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Post by Lans on May 8, 2009 0:04:36 GMT -5
Manic snored quietly, wrapped up in the cloak that they'd been using as a blanket, when a drop of morning dew made a pinpoint landing in his left nostril, causing him to snort awake. He yawned and blinked a bit, wiping his nose as he got his bearings, slowly recalling where he was and the events of yesterday, especially...Tikal. Cue floaty heartsHe grinned. She was one heck of a babe...inside and out. He REALLY hoped that her family or group or whatnot decided to come back to Meadowood and stay a while. He rolled over to see if she was up as well...only to find her missing. Startled, he sat up and looked around, seeing only the remains of their campfire...as well as a small circle of stones that he couldn't remember being there last night. He pulled the cloak off him and got up to walk over to the stones, looking around for the Echidna girl. "Tikal? Like, where'd you go?"
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Post by Leda on May 8, 2009 0:15:07 GMT -5
"I'm up here!" she called, her voice floating down from the treetops. "I'll be down in a second!" Returning her attention to the task at hand, Tikal focused her gaze onto the river rapids they'd ridden just the day before, clenching her jaw with concentration. If Ridgy were coming to find them, he should've easily been within wind whispering distance by now. Unless he'd been injured, of course. But then, that didn't agree with the stones... Then again, she had a history of screwing up her divinations. No, no! Being calm is the key! The priestess closed her eyes and hugged her body against the tree trunk. Drawing in a deep breath, she eventually whispered, " Ridgy? Are you there? It's Tikal..." But again, no voice came back to greet her.
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Post by Lans on May 8, 2009 0:35:25 GMT -5
Manic looked up, taking a second to spot her among the branches as his face scrunched in confusion. "What're ya doing up there?" he asked as he headed over to the base of the tree she was in.
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Post by Leda on May 8, 2009 0:40:02 GMT -5
"I was trying to contact Ridgy," Tikal explained, carefully descending the many branches. "I tried to divine some information when I got up, but all I was able to find out is that he's okay... Or at least, I'm pretty sure that's what it said." Making her way to the base, the echidna took a seat on a low branch and scrunched her face. "But if he's okay, why is he still too far away to contact?"
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Post by Lans on May 9, 2009 2:27:59 GMT -5
"Contact him?" Manic asked, as he moved to help her down the rest of the way. "You've got a radio?" Even as he said it he realized that that didn't make sense. For one thing...where would she be keeping it? For another, no way anything like that worked after the river ride they'd had.
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Post by Leda on May 9, 2009 10:39:56 GMT -5
"No no no, nothing like that." The orangey echidna braced herself against Manic's shoulders as he assisted her the rest of the way to the ground. "It's something my old tribe taught me when I was little. I ask Antowas to carry my voice on the wind so I can speak to someone from far away." With her feet on terra firma, Tikal made her way back to the stone reading she'd attempted prior. "See, I did a divination when I woke up, but the message was muddled... These rocks here," she pointed, "told me that Ridgy is okay, but these on this side indicate his location is near water. That would've meant he's trying to meet with us, right?" Tikal's muzzle wrinkled. "But if that were true, I'd think I could've contacted him by now."
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Post by Lans on May 9, 2009 23:44:59 GMT -5
"Oookay," Manic said, not knowing what else to say to that. Spiritual mumbo jumbo just went right over his head. "But, well, if you're trying to talk to Ridgy dude directly, like, good luck. His head's kinda...thick," he said with a smirk.
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Post by Leda on May 10, 2009 0:47:34 GMT -5
"Still..." Tikal's face continued to betray her concern, "I hope it doesn't mean he's trapped somewhere or something." The echidna retrieved her cloak from the ground and flipped it around onto her shoulders, beginning to nudge dirt over their former fire with her foot. "There's more bad news... I wasn't able to find anything for breakfast. We're going to have to start hiking on empty stomachs today." A frown etched across her muzzle as she buried the charred wood. Getting food is the one thing I'm supposed to be good at, and today I can't even do that much.
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Post by Lans on May 10, 2009 1:06:46 GMT -5
Manic just shrugged. He'd gone without a lot of food for days at times. "Meh, we'll manage," he said, "Let's just worry about, like, getting back to your group then home to Meadowwood."
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Post by Leda on May 10, 2009 22:00:45 GMT -5
The echidna nodded, cracking a smile again. "Yeah, good idea. We need to stay positive, right? Even if Ridgy's out of contact range, he's supposed to be near the water. Maybe we can find him on our way." Leading the way ahead, it wasn't long before Tikal's eye fell on the first ridge they would need to pass, and an uncertain hum followed. "We're going to have to find a way to get up there... Any ideas?"
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Post by Lans on May 10, 2009 23:06:38 GMT -5
"There's a way back up a little while that way," Manic said, pointing. Most of the group who went on raids often got to know the woods pretty well. It was a good idea to know the terrain when you needed to throw off possible pursuing SWATbots. "And once up there, we can just, like, head back and follow the river back to where we started."
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Post by Leda on May 12, 2009 21:44:06 GMT -5
"That works. Hopefully we can find food on the way, too." Just because she was used to being underfed didn't mean she enjoyed enduring it. As the two began to follow along the outcropping, Tikal sucked in a deep breath of air and released it with satisfaction. "It smells nice and fresh this morning. I wonder if it's the effect of the river."
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Post by Lans on May 12, 2009 23:50:26 GMT -5
"Yeah...maybe," Manic agreed, really paying more attention to her than to the surroundings.
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Post by Leda on May 13, 2009 0:04:48 GMT -5
A silence fell, though not exactly an awkward one. Quite oppositely, it felt sort of... charged, as though there were a sort of electricity in the air. ...Or chemistry. "Say, Manic," Tikal began after a few moments, glancing at the green hedgehog, "I was just thinking, you've told me a lot about your home yesterday, but... I haven't heard as much about you." Smiling hopefully, with the slightest hue of pink across her muzzle, the priestess delicately asked, "...Would you mind too much to tell me about yourself?"
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Post by Lans on May 13, 2009 1:00:12 GMT -5
Manic frowned suddenly, and also seemed to now be looking everywhere BUT at her. "Well...there's, like, not much to tell really. Nothing important or interesting..."
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Post by Leda on May 13, 2009 1:06:28 GMT -5
Tikal's steps slowed so much she nearly stopped, allowing herself to fall behind. The tingling feeling she'd been experiencing had abruptly turned to a heavy sinking one in her stomach. I... I just offended him, she realized with a deep sense of dread. I really ought to listen to Daddy more... It's not right to ask for anything not offered.Catching up with a few quick steps, Tikal resumed Manic's pace, although now she strode slightly behind him. The echidna opened her mouth to apologize, but in her nervousness she couldn't word it, and instead fretfully wrung her hands together.
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Post by Lans on May 13, 2009 20:37:15 GMT -5
Oh shit that was bad! Manic through frantically. He hadn't meant to (he thought) offend her. It was just...his past wasn't exactly something he was super comfortable talking about. Think of something you dummy! "Well, I mean...I...I'm just an ordinary guy ya know?" Oh yeah, REAL helpful! "I...I like drums!"
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Post by Leda on May 13, 2009 20:44:20 GMT -5
" Drums are nice," she quietly replied, eying the grass beneath her feet. Tikal paused then, stuck debating between asking for elaboration or just shutting up. Was it okay to ask for more information since he'd brought it up? Or would it be rude, since he likely only brought it up in lieu of her prying? Tikal released a disheartened sigh. " I'm sorry," the priestess finally said in the end.
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Post by Lans on May 13, 2009 23:46:05 GMT -5
"Sorry?" He asked, confused. "What for?" OH AURORA, NOW WHAT'D I DO!?
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Post by Leda on May 13, 2009 23:54:02 GMT -5
The echidna girl's face seemed to disappear behind her lock-like spines. "I shouldn't have prodded you. I always seem to mess things up. It was bound to happen eventually..." At last Tikal lifted her face, but she didn't look at Manic's, instead staring listlessly ahead at their path. "I wonder when we'll get to that path you mentioned."
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Post by Lans on May 14, 2009 0:23:10 GMT -5
Manic stopped. "Wha- But you didn't,..." He sighed. "...Look, I just...don't exactly come from, like, the greatest places." He sighed, looking away from her. "...I lived on the streets before the war."
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Post by Leda on May 14, 2009 1:06:10 GMT -5
"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to... sir." The priestess glanced dolefully in Manic's direction. "I don't have the right to know your business, anyway."
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Post by Lans on May 15, 2009 15:56:49 GMT -5
"No it's ok," he told her as reassuringly as he could. "I just.... didn't want you to think less of me..."
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Post by Leda on May 15, 2009 16:00:06 GMT -5
"I could never think less of you," Tikal replied, cracking a smile. "There are things that would hurt me if they were done, but I don't think it's in your capacity to do them."
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Post by Lans on May 15, 2009 16:35:23 GMT -5
That brightened Manic considerably. "Really? You mean...you don't, like, care that I was a street trash sneak thief?" he said hopefully, before his eyes widened in horror and he snapped his hands over his mouth because of the last part.
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Post by Leda on May 15, 2009 16:39:14 GMT -5
The priestess chuckled, although it didn't seem to quite be out of amusement. "Rest assured that I've witnessed far uglier behavior than yours, many more times than I've ever cared to."
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Post by Lans on May 15, 2009 21:28:31 GMT -5
"Oh, well, that's a relief," he said, then paniked again. "Uh...not that you've seen worse. I mean...that you don't hate me."
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Post by Leda on May 15, 2009 21:41:24 GMT -5
Tikal's smile widened, and faint traces of the pinkish hue returned to her muzzle. "Of course I don't hate you. I'm just glad you don't hate me."
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Post by Lans on May 16, 2009 0:11:54 GMT -5
"Wha- Why would I hate you?" Manic asked. He moved over to her and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Tikal you're...awesome."
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Post by Leda on May 16, 2009 0:22:51 GMT -5
The echidna paused, almost looking startled, and peered into Manic's face again. It didn't... appear that he was humoring her... Suddenly Tikal's eyes began to well up, and doing her best to hide it, she faked a rub at her muzzle. "Y-You think so?" she questioned with a quiet chuckle. Now if only I can keep from screwing up again!
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