Tangled Paths

Tangled Paths
Date of Scene:	13 June 2013
Location:	The Old Kingdom - British Forest
Synopsis:	On the hunt, Hati encounters a strange man who knows more than he seems.
Cast of Characters:	Will Sherman, Hati

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Hati has posed:
"Ahh!"

There's somethin peaceful about the British countryside, with it's rolling hills and distant forests... the sounds of screams in the night. Wait, what? That's not right. Who wrote this story anyways?

Into the town square of a nearby village, a frantic looking boy comes running. "Wolf! Wolf!"

A groggy shopkeeper looks over from where he'd been standing, closing up his store. "This is the sixteenth time you've come into town shouting that, boy. No one believes you."

"No, no really, it's a wolf, I swear!" He tries to plead with the other villagers who peek out, but soon seem to be bored with the boy's antics.

Not far from there, there really /is/ a wolf. Apparently her race though the woods has brought the enormous werewolf that is Hati to the edge of a village. Too bad for them. This is prime hunting land, and she has her eyes set on a nice, fat looking elk that is currently grazing just at the edge of the woodlands.

She crouches and prowls forward.

Will Sherman has posed:
Will leans up from his nap.

His hat goes to the top of his head, as he squints at the boy.

"Wolf huh?" Will muses...Wolf's aren't a problem in the World of Ruin...hell, Mercade and he once spent an afternoon grindin-er wait.

Will checks his stats.

"...Darn, that might have been not cannonical.." he muses tiredly, and starts to put his head down.

"HEY! GET OUT OF THAT HAY!" a large woman shouts, Cueing a hilarious chase sequence.

Will, however, finally runs out of the town, with a pie in hand...a nice delectable MEAT pie. "How did I even ge..nevermind." He shrugs, holding it and starts walking...

"Maybe I should hit a trail...nah." Will muses, seemingly having no fear as a hobo.

Hati has posed:
The great and powerful werewolf is just about to move in for the kill. Closer. Closer, she creeps with stealthy paws, ready to sink her jaws into...

And then the moment is broken by the shrill scream of a very large woman who proceeds to chase a hobo across the fields and out of town.

Hati stares. The elk stares. The two look at each other as if asking: Did you just see what I saw? Then the elk seems to realize that he's looking at a six foot tall wolf, and legs it.

Damnit.

But then the scent of delicious meat pie catches her nose. So much for hunting. She doesn't exactly recognize Will, and usually townsfolk are pretty scared of something like a giant werewolf. Then again, he doesn't look like the normal sort that frequent this part of the world.

So, rather than trying to do the scary thing, she just pads over, sitting on the side of the road on her haunches like a giant canine waiting for dinner.

"You going to eat that?"

Will Sherman has posed:
"I am a blackhole." Will says to the warewolf, not even skipping a beat...

Pause.

He stops, walks backwards, and looks at Hati a moment.

He squints after a bit, trying to look her over better, look at those fate strands...

THIS IS WHERE YOU, THE PLAYER, COME IN!

He looks at the meat pie, however...he considers this, as he doesn't remember taking it...and then hands it to Hati.

"I guess that's fate for you...it giveth and taketh away." he says, "...So you're a warewolf?" he asks, luckily he SORT of knows Skoll. SORT...of. They...really didn't meet in the best of circumstances...though they SORT of get along...

"You're defintely not a normal wolf, or a monster. I mean, even some monsters can talk, but I can see you're not a monster..." he pauses, "That would explain the pie.." He muses, as if trying to figure out something.

"I'm Will Sherman, nice to meet you."

Hati has posed:
At first, Hati just sits there giving the confused dog look. Head tilted, one ear up, the other cocked to the side, one brow raised. Whut? Maybe talking to the crazy hobo wasn't such a good idea.

Oh no, he noticed!

Her ears tuck back when he starts looking at her closely. "Do I have a leaf on my nose or something?" She finally asks, seeming puzzled at just what he might be looking at. You know, besides the giant werewolf.

As for those fate strands, well, there's not as many as with most people. Seems this particular lupine doesn't have a lot of friends. In fact, there's only five that really seem of any particular note. Familial ties to Skoll and Katyna, a loser thread to Avira, and two odder ones. One is dark, possibly linking her to some as of yet unknown enemy, and the other seems... odd. It had been there the other night in the Cathedral, but probably went unnoticed since there were more important things at the time, but it connects her to Faruja, and it just looks... odd.

Oh, pie. Hati shifts, sitting more like a human as she takes the pie and noms the whole thing in one great bite. "Thanks. Hunting is bad this time of year." She mutters. It isn't nearly as satisfying as ripping flesh, but at least she's not hungry anymore.

After swallowing, the wolf bobs her head, "Hati. And yes, I'm a werewolf. I'd change back to human, but it's a little cold and walking around naked usually attracts more attention than walking around as a giant beast." Her tail thumps.

"You look familiar."

Will Sherman has posed:
"You know...in Manhattan, that's a toss up." Will thinks about it, "I mean, it's definetly not a good idea to run around Naked in the big apple, but it happens enough that people are only slightly offended..." He says, "Werewolves...yeah. I can say you're not that common on our world...I /THINK/ they exist...I've never met one from our world though. Gargoyles on the other hand.." he shrugs.

Oh and the fae. They're all <GOOSEHONK>s.

"Hati...Hati...familar name.." he pauses.. "Oh. Right. The girl who was chasing after Reize naked once. OH, that means you're Skolls...sister right? I can't remember if it was sister or cousin." he shrugs, "I'm not on terribly good terms with him...but I'm not getting my throat ripped out either so I'll consider it more neutral these days.." He scratches his head.

"Is Hunting bad? Never have problems.." he muses, strands...not many...darkness.

Hm. But she's friendly enough...

"And if I remember right...you know Faruja." He looks...distant for a moment, sighs... "Please tell me he's still alive?"

Hati has posed:
"I think if I walked around naked in Manhattan, I'd either end up arrested, or propositioned..." Pause. "Or both." She settles down again on the edge of the road, her ears listening to the forest for signs of other prey. Hati had come out here to hunt and to forget about her myriad of thoughts.

Unfortunately, fate has other plans.

"We're not really that common. So far I only know four who survived the destruction of our world." She states, blowing a breath of air out of her nose. "As far as I'm aware, your world ranks us up there with vampires and the Loch Ness monster."

When he starts trying to place who she is, Hati huffs once, "Skoll's my brother, and as for Reize, I was /not/ chasing him around naked. Like I said... side effect of having to shift. He surprised me, and I phased back to human." Her mismatched eyes watch him with a hint of wariness, though. "If my brother was that angry at you, you must have done something pretty bad." She blinks. "It's because you don't like bacon, isn't it?"

It's probably a joke.

And, then comes the bombshell. Hati lets out a sigh that echoes his. This is exactly what she'd been running from, and here it is again. "Yes. I 'know' Faruja, and he's alive. Though I'm not sure at what cost. You'd probably be best asking Beoulve if you want to hear his theories on it."

Will Sherman has posed:
"I know what...think I know what revived him." Will says, "I was trying to shatter the strings trying to hold him...all my work undone by that blasted priest...that puppet of a man." Will says, a bit angry. "I don't get it, what drives humans to do these things...I see such sights from them...I have seen the best and worse...and it always puzzles me how they can do both," Will shakes his head. "I can...think I can break the string again...but it might resist me better this time...if it could be flayed naturally...by proving to him that the priest is false.."

"...if only I could find that assassin. The one that escaped. He and the priest...they knew each other well."

He pauses, points at the eyes, "I see things others don't. It's part of why your brother...didn't like me." he frowns... that was... "Also, I love Bacon."

"Awesome stuff. You can put it on anything. /ANYTHING/." he tries to lighten the mood.

He sighs. "What I am isn't important, I guess. Hm...But.." he says, holding a hand out, he grabs something, it shimmers for a brief moment, the string to Fauja. It doesn't hurt, but she can see it materialize. "I figured I should at least prove I'm not completely crazy."

Hati has posed:
Well, at least he is not so 'heretical' as to not like bacon. So, the wolf shrugs, lifting fuzzy shoulders once. "My brother and I aren't of the same mind on everything. Unless you decide to piss me off, I'm not likely to go tearing your throat out any time soon. I usually reserve that for prey animals that don't talk." There's something weird about eating animals from those fantasy forests where they all speak, it's a little creepy when they give you cooking advice.

Then, he starts talking about strings. "So you're the one he was talking about." Hati tilts her head, trying to make sense of it. At least, this man is a bit easier to understand than Ramza. The heretic leader needed one of those start-menu help buttons on terminology for her to follow.

"Whatever it was, I sensed that it wasn't anything good." She lets out another breath, a growl behind it that isn't aimed at Will. "I already tried telling him that, he won't listen." The irritation that drove her flight earlier is back, and it's easier to move to get rid of some of it. So, the wolf paces. "He's sure that his healing was a miracle from his god. It's made him just that much more certain of his path as a Templar."

The thing that stops Hati in her tracks is the sight of that string. With her own strange power, she wouldn't have thought him mad, but actually seeing it first hand gives her pause. Her ears droop. "I know you aren't crazy." In her calmer state, another idea filters to the surface. "If we had something... something the assassin left behind, or perhaps something of the priest's, I might be able to do something."

It sounds a bit silly, coming from a giant wolf, but she goes on to explain, "Your gift is these... strings. Mine is second sight. Scrying. Of course, it only would work if they were clever enough not to guard themselves from prying eyes." She sits down again, but still seems unsettled. "Worth a shot if it might help."

Will Sherman has posed:
Will pauses, "OH! You're a witch too?" Will says, without skipping a beat, to him witch is synomonious with magic user from his world...one of his friends was one, when she wasn't giving him baths! Foul things those...

He pauses...

"Emi...was going to get to interrogate one of the assassin's captured...maybe I can get her to take something from him? Will that be enough of an arcane connection to help?" Will asks, he's passingly familar with how this works, he pays attention when Isaac and Seloria talk about these things. Also...it's innate too, to a degree.

Will lets go of the string, "Well, geeze. You think so? That's nice to hear!" he grins at her, "Yeah...it makes sense that you can too.." he pauses, "It's not my buisness, but.." he frowns...how to approach this one.. "Be careful of that power...I've seen it do very bad things...terrible things." he frowns, shaking his head... "Siiigh...but you'll tell me it's fine, like Riku does."

Hati has posed:
The wolf pauses then, blinking mismatched eyes in surprise. 'Witch' isn't a term that she hears used very often, at least not to people like her. Then again, it is probably as good a name as any for those who delve into certain darker sorts of magic. "Of a sort. Runes, potions, and remote-sight, mostly." It's hard to imagine someone with huge paws making potions, but she probably is a bit less gangly looking in human form.

With a thoughtful rumble, the wolf hrms to herself. "It's a long shot. It usually has to be something that belongs to the one I'm scrying. Hair, blood, clothing, jewelry..." Hati rattles off a few things, "It's an imperfect art." She admits, freely.

His comment about 'that power' has her tilting her her head though. It's strange to hear the warnings about dark magic coming from someone else. So often, she'd been the one to warn those she cared about from triffling with such things. "I know just how dangerous it is... all too well." Her ears draw back. "I'm close enough to the darkness still to know just how easy it is to fall victim to it."

She lifts her head then, sniffing at the night air, perhaps scenting something in the distance. "Unfortunately, once you've walked far enough down that path, it's not easy to return. Besides, it's got it's useful moments."

Will Sherman has posed:
"Hm..What about a name? Could you do it on a name? Hm...I guess not, this seems...what does Isaac call it...Symthetic? You need a cetrain kinda archane link." He frowns. "Finding the man is going to be..." he pauses... "...Unless." he pauses. "There might be a way...a longshot, but.." he grins. This is Defintely MAX's field, but...

"I'll get you what you need...hopefully we are not too late..." he pauses..

"That power, despite it's usefulness, is still partially responsible for the Fall of Manhattan..." he rubs his head...because the other part of that was himself...even though he's pulled out from that...even though he helped restored...it's dark cloud in his life that will never go away. To say he hates the darkness is not a small understatement...but he's also learned that it takes all types.

He's made a peace, with...SOME of it's users.

"Sorry, not my place to lecture...I've just seen it do some bad things to people...people do almost anything for the power to change their surroudings with their own will..." he shifts, "One universal truth I know...power corrupts."

"Be careful alright? You seem friendly enough, even with such darkness at your control. One of the other guys I know, man...he's such a grouch. I bet, if I started singing at you, you'd totally start joining in, right?" He laughs, "Not this guy, he gives me a strange look. I think he thinks he's 'too cool'."

Hati has posed:
"Sympathetic magic. It resonates with the bonds between things and people." Hati's wolfish head tilts, "I suppose you could say it works on the same principals as your sight. Seeing through the connections already there." She watches the expressions play out on his face as he thinks, apparently coming to some sort of conclusion that goes unspoken. The wolf just gives the puzzled-dog look with her head cocked, but doesn't pry into his thoughts for now.

"It's easiest for me, of anyone, to keep an eye on Faruja. I have the best excuse for it." Her ears tuck back then. Using her place as his girlfriend to make sure he doesn't do anything demonic feels wrong somehow. "So that's where I'll likely be." With one clawed hand, she starts to write a series of digits in the dirt. "Normally, I don't offer my services for free, but if it helps Faruja..." She huffs, as if that is an answer.

The reminder of Manhattan has her head sinking a fraction, "I know that, all too well. Though I wasn't there at the end, I played a part in that, and I regret it. I... wasn't myself at the time." The big wolf's tail swishes once, and she shakes her head.

"I would stop using it completely if I could, but I don't think it's possible. At the very least, it's something that I can /try/ to use for better purposes, even if it fails at helping those I care about more often than I'd like. I tried to keep Katyna from going down that road, but the most stubborn person I know. At least... maybe she has better 'friends' now than me." The wolf blows out a long breath of a sigh, but then her muzzle curves into smirk and she barks a laugh.

"I don't sing much, but I do play the guitar and have been known to dance from time to time." She pushes herself to her feet, shaking out her fur. "You wouldn't be speaking of Riku, though, would you?" It strikes a familiar chord, like a conversation she had with Katyna at one point about the enigmatic boy's warnings.

Will Sherman has posed:
Will laughs a bit..

"That familar eh? Yeah...he's a good kid at heat...he just got messed up bad...and he keeps getting hurt." he sighs... "Oh my eyes.." he frowns... "It's note quite that, I can use my eyes without ever having met a person. ...Though I never thought of that.." he thinks about this, "What if it IS..." he frowns...does this mean...nah, it works on other worlds. The thought is frightening though...if he was using sympathetic links...that would mean he was a giant one...any magic cast through him...could reasonably effect anyone. He dismisses the thought...frightening as it is.

"Nah, can't be. I don't think I am tied to the world /THAT/ much...god help us all if I were though.." he laughs, trying to hide his discomfort at the thought.

Then the talk of Manhattan...and her part in it. He doesn't get mad at her, no...he frowns slightly though... "Whatever your part...I hold no...ill will. Not towards you, or even Katyna...or Riku." he sighs... "Because I was, in the end, the one responsible."

"That is why Skoll has issue with me...he was there. You see...I am..." He pauses... "Special." he uses the word acidly... "I have another being inside me. He was sealed by the gods of my world inside me...I was to be both his tormentor and prison."

"The details are...pointless, but I share as much blame as Riku...or you...or Katyna. I willfully ignored the issue, I thought it'd go away...and it cost me my home."

"But...we got it back, we saved it, and I made peace with the being. We are on...better terms. We are unified in our shared belief that the fae are <GOOSEHONK>s. Well, less so the ones that helped me.." And his wife... though she was probably more nefarious than he'd admit...oh gods help them if she decides to play matchmaker...

Will also puts the digits into a ma belle.

"As far as people go..? Want some advice? The more you tell someone, ESPECIALLY stubborn people, to not do something...the more they will do it. So many times...so many.." he shakes his head, "Annnnyway. This talk is depressing, lets talk about less depressing things...the stuff with Faruja will work out, if you have faith that it will. No second guessing...and absolutely under no circumstances say it is impossible. Impossible is what people who failed tell themselves." he nods.

"Dance and play a guitar. These worlds could use more of that." he nods, "More arts and poetry. Less war, I think."

Hati has posed:
It had been a long time since Hati had seen Riku, not since she was a Shadow Lord, herself. She had seen him confront some strange dark image of a keyblade wielder down near the Heart of Manhattan, and that had been enough to turn her back from the task of trying to finally claim that world's heart for darkness. She had seen the way that it shook him. "I don't know much about him, to be honest. He wasn't like the others in the Shadow Lords. I would have said... he was more like me, but I wasn't there yet. I was still lost in my own darkness at the time."

Hati has posed:
The wolf seems to consider over the strange ways that magic and powers can be different among worlds, and then she simply shrugs her shoulders. "Just a theory. Look at all the different sources of magic that exist. It wouldn't surprise me if what you do works some way I couldn't hope to understand."

She does listen, though, trying to make sense of the idea of having two entities inside of someone. Then again, she's dealing with someone she loves riding the edge of being posessed, himself. "There were many hands at play in Manhattan, but I won't argue with who is truly at fault." She has her doubts, powerful as this man might be, that he could have brought down a world on his own without the Heartless and Shadow Lords starting the fall.

"But, we try to fix our mistakes." She lifts herself back up onto her hind legs, standing more like a human, huge paws hanging at her sides. "I'm starting to learn that about stubborn people, but sometimes you have to just hope you get through." She looks up at the night sky for a moment, then back at Will. "I'll do everything I can to help save Faruja. It's... what you do when you love someone.... isn't it?" The wolf seems a little uncertain. She's still new at this whole nonsense. Then again, she might lose it all in the fight to save him.

The wolf chuckles then. Unlike with Ramza, she has no reason to be angry with Will. "The last time I saw real frivoloty, it involved men dressed as maids and songs about bacon."

Will Sherman has posed:
Will could be stronger...

Will is also happy just being Will Sherman.

He crosses his arms and shakes his head...another refuge from the Shadow Lords. Will, not too long ago would be angry, now...he's glad that she's at least free from them.

The talk about love...something Will is a bit more familar with, "Yes...yes it is. Love is a...powerful force, it can hurt sometimes...but at the same time...those moments you share with your loved ones will never ever leave you. They'll be a part of you forever...and besides..." he shrugs, "There is no roadmap to it. Just...follow your heart."

Will sighs...it is a happy one. One full of memories, of a young lass of his own. A year seemed such a short time compared to how long he had lost her.

"Oh god the maid thing...what is it with these people and /maids/. I mean...seriously."

Hati has posed:
It seems such a short amount of time that Hati has been 'free' from the Shadow Lords and their influence. It had started with Katyna, but Skoll had been the catalyst for it, and Faruja the light that guided her. Even now, it's only been a matter of months since she chose to take her own path. Perhaps it isn't to walk the path of light like some of the others, but at least if her life was meant to be in Shadows, they would be her /own/ shadows, not those cast by others.

Her ears tuck down, though. "Is it worth it, even if it ends before it truely begins?" Hati asks him with a serious expression, or at least as much of one as you can expect on a lupine face. "Faruja may see us all as enemies after this." Her tail tucks down near her legs, but the wolf seems at least settled on her task.

At least, the comment about 'maids' brings her back around, and the wolf chuckles with some wry amusement. "Don't ask me. They're a strange bunch. Then again, I'm not one to judge." She motions at herself, as if that covers everything.

"I should get back, though. I'm not sure any of us knows just what this chalice will do to Faruja, and I want to keep an eye on him. Give me a call if you find something for me to scry." She inclines her head then, dropping herself back onto all fours. "But first, I need to finish my hunt." That elk wouldn't get away this time, she had reasons for tracking that particular prey.

"Safe journey, Will." She offers, and then lopes towards the woods.

Will Sherman has posed:
"Hold on to your feelings, Hati. If you do, you'll see your love returned to you.." He muses, "Besides you're not doing this alone." He smiles at her.

"I'll do that." And then he watches her run off...

"What a tangled path that one leads..." he muses, knowing that saving Faruja was slightly more important now than it was before. It was more than him...

A hand clenches. And Will walks off on his way.