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A Day In Paradise; Open
Topic Started: May 15 2014, 11:14 PM (2,362 Views)
Demoness
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Feoras is a land of great beauty and great sorrow. In ancient times, the isolated island was its own world, warring, celebrating, and living by its own rules. Its first contact with the outside world was violent, but it resulted in the assimilation of the invader culture into its own. However, this would not be the trend and the next encounter ended with Feoras being the assimilated party. For centuries, it was subjugated by Demonessian masters until the modern age brought with it change: enormous destruction, followed by brief freedom and then patronizing stewardship.

The island suffered from poverty, but there was still beauty to be found. While its five remaining ethnicities live in an enforced peace, the tourist areas benefit from the economic boon and generate a false sense of wealth. Tourists are attracted by Mauna Inaka, the volcanic center of the island, and the black sand beaches she generated. The gentle slope of the continental shelf allows swimmers to wade into a seemingly endless sea and walk up to boats parked in the shallows. Its coral reefs are untouched in certain parts of the island and the fauna found there are unmatched.

With the economy centered around the tourism trade, it is hard to leave the main areas. However, the adventurous tourist may find other ways to pass the time. The Genfiotes in the south control the tourism areas, making sure they are clean and presentable, as do their neighbors in Ahi'iana. The Genfiotes, however, present a curiosity: their religious leaders, known as the Undying. These leaders dress entirely in grey and cover their faces with a mask and veil. When they speak, they speak as if they are not an individual; they speak as if they are from a collective consciousness, which can be unnerving for some. In Fuwoku, one can find the farmers, who toil away in the dirt and respect animals as much as humans. For the adventurous, there is Kain, a land of warriors where the leader is determined through battle prowess. While Mpali represents the industrialized portion of the island, Isis certainly fairs the best as the seat of the former colonial masters.

Humanitarians may seek to provide relief from poverty and criminals may find a new foothold, but tourists, explorers, and travelers may find adventure.
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Demoness
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Hana frowned. Vlad had told her earlier that his brother was special forces, which means that she, like Arashi, might be better off with a hostage if she encountered him. It also meant that her hunt for her sister had grown more complicated.

"Alright, you can come with me, but your fate will be in your hands from this point," she said. "This group is far more dangerous than any small time gangs on this island. They are terrorists. They have tortured and killed several people. I will try to protect you, but there it might be your best interest to run if we get into a direct conflict. Which I don't intend to do."

She started walking down the street. Streetlights were a distant glow and this residential area relied on the moon, stars, and internal lights. It was difficult to tell how late it was or how soon dawn would come.

---

Liko appeared surprised, but he covered up his expression. "Maybe," he replied guardedly.
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Cetatsenia
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Hana could tell from Vlad's facial expression that he wasn't happy with learning the people they were going to meet were terrorists. "Straşnic," he said to himself as he started following Hana down the street. As they walked Vlad did his best not to look nervous, though his eyes darted around the streets and alleyways they passed. "I do not suppose you have a gun to spare?" he asked before forcing a nervous laugh, "Nevermind, I would probably just end up shooting myself in ze foot."

------

The surprised expression on Liko's face was all Andrei needed to know that he was right. And judging from what had happened in the 'clinic' it seemed they thought Polunu was responsible. "Well zat is a yes," Andrei said, "But it was not Polunu, in case zat was what you zought."
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Demoness
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Hana's memory stirred with a movie she had seen a few years ago where a man accidentally shot himself in the head when they entered a crisis. She didn't think Vlad was as clumsy as he, but even if she had a spare pistol she wouldn't give it to him; after all, he was still technically a hostage and there was the fact that they were illegal.

She considered what she had in her bag and reluctantly decided Vlad had the right to be armed. She paused after glancing down the street and rummaged through her bag. She pulled out a small device, no larger than a quarter, and handed it to Vlad. "This emits a high pitched wail," she said, showing him where the button was as she spoke. "It's not going to disable anyone, but it's annoying and it will distract xem long enough for you to escape. It's the best I can do."

She turned away and started walking again. It was probably too late for any gangs to still be roaming - after all, they had to sleep sometime - but she wasn't going to take any chances and she needed to be on the look out for humvee patrols as well. She walked with a purpose, which should discourage lesser criminals, yet Vlad's nervousness undermined that image.

---

"Who?" Liko asked suspiciously. He had not liked Polunu from the start, but that didn't mean he trusted the story he'd been told.
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Cetatsenia
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Vlad looked at the device and blinked in surprise; he hadn't honestly expected to get anything at all from Hana. "Zank you," he said, and started to follow her again as he slipped the device into his pocket. He did his best to stand up tall and emulate the way Hana was walking, though his eyes did dart nervously from alleyway to alleyway.

------

"You spoke wiz Polunu, did you not?" Andrei asked, "He should have told you. Or was he still drunk? Eizer way, he knows who she is. She is ze reason Polunu is in zere right now; she shot him."
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Demoness
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One of the few things Hana liked about working in Feoras was the lack of ambient sound. It made it harder to pinpoint the sources sometimes, but sounds could be heard farther away than normal and she heard the low grumbling of the humvee as it labored toward them. By her estimate it was a little past three in the morning, so the sentries were likely to be tired and lax in their duties. It would be excellent if the gunner was equally fatigued as it lessened the likelihood of them being spotted as it was his primary job to stop passersby.

She paused, listening intently to the sound, and decided she knew its direction and heading. She signaled for Vlad to duck behind the building with her and she waited patiently for the humvee to pass. The growling of its engine grew louder until it was visible crossing the intersection a block ahead of them.

---

"Who?" Liko repeated. He had his own suspicions about the culprit, among other doubts since the meeting earlier that evening.
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Cetatsenia
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Vlad quickly ducked behind the building, waiting to get a glimpse of whatever it was that was coming. He heard it, but he wasn't certain of what it was. Aside from the fact that it obviously wasn't good if it spotted them.

"Is zat a humvee?" he said, tilting his head in surprise.

------

Andrei shot the man an irritated look, "I do not know who she was. I only met ze woman for a few minutes before your friend in zere showed up. But boz of us have a very good reason to want to find her."
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Demoness
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Hana frowned at Vlad, noting his surprise. "Yes," she replied. "That's what I was talking about when I mentioned the nightly patrols. If they are Demonessian, then you can trust them. If they are Feorasan, you may be able to trust them. However, we are breaking curfew so it is not good for us. If you get into trouble with the Apostates, find one of them," she said as she watched the patrol pass.

The humvee had at least two individuals in the cab and a third manning the gunner's seat. The turret was in fact armed, though it appeared to be a simple assault rifle rather than something heavier while still being shielded. There was also a spotlight that rotated in the direction of the soldier's field of vision. Hana hid when the light shined down their street and reappeared as it turned away. It was difficult to tell in the dark for certain what they wore, but it did appear to be fatigues.

---

"Why?" Liko asked, still not certain that he wanted to trust this stranger. Most foreigners on the island were tourists, though a few had decided to invest in the criminal element and he'd heard of a few war criminals hiding out on the island as well. The man looked fit, like he could be a soldier, and while Liko didn't mind criminal intentions, he did not want to get mixed up in any sort of international investigation.
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Cetatsenia
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Once he saw the humvee and Hana had answered his questions, Vlad ducked down and stayed there regardless of whether the light was shining there or not. He'd rather not get caught by them, and when Vlad thought about that it surprised him. If he went to them, they could help him regardless of the fact that he was breaking curfew. After all, being kidnapped and then escaping from that kidnapper was a very good reason for being out after curfew; he didn't need to mention he'd left the actual kidnapper behind ages ago and was now traveling with her sister on his own volition. And the fact that he was royalty probably wouldn't hurt either. But he still wasn't entirely certain, and then it didn't matter as the patrol had passed them by.

"You know, if we come across anozer one I could just turn myself over," he said to Hana, "I could just say I was kidnapped at gunpoint, but got away. I do not have to mention you."

------

Andrei thought about what to say for a moment, before deciding to stay intentionally vague. He didn't want them to know his brother had been kidnapped, at least not yet. "Let us just say zat when she fled, she took somezing rather important to me," he said, "And getting it back is ze only damn zing I care about right now."
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Demoness
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"I would appreciate that," Hana said. She didn't add that mentioning her sister would also expose her since the twins typically posed as one individual and she, being the one carrying any ID, would probably be more suspect if her sister was caught under a different identity.

She continued. "You could probably catch up with that one now, if you wish, but I would appreciate it if you didn't mention where I was heading. The SDF would botch any kind of operation against the Apostates and pretty much tip off that they were being watched."

---

Liko perked up. "Is there a reward?" he asked.
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Cetatsenia
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Vlad looked over at where the humvee had driven off to, and immediately decided not to go chase after it. He knew it was irrational, but he was more worried about getting mugged or attacked while trying to find the patrol than he was of continuing along with Hana towards terrorists.

"No zanks, I will manage," he said, "And I am not entirely sure where we were heading anyway."

------

"Yes, zere is," Andrei immediately lied, "Assuming, of course, zat we find ze woman and get what I want back." Of course he didn't plan on giving these people anything for helping him, but they didn't need to know that. And promising a reward seemed like a good way to get them to help them; it may not make them allies or friends, but it was an incentive to help him find Arashi.
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