Author: Jared, Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2020 10:13 AM, Post Subject: I Wasn't Alone [P]

Once he heard about the goddess of light and the fact she went to the island near Abed, he realized how naive his little sister actually was. Talia smiled as though completely unaware that Sirona herself was incredibly dangerous to them. They both served under Lord Raith who was the exact opposite of Sirona. It was dangerous for either of them to associate with the goddess, even if she was nice to the little girl. He let her take his hands but his mind was going over her words. So she could be in the sunlight now. But how long would that last? Was it permanent or just a nice small thing for Sirona to do?

"You are incredibly lucky that turned out so well for you." Jared said, "Look, Talia, the goddess may have been nice to you but you should stay away from her. As a goddess, she's got hundreds of people following her. People who follow her light and people who hate vampires. If you run into any of THEM, they will not hesitate to kill you."

Even if Sirona favored his little sister, which was dangerous on its own terms, there were plenty of others who followed her that disliked vampires. Perhaps they wouldn't outright kill her but they would try to torment her in any way or use her. People of the light were just as cruel as those who followed the darkness. Pretending otherwise was an illusion to the mind.

"One person of light sparing you doesn't mean anything." He explained, "They let one of us go but that's nothing new. Every now and then a vampire or creature of darkness is spared because she smiled, cause he's got long hair, cause they begged. And that's how the light live with themselves. That's how they slaughter thousands of our kind. Because once in a while on a whim, if the winds in the right direction, they happen to be kind."

They couldn't reverse the effects of Sirona's sunblock and the actual magic used was incredibly useful for Talia. It meant that she would no longer fear the day. Light magic would probably still be strong on Taliana but at least the sun wouldn't kill her. However she needed to understand that just because a goddess of light accepted her, it didn't mean the people around the goddess of light did.

"You really need to be more careful. From now on you will leave a note explaining where you've gone." Jared said, "And I'll be paying for the animals to learn to defend you. I know you have strong magic in fire but I'm not willing to rely only on that."

Author: Taliana, Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2020 3:24 PM, Post Subject: I Wasn't Alone [P]

The young mage drank her milk quickly once she heard Jared's voice. He was clearly upset, and rightfully so. She had made a very impulsive decision and failed to tell anyone where she had disappeared to. Talia set her glass down and walked to the chair without fuss. When she set foot on her adventure, she knew there would be consequences at home when she got back.

She sat very lady-like on the chair as she faced her brother. "In the vast waters near Abed, an island appeared. The place where everyone was dreaming about? I needed to explore it, to step foot there. Lily and the pups went with me for protection." Yes, Talia was not innocent in the art of lying. But she was being deadly sincere in her explanation. "But I promise, I wasn't alone." She smiled up at her brother as she thought of Lady Sirona.

"She was a goddess, Jared! Lady Sirona came to me. She was so nice and lovely. I asked her about the long daylight she forced on us, and she said she was only trying to get the bad people from hurting others." Talia was becoming excited, she was practically squirming as she told the story. "Lady Sirona apologized if we got hurt, and then she did something amazing!" She reached out and grabbed Jared's hands. "She gave me the gift to dance in sunlight forever!" The fire mage squealed as she jumped up and began to twirl around. "As long as the sun is out, I can be in it without getting hurt!"

Author: Jared, Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2020 10:34 PM, Post Subject: I Wasn't Alone [P]

Jared had made it home a long while before Talia did, since he had magic on his side and could shapeshift into a flying animal. When he arrived to an empty home, he tore the place apart in search of his sister. Then he went around town trying to find clues on where she went. He soon realized that he would have to wait for her to come home. So he put the house back together and waited for his little sister. When she announced her presence he didn't say anything at first. He was sitting in one of the sofas in the corner of the room, thinking.

"Taliana Aeron! Where have you been?" He asked sternly, "No note. Animals out and about. You have three minutes to explain yourself young lady."

Jared's demeanor was calm but his eyes were burning with anger. The anger was born from the fear that she would pull this again. He didn't mind Taliana going off on her own but she didn't mention it to him. And again, there wasn't a note. He had no idea where she was, what she was doing, or even if she was alive! She could have been caught by vampire hunters, stayed out too long in the sun, or could have been killed. Jared realized he couldn't keep her in here every time he needed to go on a mission and would establish a plan for next time. But still, she knew better than this!

He gestured to a chair to sit down so she could explain herself. Jared always let her explain herself whenever she got into trouble, which was rarely. It was a fairness to her since he didn't always know what happened. Depending on her answer, and how truthful it was, he would decide what was to be done next. Jared kept his eyes directly on Taliana and was watching exactly how she would behave. She could cry or get mad at the fact he was being stern, but it wouldn't work.

Author: Taliana, Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2020 9:47 PM, Post Subject: I Wasn't Alone [P]

As Taliana got to learn at Sirona's side, so too did she notice something eat away at the place they visited. It was like some nagging thing at the back of the mind trying to break an illusion. Buildings began to crumble around them and Talia began to fear for the people. Once they knew people were boarding ships and getting to safety, Sirona opened a portal for Taliana to return home to Kurayo.

With Lily still clutched in her arms, Bob, Frank, and Joe started ahead, yipping with the excitement of the adventure they had. The three-headed dog made it home long before the young mage did, scratching at the door impatiently. She dragged her feet as she contemplated what the goddess had told her. How the goddess was sorry that she hurt the vampires, that she caused Taliana boredom.

Once she unlocked the door, the cerberus pup ran to their bowl for water, having been wise enough not to drink on the island. Lily was released, who promptly disappeared upstairs, presumably to sit on Talia's bed and clean herself before a nap. "Jared, I'm home!" Taliaa called out into the house as she poured herself a cup of milk.