The Hunted

[Mizuki]

Blade thought about it, and swallowed a mouthful of food before he answered. "Yes. Let's rest first and go tomorrow. When I think about it, a couple of my people can help me go and retreive Soran and Mizuki."

"Excellent idea Blade." Gwendolyn chimed in, "I will tell your mother." Blade looked at her for a second stunned.

"You can talk to her?"

"Yes. Telekinesis. I'm not sure though if your powers are strong enough for that though dear."

"Amazing." Was all he could say, and he felt a little jealous. But, he was still learning his magic.

"Little Rai. Oh, I guess your not little anymore dear," she chuckled and gave Rai a kind smile, letting her know that there was nothing wrong with her transformation. "I should teach you some things about your new body, before they sneak up on you." She winked, making Blade blush.

[Emora Deen]

Rai blinked. "What sort of thing things?" she asked, a little fearful. "I already know I am different. I have these!" Rai clamped her hands over her chest, causing some of the men in the inn too look her way. She laughed softly, covering her mouth as her cheeks turned a deep rose. She hadn't meant to say that quite so loud.

[Mizuki]

Blade almost yelped when Rai suddenly grabbed her chest in her naive little child fashion. Now that she was different, it was hard to remember her as a child just a few days before it happened. Blade put his hands protectively around her shoulders, wings arching around her. "D-don't, do that again." He said in a low voice.

Meanwhile, Gwendolyn was trying hard not to laugh.

[Emora Deen]

"Hehe, why?" Rai asked, her bright blue eyes looking into Blade's green irises. "All grown girls have them. They are very strange feeling. Want to see?!" She fell into a fit of giggling again, remembering suddenly Soran's take on cooties.

[Mizuki]

Blade grabbed her hands before she could even think to finish whatever it was she was goign to start. "NO! No...no... Those...are not for boys to see Rai." He glared at his grandmother, who was turning red with laughter.

[Emora Deen]

Rai tilted her head at him in confusion. "Why?" she asked them both. "Is it because you'll turn even more red?" Rai asked Blade with a smile. "You're very red." She giggled.

[Mizuki]

Blade's eye twitched and he took a deep breath to calm down. But Gwendolyn interjected, " Rai, you show those to boys...haha...when you get married. Not just everyone."

Blade sighed with relief, thanking Gwendolyn for taking over.

"Besides," he added, "It could get you into trouble with bad men." He told her honestly.

[Emora Deen]

Rai frowned, looking at him. "Oh..." she said softly. "How is it you know these things? Did they teach you these things? Will you teach me grandmother? I would like to know so I don't end up doing something very foolish." She glanced to her grandmother and smiled happily. "Lets have that talk."

[Mizuki]

"I know because I've had to get those 'talks' from Siren, and boy does she like to scare you." He balked in the memory of it.

"Yes, later when we get home we'll talk privately." Gwendolyn said. "Now let's finish eating first." They continued their meal with light and happy conversation, continuing to single-handedly embarassing Blade more and more.

[Emora Deen]

Rai smoothed her dress when she rose after eating. The walk back was nice, and she was full and happy and completely ready for a nap. It was good to not worry about someone coming for them. They were safe. Rai danced in the snow as they walked, kicking up her boots and sending a dust cloud of white powder into the air.

When they were home she found the chair by the fire after taking off her shoes and draping her cloak on the coat hook. She curled her feet under her and rested her head on her arms as she leaned over the arm of the chair and stared at the flames in thought. Her mind didn't seem to want to focus on much at the moment.

[Mizuki]

Blade took off his boots, as did Gwendolyn and they all sat by the fire in silent contemplation. Blade found himself nodding off though. The combination of travel, battle, and good food was slowing him down and getting him sleepy.

"Go to bed young man." Gwendolyn said with her serene eyes on him. A faint smile on her lips. Blade nodded, rubbed his eyes and managed to make it to a spare bedroom and collapse face first onto it. His wings relaxed around him, he immediately dreamed.

"Are you sleepy, dear?" Gwendolyn asked Rai.

[Emora Deen]

Rai looked up. "No... I don't want to sleep yet," Rai told her softly as she sat up straighter in the chair. "I don't think I will sleep very well. I always have bad dreams after things like this... And my dreams scare me very much." She hugged her knees to her chest, wiggling her toes as they warmed by the fire. "I still don't fully understand why that woman did this to me. She said I would do something when I was older, but now I don't remember what. I just remember she couldn't wait for me to age. I killed her I think... Its all so fuzzy. I don't know if I did or not." She was tired, she looked tired, but Rai was not ready to sleep. "I wonder how many that makes... Are people my age supposed to be very good at killing? Is there something wrong with me? I'm so worried I have something wrong with me, and thats why that woman wanted me..."

[Mizuki]

Gwendolyn's eyes widened at the stream of words coming out of Rai. This child was cnfused about herself and who she was, who she was supposed to be. Everything affected her more than anyone realized.

"She wanted you for your power," Gwendolyn told her, deciding that talking to her like an adult would be the best option. "When your body was mature it would be at its peak. That's why she rushed it. You didn't her kill her though dear, she killed herself. Your great power cured unlife! A dangerous thing to do, although an accident when she touched you. But it was Blade who took her to her death." Gwendolyn went to her side and put a kind hand on her shoulder. "You've been through a lot for a child, that's true, and done things children don't typically do. Don't let those things affect you in such a fashion. You'll go mad if you do."

[Emora Deen]

"But, I don't understand. What power? What good would healing have been to her?" Rai said softly, her brow furrowing. She did not yet know what she could do, and probably still wouldn't unless it was unlocked by a sorcerer himself. She gave a heavy sigh. "You are right. I shouldn't think so much. It just makes me think more, until I'm going in circles."

[Mizuki]

"What she wanted it for, I don't know. I couldn't see that." She gave Rai's shoulder a loving squeeze. "I want you to use your mind to create great things! Don't waste your thoughts on those bad memories."