[SpringsSong]

Alana sighed in relief as she heard this.  "That is indeed favorable news.  But what of the Void Akails that have been seen a lot more as of late?" she asked, her eyes alight with concern as she looked around carefully.  "You can never tell with them, I hear..." she said quietly.

Of course, Alana was right to be concerned.  Lurking just outside of the restaurant was a Void Akail, hidden by her dark colors in the dark cave.  "You are right to fear us, Spirit Kuhna." She hissed, glaring at the carriage as it stopped.  "Usake!  Get over here." She growled.  She did not wait for the Fallen Luhna to come up to her side before she began to speak.

"You said that your sibling was a Spirit Kuhna, yes?  A little adventurous, has twelve kits, looks eighteen in human form, was sent here for music school?" she asked, pointing to Alana as she stepped out of the carriage.  "Is that not her?"

[18.3][1.1]

[SpringsSong]

Lloyd shook his head as he said, "If there are Void Akail here, then that is a bad sign.  They are the reasons that the Hunters abandoned these cities.  You live in Lambastia; surely you have happened upon the Shrine at one point in time or another... or at least heard a Hunter mention how they came to fall." He motioned for the carriage to stop and stepped out, helping Alana down and putting his arm around her waist, trying not to blush.

Usake approached the Void Akail as she started speaking.  At first, he was about to reply, Alana is in Nori, with Mother; but then, he remembered the girl's pleas to come here to learn music.  He looked her over carefully, almost howling when he saw the Rinkuhna put his arm around her waist.  She is my sister, Vanlanthiriel.  I know that dress style, and I know that voice of hers... but who is the man over there that sees it necessary to put his arm around my sister in that manner?! he asked in an enraged manner; not because of Vanla herself, necessarily; but because he loved his sister and wanted to protect her, because of what happened to her with Re'elkiin... and what happened to him because of one of her sons.

[5.4][1.1]

[SpringsSong]

Alana shook her head as she replied, "No... the only Hunter I know of always follows this other pet around all the time.  Acutally, that 'pet' is the selfsame Goddess I mentioned before, Aila." She said, feeling her face go red as she felt Lloyd's arm around her waist as they walked into the restaurant.  She shook her head as she said, "This has been a most interesting day, Lloyd."

Vanla shook her head as she said, "Looks to me like your sister's landed herself a beaux." She laughed as she looked over at Usake.  "Wouldn't you agree?"

[18.4][1.2]

[SpringsSong]

Lloyd nodded as he said, "Ah, I see... well, nonetheless, it was the Void Akail that caused their fall.  They were the ones that whispered little things into the darkness to the Hunters, that caused their discontent." When Alana commented on the day being interesting, he chuckled before replying, "It has indeed.  After all, I hardly expected that I'd meet such a beautiful Kuhna out here, one that would become a student to me."

Usake nodded, but then, he said, I care not about how things appear, I want to know why this man thinks he has any rights to my sister.  She has gone through enough pain as it is... I wish I could have taken care of that Re'elkiin myself... The Fallen Luhna growled as he moved further back into the shadows.  Withdraw, Vanla, they might see us.

[6.0][1.2]

[SpringsSong]

Alana felt herself blush brightly when Lloyd commented on her beauty, but she in turn said, "Honestly, Lloyd, it was I that was caught off-guard.  I could never have imagined a teacher as handsome as you." She gave a wink as they walked into the restaurant.  In the shadows, Vanla thought for a moment, and then, she smiled.

"I have an idea," she said.  Here, she took her human form, a dark-skinned girl with black and purple hair with a blue-gold bracelet around her arm.  "Come, Usake; let us play restaurant staff tonight."

As soon as Alana and Lloyd were inside, Vanla appeared from within the restaurant.  "Greetings!  A party of two, I assume?" she asked, smiling falsely but brightly.

[19.0][1.3]

[SpringsSong]

"Oh, now you're just embarrassing me, Alana dearest." Lloyd said before he turned to the waitress.  "Yes, a party of two, miss." He said, smiling at Alana.  There was no wait time in between when he answered Vanla and when the waiter, who was Usake in human form, appeared.

Follow me to your table, please. He said quietly, walking off and giving Vanla a quick, vehement glance.  If Alana recognizes me, then you are in big trouble. He said to her before leading the Rinkuhna and the Spirit Kuhna to their table.

[6.1][1.3]

[SpringsSong]

It didn't take Alana long to recognize the voice of this waiter.  "Usake?!  What on Evelon are you doing here?!" she asked, her eyes widening.  It was bad enough that he was more than overprotective of her because of the incident with Re'elkiin, but to actually follow her out here to Craiss and try to disguise himself so that she would not recognize him?

"Mother sent you, didn't she?" she asked.

Vanla, meanwhile, went back into the kitchen to look at the different food about in there.  However, when she saw it was seafood, she had to quickly excuse herself to the same back alley that she and Usake had been in before.  "I hate seafood..." she said quietly.

[19.1][1.4]

[SpringsSong]

Lloyd looked from Alana to Usake in shock.  "You... you know him?" he asked, surprised.  The human-form Fallen Luhna nodded as he said, Yes, she knows me; I'm her brother.  And no, Mother did not send me; I came of my own accord. Lloyd moved slightly closer to Alana as he said, "I know you're probably going to ask me precisely what business I have showing affections to your sister..."

Darn right, Rinkuhna.  Speak. Usake growled.

Lloyd felt himself freeze up for the first time in a while.  "Well..." he started off slowly.  "She told me about Re'elkiin, Usake.  She told me about how her son kidnapped you and took you to Einsor.  I can tell you... I am not like them.  I will not harm her."

Prove it. Usake growled again.

[6.2][1.4]

[SpringsSong]

"Usake, please..." Alana said quietly.  "He's not like Re'elkiin.  In fact, he's the exact opposite: caring, kind, selfless; he's a wonderful musician and a kind gentleman.  Re'elkiin was none of these things, now, was he?" she inquired.  "I cannot let you stand guard over me like this for my whole life, Usake.  I just can't.  So I made the mistake of trusting Re'elkiin.  I won't make the same mistake again." She said, moving ever closer to Lloyd.

Vanlanthiriel slowly walked back inside the restaurant, trying to keep herself composed as she walked to the table that Usake had seated Alana and Lloyd at.  When she heard the voices coming from the table, though, she knew that Usake had been discovered.

"Pardon me, but what's this hullabaloo all about?" she asked politely.

[19.2][2.0]

[SpringsSong]

Usake gave a warning hiss to Alana as he turned to Lloyd.  I can tell by your accent that you were raised by someone of Russian descent, am I correct? he asked.  The Rinkuhna merely nodded, keeping close to Alana.  "I know that you have a right to be protective over her, but I also have a right to be protective of her.  After all, she is my student for the next several months, and she shall be my assistant sooner or later.  I promise you, on pain of being hunted by every Akail in these Caverns and ever Hunter from Basantha, I will not harm her in the same way that her former Re'elkiin did."

Prove to me that you know what treachery he did to her.  Tell me what he did to harm her. Usake said, glaring at Vanla.  As for you, this is a family affair.  You may take your leave for now, Vanla. He added.

Lloyd cleared his throat as he said, "She told me that Re'elkiin wanted her to be his Queen, and he wanted her to help him murder his mother.  She said that she would not lay a scornful paw upon his mother if her life depended on it, so he left her.  Then, when he heard that she had borne eight kits, four to two separate males, he decided he wanted her back, but she wouldn't hear of it.  He tried to murder her partner, but instead, he was murdered by a vampire." As he finished this thought, he gave a curt nod.

"Would it please you to know that I have no intentions of making her do anything against her will?" he asked simply.

[6.3][2.0]

[SpringsSong]

Alana looked over at Vanla, her eyes curious and suspicious all at once.  However, there was no suspicion once Alana sighted the bracelet on her wrist.  "Only Akail wear those bracelets.  Why are you associating with a Void Akail, Usake?  Why?"

Vanlanthiriel chuckled as she circled Alana's table.  "Why would he associate with me, you ask?  Well,  know that you are his sister, but he needed someone else to trust aside from you and his mother.  He's told me that you and your mother are afraid to touch him because of the curse rumored to go with the Fallen Luhna's feathers." She said.

"That is not why we are afraid to touch him!  You should have seen him after he came back from being transformed!  He was even more hostile than my pyromaniac Calamikuhna daughter, Sable, is when she's put around a forest or a bunch of wood!  He would scratch at Fire, he tried to attack me, and he even gave our mother a few good scratches until, at last, I forced the truth out of him about his transformation.  My son, Onyx, had it done to him because my dear brother; my dear, sweet brother, was more feminine in features and quiet in nature.  Onyx did that to you, Usake, because he wanted to see you fall to this.  Are you just gonna let him win?"

[19.3][2.1]

[SpringsSong]

Lloyd could only listen quietly as Usake said again, more firmly than before, Vanla, I told you that you may take your leave now. He glared at the Void Akail as he answered, Sadly, what my sister says is true.  My mother has four scars across her back and bite marks on her tail; she tried to comfort me, and I attacked her because of it.  Alana tried to stop me, and I nearly attacked her, too; only I realized who she was and stopped.  When I saw what I had done, I hid away out here, and Vanla found me.

After a moment, Lloyd cleared his throat.  "So... why didn't you confront your nephew?  Why didn't you try to right your wrongs?"

Some wrongs cannot be righted.  And I could not confront Onyx because he is a brutal Kuhna.  People say that Revelates are descended from the Triumvirate, and that anyone owning one has their spot in heaven secured?  That is not my nephew.  My nephew is sent straight from Xai're, as if to assure that I can never join with Alana and Mother in the other life. Usake said.  And it pains me even more, because a poor Calamikuhna has caught my eyes; she had herself turned into a Panzer... he whispered.

[6.4][2.1]

[SpringsSong]

"Wyra?" Alana asked in shock.  "Whatever could compel you to love her?  The poor woman's gone half-psychotic from her own losses, and she won't even let her own brother or mother near her kitlings.  What makes you think that she would even look at you?" she asked.

Vanlanthiriel chuckled as she said, "I will take my leave when I feel like it, Usake.  Now, you can be so kind as to  explain this infatuation with Wyra.  I find the subject quite interesting myself."

Alana hissed as she glared at Vanla.  "You will take your leave now, lest I reveal my own Mage powers and hurl you back to Nori so fast you won't be able to stand and walk for a month." She said angrily.  The Void Akail gave a slight grimace as she slowly left the restaurant, her eyes glaring relentlessly.

[19.4][2.2-left]

[SpringsSong]

Lloyd looked over at Alana and asked, "Who is this Wyra that you speak of?  A friend of the family, or... what?" The Rinkuhna tilted his head as Usake cleared his throat.  Wyra, he said, is a Calamikuhna of most fiery nature, despite being partial to her element of ice. He smiled as he said, Some people are afraid of her, but others just plain avoid her and whisper things about her behind her back.  I, however... know what she's going through.  Maybe not exactly, but...

Lloyd thought for a moment.  "Alana, dearest, it sounds like your dear brother has a rather... desperate case of the love bug." He said, chuckling lightly.

[7.0][2.2]

[SpringsSong]

"And that's what scares me, Lloyd.  Wyra has been known to freeze herself solid when she is depressed, and when she finally allows herself to thaw out, she usually practices her ice powers on... well, anything from a hapless plushie to even her own brother." Alana said quietly, for she could sense the imminent aura of ice approaching.  This was no Calamikuhna, she knew for a fact.

It was Wyra, but not as she had been before.

The Panzer slowly stalked into the restaurant, her eyes sunken and her ears drooped as she looked around.  When finally she spotted the other three Kuhnas, she walked up to them, her footsteps heavy.  "Do you three hail as Kuhnas from the realm of Fire?" she asked.  Alana blinked as she said, "Maybe we do, and maybe we do not.  It all depends on who you are and why you ask us if we hail from that realm."

Wyra shook her head as she said, "I am Wyra, one of the first that Fire had the honor of holding in her arms when she was a new trainer, but... alas, I have known too much pain since my first days with her."

"I doubt she turned you into a Panzer.  As I recall, I heard my mother say that it was you who turned yourself into a Panzer." Alana said.

[20.0][1.1]