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Harigar Rhim offered a quick pat on the shoulder and Deena a short smile but one403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0CrtLEoyZ
that seemed like it had a long time coming. She had a harder time than the others in403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkk0sV2GRm
holding her posture.403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEnqKxqABs
“Celle, Lorian... this is Red.” Dhanel Marce introduced him in such a short manner.403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqE2wkE6Xa
“He is an old friend of ours and a former member of the Hand.” The new figure was403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK18IEe4NZw
a bigger man; slightly taller and larger than any other here and as he pulled his blue403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GoWQyz7PE
hood back, he revealed his red hair and his red beard. Both coloured in vivid, almost403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpysgR1WV1N
flaming tones as if they were trying to match the very flames on his back.403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsP4vy7Jz44
“What are you doing here? Answer me.” Celle takes a few steps forward.403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwQYKuCO1G
“You could say I still live here...” his voice matches the rest of him, deep and steady...
“No one lives here...” she insisted.403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQERdmGyoJv
“That is enough Celle.” Dhanel Marce requested.403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6b55vXC0S
“Down girl.” Red did not care how much he could infuriate her; instead, his eyes403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rWdH9VXky
were now turned to Lorian, the quiet and more aloof of the group “And you?”403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWbkx9Etxz
“...” the silent companion looked instead towards that mountain...403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eWqagpJ2U
“Not much of a talker I see...” Red looked at him from hood to boot “I like that.”403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCTaFoLZlD
Celle insisted: “Sir who might this haphazard figure be?”403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZEVB6aG80
“Disobedient and rude...” Red barely ever looked at her, and he didn’t seem fazed403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF21DS2SytY
by any of her words or stares either “So is this what you drag behind you these days?”403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbl10GIium
“Everyone here has definitely earned their place” Dhanel Marce manages to halt403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5gyEIsyIm
Celle right before she can sneak in another word “just as they did in your days...” he403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlBry4ojX7
smiles “that hasn’t changed my old friend. Nothing has really.”403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oXXAp9Zmn
“I am not so sure about that.” Red keeps looking around at them, one by one...403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfSUlUX8Br
“Sir I must intercede, we should not...” but Dhanel Marce cut her off once again...403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAz1e0aYJt
“Celle, please...” he asked... “Celle here became your replacement Red, after... well,403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhlygAcmTq
you decided to take your leave of absence, and she has been exerting the same position403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pBXbmuv1h
you did from day one. Needless to say, she is most capable and very much worthy of403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVCfcdtNuc
such responsibility as my second in command. She holds my utmost confidence.”403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CdIufNDYK
Perhaps the captain of the Hand said these words with ambiguous intent, so at the403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBG0NbnnF3f
same time safeguard himself against any further implications from Red, as well as403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRnVriLjir
to prevent any falser steps from Celle. Or perhaps he did not see that far ahead and403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1qVHyXAnu
simply told the truth, regardless of it worked both ways even if only for a short while.403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgkoSKWbaM
Red looked around once more and then his eyes stopped on the other two; Deena and403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHQgQ2LtYd
Harigar Rhim whom he has been friends with for a very long time, he looked straight403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0xnbK5Shx
at them...403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqdC7SkLmQ
“No promotion for any of you I reckon. Not a single sample of acknowledgement to403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1sAYyvGQ0q
those serving long before this one came to join. She just tagged along and immediately403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8DeId5rIs
started running things? I wonder if your king might have found himself a new403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNY2vfpLgVf
favourite...” he pauses a bit as he easily reflects Celle’s harsh stare “So how do you two403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflerW4YLjf
fancy any of it?”403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzV5922mjk
“We all have our orders Red...” Dhanel Marce concluded before any of the others403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Qy0EYhbSN
could toss in the slightest contribution. A short but still awkward silence followed.403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoiWfVNpeb
The storm still has them, over this entire region those clouds, always ruthless, do not403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pHEJN53X0
know the meaning of relent and ever do they allow anyone under their gaze to stay dry403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRx856VKrwr
or warm, for even the slightest amount of time. Closer to the edge of what was once403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtKJKLunwl
a lively Brosse, now six instead of five, are experiencing the local weather, an ongoing403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLrlUw5pXO
storm that shows no signs of dispersion or the slightest weakness.403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQe7nk83GT
“You are not wearing your mask.” Deena pointed out.403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtqT22ffYZ
“You don’t need that type of mask here Deena...” Red looked around once again as403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJOJUDlQMy
if he was looking for something, and every time he did, one could tell he did not see403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNY10yxLpVZ
this place like any of the others “Besides I like to see the world as it really is, experience403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx14lmbmD2W
it as it really is...”403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4TcHaN6qO
“Boss,” says Harigar Rhim “we need to get moving.”403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVFvAmqRj5
“Wait a moment” Red then widened his eyes “Where is Elistia?”403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTxZOmJRDI
“After you left, she was never the same again Red, she changed...” Dhanel Marce403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUOuFFrQoE
ignored Harigar Rhim and kept on talking, as if the sun was shining and his own voice403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3hisfChpE
wasn’t being muffled by his mask or the heavy rain “...her focus and her strength were403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkHh2uxV34
no longer there as she started to often endanger the success of our missions and most403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxURLSfiKA0
importantly, her wellbeing. More than once either I or another, had to step in for her403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnwYD7xlJa
sake; we suddenly began finding ourselves intervening often in inexplicably made dire403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzg0tlZicWQ
situations, and whereas before she could have just handled them easily and gracefully403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZhSXLDt4F
all by herself, now, now if not for us, she would have surely lost it all. Everyone here,403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlS6yGKRKC6
except for Lorian who took her place, has saved her life more than once, and me more403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAciMD5y1v
than I would like to count.403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHwqNVhQm4
We slowly started noticing, all of us, that she had lost something shortly after your403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuYbltIE3h
departure; either her heart or her mind or maybe both. Something just wasn’t there403Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGKxOOrJvG
anymore after you left which is, I think, understandable.
