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Post by Your Mom~ on Oct 15, 2013 20:35:45 GMT -8
It had been two days since she'd said goodbye to David, and Olesya had withdrawn into the comfort of her routine. If she kept busy, she didn't think about things, and if she didn't think about things...she didn't miss him. As much. Today Olesya was checking on the productivity of the marketplace and checking in with the preparations for winter. She wasn't getting too involved because it was Kiyr's territory, but she liked touching base with the civilians. Once she was content with the feedback, she made her way back to the official side of territory. She needed to drop some forms off at the war room, figuring she would do so before checking in on the border guards.
She walked in, weaving in and out of passing officers, heading to the constructed 'mailboxes' to drop the forms off. So far she'd managed to stay contentedly busy. She almost felt normal..
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Post by David B. on Oct 15, 2013 20:55:39 GMT -8
"Did maddie enjoy her night?"
David was behind her, men in the background running to and fro, pinning up new maps, setting up new patrol schedules, marking patterns in the territories. He was dressed in his casual garb, but still uniformed. A purple and black Dragon garb with the Elder patch. He seemed a little unsure of his approach...but knew he had to break the ice somehow. She was his voice, after all.
"Did Rick ever report in from the patrol? I know he was out further than usual..."
Again...trying to break some ice.
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Post by Your Mom~ on Oct 15, 2013 21:19:43 GMT -8
Olesya froze, every muscle in her back stiffening as the voice reached her ears. She knew beyond the shadow of a doubt who was standing beside her, and suddenly all the other chatter sounded only like muffled noise as her heartbeat thudded in her ears. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and lowering her shoulders in a forced relaxed position. Her forms found the last cubby holes and she turned to face him, her face an even mask despite the slight flush to her cheeks.
"Rick's patrol hit a rough patch about five miles southeast of the border, some rogue faction that resorted to cannibalism. The patrol eliminated them all when they proved hostile. Other than that, he reports all-clear."
She didn't answer the question about Maddie. She was strictly business, having nursed her wounds and rebuilt her walls to protect herself. David said they needed to be apart, so she would give him his space...and in that time she would not let her personal life flow into her business life. Barker's men were starting to stir, danger was on the horizon. They needed to focus.
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Post by David B. on Oct 15, 2013 21:41:27 GMT -8
David watched her. Unlike her, he wasn't frozen up over it. In fact, he was facing her fully, eyes on hers when she turned to look at him. His eyes were expressive, almost asking the question 'how...are you?' without sound. He cleared his throat, very away that eyes were on them.
"How many men we lose?"
He would then turn and look at the men in the room, some turning back to their work, others still staring. He stepped away from her a bit.
"I'm sorry...did I miss the memo that said 'stop what your doing and watch the Elder and his Voice talk'?"
One man spoke up, his voice cracking a bit, but he still finished the sentence.
"N-no sir. Just...glad to see you back."
David frowned, but almost like he wanted to smile. Instead he flicked a thumb at the door.
"Everyone. Get the hell out."
Papers were shuffled...and men piled out the door. If Olesya tried to follow suit he would stop her.
"Not you. Sit."
He'd move over to take his seat, adjusting the papers and shifting forward to be closer to the table. He would clear his throat and lean back, forearms resting on the arms of it. He would watch her for a few moments before smiling.
"Some of the men told me how many hours you were putting in. No wonder you felt like killing yourself..."
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Post by Your Mom~ on Oct 15, 2013 21:52:31 GMT -8
She faced him fully, through her jaw was set and her gaze was too steady, missing its normal spark. He would know she was wearing a mask, he knew her well enough to spot it right away. He was one of the only people that could see right through it, but she would do what she could to keep him out.
"We lost five-"
She cut off as David turned to yell at the occupants who had taken to staring at them. One of the men stuttered an explanation, but David kicked them out anyway. She had a feeling that she was not part of 'everyone,' nor was she intimidated by his orders, so she didn't move. Shit. It was like that night all over again, asking her to sit...taking his seat...why couldn't he just let her do her job in peace?
Because it's never that simple..
She sat, keeping her face neutral. In response to his smile, her lips simply pressed together in a harder line.
"You put the entire territory on my shoulders, I had no other choice."
She stated simply, with a flat, business-like quality to her voice. It wasn't a complaint, just a statement of fact and duty.
"I had a responsibility and I saw it out as best I could. I would have continued to do so as long as the need was still there."
Until he took the responsibility back. Even still, she kept working hard since her 'demotion,' the only difference being she was now free to go home and tuck Maddie into bed every night. But again, she wasn't going to tell David that.
Separate business and pleasure. Work and personal. He was her Elder, he was her leader. That was all that belonged here, nothing more.
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Post by David B. on Oct 15, 2013 21:58:06 GMT -8
Davids smile withered as she shut down his attempt at humor. He rattled his fingers against the table once. Then twice.
Then he tossed the table aside and lunged at her, aiming a hard kick for her chest. The point being to send her back into the wall- which was made of reinforced steel, where she could crash onto another table or blast right through it. He would readjust himself casually, listening to whatever she said following it. If she just groaned or asked what the hell was the matter with him, he'd talk, ignoring the statement.
"Sorry about that. I just felt like hitting you."
He was now in Elder mode...but not. He was in....teaching mode. He was trying to show her something, and would take the time and deliver the pain necessary to show her.
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Post by Your Mom~ on Oct 15, 2013 22:05:15 GMT -8
Her eyes widened slightly as he flipped the table, lunging at her. She didnt have enough time to react, taking the full force of the kick to the stomach, flying back and into the reinforced wall. The plaster splintered away from the impact crater, chunks falling from the wall. Olesya fell to the ground, doubling over with her knees to her chest and hands bracing herself on the ground.
One breath....two breaths....three....
She stood back up, her mouth a hard line and her eyes narrowed from the blank look she wore before. The flash passed and she carefully fit the mask back into place.
"I understand."
She replied flatly. Blind forgiveness. Would that piss him off? Probably. But he was the one who said they needed to separate in the first place. He needed to understand what that meant.
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Post by David B. on Oct 15, 2013 22:19:44 GMT -8
David walked forward, hands behind his back.
Leaning in, he examined her face thoroughly, then leaned back.
"Sometimes, we hate what life throws at us. We want to hate it. We want to ignore it. The odds. The odds of fate toy with people like ants under a magnifying glass. Those odds like to make us their bitch. The strength is too much, sometimes. Sometimes, we don't expect it. And sometimes, those two come together and really...knock us on our ass."
David turned around and walked over, putting the table back up.
"Now, you wanna hate me, go right ahead. You want to treat me like a friend, an elder, like im all important or insignificant, like I'm some great figurhead or a simple teacher- I don't care, Les. I'm here for you, regardless of the capacity it needs to be in. So long as, when they decide it's your turn to be put on your ass, you have the strength to stand up and look fate in the eye like it didn't hurt at a bit and say 'I understand.'. That's strength. That's life."
He glanced around the room, then started picking up papers.
"I want to see Maddie. Bring her to the training grounds in one hour, and make sure she's outfitted for battle. It's time the girl learned how to fight."
'And to kill.'
He held off on the last bit...for now.
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Post by Your Mom~ on Oct 15, 2013 22:28:21 GMT -8
Hopefully he understood that what he described outlined her life right now, their interaction. Her overwhelming responsibility, his rejection, everything life was throwing at her could make a lesser person want to quit. And yet here she was, standing in front of him, biting her tongue behind closed lips to stare life back in the face. I'm not afraid of you, fate. She thought determinedly. I'm still standing.
An indeterminable emotion flashed in her eyes when he mentioned Maddie. A small childish voice reared up, saying she shouldn't let him see her. He'd walked out on her too! But Olesya was not going to give in to her spiteful urges. Separation of business and personal, separation of business and personal...she would need to speak of Maddie as if she were any other youth, not her daughter.
"Youichi has taught her self-defense while under her care."
Because you were gone.
Because I needed help.
Because she needed protection.
"I'll make sure she's there."
Olesya wasn't sure what he meant by 'outfitted for battle.' It's not like they made body armor for ten year olds. She would stand there, holding his gaze until he either spoke again or dismissed her.
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Post by David B. on Oct 15, 2013 22:33:35 GMT -8
David would stand.
"I know. I asked her to. But Youichi, despite her lethal abilities, has a soft spot for kids. I'm going to teach Maddie the things Bee skipped. She needs sweatpants and a tank top. If she has a knife, she'll bring that too, along with any other weapons she may have."
He would stack the papers and the maps accordingly, before looking over at Olesya.
"You better get going. August took her to border patrol this morning, on the other side of the territory."
He knew Olesya likely didn't know what it was- border patrol was a small kids playplace on the eastern border. He purposely phrased it like that to make Olesya jump into action.
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Post by Your Mom~ on Oct 15, 2013 22:43:24 GMT -8
She kept her face carefully blank when he described what he was going to teach her. She knew he'd do whatever he wanted, and she was to separate work and personal...but if he traumatized her daughter in any way, she would not hesitate to grab him by the balls and squeeze till they pop. Elder be damned.
Her eyes widened slightly at the border patrol comment. Why would he have August take Maddie on border patrol? It just seemed bizarre. Still, August knew that if he wanted to keep his head, he'd keep Maddie safe.
"Sir."
She was pretty much dismissed. Leaving the war room, she'd utilize her skyforce jacket to take to the sky. Her bike was far enough away that she didn't feel like going for it, and on foot would take far too long. She kept her eyes peeled for a red headed man and her brunette daughter, spotting them in a matter of minutes.
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Post by David B. on Oct 16, 2013 7:36:07 GMT -8
As Olesya approached, four men would come along side her, two on each side.
Sky Force.
"Hello, Voice! Sorry for the intrusion- we're the protective Sky-to-ground Unit over your daughter. There are three more awaiting the all clear up ahead. Don't be alarmed if the men seem jumpy, David was very clear in his orders of protection for Maddie."
August was standing out in the open, talking with three other men. As Olesyas form drew near, with the four Sky Force members, the men couldn't really see who she and the other men was, and weren't taking a chance. The only thing they saw was that a Qi user was fast approaching. They were all standing outside a building where several civilians were. August shouted something, and the Civilians dropped, covering their heads. He drew a wickedly curved blade, the other three men doing the same- and out of the shadows of the buildings and surrounding area, thirty six more men moved out, half with their bows trained on Olesya, the other half with spears and swords. They formed a protective arc around the front of the building, all weapons held up at Olesya with a steady, measured pace.
The entire Sky Force was below, along with the most lethal and well trained men in the Dragon Core.
August shouted the stand down as Olesya approached, the men all moving to ease and clapping fists to their hearts, bowing in respect. August walked forward, grinning.
"Hey Les, got a question for ya. Remember when me and Youichi forced you and David to see each other after that night of drinking? Where did we make you guys meet?"
Yeah. He was verifying it was actually her. Otherwise, the white haired woman would never get a glance at the daughter of the REAL Ms. Van Deboggart.
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Post by Your Mom~ on Oct 16, 2013 8:59:49 GMT -8
Olesya flinched as the Sky Force approached her quickly, recognizing them as they approached and continuing her course. She was pleased that David at least ensured that Maddie was safe. They flew to the building where she was, and she noticed the welcoming committee on the ground, posed and ready to strike.
That is...until they recognized her.
She touched down, clasping her fist over her chest, but not bowing to the soldiers. She turned to August, the ghost of a smirk falling on her face as he pulled up that memory. It stung, considering their current situation.
"You brought us to a playground. Made us talk about our feelings."
Whole lot of good it did, huh?
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Post by David B. on Oct 16, 2013 9:21:56 GMT -8
August gave a small smile. " Too right. Your daughter is around back, with the other twenty of our men." He would lead her around, where the men sat in a tight circle, rounded and dome-like,covered in sheet metal. Spears were held out through the holes in the metal, and they seemed to be waiting. Out in front was one man, in battle Armor, and shaped like a bull. As Olesya and August approached, he looked to August. "There were three, and now theres one." " So goes the rise of power." The man nodded, and the circle of men and shields and spears moved out of the circle, and from the center Maddie ran out, rushing to Olesyas arms. " Mommy- did you see me! That was cool...haha" |
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Post by Your Mom~ on Oct 16, 2013 9:29:00 GMT -8
Thirty...twenty...fifty? What were fifty of their men doing here just to watch Maddie? Did David know something she didn't? Or was he demonstrating the lax of security that Olesya had been displaying for her daughter? Youichi was a constant body guard 24/7, and with the rest of the roaming partols that was enough in Olesya's eyes. She wanted Maddie to have as normal of a childhood as possible, to be able to go to the schoolhouse and play with her friends...not be locked up like a glass ornament surrounded by a thousand landmines and barbed wire.
She hid her thoughts, a smile breaking out on her face as she bent down to scoop her little girl up in a giant hug.
"Heyy Maddie-bug! I didn't! You were well hidden, good job."
Over Maddies shoulder, she gave August a questioning look. However the smile fell back into place as she rested the girl on her hip, her arms wrapped aorund her. Maddie was almost getting too big for this, it was a saddening thought. She was growing up so fast.
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