Saint Joseph School

Palilla stood in the hallway, at her locker, watching people go by. Not many people talked to her, which she was only just now starting to want, really. But, before she could pick someone to be charitable and nice to, for the sake of conversation, she saw him. He was coming down the hallway, and plenty of people were saying hi, and having little insta-chats (two to three second blurbs of conversation) with him. She thought of the party, and then later in the evening, on the ship at Striga Island.

Imperceptible little whispers egged her on, reminding her of how he was intruding, where he wasn't wanted. The thought of him taking her best friend away was too much. He had to be stopped. Besides. Tank had a girlfriend, already, didn't he? Maybe the little "thoughts" were right. Maybe he needed to be taken down a peg or two. With a smirk, the latin teen strolled toward her target, not aware she was being led to it by the the imperceptible voices playing on her jealousy. A few moments later, the hall erupted in laughter, as Stoned Tank lifted himself from the floor, and Pally continued her way, acting as innocent of the event as the next student.

As the figure faded into the trees, the surroundings wavered, looking like the heat wave blur from a hot street. Franky grabbed hold of Oby’s hand “I think we’re being asked to leave.”

Oby looked at the bright haired girl, brows knitting in confusion, until Franky yanked on his arm, gritting her teeth a bit “Time to go home!”

“Huh?” Oby stood, slightly dazed, looking back to the dissolving forestry, before realizing it probably wasn’t in their best interest to be here when it all went away. “Right!” He followed Franky’s lead as they made their way back to the circle.

Franky started a chant in Gaelic, and Oby recognized a few words, giving thanks to their hosts, and wishing them boon times ahead, and asking for their blessing as well. He really didn’t have time to ponder just how he recognized the words, and watched the world outside of the circle shift again. In the back of his mind, a crazy thought had him almost wanting to start saying ‘there’s no place like home’. As the world outside the circle shifted again, he recognized the ozone smell of the Cabal circle, and worse yet, voices, faint but drawing nearer. Looking over at Franky he saw her breathing hard. Shit, this took a lot out of her. I never even started to think that it would be that rough on her Knowing that neither of them was in shape for a fight, Franky was fatigued, and his mind was whirring a million miles a minute, Oby did the one thing that he knew he excelled at, Speed. “You can slap me or yell at me later, Franky.” She looked up at Oby slightly confused, and let out a startled yelp as he scooped her up, and started running as fast as his legs would carry him, out of Croatoa.

Some minutes later, and some admonishments about how she could take care of herself later, Oby and Franky found themselves in a Talos Coffee Shop, trying to warm up some. Oby couldn’t tell if Franky was really peeved at him, or if she was having him on, or if the truth, probably, lay somewhere in between. They sat for a few minutes, drinking the warm drinks, and not really saying much to each other. Occasionally looking at each other and then down into their mugs.

“Okay, so…what was all that, Franky?” Oby finally broke the silence.

“How should I know? Do I look like an encyclopedia?” Franky’s mouth curled into a crooked grin.

“Well, you’re the mage.” Oby held the retort from being angry. He was confused, and frustrated, clearly out of his element, but knew that Franky was trying to help. “I don’t know anything about all this stuff, Franky. Who was that guy…guys?” Oby put a hand over his face, exasperated with himself for not comprehending this puzzle.

Franky empathized with the stone skinned teen. She grasped part of the puzzle, and had an idea, but knew that sometimes ideas are worse than the questions if they don’t lead to the right answers. Still, it was better than sitting in silence.

“I’m not sure if I have this all correct, but the story about the hound?” Franky waited till she got a nod from Oby, indicating he was following her. “It’s very similar to the story of Cuchulain, and how he got the nickname ‘The Hound of Ulster’. I think something’s coming. Something pretty big.” She watched Oby’s eyes crinkle in confusion, but trying to figure it all out. “He said that there ‘Must always be a hound’, I think they’re looking now. I think that all those people we saw were ‘The Hound’.”

“Whoa, whoa whoa, waitaminute.” Oby looked at her like she’d grown a third arm. “You think I’m the reincarnation of Cuchulain or something?”

Franky rolled her eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Is your brain as hard as the rest of your body?” She grinned at him, which elicited a chuckle from Oby.

“Some would say so, yeah.” He thought of Kali, and Lightfall with a grin.

“No, you’re not the reincarnation of Cuchulain. If I’m right, he was the original Hound, the others just held the title.” She tilted her head, looking at Oby. “Maybe you’re next?”

“Me?? C’mon, I’m just a kid! I don’t know anything about being some kind of..of” Oby struggled to find the words “supernatural watchdog.”

Franky smiled, amused at what was clearly a lot to take in. “We don’t all get to choose who we are, Oby. It all points to the Hound though, Oby, and you’re involved somehow.”

Oby fidgeted in his seat, what did they want with him? All the others were grownups weren’t they? He was too young for this. Didn’t know what to do with it. It confused him, and he didn’t know where to go with this info, much more than that, it scared him. “Well, what about you? What was it he called you?”

“Sage.” Franky said, quietly.

“Well, what’s that all about?”

“I don’t know.” Franky looked up at Oby for a second with a slight smile, “A Sage is a wise person, a scholar.”

Oby grinned “A guide, maybe? Or advisor?”

Franky’s lips pursed as she glared at Oby a bit, and rolled her eyes “Yeah, that too.”

“Could be we’re in this together then.” He looked up at Franky, and his grin wavered, as he began to think about what that meant. “I’m... sorry, Franky.”

She nodded and then grinned. “Hey it could be worse. At least I’m not named after a dog.”
[/i]

((OOC note. There is a story behind the acceptance of the geas of the hound, which I can write and post. It involves Kali and Lightfall as well, and if people out there want to read it, I’ll be happy to post it. Just let me know, either in reply or via PM.))

**some months after the last entry**

Obsidian Seraph crouched, hand in the loamy soil, helping balance himself, watching the Firbolg and Tuatha as they started, once again to join the battle.

You see, Obsidian, the fight rages, even after the sides have dispatched one another. Something disturbs the natural balance. Neither Court wants this to happen. The veil wears thin, but something else seeks to cross.

“Do you always have to talk in riddles? Can’t you just for once tell me what the hell you want?”

You accepted the Geas, Antoine DuBois, and were repayed for that acceptance. My mother even grants you and the people close to you refuge, should you need it. My method of assistance is NOT up for debate!

“Alright, alright…geeze, you’d think you’d have grown a sense of humor in all the years you’ve been around.” Oby grinned, feeling, more than anything, Mabon’s mirth at the teen’s comment. “Besides, I’m getting used to your cyptic answers. So, the firbolg and tuatha can’t stand each other, and are beating each other senseless, only to come back and fight the same fight over and over. That sound about right?”

Your keen insight astounds even the wisest of beings.

“Whoa, a joke? The world must really be coming to an end.” Oby grinned a wry grin, and the answering warmth he felt let him know that the two of them were on the same page. “Brass tacks here, how do we fix this? And if you tell me to ‘find the darkness that rises up amidst the trees’ one more time, I swear…”

There is a darkness amidst the trees, Antoine. One that threatens to unbalance order. This is just a symptom of a larger malaise. One that you must find, and defeat.

“Well that’s helpful. Why not just tell me there’s bad people out there? That’d work just about as well. If you can’t help, why do you insist on telling me things? I’m sure it’s not for the gripping conversation.”

Did you not get the help you wanted when you found me?

“Hey! Leave that out of the picture! What I did was right, the reasons I did it were right. You should have been happy to help her.”

Indeed we were, and you showed us why our choice was a wise one in choosing you. You asked for nothing for yourself. You saw a wrong that needed correcting, and put that person’s needs ahead of your own. We saw what was, and still is in your heart, Antoine, and knew we had made a wise choice. Has the onus we place upon you been that bad?

Oby smiled, knowing that he’d make that choice all over again. “Nah, I guess not, although the antlers?” Oby rubbed the spot on his hip where the mark of Cernunous had raised as if burned on his skin, “that was kind of a shock. Every other guy I’ve seen, wore theirs.”

Ah, but you don’t carry a weapon. Cernunous had to show that you were his champion in some way.

Oby swore under his breath. He could just feel the smug amusement. “Yeah, I’m sure you couldn’t have given me a dagger or something to carry, right? I suppose it could be worse, you could have made antlers grow out of my head or something.” Oby paused for a moment. “And NO, that’s not a suggestion!”

Attention to the task at hand, Obsidian. Watch, and learn.

Oby looked back to the fight and spotted what Mabon meant. The fight grew more intense, and now Oby made out knives flashing amidst the fight. Redcaps. The unseelie creatures joined the fray. Why? Oby asked himself. These weren’t natural enemies. Why wage war on this scale? It made no sense that the Unseelie or Seelie court would start this fight, neither side could gain from it. The battle hadn’t started for the Veil yet, so why fight? Why weaken your forces now, in the face of the impending battle? It made no sense. Who stood to gain from this?

Now you ask important questions, Hound. Who, indeed?