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Harigar Rhim offered a quick pat on the shoulder and Deena a short smile but one311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohkGNA2b3I
that seemed like it had a long time coming. She had a harder time than the others in311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFrl24ssir
holding her posture.311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTzMAzeKfI
“Celle, Lorian... this is Red.” Dhanel Marce introduced him in such a short manner.311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYihPJFJ2ey
“He is an old friend of ours and a former member of the Hand.” The new figure was311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7MBr6GdJD
a bigger man; slightly taller and larger than any other here and as he pulled his blue311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡql6LbaXehL
hood back, he revealed his red hair and his red beard. Both coloured in vivid, almost311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGrYiNI9bo
flaming tones as if they were trying to match the very flames on his back.311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUA5xkVm30
“What are you doing here? Answer me.” Celle takes a few steps forward.311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGON99IxyJ
“You could say I still live here...” his voice matches the rest of him, deep and steady...
“No one lives here...” she insisted.311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycyD9kx4R4
“That is enough Celle.” Dhanel Marce requested.311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkCltj6shH
“Down girl.” Red did not care how much he could infuriate her; instead, his eyes311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpIO4ZDLk1
were now turned to Lorian, the quiet and more aloof of the group “And you?”311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwUzTXRixJ
“...” the silent companion looked instead towards that mountain...311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJPC3eR8gU
“Not much of a talker I see...” Red looked at him from hood to boot “I like that.”311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW65GvOGwSe
Celle insisted: “Sir who might this haphazard figure be?”311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOMhlXDhwQ
“Disobedient and rude...” Red barely ever looked at her, and he didn’t seem fazed311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdzTF40WNp
by any of her words or stares either “So is this what you drag behind you these days?”311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWn4OVvH2K
“Everyone here has definitely earned their place” Dhanel Marce manages to halt311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5hE68eFqk
Celle right before she can sneak in another word “just as they did in your days...” he311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qHmEtkUxa
smiles “that hasn’t changed my old friend. Nothing has really.”311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BdpVM2zqi
“I am not so sure about that.” Red keeps looking around at them, one by one...311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPReIendXbO
“Sir I must intercede, we should not...” but Dhanel Marce cut her off once again...311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUo4rzJJDZ
“Celle, please...” he asked... “Celle here became your replacement Red, after... well,311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOjJhcDl3b
you decided to take your leave of absence, and she has been exerting the same position311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgZJJLkSDH
you did from day one. Needless to say, she is most capable and very much worthy of311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzqRk13XBg
such responsibility as my second in command. She holds my utmost confidence.”311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRY0yicwWX4
Perhaps the captain of the Hand said these words with ambiguous intent, so at the311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aqT4HgAPh
same time safeguard himself against any further implications from Red, as well as311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQoMAkelkD
to prevent any falser steps from Celle. Or perhaps he did not see that far ahead and311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtg0Maz97YQ
simply told the truth, regardless of it worked both ways even if only for a short while.311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvrNcodl3X
Red looked around once more and then his eyes stopped on the other two; Deena and311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueCkZBPbT9
Harigar Rhim whom he has been friends with for a very long time, he looked straight311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcd0UzI89j
at them...311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQov9dl8Fm
“No promotion for any of you I reckon. Not a single sample of acknowledgement to311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdG2VN7vIRQ
those serving long before this one came to join. She just tagged along and immediately311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cLap0Wvtx
started running things? I wonder if your king might have found himself a new311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiPJmvDm2I
favourite...” he pauses a bit as he easily reflects Celle’s harsh stare “So how do you two311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxfAr8fmOl
fancy any of it?”311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcEnoYlSGF
“We all have our orders Red...” Dhanel Marce concluded before any of the others311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVXAkFYFWV
could toss in the slightest contribution. A short but still awkward silence followed.311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMKEfQh24s
The storm still has them, over this entire region those clouds, always ruthless, do not311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsHIka91gs
know the meaning of relent and ever do they allow anyone under their gaze to stay dry311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7bArr8tVn
or warm, for even the slightest amount of time. Closer to the edge of what was once311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNzD1fktaF
a lively Brosse, now six instead of five, are experiencing the local weather, an ongoing311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9snaJ7MMV1
storm that shows no signs of dispersion or the slightest weakness.311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvRkdV7gHp
“You are not wearing your mask.” Deena pointed out.311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2HlyjoTkP
“You don’t need that type of mask here Deena...” Red looked around once again as311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNycpX10yJ5
if he was looking for something, and every time he did, one could tell he did not see311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuxHHbKEFP
this place like any of the others “Besides I like to see the world as it really is, experience311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9ZAabRDZZ
it as it really is...”311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvE1RFzaqtN
“Boss,” says Harigar Rhim “we need to get moving.”311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8ht7UKf7y
“Wait a moment” Red then widened his eyes “Where is Elistia?”311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQCiElB2DF
“After you left, she was never the same again Red, she changed...” Dhanel Marce311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0t1AKzMssf
ignored Harigar Rhim and kept on talking, as if the sun was shining and his own voice311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VAZ8IlgMg
wasn’t being muffled by his mask or the heavy rain “...her focus and her strength were311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4CyEuwrkS
no longer there as she started to often endanger the success of our missions and most311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpQaabkjpW
importantly, her wellbeing. More than once either I or another, had to step in for her311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhb5sSmSXI4
sake; we suddenly began finding ourselves intervening often in inexplicably made dire311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡti1ZgSBONS
situations, and whereas before she could have just handled them easily and gracefully311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdTgJVKaqg
all by herself, now, now if not for us, she would have surely lost it all. Everyone here,311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8lwcd8pnu
except for Lorian who took her place, has saved her life more than once, and me more311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vj6TBRr76
than I would like to count.311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlxEp3lLBO
We slowly started noticing, all of us, that she had lost something shortly after your311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jTB5CBYe9
departure; either her heart or her mind or maybe both. Something just wasn’t there311Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBjuANbaxs
anymore after you left which is, I think, understandable.
