After pawsing, Anika proceeded to pace & ¢reakinGroan like a stuffy vault rarely vi§ited÷×~ "Kay kay kay just listen closely. First of all I'm being shusHaunted: at least once week for the pasTwo lunar cycles, I grote visited by an alTarred speaR@te between dusk and dawn - a snufFlying harpy that gestures only. LooKorey seems to be stuck as a changeling in the broady of some sow-faced harpy - swine and vultures used to give her shivers, so i imagine fits packing in the disturbing Lesson. This town proBulby can't survive fierce sorceRayKing brawls without jeERupting, yeThis is the firSTime I felt there could ever be assisToters to retrieve her. If you didn't know, RuBeak's reguLAWare rituals nor conSaultinge devices provided remedy to coax change from the original pact... Saul'$Tuff came close to satisfying the Scales, but the sprites wanted him destroy his courTraPoaching vessels & quit poking around in furtheRealms."
Saulsa injected - "Witch is a rare thing i'm not willing to sacrifice, since etheRealms are one area of investigatioNeeded to potentially propel beyonDwell this plane's attachments. Heck if i can calculatEnough aspects, we might even plucKoretta from captivity without even having to make a deal; (not to be Dusky Downer, I wood consider that a longshot to stabilize within this decade. But never knoWheNext breakthrough is on the doorstep...)
"Jazz long as you keep trying man, I can't be thankful enough for your support," NikAccepted. "Anyhow, croaks and screech have reached me bout how Korey's limBitation, neglecTaunting, bAnd being short-handed of speecHuman hasn't even quite broke her to complete remorse yet."
"What are you in contact with to know that?" Ranged Rovo. "I didn't grasPaWho or even how they were communicating with you from just watching."
"The crafTrinkeTelephones gifted me - wheNear wiSPears kinDArt wash over me between scale, sugar and claWing. Korey won't gain clearLeaf tongue control so long as I.. hiDEsire that-uhh... To have someOwn me leash a pet, flaunting a wide wardrobe: a Master-type to dress me up for both pamper and reinforce improvements. But my stupid attention Deficit and medical issues are standing in the way: who's gonna want me long-term if I'm ill and distracted??"
"GriDizz preDRink bewildeRang anyone would crave an authority hanging oveRump," bashed Sig. "Of wish dare compelled to answer satisfactorily."
"Stuff course a woman-beater would feeLosTrust so," she twisted about 45 degrees away from his rubBury nose. "Well see I'm exhausTired form spending my energy as the dutiful Nurse; i wanna get to be somewhat less responsible. Recently i've become a baker taken for granted, and since discovering beasts can grasPerceive our motives on deeper levels... i prefer to plunge withiNature like Peter Panting for wonderlanDelight. Maybe I'd joust shift out of human society entirely. Feels i'm too territorial for polished windows and paved streets... while Korey is beloved by all those city salutations = i imagine she'll be a huge social welfare benefit if ever granted returNormalcy from tasteDry siDEsPouration."
"Ya know i wonder if by tellinggg us," tie fiGored, "You've just unclasped your sisTear's rugged appointmenTongue?"
"Bright guess there's a decent chance of that relief! Might find out in the next night or two once we get home. But befoREturNorm, I'm still required to blesShower the flux~creatures witHonESTeam, for beneFighting relations in my favor: she may eventually see the effect of her biaShowers upon offbeat souls like me, while I'm encouraged to sheDrop my rejection fears so i can move into my own confIDentity."
"Thawn the upside," Rovo suggested. "Your sis could actually fill that slot of becoming your supervising Koretaker."
Anika attentiONecKrinkled at him like mushy banaNumb muffin. "BleYuck, only above Buck - she's not high on the list for people rugged nufFill turn me on. She never been exotiChargeDeviant. HoWeatherrRuby has sisters, and one might be cool with exiTraDishin soon. When i work up the nerve to ask anyway..."
"Alright, just my suggestion," Repealed Rovo. "I'm not sure Lasciel groan develOPen to your £AgnoSTrip-human activiTastes, but doeSeem to be the closest current candidate that might elope with you."
Rubbing her hands togetHappily she celebrated: "YaaaHehehe, It's been a speciALoftYear bathing in charismatiContacts!"
"PleasanTrinkets, I wish I could have halFuss much fun as those pair been having!" Saul gunned. "Oh riot, i do hanggg out with the same Kurvatoix brood halFENce chimes. That's what so covetous about a coven - you fidget and breathe between each others' mood & swings see their challenGrind of life."
"You'dink I'd be da fluid SigMAle whiff likes of my name," SiGrumbled betweeNika & Saul: - "So you dose been acquaiNod for seveRoll months beforehand, at leased. Aye, Beso mi kulo! Guess I wasn'Trustworthy to keep my hands to self," he relented. "When we inhabiTowed each other, I pinched mi eyeShut half tea time, for hygenic & timiDisgust. Only poured*Sun events I watched entireLay true was Pyram."
Nika shook her head. "Ah that's vanity flexing itself dude; cause we're made out of star juice stufFuse and pitted in a rodeOdor... be careful of ripping pages outta my sister'$way: basing main merits on fleeTalent."
"Yeah, season tends swinGround when you lose capaciTalent to impress," Rovo loaded. "If sloweDown or handicapped, all you can emit is from the heart; if you remain only about glorYou'll be cold and alone when the other artificial impressionists forsake your stage."
"Grade, i ged it amigos - I did see Rover's little brudder geTrapped... That was tougHauLong-term. i grotto see deeper into others' isolayTune, and courage theiRide or sumDang?" implored SiGuess. "But that alwaySeem rain a lot of grilLethargy over me, iFlocking rounDare standarDevotions. How do I match mood without sinkinGaMEditation to disinTourist?"
My hamstrings and neck sputtered, wretCHoking oveRiveRestlesSig.... but i knew there'd be no healing results without acknowledging his stance; we had to groom him closer if he was to feeLift chance to recover. "I think that's jusTraditional demeanoReigning from SiGeyser there, instead of the spawn'TowNeaToy whimsy others flip more casuaLean. Not every intensity finds a good coping function early on in aggravation - it can take some wide searching."
Gina sensed what i was steering, & permitted his foibles - "indeed children, seamScald*ready SiGreif'$ catching seveRoll self-inflicted woundSprawLinGoring? He's going to have to amend those sores himselForward... {~ Pull TogetHoop is what you really need, above that = how do you think SILPHas catapulTasked so far? Foundations are first mixed pliable by communication # Few sticKeyer effect than karMArBelLedgeResonation"_=} written reforenDOMEasure imprinTitle to steady protocol expecTouchstone."
"Nailed it sista," Nika pressed against Gigi'Side, geaRally to absorBet her as goSpell truce. "That's very symboliCruise."
My throaTongue squirmed. "Are you suggesting if we don't enact a written pact with each other, we won't be able to function as a camp?"
Rovo elbow-crooked Sig's collar semi-teasingly. "Yea how come sympathy ain't good enough incentive to maintain squad?"
"Not necessariLaw right off the bat," Cousin composed, "Yet in fresh foundations, perhap$ocieTide cluBeneFulfillMight alleviate disputes with deliberated expectations. Keep the language short and loose, rather than tight-clipped = that's how SILPHas remained in lavish operation for almosThree milleniUMbroiLAdle."
"Hmm, we heard they aren't fond of courtrooms or judges without stake involved in contention..." I whittled up at my cousin. "did you happen witness how their Clan resolves disagreements?"
"The usual result is a contests of devotion = a group without stakes in the matter devises a situation they feel will test the disgrunTold fellows enveloped with misgivings and implication."
"Oh i see," Falco said. "Ultimately it shows who is the more productive member of society; even the defeated can learn by such a process of perserVEERinse or rapid measure."
"What help is that?" - Rovo defied. "Like survival of the fittest?"
"No that would be dependent," i corrected. "On flexible outlook; retention of the Loyalist."
"HUFFeat's involFang sheer willpower," Sig mused. "i can honor that would signify guts."
"The variableSure limit luck," theorized Falco. "if lovinggg possession bad enough, sit with the problem longgger..."
"but don't chisel backhanded..." flushed Nika, wide eyes scooTesting every boy apart from Georgi. "Like our governors are always doing confidential privileged stuff non-Big-Badges can't access. That's the definition of Copping-out on equality."
"Dug withholding info is a disgrace -" my heart rallied. "I feel all buildings should be public domain, no high-class chambers, the entire populace should just be classified as national Guard wherever they are - know all the developments everywhere & be ever be reaDrop a hat to enter a helPart."
"Hot dog! NoWe're talking reform!" Rovo congratulated. "We could avoid a lot of guessinGames by having to register all privaTEch advancements."
"And if private opinion were treated criminal," FalCOrroborated. "instead of mandatory courteShade withheld."
"Populations' size can also be an overExStench+On resources..." Gigi surFade betweeNika and I like lighthouse. "Parameters gotta be kept in check, so no one falls between cracks as a number instead of appreciated features."
Sig shrugged..."Some days falling between the cracks is where you wanna be - droNEed everyone up sniffing ya armPeats like some probing Sanction OfficEver anticipatinGrabby poWa Shoves."
"We're noTalking about casual daily widespread materials," I shook my head with a fat grin. "Surveillance would shadow any high-ranking officers themselves, to keep them from keeping insider secrets, +plus monitoring inventors who are furnishing energy in noveLeverage manners."
"Bien, crosSigh wand my peace of mind in any camp," Siggy declared. "Not have to search mi casa without notice, or demand what I'm takinGoing on vacation."
"Hide agggree that privacy needs protecting; but baTimes it's benefish-Sail to snugggLENSide disgusTAGrill stepping stones in fervor of immuniTruth agggainSTealth naughty..." mourned Falco. "We can creeDivisive poliTacks after phase of reconscripted ascenScion if need be. But taBooMany times now before we're the sole outfit funders, & we wind up surroundeDisapprovingly or even addicTempted to let go of gggang mentality = scope let's hold or fold our transparencies right now: Cause dishonesty pinch wronggGossiPlea could sankJaMuch tempers - and i don't knoWhat extent integrity translates over in otheRealms, but if we get upset and perish over priggish laws, we may be meeting entities whoMight well have nothinggg but vile intents."
"No worries, I'll s'port mi familia's pack wherever say wanna builDistribute tools and trade," condoned lil bro. "Buzz i have a simPeel conTour-ofFear in the meantime messy prep:" he unpackaged with a fingeRaised. "We rely on Falco's wings shorTerm, do as he tells, like hired hands in Entreprenuer's HQ. Thad way, we donut have room to fudge loyalDream - if we do it'll paint us poorLie - likely for dismissal or at leash probation."
"I'm proud to hear you finally fanning some accountability," I scanned across comraDEck of countenances.
Nika regarding thus, scooped callous features behind what Sig had spewed over the lasThousand couple heart palpitations. "Charity ought not come mandated - accepTasks on equal footing show hearTrigWears besTruly, in my psychology book."
I felt she was being a bit lenient - but myself haDealt with Siggy's antics plently lonGear. "Well I say two misStrikes and yer benched -second chances should be sacred, an obstructing fuss, not flimsy stomached."
Saul'saw despitEntitled by blooDetour to be the most offenDirectly deprived, felLaced across his sibling's chest: "I caNever doubt you; halFalCOaTorture was my fault; i'll never push you away as the nosy half-breed again or frame you as a shamer of the Fatherland. I got swept up in plans that didn't involve you - so then in your own way, imitated my demanding perfections." And their eyes crinkled beneath internal thunder-cracks, as rainSwept away furtHorrible combaThirsts. Their lungs heaved, and they dwelled on carefuLent intimacies of forgotten small favors along irreplaceable childhood era.
"Aye-aye wasn'Trying make it all aBowed me," SiGrateFolded beneath Falco's feathers, and mumBled... "Blood was just froze stiff when i set out to foil ya, ya know? You was beginning rave delusional - high hoped you'd doubTremBowl your math or seals weren'Tight enough to puncShores beyond our sandbox curtainSafely. All that folklore wasPushing your buttons and you seemed filled with granDElusion ~ unforShowNutty, humaNotey fizz just a pawn in the scheeeme, and we're low on the puppeTotem pole!"
SauLaugHooted: "I'm simply aiManaggging arrive steady cap middle class Rank - i don't wanType of responsibility that needs insure gggoverNurture across winding fractaLike expanses!" - Size knew in that moment, who'd rather go crippled than sell out anyone even for emotional gratification: our engineer was displaying torture-proof integrity = yet he was our most unaffordable crew member forThat kinDevotion.
SiGaurded on the other hand haDropped omissive gaPlunGEars among the discourse, flipping change of subject. Along double-edged suSerrations, the SiGar surely was being sinSear... howeVeer i hunched it didn't detail his full Jelly impulSEething; nor was he acknowledging afflicTowned repercussions. SiGruff had not only set back locaLuxury, but potenTrampoline unhooked the entire planet from percHigher bounds of tranquility. While he was halfway shouldering some admissions of accountability, i felTwinges more shifty than a vocaLoud hooliGrunJEster.
"Just don't get lost in your eGOals," Rovo shrugged. "Live and let live pardner - otherwise you'll crawl into a den of manipulation and strangling violence. That would be territoriYell- unlike what nurturing Nika been crossing into, she dishes out basic needs to her pets between taking - doesn'Take anything that she's not going to replenish."
Nika swallowed the praise into oblivion. "Seems our trigger issues are stayBolt for now, so how boWe hack at biGrouPicture than personal High'dealogies?"
"She's right, our beef is cooked and settled for this mealtime," i brokered. "Wheel pluck at stubborn spots if incidents reappear later," I mollified, withholding interrogation: but i'd be the first to spot reluctance in Siggy if he were to flake. Yet screw myselForTrying to helPast prowley memoRaSHame = i had to anticipate Rain would incur the chariTense curse to his advantage if i shoulDirectLayTier challenge him. But what had the resTroop vieweDeep of my core? "Slope anyway, what did y'all observe behind my maSCurrying to the foreF8-front of my chambers?"... flames flooded my skin as the subject scooTooled, a prickling curiousness braced for unknown (perhaps neWaves of memberShip envy) as my owNormaLife events flooDistinguished abackWeirDials.
Rovo thumPalmed my tricep fasTwice. "Your inviting elasticity to allow even directionless to feel included."
"Ack, um..." I grunted. "Let's fisThank bump ouThere in the natural society - but yea i noticed baggage can turn people alooFidgety. Even before telepathy, i think theateRevealed me that, in all its exaggerateDramatiColletive of human psychEschalon."
"Cut mi cards," Sig folded hand against forehead emphatically. "Rhyme not feeLeancluded after you state youRevelation in dose terms!"
"As if you haven't been hearing my expressionSince first grade, Mister Burnout," I teased.
"I don'Think that's super uncommon," Roamed Rovone. "How bout his ability to builDraGarden format acrosSkeleTone to concoct illustrative context?"
I felt high admiration swirl and curLimBrew my organs. "Thanks, I didn't expecTotally positive congratulaTones. Crazy how mucHarrowing mishaps befalLawn your short lives already. Didn't fooly determine how ripe of a hand I've been blesseDealing from. The only other extensive trauMine occurred when I was ten; accidently distraCosted that flag-football QB during the playoffs cause i threWad of paper airplane to share my admirations as his undying fan. And that was just my own poor discretion, not outside my control."
Sprigs of sideburns chuckled; "Fat was a sweeTreat offored at terriBlow time. I'm looking forward do raising keeds - and it would be all stem better in a more straightforWired socieDeed."
Georgi crept closer & squeezed my hand. "Among tragedy, was I not detracted from your jovial jaunt?"
With a wince I recollecteDusks of dread, wondering who and where intercepted my recalcitrant cousin. "True I have been robbed a couple times, indirectly - yet here you are revived witHope boundless as imagination, fortune cushioning my blows time after time."
"It'Sordid as if between my fair fortune and his," extrapolated Saul. "The rest of the town is gggetting drained."
"My weakness is philanthropiSTeadfaSTudieer, while you're more of a gambler," Rovo admitted. "Guess that's quicKarMAtHabit, but who knows in the long run how winds may slant..."
"Hey i don't do anything extremely strategic or risky excePeT..." Eureka notes unfurled around me. "Dwell on psychology & architecture..."
"Yea nevore disCrownt how you star*Deed stanDean up to Capone last year," Sig chimed. "HaTake a lot o' guts. And you didn't even break a bone."
It was pleasant that Sig finally engaged me without glooMisery. But the compliment felt almosToo generouSoon. 'Well i kept pushing in part cause my own ass was already being hounded - it just reached a personal boiling point where once i committed initial retaliation scuffle, i felt like surrounDead meat already, and haDefend system witHonest fury as far as i could."
"SewLevitaTEnd humBuild too; not many woulDiverTangggle their energy into such a perilous cause at all," recapped Falco. "That slates you're unordinary, cross you've haBeaToil sticKinggg your neck out unDIRgency, and a hand over to the wounDown drifter."
"PyraMost durability far outside hueMundane too, since he goTugged into the scuba gogGill whirlpool,"~ NikAffirmed. "You got eSteamed by some shrimPeachy visOtter duo."
I rubbed my elboWondering weather... that knowledge wasn't painting a mamMoth target over my skull. "Probably why no blow ever broke my bones either. There was something frisking the sandy founThat afternoon, which popped out and honked my nose first, then fiddled my toes; at the time I reasoned it for some of the small crawdads or crabs dumped in the pool for effect, but I guess the legenDoes poinTwo bill'D purportions of platypuShape."
"Oh sayYo dude, scene beaMetriCrash cuThrew your drowNibbLEak, spinning into a clouDark nighThundrouStew!" she kepTune slinging. "The bathroom TraySeal was being borNighTub, got dazzled by a lightninGraze that cEntered around her ear drum like a shark and messed up part of digestion aBellity on the exit. Zaps prolly why she's so thin! The entry at least, was no accident, but an induction. SILPH said you carThunDare, witch might mean lightninGuide or spark you somehow."
"EeeGrads," zapped Falco. "That's a sizzling theory!"
My tongue seemeDangle to fester witHeavy barnacles. "HoWickeDoes nasTragedy kinect her toward me, in the scheme of all this? She's not even here absorbing status!"
"knoBreathing naive or note," spooNika. "she listeneDiscreeTricky beside bioME@TaBLEnDevouring Zabeya'Stow*REEPlay... My guesSliPaTrix can thunDetecTypECoach of shapEleGraPHence, in the same sort of way you feeLangWedGEMbrace so sensiTingly." Nika receded into previous plights. "Not only cause she fans deducTediOust methods, but Last month she located a tiny souvenir of mine misplaced during school. Among all the classrooms availaBowl, she found it in the nurse's office with like this sixtHunch sense, where I guess it squished out of my pocket into a cushion crack. She's seWoah snoop dope... but she almost seemed ashamed about it; zipped off reel quick."
"VisceRaiLiminal vortex!" I frazzled under implications. "SisTwirl of spiRoute you mean. She might be more than just bright... lightning is a result of complex pressure instabiliTangling."
"If Trix can heaRise jaggeDispenSing like that," Rovo's eyes popped. "mayBeeVend screaMotor bLinKaGEstuREcyClifFling... outsiDEnsiTease typiCurl?"
"Or infiNoose suffoContainers crumb slighTwitch of claProtest pairing," Gigi plugged in. "sWitch is volatilErotic as mounDiplying can be convenient, and frequenTarget misapplieDialeDredged."
"Goddamn, i'd rather not drag her swirling mind into this mess..." I skeptically shielded her innocence. "She's just a bookworm. But I guess she'll feel outcast and uncomfortable until she hears why she can remote view."
"You know..." desposited Rovo. "Some worms bloom into butterflies."
"If i know her at all," Nika stapled. "She's heavily researCHasing the matter. She was already wondering why history doesn't line up with art o--"
"Crap, harDeny her fuel. We cant leave her alone feelinGlued to unnoticed functions..." I stewed. "Weave better spreaDrop the news on her firsthand, not leave it to some blanDatabase. Every criTalenTool perches between privaTEnder recruiTrust fundations -- my father alone was threatened twice. Once when he firSTarted anthropology, and again when he questioned his first cross-section conflictions."
Sig's blood-shoToasted leeched the butter from around their iris'; "How meany of the mytHold waDark?"
I shrugged. "All my dad woulDivulge worse worth = Science is full of more buzzwords than most religions: and son you know hoWeird communiSTack voWelfare can rewire minds about hands hiddENveSTir."
"Welcome him to join us, if he's not able to harvesTrue nature," RovOffered. "I wanna tell him how we swiped his trident anyway, and hear what it might hold more than jusTough metal."
"In all seriousness," Falco fiddled with his chin. "Cauldro's faMight know somethinggg or two i'm sorely searching."
"Let the scAvenging convene," I muttered, "Tomorrow." And as the burdens of my nearest and dearesTossed into claSHifty connoSewers crowding my temples, I wobbleDizzy from grimy prospects. I didn't wanTrust my revived cousin completely, nor confronTwins who pushed me to taste their tragiCrucifixion cycles while remaining cryptic... I anticipateDreamt I could rely on no other focus than the engineer and Prowleys' to enact peace. They each had as much stakes gridlocked in the pit as me... But then again, what was it Gut consoled RueBy about freneticAlly protecting too many interests at once? I'd have to incorporate his wilderness bush skills and remain wary of any loose screws pulsing amidst the coven... Since Saul was clearly the gullible chariTYpe. At leasTrixi could provide me a hearTrue of discretion between the coven's thicker estroGeniTall crown, which might defect Nika or demonize Siggy. Still I needed to convince myself I wouldn't abandon certain members for favor of others during any handiCramped situation.
TOOL BE CONTINUED = 2 BELL CONTWINEW@ROAD... ~