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#1
Anyone welcome.[html]

SOMEWHERE THERE'S A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK
BIGGER THAN THE SHADOW OF DEATH IN THIS TOWN


Her long mane was tied back into a tight bun just above her neck, while her usually clothed frame was wrapped in nothing more than the navy blue knitted blanket. Though it was sunny, small flurries were cascading towards the dirty colored ground. The grasses had died away to nothing more than dusty straw littered with decaying leaves from the nearby trees. It was the ugly time of year – between the beautiful array of colors prominent in fall and the winter wonderland which would arrive in a few weeks. It seemed beauty was in short supply as of late.



With the blanket draped much like a robe, Ryan walked the borders idly, as if they would reveal some sort of secret to her. In reality, thoughts had returned to her mother. She found herself thinking more often of the relationship Lene and Anselm must have shared. She secretly wondered if she would ever experience anything like it. She wanted to know if she could find love. But then, what was love? Ryan had yet to discover the answer. She didn’t know if what she felt towards DaVinci was an unknown love or the lust she had been submitted to throughout her short life. The world was a confusing, cruel place, it seemed.

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#2
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     The snow tumbled down from the gray sky, spun in idling patterns and was swept away by the wind. Several flakes reached the blonde, who was moving in an indirect and careless path towards Inferni. Word of mouth suggested the clan was suffering, but they had always been struggling. Survival was an uphill battle, after all. A shake of the head sent a fine powder of white off of his frame, and tousled his hair. The black chunk of his bangs was more predominant the more he eyed it, but that was unfixable. It seemed, in the end, he was more like his father then he had wanted to be.
     A peculiar shape caught his eye, and the blonde paused to study it. There was a girl walking opposite of his path, moving towards him, wearing nothing more then a blanket. This was not to suggest that Ahren himself was heavily clothed—indeed, aside from his ragged jeans and assorted oddities on the belt, he was nude. What kept his interest, however, was the peculiar shade of the girl’s eyes. This he recognized because it was his own, and he had seen it in both his father and his own sons. Another long lost relative?
     “Who isn’t,” he said flatly, and then called out to the girl: “Salut!”





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#3
That set is terrifying in the best way ever.[html]

SOMEWHERE THERE'S A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK
BIGGER THAN THE SHADOW OF DEATH IN THIS TOWN


She turned her chin up towards the sun, wondering how it was even possible for the small flakes to be cascading towards the ground while the rays of sunlight attempted to warm the earth. It didn’t make sense, but she supposed she didn’t mind. It would be interesting for the snow fall to arrive full fledged and to be with Inferni. She would most likely tuck herself away into one of the caves (since the mansion still frightened her), yet she knew things would feel different. If DaVinci wandered off, she would be alone. Last winter, her mother had still been there for her.



She jerked her head, resting her eyes on a stranger. That wasn’t to say he wasn’t a member of the clan, because Ryan still didn’t know Inferni perhaps as well as she should have. His words were lost on her and, raising a hand to cup near her muzzle, called out, "Excuse me?" They both were traveling towards each other, and she wondered if, unlike her, he had a predetermined destination.


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#4
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“It means hello,” he offered, realizing he had spoken another language. That, he realized, had been a flaw of his for a few months now. Speaking in tongues, forgetting which language he was using. Flicking one ear at a noise only he heard, the blonde eyed the girl and continued to advance.
“You’re a de le Poer,” he continued, stating this as if he knew it for fact. That much, of course, Ahren did know. He didn’t doubt she might recognize the eyes he shared with her, and her father.





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#5
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SOMEWHERE THERE'S A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK
BIGGER THAN THE SHADOW OF DEATH IN THIS TOWN


"Oh," she muttered, as they were drawing nearer one another and it wasn’t necessary for Ryan to raise her voice. Maybe she should have known that. She studied his unfamiliar appearance – blonde hair accented by black, crimson eyes, though one glazed – unaware that they were related. His next words surprised her, though she wasn’t entirely blown away. A few people had noted how she shared her father’s gaze. He had obviously picked up on that and must have been her among her other acquaintances who knew of Anselm. She nodded then, adding, "Ryan de le Poer," before deciding to clarify by including, "Anselm’s daughter."

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#6
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“Ah,” he said, studying her build, and realizing that the de le Poer’s in North America were distancing themselves each generation from the wolf blood they carried. Good. The sooner they got rid of the madness long buried in their blood, the better.

“So you’re from that side of the family.” He realized then he had not offered his name, but decided against it. She would figure it out, eventually. It was a game of some sort, he surmised.




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#7
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SOMEWHERE THERE'S A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK
BIGGER THAN THE SHADOW OF DEATH IN THIS TOWN


"Mhmm," she offered, though not really understanding of what he meant of that side of the family. There were different sides? She didn’t really know much about her own blood. Her father was still some what of a mystery to her, even though she had finally met him. Lately, it seemed, he was around less frequent. Perhaps he had left all together. She didn’t really know what was going on with him. "Are you of de le Poer blood?" She asked, wondering if those crimson eyes were tied to Anselm and her’s.

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#8
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“Yeah,” he said, scratching under his chin with one hand. The snow was starting to stick to the tall grass, which some might think beautiful. Ahren found this sense of beauty in The Waste, though he didn’t understand why it was called such. The beach, perhaps, was the reason. Or maybe simply because it was so wide, so open, and so vast.
“Ahren,” he said.
“I’m Gabriel’s father.”




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#9
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SOMEWHERE THERE'S A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK
BIGGER THAN THE SHADOW OF DEATH IN THIS TOWN


Gabriel’s father; what did that make Ahren to her? If Anselm and Gabriel were cousins, then this was Anselm’s uncle. Would that make them second cousins? Something removed? She wasn’t entirely sure how it worked, but she sort of understood where he came in. There were still a lot of things she didn’t know about her family. Lene hadn’t offered much about the Seton side and Anselm hadn’t really been around much for Ryan to pester him about the de le Poer’s. She considered asking Ahren, but didn’t want to seem a nuisance. "Oh, I see. I’ve only met Gabriel once or twice…" not that he probably cared. "So you live in Inferni as well?" For some reason she thought not, but she didn’t know why. Maybe she felt as if she would have seen him around more often if he really did live here. Or maybe DaVinci had just been distracting her lately.

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#10
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     At the question, the blonde let out a small laugh, and shook his head.
“No, I don’t. I did once.” Back when he and Kaena were expecting and he wanted to protect her. Back before he realized that children were something he did not want, and that they would bring him nothing but despair and only brief moments of joy. Smiling still, though his eyes did not meet the expression, he pushed his hair out of his face.





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#11
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SOMEWHERE THERE'S A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK
BIGGER THAN THE SHADOW OF DEATH IN THIS TOWN


There was something strange about this guy. Not that he was mean or scary or anything, but it was almost as if there was an underlying menace to him; capable of doing horrific things. Whatever that was, she shrugged it off. He was much older, had more connections, and probably had all the reasons in the world to be there. Who was she to say anything about it? "I see," she offered, taking a few steps forward as if to walk away, before hesitating. "Do you know anything about Anselm?" She asked while she glanced down towards her feet, turning half way so that her crimson gaze could fall upon his back.

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#12
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     There had been horrors. He had crossed many terrible roads and lost pieces of his soul along the way. Now he had but a few more things to do, but even he did not know the curtain was coming to a fall. Turning his head to watch her move, he furrowed his brows curiously. “Anselm…” Then things fell together like wooden cogs. “I know he’s handy with tools. He’s a curious guy. Asked a lot about our family. I only met him once, though.”






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#13
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SOMEWHERE THERE'S A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK
BIGGER THAN THE SHADOW OF DEATH IN THIS TOWN


"Oh," she replied simply, disappointed not to learn more about her father. Curiously, he seemed to be more and more distant and Ryan was beginning to wonder if her return to Inferni had anything to do with it. She tried not to guilt herself, but sometimes she couldn’t draw any other conclusions. "Thanks," Ryan mumbled, turning again to head off to where ever she had been idly wandering to in the first place. Had she known she would never see Ahren again, perhaps she would have questioned him further – seeking for any other wisdom about her recently adopted family name.

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