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A Day In Paradise; Open
Topic Started: May 15 2014, 11:14 PM (2,361 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 nodded and then continued on her way. She thought it a bit strange that Vlad kept deciding to stay with her. While she didn't make a habit of involving civilians, none of them stayed with her voluntarily during the few incidents when it had occurred, save for one, and he had been handcuffed to her for most of the ordeal; it made sense to follow through to the resolution. She wondered if Vlad had developed some sort of Stockholm Syndrome.

They walked slowly through the neighborhood until it opened up to the beach and the habitations grew more and more scattered. She kept low on the open ground and instructed Vlad how to walk without injuring himself. The treeline re-established itself and if they'd walked ten more miles, they would find themselves at one of the more pleasant beaches in the area. Instead, the walked a few miles diagonally from the beach into the interior. Hana was silent and she scolded Vlad any time he made a noise. A house appeared in the distance right around dawn and Hana stopped and hid herself in the foliage to rummage through her bag for a pair of binoculars.

Like most of the island's natives, the house was built from rushes and other plants leaned against a solid frame. There was no glass in the windows, but there were shutters to be closed in poor weather. The inhabitants must just be stirring as there was movement in the house and Hana watched them intently through the binoculars.

---

Liko considered it. "Want..." He trailed off as he offered his hand and pointed to it. He couldn't remember the correct word he wanted to use, but he'd seen it once in a movie and thought it clever to ask. Then he added, "Little," and mimed the appropriate gesture.
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Cetatsenia
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Vlad had no more idea than Hana why he kept following her. He rationalized it as finding her sister could mean finding his brother, and that going off on his own could very well result in his death due to the area not being the safest. But that rationalization was as flimsy as wet paper; getting in touch with the cops meant he could call his brother and they were currently going to visit terrorists that were probably far more dangerous than some street thug. And Vlad eventually decided that he'd probably made a stupid decision, but by this point there was no going back and he'd have to live with it. Or, quite possibly, die.

He wasn't as good at sneaking through the foliage as Hana was, and so he ended up making noise several times. He quietly apologized the first few times before he realized it was probably better not to say anything, since that was just more noise. And when the house came into view, Vlad did his best to hide himself alongside Hana. And that was when the fatigue hit him. He'd spent a good part of the night either scared for his life or moving around, and he hadn't realized just how tired he was until he was down in the foliage. He didn't even manage to say anything to Hana before he had ended up dozing off.

------

For a long moment Andrei stood there staring at Liko, unsure of what he meant. Then it hit him, "Oh, you want to shake on it." Andrei took the man's hand and shook it, smiling as he did so, "So zis means you will help me zen, no?"
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Demoness
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Hana didn't noticed that Vlad had dozed off at first until he started softly snoring. She turned and smiled, rather than be annoyed, and moved him into a position where he'd be more quiet. He'd shown plenty of resiliency throughout the night and even though he knew too much, she was having a change of heart about euthanizing him.

She focused her attention back on the house and realized that the stirring figure was only her sister. The rest of the house, which she knew usually contained several people, was silent and that meant Hana had arrived after the action had finished. She decided the best action was to confront her now that she'd seen her, but she couldn't just leave Vlad. She covered him with leaves and other foliage to distort his sleeping form and left him directions on how to get back to the beach along with the bag he was supposed to give to the police; she didn't figure she'd be able to separate herself from her sister once they were reunited.

She left the safety of cover with her bag and approached Arashi. "Fratino," she said.

"Fratino," Arashi acknowledged, briefly looking up from her work. Given the material of the house, it wouldn't take much to go up in flames and she was setting a good fire to start it since she did not have fuel. She noted Vlad's absence and in Morai asked, "Where's the hostage?"

"I let him go. He's a Cetatsen prince. We don't need more problems," Hana replied. Her sister turned to say something, but she cut her off. "What are you doing?" She nodded toward the interior of the house. She could guess what had gone on without actually entering, but she wanted to control the situation.

"We had a little chat. I think I found out who our little source is for the leak," Arashi answered.

"Are you certain? Your technique is sloppy when you are angry," she replied, inferring she used torture to receive her answers.

"I'm positive," she hissed.

"Then let's report in," Hana suggested. This wasn't the sole source of Apostates on the island, nor even an important cell, but it was the cell they'd been targeting in order to infiltrate the larger organization. Their deaths would be noted as suspicious and likely tip off the Apostates that they were being watched, a very bad move. Current data suggested that there were several of the sects on the island and that it was likely the Heralds of Qayima that had gained access to the leaked bioweapon. This cell would know nothing.

Arashi shook her head. "They told me where to locate other cells."

"That's a job for a task force, not us. This job was infiltration, not elimination," Hana continued. "We've already attracted too much attention to ourselves. Cetatsenia will want an investigation and the longer you spend here the more likely it is for you to get caught. We can ask for extraction and be out of here by tonight. The mission is a wash."

The smoke was beginning to build in the tinder pile beneath Arashi's feet and she coaxed the flame into a growing fire. She stepped away, joining her sister's side as she watched the fire began to eat at the house. Hana believed the fire was an unnecessary step to cover their tracks unless her sister had indeed been sloppy. Arashi started to walk deeper into the woods. "Fratino, it's over," Hana called after her.

"I can still salvage the operation," Arashi replied and disappeared.

---

Liko looked disappointed; this was clearly not what he was expecting. "Little reward first," he said.
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Cetatsenia
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Andrei gave the man a stern look, obviously not amused by the man asking for a reward first. "And risk you taking off wiz it? Sorry, zat is not going to happen," he said. And if everything went well, Liko wouldn't get a reward afterwards either.

"And before you ask, yes. It is because I do not trust you yet," he added, "Forgive me, but I know nozing about you aside from ze fact zat you consort wiz criminals."
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Demoness
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"I no trust you," Liko said. "Maybe no reward." He scowled and started to walk away. "Not my time."
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Cetatsenia
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Andrei glared at the man as he turned away, reaching out to grab him firmly by the shoulder. "You are going to have to find her eizer way, are you not? It is better to have my help when you do," Andrei said, "So really, what do you have to lose?"
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Demoness
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"Or Luana..." Liko trailed off as he tried to remember his vocabulary. "-Dealed with xem. I wait."
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Cetatsenia
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Andrei just stared at the man, the incomprehension plain on his face. "Who is Luana?" he asked.
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Demoness
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"Boss," Liko replied.
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Cetatsenia
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Andrei thought for a moment, before deciding it would be best to wait for this 'Luana' person. They'd probably be a bigger help finding Arashi than just Liko anyway. And it seemed like Liko was set on not accepting his offer, so he wasn't even going to try anymore. "So when will zis Luana get here?" he asked, "Zey are coming here, are zey not?"
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