The Stories We Keep Secret

[losthunter]

Hunter has received a few phone calls after completing his memorial to Kendra, and getting the opportunity to display the artwork in his dimension. His goal of finding the other people who might have had Kendra affect their lives had been successful. And now he is ready to go speak to them personally.

But first, he didn't want to go alone. And at the same time, he didn't want those he was meeting to know that he didn't trust them. So he called Faris to join him in the adventure. Hopefully he would be able to put more of Kendra's memory to peace by doing this.

Comments

[boldygoing]

Jim's worries are eased when he feels Hunter responding, proof that the fairytale solution worked.

Faris looks at the ball of darkness curiously and cautiously. "That is the source?" he asks.

[maze_ofthorns]

The mental representation of Hunter is awake now, even though his actual body is still in a half-awake mode. He smiles at seeing Jim. Something about his smile would tell Jim that it is not unusual for Hunter to dream about him.

"It is." Kendra creates a globe to hold the darkness. "It can be removed from his mind now."

[boldygoing]

Jim smiles back at him. "Hey, handsome. I think it's time for you to wake up now."

[maze_ofthorns]

"I think I can do that..." Hunter responds, moving into a sitting position.

"We will need one of you to take this out of the mind." Kendra holds out the globe with the darkness encased.

[poetwarrior]

"I shall do this task," Faris volunteers, reaching out a forepaw to take the globe. The K'da isn't certain what will happen when they return to the real world, but a warrior does not fear the unknown.

[losthunter]

They get the sensation of being pulled out of Hunter's mind. Within minutes, they are back in the physical world. April is still sitting beside Hunter, who is breathing normally now. She still has her hand on his chest, to keep him laying down until McCoy gives his okay for him to move.

Faris will actually being holding a globe with a deep darkness inside of it.

"I don't feel so tired anymore..." Hunter speaks, softly.

[boldygoing]

Jim blinks a couple of times to get his bearings. "You feel okay?" he asks Hunter.

McCoy's staring at his tricorder in mild befuddlement at the sudden improvement in his patient's readings. He'd been getting better, slowly but surely, but there's still little indication of the source. Except, of course, for the ominous-looking globe that the quadrupedal alien is holding.

[losthunter]

"Much better..." He is still a little disoriented himself. He has flashes of what happened in his mind, as if it had been a dream.

"What is that?" April points to the ominous-looking globe.

[boldygoing]

"You can sit up now, just take it easy," McCoy advises Hunter.

Faris cradles the globe in the palm of his forepaw. "This is the curse, contained by the oracle within Hunter's mind," he answers April.

[losthunter]

Hunter eases himself up, slowly, until he is sitting on the couch. He turns his attention to the globe that Faris is holding too.

"We have to find a way to destroy it." He doesn't want anyone else to go through what he just went through.

"May I?" April holds out her hands, for the globe.

[poetwarrior]

"Certainly." Faris isn't being harmed by holding it, so he assumes she won't be either, and hands over the dark object with delicate paws.

[losthunter]

April holds the globe for a moment. Then closes her eyes, using her abilities to make the globe smaller and smaller. Basically crushing the darkness until there is nothing left to crush.

"If Austin did that to me... he might do that to others."

[boldygoing]

McCoy is trying not to stare but it's hard. That is some weird, freaky shit. Jim takes it far more in stride, and turns to Hunter. "What can we do to help you stop him?"

[losthunter]

"We will have to find him." Hunter doesn't think Austin will stick around the hospital, where they met. "And make sure that he is not hurting others with the gift that Kendra left him."

"Not tonight." April tells him, firmly. "You need to rest."

[boldygoing]

"Damn straight you're not," McCoy agrees. "If you just get yourself in the same situation again, I don't know that you'd fare as well."

[losthunter]

"But he might hurt others..." Hunter tries to reason with the others.

April places her hand on his shoulder for a moment. She closes her eyes. And tilts her head, as if listening to something.

"No. You have no worries about that for a couple of months. He is still not aware of his abilities or their capabilities. He has no idea that he was able to affect you at all..." She opens her eyes. "But he would know, if you went after him too soon."

[boldygoing]

"I'll help you any way I can when you're ready to go after him," Jim promises. "But it won't do anybody any good to run off without a plan. Trust me." He learned that lesson the hard way, and he doesn't want to see Hunter get himself into more trouble.

[losthunter]

"Okay... okay... I give..." Hunter lays back down on the couch.

April stands, checking her voices one more time. "I am done here."

[boldygoing]

"Thank you for coming," Jim says to her, meeting her eyes. They've only met once before, after all, and she didn't have to respond to his call. But he's very grateful that she did.

[losthunter]

"It was nice seeing you again, despite the circumstances." April turns to McCoy and Faris. "And nice to meet you both. In a fashion."

"It is a reassuring thought to know that such people will be around, when my children are ready to seek help in the Nexus."

[boldygoing]

McCoy shoots a curious, puzzled look towards Jim, who just shakes his head and mouths, "Later."

Faris bows his head slightly in farewell. "Your assistance is greatly appreciated."

[losthunter]

April PINpoints out.

Hunter smiles slightly from his position on the couch. "Any volunteers to help me get to bed?"

[boldygoing]

McCoy doesn't quite roll his eyes as he leans close to sling Hunter's arm around his shoulders. "The amount of times I had to haul Jim back to the dorm at the Academy, I've got a lot of practice in."

Faris is quick to put himself under Hunter's other hand, letting the man lean on his back again.

[losthunter]

It is not like before, where Hunter was just too weak to stand, but having the assistance and support is very appreciated. "Now those sounds like stories I would like to hear sometime."

It is also a relief to know that being tired right now feels more natural, not like the pure exhaustion he had felt before.

[boldygoing]

McCoy has always felt that there is a strength in being a little paranoid sometimes. Especially with as rapid of an onset as Hunter's symptoms had, and the remedy apparently being magic, he figures there's no harm in playing it safe.

And Faris, of course, still freshly remembers how quickly Hunter's condition deteriorated when they were on their journey, so he's subconsciously trying to reassure himself that it won't happen again.

Jim follows as the others help Hunter to the bedroom, smiling a little at Hunter's remark. "There's nothing too exciting, mostly just me going a bit overboard at the end of finals." Or on his birthdays, but those were not the kind of drinking that makes for an amusing story.