We Are Bulletproof

"Nothing I didn't already know," Mari said darkly as she glanced back over her shoulder at the tent. "That your brother is impossible to talk any sense into!"

But thank goodness Rai was here. The sight of him calmed her and his hand on her shoulder was more reassuring than she cared to admit. Rai grounded her, even though she never thought of herself as the type to have mad flights of fancy. But she knew that she did have a temper and Rai was one of the few people who could disarm her with a single smile.

"He's inside right now, talking about ancients," her voice lowered to a hiss at that word, "to someone who is clearly a fake." While the medium might not know what ancients were or become alarmed, he might let slip to someone who did. Someone who could realize Neyen's identity, who could hurt him. Mari's heart was sore just thinking about it--Neyen becoming the target of hunters, getting shot at and hurt.

"You have to get him out of there, Rai. He won't listen to me but maybe he'll listen to you." Her hand touched on his hand, the one on her shoulder. "Please."

Neyen was... impossibly stubborn. He was like a dog with a bone, fixated on this one medium and his complete lack of knowledge about the ancients. Mari was convinced that this man was a sham; Neyen, however, appeared convinced that he was genuine, or was willing to go to great lengths to prove it.

"Ah... an ascension... I may be able to help you." The man tapped his chin gently. Then he lifted his head and shouted into the back, "Sorin! Please bring me my books!" His smile was dazzling as it lit back on Neyen and Mari. "I must consult my tomes. One moment, if you please. Have a seat." Again he gestured to the chairs opposite him.

"Merde! C'est ridicule!" Mari swore again and dropped Neyen's hand. She stalked outside to wait for Rai, hoping that if Neyen wouldn't listen to her, maybe he would listen to his own brother. With all of his disappearances, the distance between them had grown. She loved him but... sometimes, she had to admit, she felt more like his mother than his lover. Her words fell upon deaf ears, too; it was as if he no longer cared for her, or for her well-intentioned warnings.

She put a hand over her eyes briefly as she exited the tent and took in a deep breath. Neyen could be so frustrating to deal with! And his attitude! He was like a willful, spoiled child! She glanced up and down for Rai. At least Rai was on her side. Rai was always on her side.

Even Mari looked askance at Neyen, as his question was met with complete silence. Puzzlement on the medium's part, alarm on hers. Ancients. He said it so easily, even though the word was rife with meaning--and danger. To a normal human, it meant nothing. To those who knew, it meant everything.

Mari's hand tightened in his and she reminded herself that this medium could be nothing more than a sham. In fact, everything about the tent said as much. The gaudy decorations and the ridiculous outfit that he wore and that little raise of his brows as surprise worked across his expression, they were all tells.

"Ancients?" the man asked, folding his hands atop the table. Then his expression cleared and the genial smile returned. "Ah! You mean ancestors! You're here to seek wisdom from the dead."

Mari snorted in a clearly audible manner. "Come, darling, this man knows nothing." She shot the fake medium a disgusted glare. "He is a charlatan."

Rai would be able to find them inside the tent; there was no shortage of witnesses to the mad Frenchwoman slapping the soul out of a tall, long-haired, attractive man. Neyen was infuriatingly unapologetic for his disappearing act, but Mari was more or less used to it by now. Whatever he was doing out here, all alone, he wouldn't come out and say it. He had secrets that he withheld from her and any time that she tried to bring it up, he spirited himself away.

Now wasn't the time to focus on hurt feelings, however. It was time to get answers. Whatever answers Neyen thought he would glean from these mediums and clairvoyants. Mari eyed the man behind the round table, who looked up at them in mild surprise--probably set on edge by the screaming and commotion outside. He wasn't alone, either. A tall young man with dark hair was murmuring something to him, while he seemed dismissive.

As soon as they entered, the dark-haired one turned as though to leave. But then he stopped and turned to stare at Neyen. He continued to stare for so long that Mari edged closer to her lover and slipped a hand into his, thinking that his interest was... romantic. Seeing her action, he started and quickly disappeared through the back flap of the tent, leaving them with the 'medium' whose smile was gracious--if somewhat practiced.

"Ah, welcome," he purred, in a heavy accent. He was handsome, but in an obvious, flashy way. The crisp waves of his brown hair seemed elaborately arranged. The medium indicated to the two seats opposite him. "Please, have a seat. How may I help you? Are you perhaps seeking answers to the future? Your future together? Hmm?"

"Don't. Even try to get out of this one." Marion's eyes narrowed. This wasn't a matter of her overreacting (the slap might have been but the worrying was not!). Neyen had disappeared for days. He had plenty of time to get in touch with them if his phone had been smashed. The story that he tried to tell had about a million holes in it.

"What do you need with mediums?" She turned to look at the gaudy tent. Women were crowded around it, giggling and whispering. The ones who emerged from the tent looked starry-eyed and were practically floating on air. Hmph. Didn't seem like the one inside was giving out many unfortunate fortunes.

She stepped towards the tent, but grasped onto Neyen's hand. "All right. Let's go in and see how good this one is." There were about a million fakes all over the world, so if this one was real then Neyen had stumbled upon a really valuable resource.

The women acted like she'd shot him or stabbed him in plain sight, which only served to annoy Mari more. These ignorant Americans, she thought darkly as she tried to swing again, only to have her wrist be caught. Mari would have used her other hand to slap him, but was caught off-balance as he dragged her away.

She loved Neyen dearly and would have taken a bullet for him. But that had nothing to do with the deathly laser eyes that she trained onto him. She had been worried sick! Although she didn't say as much to Rai, she thought that Neyen might have been attacked—or worse, killed! He'd been gone for days! No matter how much she called—or Rai called—he didn't pick up and now he was here, strolling through the market?

The cursing in French continued for a while. She yanked her wrist out of his grasp roughly and took a step away from him. "Where the hell have you been?! Your brother and I have been calling and calling, trying to get in touch with you! I thought you'd died! Merde!" Mari made to smack the side of his arm, relieved that he was unhurt, furious that he hadn't even considered them when he vanished into thin air.

I don't know
But I'm going to find out right now!

Market
Beside the art tents

Are you coming or do I kick ass on my own?

I found him
Market

No he always changes the subject or finds an excuse to run away.

[Still open, so everybody feel free to join!]

To clear her thoughts, Mari decided to go for a walk. She checked her phone occasionally for messages from Rai, but their conversation had strayed from business to something more personal. Actually, it was highly personal.

For as long as she could remember, she had been in love with Rai. They met simply by chance as Rai and his family were passing through her town and it was like something out of a story book. They didn't meet as hunters; they met as teenagers walking through town. Mari remembered the way that he stared; she stared back. And then her father, strict as he was about her interactions with outsiders, pulled her away while her mother jabbered in her ear about being cautious of strangers.

Later that night, at the meeting of hunters, Mari saw him again.

It seemed fated. They fell in love so quickly that neither of them knew what to do with themselves and before Mari knew it, she was pregnant. They had planned on a fall wedding. With a baby on the way, her parents had no choice but to accept Rai--though grudgingly, and her father still hadn't forgiven him to this day.

Perhaps a baby would have kept them together. But after the terrible, terrible miscarriage... Mari couldn't be with him. She worked with him as a part of her longed and yearned for what they once had, but seeing him--just the sight of him--reminded her of what she had lost. Even now, she felt the same. Her heart still ached for her baby, as it ached knowing that nothing would ever be the same again.

Naively, she thought that Neyen could be different but disappointment laid in wait for her there, too. And now, here she was, strolling through the small town aimlessly, waiting for night to fall so that she could meet with Rai for dinner. Admittedly, it was a bad idea. Being alone with him... it seemed unwise. Mari was devoted to Neyen and she loved him dearly, but she had to admit that facets of his personality paled in comparison to his older brother's.

But she still loved him. She was passionate about him--her devotion was unquestionable. And when she caught up with him, she would slap him so hard that his ancestors would feel the sting.

Which, as it happened, was exactly what happened when she caught sight of him--he was difficult to miss amongst a sea of short women. Mari marched up and slapped. She slapped and then lapsed into a slew of curses in her native language, as women screamed and looked horrified all around her.

*sigh*

If only Neyen thought this way...

Would you marry her even if your father doesn't give his blessings?

Maybe, but these small towns... They live in trailers! You cannot bring a girl like that to meet your father