Re: Getting the job done

[Airtia S. Cauthon]

For now, anything that Venis or Tasha had said to her was ignored. She heard it, but didn't have time to listen to it or give it much thought as her attention was on Gawain and what he was doing. Though she could not see his Weaves - a consequence of the Male half - she could feel them, and she could feel him and it was intense. Filled with the Source herself this could be a bad match up.

Gawain wasn't listening and anything she might say now would only make things worse than what they already were. Granted, she didn't know everything about what was happening to their daughter, but she knew enough. Once of the dark persuasion. Did she ever stop being one? Perhaps. That was for her to know. It was true that, on the outside, she may have appeared otherwise, but Gawain knew she was a Red and that many Red Sisters were . . . But that was neither here or there. No matter what her true alignment, she still had her reasons for doing what she did. Like any Sedai.

"Benjamin is nae who ye should focusing on right now. Ye don't understand do ye? What do ye think yer going tae do? Go through there to who knows where, on his grounds, his rules, and play his game? Ye go through there and all he 'as tae do tis get close tae ya, touch something that's connected tae ye and he'll ave access tae e'erything ye do." She was speaking more calmly than she felt.

"Ye touch that thing tae him and it'll backlash on ya so fast, I've seen it 'appen. Or worse, it'll backlash on yer daughter." There, she said it. "Any harm ye do tae him will be inflicted on De'Ryanna. They're bonded, or did ye nae know that."

[Gawain]

THAT caused Gawain to pause. He turned to Airtia, some of the....wrongness....draining from his eyes, and gave her a plaintive look. "What do I do, then? What CAN I do? He's just like my brother, he'll keep hurting my family and friends until I do something about it!" He sighed, sheathing his sword, the cross-member's Heron mark gleaming in the early morning sun. "Air....I can't stand by and allow this to continue. I just can't."

[Guest]

Venis breathed a sigh of relief seeing Gawain sheath his sword. She was very glad that Airtia got through to him when she herself had not. She had tried to stop him, but her bluff was called and she herself suffered. But she would suffer, for any of the people standing there, any day of the year. She looked to her son and waited to see if he was going to follow suit.

[Madeline Cauthon]

It didn't take Madeline long to reach the spot where Gawain, Airtia, Dre, and Venis all stood. She saw the rip in the fabric her father had made. She stopped her horse between the men and the portal.

"STOP!!! DO NOT ENTER THIS PORTAL!! I will not allow it. I will not have another's blood on my hands. Not now, not ever again. Do you hear me?? I've seen what will come of this, and I will not allow it!"

"I love you Daddy, and you too Dre. But if you enter this portal now Benjamin will not be the only one to die. Do any of you understand me?"

[Beastie]

He smiled as he heard Kyra's mental link. She learned things so fast. Then he felt the weaves, and the blessing of his weapons. He listend to Air say her piece and then Maddie. He looked around and shook his head. He saw pain and suffering. Concern and Worry. Hatred and guilt. He spoke softly and rationally.

"Why is it everyone is acting on emotion? Here it is I come because I am called by family. I am doing what I promised others I would do in a meeting once. That lad, he paid a great price, but he felt he had to. He did what he felt had to be down logically. "

He looked at Gawain and spoke. "First Brother, if this is a Dance for revenge the you know our spears will shatter. Revenge begets nothing. I should know. All it gets is a debt of toh and you wearing the white robes. And I am sorry, you do not look good in white. Hence why you are furry most of the vithing time.

"We are not the young men we were, my friend. You are a husband. You and I both are father's. We both have families. THAT is our first priority. Their safety and well being. You have a two daughters that are hurting. They need their father.

"Look at what you are doing Furry. You are ripping the Pattern itself. You are affecting the innocent to get to one person. You have used the balefire. Even father rarely used it. You are going back to what they taught you. You are acting like a Beast, and that is my job, my friend. We know this."

"No one shall enter that portal. Not this day. This day there shall be no Dance. This day there shall be no Battle. This day, there shall be the time to look after our own and if there is a need, then the day will come where family faces that threat. Not beasts. Not enraged males or females.

"I am sorry my friend, but I can not allow the Dance. If that means that this God has broken the toh, so be it. I will wear the white."

With that he went silent and jsut watched. Slowly going back to his original form.

[Gawain]

Airtia had almost persuaded him. In fact, he was seriously considering abandoning the entire enterprise when....well, first, Maddie came rushing back, yelling about a vision....Viviane, he thought, you had her long enough to influence that aspect after all. "Calm down, Madeline. Dre, brother, the Toh is mine. I...blood and ashes." He stared up for a moment, and sighed, closing his eyes and releasing Saidin. Then, he swept his hand at the gash in the Pattern, almost angrily, and it knitted itself. With that, he released the other Power he had held. A silent vow to never use that power again, unless family was in danger later, he had turned to the lot of them, shifting easily back into just a nondescript guy in jeans, a wife-beater, and, for some reason, a crazy-huge sword. [Sorry, but when Gawain switches back to normal-guy mode, the sword is William Wallace-huge.] "Listen, guys. I'm sorry. I have a lot of people that want to get me, and now, one has found the worst possible way to do so. I'll be needing you in the future, all of you." His eyes went up to Maddie. "You, down from the horse, ya drunk. Yeah, I can smell it, and Krow would be proud that 'ye had tha decency tae drink soomthin' wi' a wee bit o' hair tae it'. Lay off the Scotch, deary. We'll talk later. Matter of fact.......Dre, I need to speak with you, as well as Air and Maddie." He sighed. "And for the Light's sake, will SOMEone sober her up?"

Gawain managed to keep a stern look on his face for about five seconds after that. He began chuckling then, walking over to Dre and placing a hand on his brother's shoulder, nodding slowly and smiling, then walking over to his wife. He fixed her with a gaze, and tilted his head to one side. What was said between them was through the Bond, and no audible word was spoken.

[Yah. So, the next few lines, Airtia only, no one else can hear or see them, etc.]

~Sorry, love. I lost myself for a moment there. Thank you for returning me. The reason for having a conference is, by the way, firstly, I believe Madeline has the Spark, and secondly, I'm not entirely sure she isn't of some relation to me. You know how vengeful that woman was, it'd be just like her to twist the knife one last time and make me think I was fostering a stranger, when in fact it was my true daughter....especially when she knew how much I was hurting over Kristen....you know, it hadn't even been two years since Kristen died that she announced she was planning to 'foster' a child. I should've known....anyway, we have quite a few things to discuss, both in council and in private....~

After a few moments time, he sighed once again. "The ironic thing is, when I came to these parts, I was alone, and had convinced myself I always would be. Now, if I called a family meeting, we'd have to knock a bloody wall out!" He began laughing then, relief and gratitude mingling in his expression.

[Guest]

Venis listened and began to move towards Madeline to retrieve her so she could help her sober up. As she reached them she had to chuckle about Gawain's comment. Alone, never. She patted his arm as she passed him. "We're not so easily gotten rid of Furball." She smiled at Airtia and took a second to hug her son.

She reached the intoxicated child and smiled. "Come on Maddie. Let's go play inside. Bet we can find something interesting. Like coffee, and a cold shower." She chuckled then.

[Madeline Cauthon]

Maddie roled her eyes and dismounted with no problem. She really wasn't that drunk. and could talk plan. "Yeah I had a few shots, so what. I've been through enough today to last me a lifetime. I'm glad you came to your senses Daddy."

She walked along side the Goddess smiling. "Play sounds fun, have any tequilia?"

[Beastie]

Dre stood there and nodded. "You know where to find me my friend. Glad to see you are back to your senses, if you ever had any."

He stepped away and walked towards the inn. He sent Tasha a mental link ashe strode on with a determined look on his face. ~Tasha, a moment.~He waited for a second, then the steel entered into the mental link. ~I was serious when I said there is enough going on that we do not need to be lashing out at family. That includes whatever was going on between you and my daughter. If it was about her meeting Venis, then that is her choice. We do have to respect it.~ He continued on, not letting her get a word in ~Never said we have to like it. But believe it or not, there are some that have never heard of or do not like mother.

~I fully believe that given some time, Kyra might come around and want to meet her. But going off on her like you would me will not help. I will protect my own. So I am saying this. Leave off. No more talk about it. If it happens it happens. But I want her shown the same courtesy as any other member of this vithed up family would get. If there is a problem with that, then I am sorry.~

With that he headed back inside. Gods he needed a drink. What a day this had been, he wondered if it could get any worse.

(Enter the Kyra Leaving thread. Dre is exiting this thread so his part is done. Thank you for the play all)

[Airtia S. Cauthon]

It had taken a lot for Airtia to say what she had to Gawain, not because it was something she didn't want to say, but because it was something she didn't think he'd want to hear. Even a blind man could see that there was no love lost with her husband when it came to Benjamin. He had dealt with a terrible act before, now it was working to me replayed. Only with a different cast of characters.

Before she had a chance to respond Dre worked his words to bring calm to the situation, then there was Madeline. Riding in on a horse and proclaiming loudly what she had seen in a vision. Not to mention that she had been drinking.

Airtia had been looking off after her when Gawain started laughing. Either she missed the joke somewhere or he was laughing to help himself feel better. No matter, it got her attention enough for her to hear what he told her next. Did any of it surprise her? It was hard to tell by the expressionless mask that she wore, even their bond was quite. Some would say that didn't bode well. If Madeline was his daughter - which is what she gathered he was saying - she wasn't that much older than their kids. That meant that he either cheated on her while they were dating, during one of the times he went away (hopefully for him this would not be the case) or it happened before they got together. Right before.

She gave him a smile and a slight nod of her before she turned to go. "As ye said, there are things tae discuss." And Airtia headed back inside.

[Gawain]

"Yes, indeed, my dear, not to mention a few mysteries to be cleared up. Hey Madeline, I was wonder....." Hmph. Ah well. He'd speak with Maddie later. For now, he'd have to go and check on De'Ryanna, then talk to his wife. At length. Still, he had to puzzle something out. A foster daughter should not have such affinity to her adoptive father, which had him wondering if that woman hadn't lied to him just to hurt him. Again. There were, it seemed, more secrets in the Mist than he had thought.....silently, he followed Air indoors.

As for Benjamin.....he could consider himself safe.

For now.

[Sponsored content]