Friendly chat

[Lovely]

July 30, 2007
outside Tasa's motel room

Aberto waited for an opprotunity to find the boy alone, that presented itself when Justin stepped away from Tasa's room. His voice was kind of fatherly as he spoke from the shadows. "She's my little girl.. you better not hurt her."

"h-... hurt her? dude... let me talk to you about arrows, okay?... have a nice night." *smiles*

"you know that's not exactly what i meant but.. that too.." he's not smiling.

"That's not exactly what I meant either. I'm not the one you need to worry about."

"oh? tell me who it is that I should worry about?"

He whispered closer to the man, fairly certain Tas could hear him if what he suspected was true. "The joker who hasn't leveled with her about what she is, hm? If you want her to find that out from me, she's not going to talk to either one of us for a long time. Who do you think that's going to hurt?"

"I'd hope you.. but that may be reading too much into it.. make sure she keeps taking the herbal mix."

He chuckled and watched the man closely. "She gets her digs in, don't worry. But you might want to talk to her yourself. She's been going a little light on her tea lately, if you know what I mean."

"That could pose a problem.. her beast has been supressed.. masked for a long time.. what do you suppose it will do to her to suddenly release it?"

He nodded. "Make her one damned feisty and demanding b*tch, no disrespect intended, sir."

He chuckled despite himself and nodded, covering his mouth with one hand. "This was not done to hurt her.. it was to protect them. You do understand that.. don't you?"

"Not sure I do. Not sure I do, but she'll want answers and she'll claw them out of you when she gets done with me, so you better be ready for it."

"She has answers she needs to find on her own before she'll be ready for mine.. stock up on gauze. Are you certain you want to be around for this? Wouldn't it be easier for you just to walk away?"

"Not a chance," he shook his head. "I've already risked my life to help her. I'm not turning my back when she needs help to save her from herself."

"Interesting.." He murmured quietly, his eyes taking in the darkness around them. "The mix is the only thing holding her back.. keep that in mind. I'll be closeby.. so don't get any wise ideas. Alright?"

Again he nodded. "Kept in mind, but she makes up her own mind."

"She always has.. have it your way, but you have been duly warned."

[Lovely]

"Maybe I want her to cut loose and be what she's meant to be. Is it fair or right to make her think she's something she's not? Either way, I won't hurt her. I won't let anyone else hurt her, either."

"Yes.. it has kept her safer all these years then if she'd been allowed to run free. I can see now that it is too late to stop what has been started.. Perhaps you just want a playmate.. something that won't break and is fresh."

"Perhaps I want more than that and maybe she doesn't want anything to do with that, but I want her to know what and why.. the real reason."

"The real reason she is drawn to you.. don't you worry she'll turn her back on what she is and you?"

"It's honesty and everything is worth risking for that. I want her, but not in a lie."

"Honesty isn't all that wonderful.. there are better things in this world."

"Not anymore. I've been honest with her from day one. She values that or she doesn't. My family is lost to me and to this world, lost in lies because of hate and fear and everything you're trying to protect her from. She's strong and maybe you know she's stronger than you can hope to control forever. Let her go and decide for herself. Let her go."

"Why? So you can have her till you've worn her out, grown tired of her or cast her aside in favor of something else? Should I risk all that I have done to protect her for your whims? I won't let you destroy her."

"Wear her out? She's not a toy or a fuzzy sweater, old man. I should ask the same thing a different way. Should I risk all I've done to protect her for your whims... because you're afraid? I have no intentions of destroying her," he defended, not realizing the level of his voice was getting stronger and louder. "The only way I could possibly wear her out before she's left me in a bloody heap is if she's not a fu-.... full blood. That's it, isn't it."

His eyes snapped sharply to the man across from him. "Thats not your concern." He growled low and warning. "Go to the farm.. go to the house that was left a picture of the gruesome death of my beloved sister and her family.. tell me then that this is a whim and that I should not fear and protect the last two members of my family."

"Two sides to every story," he sneered back. "I'll tell you the same as I told her. You would have her and her sister believe that every wolf is evil and every man is no better than a wolf. Go to my homestead, the one I chose, my family, see them strung up as trophies and curtains. Go to my family that I was borne into, if you can find them running from people like you who find any relation guilty of a crime so few have ever committed. Hunters and hunted... and innocents. Can't you see ... we're fighting the same war against the same enemy?"

"I do not hate all wolves and I have not taught my girls to hate them.. You misunderstand my intentions.. all I wanted was to keep them from being destroyed.." He closed his eyes, his fist closing around the pouch which held the herbal mixture he'd brought to make sure Tasa got, he held the pouch out to Justin. "Give it to her or don't.. just tell her when she's ready.. I'll be waiting. She will know how to find me."

"They've done a good job learning on their own, then. At least one of them has sense enough to see an honest man as he really is. I can only hope her sister learns it as well since I'm not planning on leaving any time soon." He took the pouch without further arguement and agreed he'd do as she wanted.