blackbird --- keona

[SÉAMUS]

☠ word of mouth there's a snake in the garden —

The faerie had to admit he had never actually tried something like dream walking before.  It was something he'd wanted to test but... He supposed there was no time like the present, as they always say.  The endfield had find her, get a lock on her presence, wait for her to fall asleep, then settle in for the night himself.  Seamus had fought with patience much of his life, and in short-term goals like simple contact it was nice to succeed quicker rather than slower.

He was not sure what he was expecting.  Whatever it was, he was still caught somewhat off-guard. Keona could not dream in color if she did not know color.  He hummed softly, ears perked, recognized the sound of waves on a beach and searched the girl out.  Meanwhile, he began taking hold of the dream place, bringing color to his eyes as he peiced together his location as it would be in the real world.  Baracuda bay.  "Sibi."

// [member=265]Keona.[/member]
[div style="text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #009E60; font-size: 15px;"]— SÉAMUS Ó FAOLÁN ☠

#psychosocial.

[Keona.]

[align=center]

✯ — keona sibéal ó faoláin. female. minnow of the typhoon. blind. rusty spotted cat.  ref. bio.

Truth be told, Keona was frightened someone would get into her head.  She had no desire to repeat falling prey to a mental trap again anytime soon.  As such, she nearly jumped from her skin when she heard a voice.  The tiny Fae did not off dream up anyone and something felt far too real about her uncle's presence for her to believe he was a fragment of her mind.

She turned sharply away from the beach and towards Séamus.  He sounded taller.  Bemused, the child angled her head upwards, ears perked attentively.  "Uncail?" Sibi was, she knew, his preferred nickname for her.  An affectionate shortening of her Gaelic name that always made her smile.

"... How're you here?" The petite kitten Inquired, tail flicking.

[ Mobile ]

tá mé i dtiúin — ✯

[SÉAMUS]

☠

Séamus can't help the way his eyes light up, though she cannot see them.  The realization this actually worked delighted him to no end and he was excited to how he could utilize this to a strategic advantage in the future. The present however, had to be kept in focus.  The endfield squared his shoulders, smiling wryly.  "With the right mental capacity, it should not be too difficult, Sibi," he offered, his fluffy tail swaying. "With some training of course."

"I believe this is referred to as 'dream walking'," the vulpine explained.  "In this way we can communicate, although it is limited to during sleep of course." A very good thing indeed, as he was sure she would agree.  "I'm loath to approach you openly in daylight, least something gives us away, so this makes a decent alternative."

"How're you, Sibi?" He inquired softly, brows furrowed in concern.  "No one's hurt you? A sure fire way to find them on his list of enemies and possible targets.

// Mobile

"word of mouth there's a snake in the garden" —-- Séamus Ó Faolán

[Keona.]

[align=center]

✯ — keona sibéal ó faoláin. female. minnow of the typhoon. blind. rusty spotted cat.  ref. bio.

Mental.  No. It was a power, she supposed wearily.  Every member of her family it seemed, had a multitude of abilities.  Others outside her blood exhibited plenty as well.  It was a mental attack that had brought her into this mess. She had not been able to combat an attack on her own mind.  The kitten dug her paws into the sand, kneading softly.  She missed the soft sand of the bay.  Moist as the tides pulled in.  Missed the sound of the water embracing the shore. Her ears flicked back, eyes flickering down.  "I don' have that,"she murmured.  "No powers." That she knew of.

Passively, subconsciously, there was something there.  It was hard to decipher normal from abnormal when it had been there since before she had even taken her first steps.  Her family had passed down many abilities.  Dormant as they were.  Subconscious as they were.  Keona remained certain however, that patience was not enough to draw anything out and she was not like her father nor uncles.  Maybe she lacked the power because she had never seen how it was done.  Maybe she was just the odd one out.

If Caesar could rediscover a power however... Spontaneously, maybe she'd find it in her somewhere, randomly, to do something her family could do.  Maybe.  Hope was a fickle thing.  She'd been hoping her father would've caught up by now and taken her away from here.  It was not... Smart, she knows, to rush in recklessly and perhaps that was why he'd yet to appear.

Instead, her uncle, no doubt in another shape, was here.  Actually here.  The minnow recalls hearing his accented voice nearby during the day once. A trick, she had thought warily.  Mental games.  Keona did not like admitting she was afraid - she was supposed to be tough, a real pirate in the making - yet it was a matter of fact, she was frightened someone would mess with her head again.  Valkyr especially, she was wary of.  He'd caught her that way afterall.

She trusted her uncle. Him she did not mind, forging this connection to her mind.  He had no ill intent.  He was family.  He'd come for her, she was sure.  A spy in the ranks, to sneak her out, or just keep her safe maybe, until the cavalry arrived.  The man with the plan. Keona bounced on her paws. "Will you come ev'ry night?" Until they were safe to together again.  Home.

The child was sick of being alone. Junji was here of course, another captured crewmate.  There were other prisoners.  Valkyr was not cruel to her, though she still distrusted him.  Yet these were not her people.  She wanted her da, both of her uncles, and she wanted to meet her cousin, the little direwolf.  She wanted the trees and the salt breeze and the gentle waves chasing her on the beach.

"A'ole," no one had touched her really, though she was still frightful of everyone around her.  All these strangers. "... I want to go home, uncail."

tá mé i dtiúin — ✯

[SÉAMUS]

☠

Indeed, Séamus had noticed Keona's lack of obvious abilities.  She had yet to exhibit any.  At least, anything obvious.  Yet the vulpine suspected the child had, at the very least, some clairvoyant ability.  Even if her hearing and sense of smell were enhanced due to her lack of sight, the fae had always been impressed at her ability to simply know who approached her.  Knew it was really him here.  Certainly Keona made up for her lack of vision, but Séamus felt certain of the potential, if she did not already acess it unintionally.  "Not so, Sibi," he answered the girl, ear flicking. "I'm rather sure of the opposite, really."

The pirate's eyes softened. "Trust me.  If you've not already been tapping into something yet, you'll be soon enough." A matter of time, and Séamus had patience for these things at the very least.

At home, training would be a simple matter.  Even a group effort potentially.  Here made things tricky. From what Séamus had gathered, a slave - prisoners too, he hoped - could earn their way out.  To become a real dweller.  If things went sour when Kian and the crew came, Séamus and Keona had to find a way to elevate her status.  A free Keona meant an easier escape.  Besides, the child needed strength to escape anyhow.  The desert would not be an easy crossing.

"I'll make an effort to, Sibi," he agreed, brows creasing.  With practice came ease.  The more Séamus did this, the easier it would come to him in the future. Maybe she would pick up on how to do it herself.

"Listen," the vulpine knew this for a gamble.  Keona remained terribly young and small still.  The Fae never grew quickly. "From what I've come to understand, freedom can be earned here." If it would work the same for her.  "The crew's comin', make no mistake, but if something goes wrong..." God forbid. "A backup plan is neccessary, eh?  You've got to earn a higher status here."

"Do you understand what means, Sibi?" Ná bheith stubborn. "Means learnin', alright? To fight. To hunt.  Anythin' and everythin' useful." If she had powers, they had better show up. They could be useful.

"word of mouth there's a snake in the garden" —-- Séamus Ó Faolán

[Keona.]

[align=center]

✯ — keona sibéal ó faoláin. female. minnow of the typhoon. blind. rusty spotted cat.  ref. bio.

Keona bit her tongue. A number of protests ran through her mind but not a single word escaped her clamped mouth.  Did he know something?  See something she did not? The kitten shuffled her paws, unable to hide the frown taking over her features.  What did he know? I don't feel anything.  Don' tap into anything... Bemused, the child chewed the inside of her cheek.

At least he'd visit. At least this meant someone to talk to other than Pittians and other prisoners and slaves.  Some family close by.  She felt her shoulders relax.  Attentively, the child curled her tail lightly around herself, resting on her paws.  A plan.  Keona liked plans.  And it came with a backup.  Oh.

The minnow agrees, inclining her head thoughtfully.  She'd heard as much over her time here.  Earn it. Why though?  Keona did not like the idea of putting forth effort for a bunch of slavers.  Kidnappers. They did not deserve her obedience.  Her mind.  Her paws.  The crew'll save us though. For sure.

It won't come to this.  Surely.  Keona tilted her chin, eyes narrowing.  She understood all too well. Fight.  Hunt. Everything her crew could do she had to learn one day.  Yet off-putting it had came naturally to the child; no need to hunt when she could explore and food offered the moment she came home.  Frowning once more, she flexed her tiny, needle-like claws as if for the first time. "Tuigim... Ach ní maith liom é," she murmured slowly.

"An mbeidh tú ag múineadh dom?" Made the most sense.

tá mé i dtiúin — ✯

[SÉAMUS]

☠

// time skip to after the change in leadership ;p

Given the new leader's announcement that slaves should be trained up, Séamus felt less adverse to being seen outside with the child.  It certainly gave him an excuse.  Even better now that Valkyr was gone.  As such, the endfield decided to his niece out into the desert, just a little outside the fortress.  With the sun beginning the descent, the temperature would begin to drop soon enough. A better time to train while still experiencing some of the desert's heat.

Keona had been upset with him once for attempting to teach her to fight.  Let's play a game.  Little choice now, in truth.  If they wanted to continue playing their part before the escape.  "Try to hit me," the faerie commanded, gentle-tone but a hard gleam in his eyes.  Once he knew Keona could fight at least a little and could handle a few nights in the desert, escape on their own grew more and more feasible.  Her trust in him, consequently, also would grow, he hoped, making her more likely to listen to him when the inevitable argument came upon their return to her father.

The vulpine took a few steps back from the smaller feline.  His talons slid on the sand but with more ease than before.  The desert was harsh, so only the toughest and smartest survived.  Séamus intended Keona to be among those ranks by the end of their time here.  I'm not going to go easy.  Indeed, the endfield would attempt to create an illusion that he was two feet to the right, trying to manipulate Keona's sense of smell and hearing. Ideally, their bond would make this easier, yet harder, should the child properly act in defense.

Meanwhile, he crouched low to the ground, prepared to move.

"word of mouth there's a snake in the garden" —-- Séamus Ó Faolán

[Keona.]

[align=center]

✯ — keona sibéal ó faoláin. female. striker of the typhoon. blind. rusty spotted cat.  ref. bio.

Keona dragged her paws, dutifully following her uncle, conscious that anyone could be watching them yet understanding they had little reason to be suspcious. They wanted the slaves, the lowest of the low, to be trained.  Know how to fight.  Artillery. Well, perhaps she could show them how bad of an idea that was in her case.  This meant her uncle could train her, still maintain his cover and the secret of their relationship, and eventually ensure their escape's success.

Unfortunately, the petite fae lacked much enthusiasm in terms of combat training. He'd played this game with her once before.  Hit me.  Just one hit.  Prove she could do it.  Land an actual blow.  Keona flexed her tiny claws, ears flattened.  A game she disliked.  A game she avoided.  It's just like tag... Just less running.

You can do it... But Uncle Seamus... Well, she felt rather sure he outmatched her more than by a little.  Even so, the kitten recognized the feeling of someone toying with her mind.  Valkyr taught her an important lesson the day he stole her away.  Protect your mind.  Yet for a split second, Keona faltered, her blood running cold.  That's playing dirty.

With grit teeth, the child slammed back in retaliation, unintentionally attempting to freeze her uncle in place by locking his motor function. "..." Her paws shook.  When she finally realized what she'd just attempted, the girl gasped softly.  In that second, the spell lifted, her concentration and hold breaking.  Should he be fast enough, he'd only have to dodge to the side before she lunged forward, trying to slam into his scaly legs in order to trip him.  Worth a shot after all.

tá mé i dtiúin — ✯

[SÉAMUS]

☠

Séamus could not help the grin that lit on his face.  No one plays fair, he lamented in turn, pleasantly surprised they could send entire thoughts through their connection.  Great for communication when silence was required.  Keona could not be signaled through body language, but this worked even better.

The Irishman paused, blinking, eyes narrowing.  From what he'd gathered, Keona had ended up prisoner here due to Valkyr's manipulation.  He did not expect her to be entirely relaxed at his surprise attack, but her frightened stature alarmed him.  For a split second.  Then, before he realized what she was attempting, found his own body freezing on it's own accord.  Feck.

It hardly lasted however, and the very second he regained motor function, the endfield swiped a single paw, aiming to send her toppling over as she lunged, then push the talons down, very gently on her neck, pinning her to the sandy ground, the proud gleam still in his eyes.  "Not bad, Sibi."

"I told you you had power," he pointed out, lifting his paw up.  "If you can learn to control it, you'll have an advantage." Well.  Mostly.  An advantage on everyone who lacked the same ability or secure minds.  "Combined with the right physical training, you'll amount to a real threat."

"Try it again," he directed.  "Attack me physically and mentally.  The more simultaneous or erratic, the better.  You want to confuse your enemy.  Make it hard for them to attack you.  You're small, but you're fast, I know you are.  If you want to win against a larger opponent," so every opponent really, "you have to be tricky.  You can slip through someone's paws easily, so long as they're not capable of fully focusing on you."  Even then, he'd seen her move.  It was different on their home turf of course.  Easier.  Yet he trusted her instincts, hopefully, she did too. "You can even convince them to stop fighting, with the right mental suggestion."

"Your mind is your most powerful asset, Sibi.  Use it."

"word of mouth there's a snake in the garden" —-- Séamus Ó Faolán