[ Bumpin' ]

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O children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice,
Children, rejoice, rejoice..



It doesn't matter you don't believe in God, He believes in you.

Rose watched Tomos leave, hesitating for a minute in the kitchen as Donna continued to cook. After a moment, she followed him, Haven, and a stranger into the barn. The redhead took her usual spot leaning against an empty stall door in the far corner. Listening to the woman's -Anna's- quick 'speech', Rose was curious about these men of power who knew about them. But how could they? Unless maybe someone squeeled. The possibility of likely, but not necissarily the truth.

The Shadin chewed her bottom lip in thought, wondering how one of them might have slipped up...

_________________

(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

(( Sorry I haven't been around guys. I've been super busy and this website is being stupid and not letting me post <,< Hopefully it works this time...))

Haven sighed to himself as the woman stormed out, running a hand through his hair to rub the back of his head. He had a splitting headache and he couldn't gather his thoughts. Then men were talking amidst themselves now, the conversation all a buzz to him. He felt lost for once, trapped, and it had his temper set on a wire trigger. This frustration was dangerously close to setting it off.

"Enough," he said firmly, his eyes casting around the dim room. An uneasy hush filled the room, and then total silence. He had no words to fill it. For once, Haven Maverick didn't know what to do...

His eyes narrowed as they cast to the floor. He was failing them...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wavorly nodded slowly. She hadn't expected her very practical friend to be so willing. She knew this was a dangerous risk they were taking; a border-line suicide mission if they got caught... But she couldn't sit here any longer.

"We have to get into the castle," she told Lilith. "Sneak in. We need to get Keith out of there, we're running out of time." She nodded to herself as her thoughts kept rolling. "They would not expect us..."

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~*~ I am the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. ~*~

[ *smiles evily* I came up with some more infor about Anne ]

As the man did not reply Anne left before any more members of the Shadin would come and question her.
With a quick pace Anne hurried herself through the alleyways, at times glancing back over her shoulder. It was not wise for a woman to wander around alone in the city at this time of day. As darkness fell all kinds of dangerous folk roamed in the streets these days. So she wrapped her cloak tightly around her slim figure, although it didn't hide her womanhood, and quickened herpace as she crossed the market square.
Her usual smile had faded as she recalled the events of that night. It had struck her that there hadn't been any women present at the meeting, for it was told that the Shadin clan consisted of many women as well.
She'd now reached the northern part of the city where the rich folk lived. The dirty streets became broader lanes in order for the carriages to pass and the houses were beautiful mansions with large gardens.
Anne slipped through the back door into one of the great houses. Silently she passed through the kitchen and a narrow corridor which ended in a beautiful furnished hall. The foyer was dimly lit as not the chandelier but only a few loose candles were alight. Aside from that the house seemed dark and quiet.
"You are late" a croaking voice snapped, almost giving Anne a heart attack. The voice belonged to an old toothless, wrinkled man. His back was bent by many years of labour and he leaned on his cane as he stood almost motionless in the dark. The woman did not reply to the old man but followed him up the large oaken stairs. They passed many doors and the man motioned her to stop at the third one, knocked twice on the wood and then opened it, almost pushing Anne in.
The study she entered was large, filled with expensive furniture. A large fire in the fire place cast light on the paintings, which covered the walls and were without doubt of great value.
A man, around the age of 55, sat behind a desk in the middle of the room. The look on his face was proud and full authority as he glanced at the girl who had entered. "Well?" he ordered as he focused again on the parchment in front of him, not even bothering to look at the girl.
"I found him Milord" Anne responded quickly, hardly able to surpress a tremble in her voice.
"Well it was about time you did" the man answered, his voice filled with disdain. "I almost believed that all your searching would remain- fruitless."
"He doesn't trust me sir, I only know that they meet in random pubs somewhere in town. But I will meet him again tommorow"
The man remained silent for a while and then said: "Very well. You may go now.."
Anne turned around to leave the room but changed her mind as she opened the door. "Milord..?" she asked hesitantly, with an almost pleading face. "You promised.."
The man's lips curled into a smile as he finally looked upon the girl and answered evily: "I need more information.. The houses where the Shadin remain, their names and the places where they meet. Only then I can ask him to look into the matter and eh.. reconsider." Again he stared at his parchment. "You're dismissed Miss Daley" The cool statement decided that the conversation had ended and Anne retreated herself in her small room, falling asleep quickly, exhausted from the long day.

_________________


O children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice,
Children, rejoice, rejoice..



It doesn't matter you don't believe in God, He believes in you.

Ronin looked to the man with a small smile. He could see Haven beating himself up about his lack of information.

"I think we should call this a meeting, Haven. We have a lot to think on with such information. Perhaps the girl knew less than she gave away? If anything we need a new spot to meet. She found you, how long before another?" He asked standing and stretching.

"And I for one," he continued, jabbing his thumb to his chest, "am quite tired. Oh, and before I forget," he handed Haven the not from Lilith - her small, loopy, somewhat cramped handwriting easily distinguishable on the folded parchment containing instructions for his wound.

--------------------------------

Lilith bit her lip and looked about nervously as if expecting someone to be behind her listening. Her mind started to work overtime, giving all the possible ways for them to be caught. She pushed all these to the back of her mind and decided to let the impulsive nature of the night take her over if only for a little longer. It was nice not having to worry over reactions - she needed a break from the worry.

"Right," she said with a short nod. "When will we be going? Surely not tonight?" She asked her friend with wide brown eyes.

_________________
Heavens no. Hell Yeah.


Set 1: Nurr | Set 2: Me

Wavorly bit her lip. She was anxious, yes, but she knew they couldn't afford to be rash. There was far too much at stake here.

"No," she answered after a moment. "I need some time to think this through." She looked towards the door, as though expecting someone to walk in. The meeting should last a few more hours... "Tomorrow, after Haven leaves. Meet me."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Haven nodded slowly. Ronin was right, they had a lot to consider. And he needed time to plan their next moves before addressing the men. "We'll meet tomorrow at the inn across town," he announced, turning to the muttering group. "The man who runs it is an ally of the Shadin. Until then, you are dismissed. And speak nothing of what you have heard tonight."

He turned back to Ronin as the man handed him the paper. "Thank you, and thank her for me." A small smile tugged Haven's mouth. Lilith. Their new living arrangements within the city didn't allow him to see her very often, and after all, he'd found himself growing fond of her. He made a mental not to visit her tomorrow as his bright blue eyes scanned over the note.

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~*~ I am the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. ~*~

For Anne the morning came way too early. As the first light woke her up, it seemed to her she'd only been asleep for a few moments. Although the sun hadn't yet risen far above the horizon, she got up dressed herself and braided her dark curly hair.
The restless feeling of the day before had been replaced by a kind of strange certainty. She could have expected that finding Maverick wouldn't be enough. Unsure of why she hadn't spilled her information of the family where Haven lived, Anne told herself that from now on she had to act without hesitation. She had to get these names. She had to.

_________________


O children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice,
Children, rejoice, rejoice..



It doesn't matter you don't believe in God, He believes in you.

Rose watched in silent contemplation as Haven seemed to loose himself to helplessness. No one seemed to be planning very far ahead in this real life game of chess. If the tyrant knew of their presence, would they already know about it, or would he be biding his time waiting for the opportune moment? In that case, what moves were they to make next? There was a lack of planning to Rose. She felt like a horse caught between narrow fences leading unknowingly to the slaughter.

Haven ended the meeting, causing the barn to empty out. The slender woman waited till most of the occupants were gone before going to a stall which held an old black mare -the only horse who was consistantly stabled at the Inn.

"Hello Ember," Rose whispered, giving the horse a small carrot she had hidden in her pocket. Ember nudged her from another. "Sorry, thats all for today. What do you think of all this Shadin buisness, ol' girl? Life seemed so much more simpler and more pleasent when I was just a hunter's daughter."

The cart horse sneezed as if to answer, making Rose smile -a rare sight these days- and scratch her behind her large ears. "I agree. It would be much more pleasent if there was grass about. Open feilds, forest, nature. The town is so bleak and sad," Ember bobbed her head as if in agreement.

"Well, I should probably head to bed. I must work tomorrow before the next meeting. Pray I make some money so I can bring more treats," Rose said, giving Ember a good-bye pat on the neck before making her way out of the barn toward the Inn...

(Hm.... trying to figure out how to bring in my second character...)

_________________

(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

(Woops, sorry it took me so long to post)

Lilith nodded and relaxed a bit, still holding tightly onto the table. She could feel her nerves starting to rise. For the first time since she had come to the city she was happy that her brother would not be about much considering she did not think she trusted herself enough to keep everything a secret should he try and pry as to why she was so jumpy.

"Tomorrow, then. Where shall we meet? What do you think we would need? Food, some clothes, definitely a few medical supplies. I could bring a dagger?" The last sentence was quite unsure - although Lilith was good with a dagger when it came to making small incisions and using it for healing purposes, her knowledge of fending off an attacker was limited to swinging the sharp end of the weapon at her opponent.

-------------------------

Ronin nodded and clapped the man on the back of the shoulder, using the position to try and get a peek at the note - he had grown curious after all. As a rule, Lilith's older brother was not fond of his sibling having too much contact with men if it had the possibility of being more. So, although Haven was the leader of the Shadin, he was still a man his sister could be interested in, and Ronin was not about to have that.

"I'll be sure to do that," he said in his gruff voice giving the man a smile.

"Now, don' be stayin' up too late, Haven. I know ya like to beat yahself into the groun', but we'll be needin ya to keep a level head, righ?" He chuckled and let go of the man's shoulder, turning to leave.

_________________
Heavens no. Hell Yeah.


Set 1: Nurr | Set 2: Me

[ Waiting for Sojo, as I already skipped to the morning]

_________________


O children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice,
Children, rejoice, rejoice..



It doesn't matter you don't believe in God, He believes in you.

(I completely missed that. Lol. And since I'm lazy today, I'm just gonna keep my post as is. ^_^)

_________________
Heavens no. Hell Yeah.


Set 1: Nurr | Set 2: Me

((Back a back a backy back back. Sorryz ))

"Aye," Haven said absently, folding up the message and slipping it into his pocket. His mind was buzzing and he needed to sleep badly. The throbbing in his head was impossible, and he briefly hoped that Lilith would have some sort of remedy for that in her instructions.

"Tomorrow evening then," he muttered, descending down the stairs into the cool evening air. The lights in the windows of the town pricked the dimness with points of light as the leader of the Shadin walked home with his thoughts. If you could call that home. Haven was strong and kept an emotionless face, but his heart was heavy. He missed the open freedom of the forests and quiet noises of trees in the wind. He missed the times of peace, or what little he could remember of them...

A sigh hushed out of his lips and he pulled up the hood of his cloak, walking faster. His mind was troubled and the empty streets unsettled him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wavorly nodded sharply. "That would probably be best, though I'm sure we'll have no need fore it if all goes according to plan." She felt her heart racing a little. They were actually going to do something for the cause for once, even though it meant taking matters into their own hands.

"We'll sneak in as servants through the service gate to the back," she added slowly, formulating the plan as she went along, her mind speeding through it. "There are gardens on the west side closest to town where the nobles pass through. Meet me there tomorrow evening when no one will be around. Bring whatever you think Keith may need. We don't know what condition he may be in..."

She bit her lip hard, her expression worried. She hated thinking like that.

_________________


~*~ I am the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. ~*~

Ronin made his way down the ladder and jumped off to land with a thud on the floor of the barn. He shrugged his cloak back onto his shoulders and walked towards the exit.

Even though he realized they had been among friends he always watched his back when he walked home. Now that he knew there were those out there who would hurt them, he did not wish to take a chance at someone finding his sister and their home.

The night was dark and it cloaked even the large man well. The city slept on, few lights twinkling through the black - the only sign that the city was not yet abandoned.

--------------------------

Lilith nodded. "Yes, but we cannot count on everything to go our way. It is better to prepare for the worst and hope for the best than to count on the best and be caught off our guard," she said knowingly. She was sure that Waverly understood the importance of preparation, but she felt that it needed to be said out loud.

Lilith frowned and reached out to pat the woman's shoulder in an awkward comforting gesture. She was a healer, true, but out of all the women she was not the best with emotions; her mind was made more for solving problems and facts.

"What will we do if we are caught?" Lilith asked in a hushed tone, as if the question may jinx the entire mission, but it had to be addressed.

"We have to find a way to tell Ronin and Haven, they cannot just run about worrying about us. I know that they still will worry, but if we are caught then the best thing is for them to finish their plan," she said, using the table again to keep her standing.

_________________
Heavens no. Hell Yeah.


Set 1: Nurr | Set 2: Me

Tomos nodded, watching Anne slip away into the dark night. Good information was hard to come by. He hoped she had the info that they so desperately needed, and that Anne proved to be on thier side. After she completely dissapeared into the night, Tomos headed back towards the barn to escape the night chill. The rest of the Shadin had already cleared out, leaving the barn completely empty except for the soft wuffing of horses. "g'night." He murmured to the horses, and then sliped into the inn. Donna, bless her heart, was still hard at work preparing kneading dough for the next day. "Don't strain yourself." Tomos smiled at her.

"Do I ever?" She replied brusquely, looking at him from under her brows. Before Tom could answer, Donna asked "Who was that girl? I havn't seen the likes of her around here."

"Her names Anne." He replied. "Apparently she found Haven, told him she had information."

"Really?" Donna asked, surprised enough to stop kneading. "What'd she say?"

"Not much, though she said she would reveal more tomorrow."

"Hmph." Donna went back to kneading. "Well, keep me informed, Tommy-boy." she said.

"As always." Tomos stole an apple from the counter and slipped into his room.

Wavorly's green eyes went wider. Tell Haven?! That was not in her plan at all... "We can't, he won't allow it!" she insisted. "Please Lilith, I'm begging you, don't say a word..."

She bit her lip anxiously. "I'll leave a note for him to find once we're safely away. Just to be sure." She grabbed her friends arm lightly in a comforting motion. "But we'll be fine, I promise."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Haven slipped quietly into the house where he and Wavorly were staying, his feet creaking quietly across the floorboards as he went upstairs. He could hear the clinking of dishes in the sink from the kitchen, alerting him that someone must still be awake, but stayed quiet knowing the children had already gone to bed.

"Hey," he whispered softly as he got up to their quarters in the attic. The air was still, there was no presence here, and a tingle of panic ran through him. Haven's expression flared. "Wavorly?"

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~*~ I am the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. ~*~

(Rose just went striaght to bed after leaving barn... ok, so we need to get other characters to next day... so... I guess bump?)

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08