these are the haunted halls ((Faris))

[losthunter]

For the last few weeks, Hunter has been spending a lot of time on his marble sculpture. Most of the sculpture is roughly exposed now, with no large blocks of marble remaining to be seen. But it is now getting to the delicate work, which takes a lot more time and patience.

Hunter has a lot of time and patience right now. One of the nice things about being an artist is that most of his deadlines are flexible. And right now he only has a few other commissioned work, which he is able to work on, during extended breaks away from the marble piece.

Much of Hunter's mind has been on Kendra, and how her most recent dream could have meant that he needs to go back, and reflect on the memories and experiences he had as a child, youth and young man. The life of Kyle, before he became Hunter.

And so today, needing an extended break from the marble work, Hunter decides that perhaps he should take a walk through his old neighborhood.

He doesn't want to go alone. So of course, that is one of the benefits of having a symbiotic creature in his household. He can always depend on Faris being around.

"Faris?" He calls out into the apartment.

Comments

[poetwarrior]

"Certainly. But if someone sets you on a path, they often intend for you to reach a certain point. Paths are not traveled without a reason, even if that reason is mere curiosity."

[maze_ofthorns]

"You are a muse." Kendra laughs softly.

"Good. He needs one."

"Let's start where it all began... where the first insult was spoken." Kendra holds out her hand to Hunter.

[poetwarrior]

Faris doesn't know what a muse is, but it doesn't sound like a bad thing, necessarily. Especially if it is something that Hunter needs.

The K'da looks at Hunter, silently questioning their next move.

[losthunter]

"Okay Kendra." Hunter takes her outstretched hand.

Together, they exit the classroom, and head down the halls. Everything is quiet, except for Kendra's heels on the floor.

They soon come to an open area. There is a podium on a small stage. And many chairs that circle the podium area.

"This is where it happened. Where I made my speech, to be President of the Student Council," Hunter explains to Fair.

[poetwarrior]

Faris follows, silently padding down the halls with a warrior's stealth. "What was said?" he asks of the speech.

[losthunter]

"I made an appeal on how I was rich, handsome and popular -- and thus, should be the one they voted for." Hunter frowned deeply.

"And?" Kendra tilted her head again.

"And I insulted those considered... different from everyone else."

[poetwarrior]

"Is not everyone different from one another?" Faris questions. "What differences did you insult?"

[losthunter]

"Their appearance, mostly." Hunter explains.

[poetwarrior]

"Those who you did not consider attractive?" Faris guesses.

[losthunter]

"Right." Hunter moves to step behind the podium. He softly touches the wood of the podium. Looking out to all the empty chairs.

[poetwarrior]

Faris knows that whatever he is seeing, Hunter sees something else in his mind's eye. These empty chairs mean nothing to the K'da, despite their significance to his host. "And what came of this?"

[maze_ofthorns]

"I didn't enjoy his speech. I wanted him to see differently." Kendra raised her hand. A dozen posters, with Kyle's face on them, drop from the ceiling. There are mustaches drawn on each of them.

[poetwarrior]

"It seems you succeeded in the end." Though Faris isn't quite sure how long it must've taken to sink in.

[maze_ofthorns]

"Not from this lesson. It took another." Kendra shrugged her shoulders.

[poetwarrior]

The K'da can't frown, but he looks at one of the posters, slightly confused. "This was meant to be the punishment?"

[maze_ofthorns]

"No. Punishments are twice as bad on those who inflict them."

[poetwarrior]

"The lesson, then," he corrects, using her word.

[maze_ofthorns]

"The lesson was not meant to punish either. I was painted cruel, but that is not the entire picture."

[poetwarrior]

He tilts his head a little. "Punishment is not always cruel. I did not intend to imply that this was so."

[maze_ofthorns]

"Unfortunately, there is always pain that we can not avoid. But we learn and we grow. We become stronger."

"He is better now, than what he was."

"He has almost accepted his gift."

[poetwarrior]

Faris looks at Hunter, trying to get a sense whether his host has any insight into what she's talking about yet. "Something else remains?"

[losthunter]

"I am still missing pieces of my past." Hunter admits softly. "The strengths that Kyle had, that I might not have thought about."

[poetwarrior]

Faris nods, a habit he's picked up from watching humans. That makes a little more sense. "Perhaps it is not missing, simply denied and forgotten."

[losthunter]

"He was not afraid to face the public. Or speak his mind." Hunter notes softly.

[poetwarrior]

"Confidence," Faris says after a moment's thought. "You are not timid, Hunter, but you often seek to hide in the shadows, beneath notice of others. It is not necessary to be the center of attention, but you once were, and so you react against it, moving to the opposite end of the scale."