call as well, just as his burning-hot ball of death eradicated a fourth raven. He watched, wide eyed and incredulously, as a glowing globule of magma splashed down onto a tree.

Immediately, there were flames.

".....MOMDADKANARAINEEDHELP!!!" He shrieked, running from the site toward the village proper.

Blink

"I figured I would give him a headstart" Jaela's last statement before Itachi was out the door after Atsu.

Kanara heard her brother's cries mid swing. Stopping just before the large stick hit the house she saw him running down the street and then beyond him... smoke. Throwing the stick down she rolled her eyes. "Wha' didja do now!?"

Knowing that she was no match for a blazing fire Kanara then turned her head back towards the house seeing her father walking in the distance.

"Im tellin"

And she was off, running towards her dad with a new sense of urgency. "Atsu did it!" While she ran Kanara pointed at the smoke in the distance, hoping her father would now how to fix this mess.

Marakai Trin

Itachi halted midstride, first hearing his son screaming his head off unintelligibly, and then hearing his daughter proclaim her brothers guilt.

And then he saw the smoke. His eyes widened as he noted that it seemed to be coming from the grove.

"Shit..." he muttered, breaking into a run. First he caught Atsu as he came barreling in his direction, an arm across his chest bringing him to a halt.

"Go. Find. Your. Mom. Tell her to come to the grove, and come with her when she comes." He gave Atsumori a nudge toward home and turned toward his daughter, also coming his way.

"Kanara! Come with me. We need to soak the ground in water and keep the fire from spreading to the other trees. Go to the storage shed and grab a couple of buckets. Hopefully your mom can put out the fire with some earth before we have any more damage...."

Meanwhile, Atsumori had run off just as soon as his father had released him, running as fast as he could for home.

He crashed the door open and started yelling at the top of his lungs. "Momma! The witches set the trees on fire and dad needs your help! I didn't do it I swear!"

Blink

When the door crashed open Jaela was standing in the kitchen, staring down the various pots and pans that she had no idea how to use. "Useless..." she muttered just before. Turning around she walked up to Atsu and placed a hand on each of his shoulders, staring him down with intense Peridot eyes.

"That is definitely something they would do." Her tone was very serious. "Let's go stop the destruction they surely caused." Spinning Atsu around she pushed him towards the door, a minor sense of urgency in her movements.

Kanara followed her father's demands and quickly ran to the shed to retrieved the buckets for water. "Tomorrow morning I shall beat these buckets with that stick." because obviously, that was what was most important right now. Shaking the thought from her mind she ran back to her father, two buckets around her arms that were clearly too large for her to handle.

Other members of the Craol had begun to notice the smoke as well and so Kanara took advantage of the opportunity. "Get yer heads outta yer asses and grab a bucket!" Her language inappropriate but common all the same.

By now Jaela was running towards the grove, the cloud of smoke gathering in the sky showing that this fire was no longer a 'small' issue.

Marakai Trin

Atsu opened the door and dashed outside, noting that the cloud of smoke in the sky had gotten much, much larger. He was going to be in so much trouble.

He grabbed his mother's hand with a sense of urgency and half tugged her towards the grove. "It's a distraction, I know it. They're gonna steal our milk and butter, but we can't let the village burn down. Dad'll be mad!"

That was one thing he was truly and utterly terrified of. Itachi had never, ever struck his children, not even spanked them. But he'd seen, one time, when a rival bandit clan had come to raid the town...

The mask of death on his father's face that day was truly terrifying.

Across the village, Itachi was nearly panicking. The fire had spread to two other trees, and quickly consuming them. He heard his daughter yelling at the Craol coming to investigate, and decided to throw his two cents in.

"'EY! Ya 'eard th' girl! Each 'un o' ya grab uppa bucket, get some damn water, an' start floodin' th' groun'. Kanara, quit swearin', yer eleven! An' GET'CHER FUCKIN' ASSES MOVIN' YA LOUTS!"

Blink

Ignoring her father's comment on her swearing Kanara began running for the Grove after making sure she handed off the buckets to much stronger people than herself. "Oh Atsu is going to be in so much trouble."

Looking down at Atsu Jaela smiled as she ran, the way he used butter witches an excuse for everything reminding her of herself. She couldn't be more proud...

As they approached the grove Jaela could see the extent of damage already done. The blaze had begun to spread and in its wake took at least two other trees with it. "Stay back Atsu, I don't want you getting burned."

Leaving Atsu behind Jaela ran up to the blaze before crouching down and placing her hands on the dirt. She could feel the heat from the blaze not only on her face but emanating from the earth beneath her. It was crying out, the fire destroying the life that flowed freely through it. By now Kanara had reached the grove and ran past her brother, being sure to stick her tongue out at him when she looked back.

Within seconds she was beside her mother, kneeling down just as she was and feeling the ground beneath her. "Your brother says it was butter witches" Jaela chimed in, looking to Kanara out of the corner of her eye while she focused her energy on her hands.

"I'm sure it was..." Kanara's tone suggesting she didn't believe a word of it.

Jaela then closed her eyes and the earth in front of her began to shift, forming a large dirt pile in front of them. It really was a touchy process. Jaela couldn't just cover all the trees in the dirt, that would kill them. She couldn't just open the earth and pull them in either due to the intricate web of roots beneath them. Instead, she pushed the dirt forwards, covering the trunks of the trees as best she could to protect them from the fire on the ground.

Kanara helped in her own way, her ability a bit different from her mothers. Instead of moving dirt she was channeling her energy into the afflicted trees, doing her best to keep them alive and healthy. It was no small feat and eventually, the damage would be done that even she could not fix. As she did it though she could feel the fire scorching the trees, which in turn made it feel like her hands were on fire. She pushed through though, determined to help in any way she could.

Marakai Trin

Atsumori knew what he'd done. Despite his words, claiming butter witches had started the fire, he knew very well that it was he who had put the village in danger. And, he knew he was likely to catch hell for it.

He stood some distance away, staring at the great plumes of fire, the peridot of his eyes disappearing under the orange glare. He could see his father, shouting directions to some twenty Craol, see the Craol themselves handling themselves like a well oiled machine as they thoroughly soaked the earth. Some had even braved the flames themselves, knocking the fire back with great splashes of water from their buckets, temporarily dousing the flames and coming back red-faced and scorched.

He could see his sister and his mother, kneeling side by side and feeling out the earth below and around them. He could see the effects, watching the earth piling up around the burning trees.

Atsu stared in wonder. This was his family. His mother, his father, his sister, and all of the Craol, working in tandem to beat the fire that he had caused.

This was his fault. But he could do nothing to help - his power could only make things worse.

Blink

With the effort of The Craol, Itachi, Jaela, and Kanara in no time, the blaze was extinguished. All that remained were the husks of three completely burnt trees and a few others that had been scorched. The bark still smoked, but the flame, for the most part, was gone.

Jaela stood up first, clapping her hands together to rid them of dirt. "Great job everyone! Looks like those butter witches are going to have to do a better job if they want to get the best of us!" Her eyes then flicked towards Atsu who was standing back and watching all of them. She knew that right about now he was blaming himself and she would be damned if she let a single member of The Craol know this was his fault.

Even if some of them didn't believe in butter witches it was her word against theirs. Walking up to Atsu she bent down and pulled him into a hug, brushing a bit of his hair back to kiss his forehead. "Accidents happen" she whispered before standing back up. Jaela continued to stand beside him, preparing to be a shield if she had to against not only The Craol but Itachi as well.

Kanara stood up after her mother but unlike Jaela her work was not yet complete. Hesitantly she walked up to the scorched trees gauging how much of a loss they would be. The original tree was beyond saving and she knew it would have to be cut down. The other two were on the line and she was debating whether or not it would be worth the trouble. Without even thinking she walked up to one and placed her hand on the scorched bark, immediately regretting it as she heard her skin sizzle against the wood that still glowed in some parts from the embers embedded in them.

"Dammit," she muttered, again using language not very appropriate to a girl her age, much less ladylike in any way. But who could blame her? I mean... look at her parents.

She did not cry though but instead turned towards her father with an 'I messed up' look. The moment he looked back she would hold up her hand, showing him the burn she had just acquired. Her hands were already red from channeling the trees while they burnt, but that would eventually go away.

Marakai Trin

Itachi finally called halt for the buckets, seeing that the emergency had been dealt with. He, too surveyed the damage. Luckily, it was only the three trees and nothing more. Nobody was seriously injured - a couple red faces and arms, and not much more.

He watched as his daughter placed her hand against one of the two other trees that had caught, and observed still as she faced him with her burnt hand. He strode forward with a concerned look, and gently took her hand in his.

Her palm was as red as a tomato, and dried and peeling. Several small blisters from the embers were already popping up. But still, he smiled. "We'll get you taken care of, Kanara. Some burn medicine will clear that right up in a couple of days...let's go see what I can do for you." He released her hand, but held his out to take her other one to walk with her.

He began leading her back towards home, and stopped beside Jaela and Atsumori. He let Kanara go for a moment to kneel in front of his son.

"....you've done a bad thing, Atsu. I won't lie to you - I'm disappointed. But, at the same time, I know you wouldn't do something like this on purpose." He gave a small smile, and reached out to ruffle the boys hair.

"Just be more careful next time, okay? You're lucky no one got hurt badly - it might not turn out so well next time."

Atsu looked up from under a veil of his bright hair, sniffling. The last couple minutes had been spent with him clinging to his mother's leg, and only now did he face his father. "Does....this mean I'm not in trouble? Cuz...I really didn't mean it. Big Creech told me...birds were eating the cherries. I was...tryin' to help..."

Itachi frowned a bit. Creech, eh? He'd have to have a word with the fellow...he was still a bit suspicious of him. "....no, you're not in trouble. Just be more careful from now on. And no more sneaking out!"

He stood up and smiled down at him. "It'll be fine, Atsu. Promise."

Itachi looked to Jaela and smiled. "I'm going to get Kanara's hand fixed up. Do you want to take Atsu to breakfast? We'll be there in just a couple minutes."

Blink

."A couple of days!?" Kanara was not pleased with the thought of having any kind of handicap for more than a few hours. Very clearly upset by it Kanara said nothing as her father began to lead her home, even when they stopped by her mother. Instead, she opted for staring down Atsu for all that it was worth, hoping her gaze would make how she was feeling in that moment very clear. "This is all your fault"

Kanara did not hate her brother though despite how awful she was towards him sometimes. It was actually more of an annoyance with him than anything. It always seemed he was causing more trouble that it was worth and that he never took into consideration how his actions affected others. She would be sure to remind him of how horrible he was later but first... her hand.

Jaela noticed the stares her daughter was bearing down on Atsu and it bothered her to an extent. She almost found it comical that the one who was most harsh on him wasn't either Jaela or Itachi, but Kanara. She was going to say something to Kanara about it but was quickly directed otherwise when Itachi smiled.

"Yeah, that's fine." Jaela lowered a hand to pat Atsu on the back, further assuring him that she didn't plan on going anywhere if he didn't want her to. Crazy, unpredictable, gullible... all things that could describe Jaela until the day she died but the most important would be a mother. Always she would stand at their side if they needed her and if anyone ever tried to take that from her well... she would move mountains to get to them... literally.

When her father began walking back towards the house Kanara walked at his side, already thinking of how she could somehow turn this entire situation around. "I'll go back to the trees later... maybe I can fix some of them." Yes, that was it, try and fix the trees and save the precious cherries that everyone loved. She could do it... she knew it... and best of all she could be the one helping better than Atsu.

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