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Harigar Rhim offered a quick pat on the shoulder and Deena a short smile but one382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwOJkWCSfS
that seemed like it had a long time coming. She had a harder time than the others in382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLHOJXDXbc
holding her posture.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY36KHd3AnW
“Celle, Lorian... this is Red.” Dhanel Marce introduced him in such a short manner.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnrAcGYeWJ
“He is an old friend of ours and a former member of the Hand.” The new figure was382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6M7ZxIw5lo
a bigger man; slightly taller and larger than any other here and as he pulled his blue382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NCteDFoXd
hood back, he revealed his red hair and his red beard. Both coloured in vivid, almost382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqcJGk2M5T
flaming tones as if they were trying to match the very flames on his back.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qMZwoWvcq
“What are you doing here? Answer me.” Celle takes a few steps forward.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zEiz63wOT
“You could say I still live here...” his voice matches the rest of him, deep and steady...
“No one lives here...” she insisted.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsL9dRbt9G
“That is enough Celle.” Dhanel Marce requested.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXr0I1Zjt8
“Down girl.” Red did not care how much he could infuriate her; instead, his eyes382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKHAlEBkfN
were now turned to Lorian, the quiet and more aloof of the group “And you?”382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvJrwiQyfC
“...” the silent companion looked instead towards that mountain...382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8A41L4k7id
“Not much of a talker I see...” Red looked at him from hood to boot “I like that.”382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZhilvsXLt
Celle insisted: “Sir who might this haphazard figure be?”382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZG269iZu63
“Disobedient and rude...” Red barely ever looked at her, and he didn’t seem fazed382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTktO7VLGNY
by any of her words or stares either “So is this what you drag behind you these days?”382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ73JudoD1H
“Everyone here has definitely earned their place” Dhanel Marce manages to halt382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaJhXsFxkS
Celle right before she can sneak in another word “just as they did in your days...” he382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3fKGxvHKn
smiles “that hasn’t changed my old friend. Nothing has really.”382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aXnUgmvtq
“I am not so sure about that.” Red keeps looking around at them, one by one...382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjuxf9Q3zg
“Sir I must intercede, we should not...” but Dhanel Marce cut her off once again...382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIf5DVrWXXB
“Celle, please...” he asked... “Celle here became your replacement Red, after... well,382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubRrNhV5Eq
you decided to take your leave of absence, and she has been exerting the same position382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMka60Qu7L
you did from day one. Needless to say, she is most capable and very much worthy of382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡna02ybEMpz
such responsibility as my second in command. She holds my utmost confidence.”382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZk6l5LBfy6
Perhaps the captain of the Hand said these words with ambiguous intent, so at the382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwhv6JrGz8
same time safeguard himself against any further implications from Red, as well as382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloCLYOoYH2
to prevent any falser steps from Celle. Or perhaps he did not see that far ahead and382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzrhgrkwYx
simply told the truth, regardless of it worked both ways even if only for a short while.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrWvpK9jWa
Red looked around once more and then his eyes stopped on the other two; Deena and382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyIVY3c9TO
Harigar Rhim whom he has been friends with for a very long time, he looked straight382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRu0hgiaDkT
at them...382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HGF6NI7I9
“No promotion for any of you I reckon. Not a single sample of acknowledgement to382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzu7HcJVSi
those serving long before this one came to join. She just tagged along and immediately382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGYoodWz8O
started running things? I wonder if your king might have found himself a new382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyLfEvTUjU
favourite...” he pauses a bit as he easily reflects Celle’s harsh stare “So how do you two382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyZqXZzLEn
fancy any of it?”382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVTUhZ4Y37
“We all have our orders Red...” Dhanel Marce concluded before any of the others382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFMOJ2oJ3A
could toss in the slightest contribution. A short but still awkward silence followed.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsxGIOXDPm
The storm still has them, over this entire region those clouds, always ruthless, do not382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2rXR1j8wV
know the meaning of relent and ever do they allow anyone under their gaze to stay dry382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcMhKatmoA
or warm, for even the slightest amount of time. Closer to the edge of what was once382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7BavwH8OO
a lively Brosse, now six instead of five, are experiencing the local weather, an ongoing382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTACmfDPnW
storm that shows no signs of dispersion or the slightest weakness.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5dEXn00lr
“You are not wearing your mask.” Deena pointed out.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2EOSxj4d9
“You don’t need that type of mask here Deena...” Red looked around once again as382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxra6BqOZ2U
if he was looking for something, and every time he did, one could tell he did not see382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaijhWe17Ik
this place like any of the others “Besides I like to see the world as it really is, experience382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QWtv5YkKT
it as it really is...”382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yZE6f3Etf
“Boss,” says Harigar Rhim “we need to get moving.”382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDz1LI9e0R
“Wait a moment” Red then widened his eyes “Where is Elistia?”382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCayfdfg74x
“After you left, she was never the same again Red, she changed...” Dhanel Marce382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dj8WvxfLH
ignored Harigar Rhim and kept on talking, as if the sun was shining and his own voice382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xydtTixXw
wasn’t being muffled by his mask or the heavy rain “...her focus and her strength were382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTrYcgDefd
no longer there as she started to often endanger the success of our missions and most382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5JZLQP9wp
importantly, her wellbeing. More than once either I or another, had to step in for her382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kXgvsSxCz
sake; we suddenly began finding ourselves intervening often in inexplicably made dire382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNtozhn1up
situations, and whereas before she could have just handled them easily and gracefully382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXt25BJO77
all by herself, now, now if not for us, she would have surely lost it all. Everyone here,382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7AQkfx5bN
except for Lorian who took her place, has saved her life more than once, and me more382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5F3BOxeJpe
than I would like to count.382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRSFj1wrg6
We slowly started noticing, all of us, that she had lost something shortly after your382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsCTUIuXk6
departure; either her heart or her mind or maybe both. Something just wasn’t there382Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAwXsHWtt0
anymore after you left which is, I think, understandable.
