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Departure thread =( Oh, forward dated to the 20th, please.
Shifted again, the ever-present pack hanging from his shoulders, the gray and white wolf went in search of Iskata. The day had come, and it was time to go. He was sorry that he had to do this...he had long been in thought about all this...could he not simply flee? Ever since he'd issued the challenge to Skoll he knew that living here was no longer possible, but that didn't mean he couldn't find a different stretch of beach somewhere else, find another kind person like the white-furred woman who had greeted him on his first day here to usher him into a new life.
But no, this had to happen. The choice wasn't his alone to make, and the others whose choices it had been had voiced their selection by their sacrifice. There was no where to go but forward. Nothing to do but to finish this final chapter. The pages were flipping wildly by, as the story rushed ever-faster to its final conclusion. It wasn't what he wanted, but it was closure that he needed. He could not walk away now, no matter what this would cost him. It was time to give his final thanks to a woman who had shown him another walk of life, one which he--by all rights--should never have found, but was thankful that he had.
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She'd been on the pier staring off into space. Her heart had been broken more than once, but here this moon it seemed that she was to suffer over and over again. Tears had slipped softly down her cheeks as the crash of the waves below her had seemed to shake her to the very soul. One daughter raped by the man who had moved her, one held in the claws of Inferni by the favor Iskata herself had asked of the girl who was barely a woman. A son returned but never to her, everything seemed to just crash against the walls shed' raised and slowly but surely they were crumbling.
She almost hadn't heard the steps of the male behind her in the wake of her sorrow. The soft padding behind her caused her to raise her head up from her knees as she dashed away the proof of her pain in a hurry. She was their matriach, she was suppose to be strong, she was part of their foundation, she wasn't suppose to be found weeping for things out of her control.
Turning slowly she caught sight of Asmodai and tried to smile as she rose up to her feet. "Asmodai, I didn't hear you coming.." she said with false cheer in her voice as she leaned against the rough post of the pier. He'd returned to them after the pack's meeting, but atleast he had returned. She'd been glad to see him then and she was glad to see him now, atleast there was a friendly face to meet her this day.
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So, should I reply to the pack thread? I don't know how long that will take to resolve, but I'm not sure I'll be around for all of it?
"Hello, Iskata," he said, his voice lacking it's usual laid-back quality. He made no effort to hide that he was troubled, but the certainty in his voice made it obvious that whatever was troubling him, he had chosen what to do about it. His brown eyes studied the woman standing in front of him. He wasn't sure exactly how to break it to her. He wanted to keep all coldness from his voice, but now that his two worlds were colliding, it was difficult to merge the two sets of behavior.
"I have some bad news." He didn't know if Hel had told her about his cousin's death. He wasn't sure whether or not he would tell her about that if he didn't have to, either. He supposed he could pass that off as his reason, that he was a noble person off to avenge his friend, but that would only come back to haunt him later when she heard the other side of the story and put two and two together. No...he would leave her in the dark on that for now.
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She sat quietly as he came to meet her upon the pier, the crash of the waves all around them seemed to numb some of the pain that tried to overpower her world as she waited. It was obvious that the two of them were troubled, though she'd kept to herself as of lately and if Hel had been looking for her there was a grand chance she'd come up short on finding the silver and gold Matriarch.
Trying to lose the tension that had settled on her shoulders was worthless with the words that Asmodai had graced her with next. She sat back on her haunches and waited a moment before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What's going on Asmodai?" she asked as she opened her eyes and gazed at the male, the two troubled souls facing eachother, neither knowing the truth of the other's pain.
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"I have to leave," he said flatly, without emotion. The person he'd been was gone...he couldn't be that person right now, not after losing Soro, not hours from the battle. Hours from what might be the end of his life. It was odd to think...this man had killed Soro, which meant that, even though his training was out-of-date and his body was war-torn, even though his bones were old and reflexes must be slower than they used to be, he was still on par with at least mid-level GreyClaw warriors.
Asmodai had been the sixteenth seat back before this whole mess...he had been the sixteenth best fighter out of the one-hundred-seventy-eight professionals of GreyClaw. Soro hadn't been ranked among the top twenty-five, a great honor which he had missed just prior to the mission, one which he had sought to achieve upon his return. Varn had estimated that Asmodai's abilities had grown...that he might in fact be the eighth, or even as high as the sixth most formidable warrior from their society. That would remain unknown until he returned...if he returned. Would his own abilities be sufficient to stop this man? If not...would it really be such a bad thing?
"I am sorry for any inconvenience this causes you. I just...need to move on. Like I said, I'm a free spirit. I need to travel. I liked you a lot, I'm glad I gave settling down here a chance." His voice was devoid of feeling as he delivered this line. His lies were coming less easily now, his mind entering further and further into the frame for battle, a thing which he would need very soon now.
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She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise up as he spoke. She knew that something was wrong but hearing the words made her turn her face away from those eyes that watched her as he began to speak again. The same flat words seemed to fill the air around them as she tried to stop the emotions from sinking in. She'd already had wave upon wave of pain hit her and now once more it seemed she'd be granted another wash of pains over her soul. She closed her eyes and tried to push away from the conversation, not wanting to listen but still hearing every word he said.
She was silent a moment while the waves crashed around them before she spoke up softly, the hurt in her voice as she said. "You're lying.." She wasn't challeging him leaving, but the way he spoke, how null and void his words were. She'd never before heard someone speak with such lack of emotion, even when she'd witnessed others going there had been some sort of regret, some distant emotion, but nothing. The total lack of emotions had upset her, she wondered just what was causing her friend to run so suddenly from the life he'd seemed so happy in.
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His eyes didn't leave hers as she made her accusation. What was he supposed to say? She was right. Far more so than she knew, because his lying now was only the most transparent, it was not the biggest lie he'd yet told, nor the most convincing or duplicitous. Rather, this lie was meant to absolve them all from what he needed to do, to distance himself from everyone who might be harmed by the action he was about to take. He would be killed, and they wouldn't hear of it, because he didn't belong here. But if he killed instead, then they would, because Skoll Axehand, the warrior legend, did belong, and he could never come back anyway.
"Why do you say that?" he asked. "What reason was needed to come here? Why is more needed to leave? I came on a whim, and left on a whim, a traveler who never stops long in one place. It is better to leave it at that, Iskata." He turned to leave. The hurt in her voice would come back to haunt him after his job was done with. After the fight, if he still lived, he could let all of this come crashing down on him like a wave, but right now lives hung in the balance, and even if he were to lose, he owed it to his comrades to give his very best. That meant feelings would have to wait.
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Her ears were folded back in disappointment as he asked her why she'd said the things she had. The next words he'd tried to convince her with just seemed to slip through the crack as she sighed and looked away from the grey and black male. She didn't even want to think of what real reason he had for leaving, she'd grown fond of the male and rather liked having him around. This sudden change to her already crashing world was more than she'd bargained for but there was nothing she could do to stop the tides. She took a deep draw of breath and let it out slowly as she waited til the calm took hold.
After a few moments she finally turned her once trusting eyes back to Asmodai and gave her reason. "I left once too, I left twice.. and there's no one who can walk away so cold, so lifeless and not have a reason." Hurt flashed in her eyes as she whispered. "Why..." She really didn't want an answer, she just wanted to turn and run, but there was nowhere to run now, just a deadend drive into the force of the sea.
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Sad =(
He didn't turn back around at her words, just shook his head. There pressure building in some part of his brain, a resistance against what he was doing, what he had to do. But if he let her get to him now, what sort of state would he be in come a few hours from now? The final hours were upon him, the fast-approaching conclusion of this story, and he had to be prepared for it, no matter what. He owed that to them, owed that to all of them.
"I'll be out of these lands soon, Iskata. Take care of yourself." Delivered with the same cold deliberation as everything else, he doubted she would accept the concern inherent in the last statement. Nevertheless, it was the best he could do without cracking, and he could not let this armor crack. Not until this was over, then it could shatter. Shatter into a thousand pieces, such that he could never put it back on again. Without another word, he left her where she stood.
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ooc: Sad... 
She watched him as he left, the hurt in her eyes slowly fading away as they were filled once more with tears. She couldn't understand what had just happened or why, but she didn't trust herself to ask again. He'd disappeared over the horizon as she threw her head back and let out a mournful howl across the lands. Dropping her head back down she sat there quietly, defeated as the world seemed to crumble around her. Shaking her head she turned and looked towards the direction that Asmodai had ventured, taking one step then another she hesitated, almost daring herself to chase him down and demand the answers she'd requested.. but she didn't, she wasn't his leader anymore and he owed her nothing.
Turning her face away she battled with her thoughts and she tried to figure out exactly what in the world she should do. Shaking her head sadly she lowered her body down to the pier and curled up a moment. She'd give him a headstart before she'd set out after him, the pack didn't have to know. He didn't owe her anything as a packmate, but as a friend he owed her the truth atleast. She might regret the truth, but atleast she'd know.
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