007 - [Action] Backdated to yesterday >>;

[whatdeheckisdat]

[Grune, Norma-- why is everyone suddenly getting kidnapped? All at once? It was an entire year before Dhaos witnessed the kidnapping of anyone he paid attention to other than himself, and then within the space of a month, there were two. It calls to mind something he heard a resident once say over the journals; he can't recall who it was (though he recalls not thinking much of the person in question), or in what context, but the message stuck in his mind:

The second year is the hardest.

...Along with several other comments about how half-year residents are more optimistic. But anyway, it certainly does appear to be proving true, in Dhaos' case.

This train of thought leads Dhaos to realize that there is one other person he cares for that appears to be missing in action. It's a long way from CH3 to House 8, so feel free to catch him on the way over! And by now it ought to go without saying that he is randomly stargazing somewhere at night.]

Comments

[whatdeheckisdat]

[Dhaos doesn't like the journals, so a visit it is. He only ever 'visits' House 34, and then it's really more of a "Grune verbally dragged me over" thing, so this is rather new for him as well.]

Hello, Yuan.

[...May as well get that out of the way first.]

[fortunefail]

Dhaos. ... Did something happen?

[Considering Dhaos' nature, which is so eerily similar to his own, Yuan is perfectly aware the man is not prone to social visits. Barring experiments, of course, but if that's the case he will soon find out.]

[whatdeheckisdat]

I was about to ask exactly that.

[Yuan is sharp. ...Not that it took much to figure that out. Dhaos cannot sense what he is looking for within the house, but after a whole... three or so months of absence, that doesn't surprise him.]

May I...?

[fortunefail]

[He's a bit surprised by that first remark, enough to pique his curiosity even further. With a curt nod, he steps aside so Dhaos can enter and indicates the living room area.]

Have a seat.

[whatdeheckisdat]

Thank you.

[Dhaos walks past him and does exactly that, taking a seat on the sofa nearby.

Why can't he ever just come to House 8 on regular business? It's always something like this, now that he thinks about it...]

...Martel is not here.

[Just an observation. Dhaos can't sense her mana signature in the house-- not that he expected to, after not seeing her for so long. But still...]

[fortunefail]

[Yuan remains standing and was just beginning to wonder if he should offer Dhaos a drink when the man speaks up again. He visibly flinches at Martel's name, if only a little. Is that what this is about?]

... No, she isn't.

[whatdeheckisdat]

...Kratos is.

[...Just another observation, slightly derailing Dhaos' purpose for a moment. Yuan knows Martel, Yuan knows Kratos. Really, Dhaos should have figured this out by now...]

[fortunefail]

[It may be just another observation, but Yuan finds himself getting frustrated by it. Dhaos is just spouting eerie facts without detailing the real purpose of his visit.]

Why are you here?

[whatdeheckisdat]

...I have not been able to sense Martel's presence in the village for some time.

[Though Dhaos is... not sure just how long, exactly. He only ever saw her shortly after her arrival (she was still wearing the new feather dress, but with Yuan's cloak over it), but he knows she did not leave the village for some time afterwards... He has apparently not been paying much attention.]

[fortunefail]

She was taken by the Malnosso for individual experimentation over a month ago.

[Though to be fair, he has no clue if perhaps she was sent home in the meantime. Mithos likely wouldn't speak up if her belongings suddenly disappeared from his house. This is exactly why he doesn't like her living with her little brother- the lack of information on her well-being.]

[whatdeheckisdat]

...

[So she isn't in the village. He might have known... But did they always keep prisoners for so long? Dhaos himself had been taken for a month back in... July? August? Half a year ago, he thinks-- but as far as kidnappings and returns broadcast over the network go, people often return within a week or two.

What are they doing to her...?]

...That is quite some time ago.

[fortunefail]

Yes, it is. She's been gone far longer than anyone else who's been kidnapped.

[Yuan is treading carefully with his words, because while Dhaos may have known to look for her here, he doesn't speak of his relationship with Martel quite so openly.]

[whatdeheckisdat]

...Are her belongings still here?

[Dhaos would like to think that Yuan would mention it if they weren't, but he has to ask. How frustrating would it be, for Martel to return, only to leave again so soon?]

[fortunefail]

I don't know. All her belongings would be with Mithos.

[And it should be exceptionally clear, especially with everything that Yuan has already told Dhaos, that he does not get along well with the younger Yggdrasill sibling.]

[whatdeheckisdat]

[...So she has chosen to live with her brother. Why is Dhaos not surprised? Now even if... when she returns, getting hold of her without attracting the half-elf's attention will not be easy.]

...I suppose he did respond to her message, then.

[Which is a given, considering the way Mithos is, but Dhaos had been rather hoping his lack of intervention had not caused any... problems.]

[fortunefail]

[He frowns at those words. Dhaos, you've lost him, because he doesn't expect the thing you're referring to have happened so long ago. He's trying to place it somewhere more recent.]

Her message?

[whatdeheckisdat]

[Dhaos is late, news at eleven. Not talking much tends to have the side effect of people not following your train of thought when you do speak, so Dhaos is not terribly surprised to find that Yuan apparently has no idea what he's talking about.]

She was wearing your cloak when first I saw her, but she has chosen to reside with her brother once more.

[fortunefail]

[... Well, that still doesn't explain any 'message', but it does give Yuan a concrete timeframe to work with.]

Of course she has. He will always be her brother. [... Regardless of the atrocities he committed, or will commit in Martel's future. He can't imagine such a thing is as easy for Martel to cope with as she's letting on.]

[whatdeheckisdat]

[Or else she is simply blind. Dhaos has no idea how much she has been told (and does not know the full story himself, besides), but having been raised an only child he is having some difficulty understanding Martel's choices.]

...At least he will have a chaperone.

[fortunefail]

Mm, that's the only good thing to come out of it.

[With Martel around, there's a very small chance Mithos will attack someone. Of course, the problem is that Martel needs to be around. Yuan suspects the only reason Mithos hasn't lashed out in frustration over her kidnapping already is because of the death penalty.]

[whatdeheckisdat]

[Mithos would not intentionally harm Martel, and Martel would not allow Mithos to hurt anyone without at least making him feel somewhat guilty about it. But Dhaos knows better than to lay all of his concerns to rest.]

...We will simply have to trust her, then. Once she returns.

[fortunefail]

[Touched as he is that Dhaos is this invested in the other seraphim of Luceti, Yuan's also a bit unsettled that he seems to have that much interest in Martel.]

Hmm. Yes, we will. [He's fainly wondering if Dhaos will leave now that he has the answers he wanted, or if he'll stay for a wider discussion.]