losthunter | The Stories We Keep Secret

"He spoke about how her faith in him had helped changed things. It could be that he is not ready to talk about whatever magic was left in his life... and that was the best way for him to explain himself."

"Quite possible," Faris agrees. "Not all are willing to speak of private matters so freely."

"Sawyer did mention that he too found someone special in his life. And it ties into what the others had found, themselves."

Hunter looks at his notes. "Two more people to visit."

"I want to visit Arianna next. She also lives in Canada. In Prince Edward Island..." He explains.

"It has been some time since I have been on an island," Faris says, intrigued. As someone who has spent most of his life aboard a spaceship, he wishes they could spend more time in each location, though he does understand that now is not the time for sightseeing. Perhaps at a future date.

"We can return and stay longer another time." Hunter would not be able to enjoy the sights or sounds of PEI right now. His mind is too distracted.

"Forgive my curiosity," Faris says politely. "My interests are not our focus at this time. Come, let us proceed."

"We will indulge in your curiosity. I promise." Mostly because Hunter is appreciative of Faris giving up his time for him. And a little because Hunter wants to explore the island too.

Once the PINpoint brings them to the island, it is obvious by the difference of the saltiness in the air from the ocean.

Arianna lives in a fishing-shack styled home, right by the ocean. She is outside, strumming on a guitar when Hunter appears. She welcomes him with a bright smile. She is a little younger than the rest of the people he had met. If Hunter had to guess, he would estimate that she is 18 at the most.

"You must be Hunter." She smiles.

"Yes. Thank you for meeting with me Arianna."

Faris must resist the urge to come off Hunter's skin enough to taste the air, so different from the scents he's familiar with. It seems a pleasant enough place, from his perspective, and quite calming.

The K'da was introduced to human musical instruments during his initial stay with Hunter, so the sound of the guitar is strange but familiar.

"You contacted me because you recognized a girl in one of my paintings..." Hunter started the conversation.

"Yes. It reminded me of Kylee, a girl in one of my classes at high school." Arianna spoke softly. Hunter took note that this time, Kendra's aspect had taken an aspect of a slightly younger age.

"I was really struggling at that time. My father was very strict. And I wanted to leave the island and explore new places. And I wanted to share my love of music with the world."

"Kylee supported my dreams. She encouraged me to be passionate about my music. And gifted me with an amazing ability to be a calming influence for anyone that I play for..." Arianna smiled. "She even introduced me to a nice young man, who I will be going to Prom with."

"I am glad she was such a good influence in your life," Hunter smiled.

"She moved away... at least, she must have, because one day she just wasn't there at school anymore." Arianna sighs softly. "I miss her. But I am glad she was in my life when she was."

Hunter gets the feeling that telling Arianna that her friend is gone forever would be a little too heart-breaking right now. "And my painting helped you to remember her."

"Yes. I am working a few extra shifts so I can save up to purchase it."

"You don't need to do that... I can just give it to you. She was a big part of your life." Hunter offered.

So far, they have seen a wide variety of personas that the witch has adopted to approach her targets. An old woman, a young girl... what will the last individual share, Faris wonders.

And he approves of Hunter's decision to give away his artwork to the one to whom it shall mean the most.

"Here Arianna, take my card. I will send my painting to you. But if there is anything else you want to talk about, just give me a call."

With one more conversation completed, Hunter leaves Arianna to continue working on her music. "There is just one more person to visit..." He comments to Faris, once they are far enough away to avoid detection.

"What location yet remains?" Faris asks.

"Seattle. It is there that I am going to meet up with Austin."

Hunter activates the PINpoint to allow them to travel from PEI to Seattle. Once again, the immediate change in the sight and sounds of their new location tells Faris that they have arrived.

The arrangement had been to meet up with Austin at a hospital, so Hunter heads that way. He is not very comfortable in a hospital. The bleach-clean smell always bothers him. Especially when he remembers how difficult it had been, seeing Jim in a comatose state for so long. But he asks for Austin at the check-in area, and is soon escorted to a quiet waiting room. Where he waits. And waits.

Faris has never been to a hospital before, but he figures out pretty quickly what it's for. And he can tell that Hunter is bothered by it.

They're alone in the room, so after some time waiting, Faris speaks up, quietly in case they are suddenly interrupted. "Is this a typical delay?"

"Well, I know that for patients, they can sometimes wait for a long time..."

"But I had made these arrangements with Austin a while ago. I don't understand why he is keeping me waiting."

Hunter glances around. "I don't even know where he would be working, to go looking for him, either."

"Perhaps there is an emergency requiring his attention?" Faris suggests. It doesn't seem unlikely, given the setting, but it would have been courteous to inform them of a delay.

"That is possible..."

There is nothing that Hunter can do but wait right now.

It is nearly 45 minutes of waiting before Hunter is finally approached by a male nurse, who introduces him as Austin. The first initial conversation is very halted and Austin comes off as a little rude. But eventually, Hunter convinces him of the need for privacy, and with a deep sigh, Austin takes him to a room where they won't be disturbed.

"I should have told you not to come. There really is no need..." Austin paces the room. Hunter gets an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"When you contacted me about my art exhibit, you had sounded excited. You had said that my painting had reminded you of someone..."

"It did." Austin pauses. "His name was Kenneth."

"Who was he to you?"

Austin frowns. "A nuisance. A patient. He was always asking me questions about my life. My goals. My aspirations. I really didn't need to be bothered by him..."

"You felt bothered by him..."

"And now you!" Austin angrily explodes. "Why can't you both just leave me alone!"

"I don't understand..."

"He was sick. He was dying. There was nothing I could do to help him. There is nothing I can do to help anyone here. And I am just sick of it..."

It is not difficult to realize that this situation is somewhat different than the rest. This Austin human is belligerent and aggressive, and Faris prepares himself to leap into action, if required. He swore to stay concealed unless there was danger, and he is prepared to honor that agreement.

But why, he wonders, would this person be excited to meet Hunter, yet now become angry at his arrival?

Hunter thinks Austin is upset because someone close to him had died. And that perhaps he is not the only one to see 'Kendra' fade away. If Kenneth had passed away in the hospital, it must have been a traumatic experience.

"I think I know how you are feeling..."

"You don't know anything!" Kenneth pushes Hunter, with enough force to make Hunter step back a few feet. Hunter places a hand on his chest, to signify to Faris to stay put, he doesn't want to cause more of a situation between him and Austin.

"I keep seeing him in my dreams..." Kenneth grasped tightly onto Hunter's hand. Hunter didn't know if it was a desperate attempt to seek support or something more sinister. But he felt a little tingle at his skin, so pulled away.

"He keeps dying in my dreams..." Kenneth turns away. "Just leave me alone."

"Okay. I will go." Hunter places his card on a table in the room. "But if you change your mind and need someone to talk to... just call me."

Kenneth doesn't say anything. So Hunter honors his promise, leaving the room. And soon, leaving the hospital itself. His mind is a little clouded right now. The noise of Seattle around him isn't helping. So he makes the decision to return to PEI, where he and Faris can find a quiet place to sit and talk.

Faris trusts in Hunter's judgment, though if Austin should get violent, he will no longer remain concealed. And he remains wary even once they leave the hospital, in case they are followed.

The moment they are alone, he finds a gap in Hunter's clothing and leaps out onto all four paws. During his time among humans, he has learned that having a disembodied voice coming from one's body can be seen as disconcerting, or at the very least, somewhat disconnected emotionally. And he believes that Hunter might take greater comfort if he can see his companion.

"I didn't expect him to be so... upset." Hunter mentions softly. He is glad that Faris is within sight.

"He was quite angry," Faris agrees, tilting his head slightly. "Why would he agree to meet you if he felt this way?"

"Maybe he agreed to meet me... before he learned that 'Kenneth' was gone."

"I think he had gotten so close to Kendra's aspect, that it hurt him emotionally when he didn't have that connection anymore."

His arm feels a little itchy. So he scratches at it for a moment.

[I just noticed that I called Austin Kenneth several times. Sorry to have confused]

Edited 2017-06-29 23:45 (UTC)

Faris doesn't think anything of the gesture, at the moment. He is far more concerned with the strange situation at hand. "If that is so, it is understandable. What is less so is his lack of communication with you. Should he not have informed you that he no longer wished to meet?"

"Sometimes, in grief, humans can get so wrapped up in your own head... you sort of forget about the people who are there to support you."

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