Peculiar Persona [jinkagai x Uriel Seraphim]

[jinkagai]

"You're more than right about my virtues ..." Hiro said as he felt the tug on the makeshift towel, to which he quickly let go. He decided to keep his eyes closed and his back to her until he knew she was completely dressed and even then, when he turned to look at her, his eyes never left hers, showing a firm resolve.

When she admitted that she was both Ilyana and Faith, he could tell from her body language and the way she spoke that she had many reasons to keep this secret. He swore that if she had any fear of him judging her that he would dissolve that fear as fast as possible. He smiled at her and gave a sigh of relaxation.

"Well, at least that should make sleeping arrangements a little less awkward." Again, his eyes never left hers. "I swear to you I will never let anyone know your secret, and unless you tell your sisters they will never know from me that I know." He didn't know why he did what he did next but he did it anyway, much to the nonsense of it all, but he walked up to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. "You don't have to hide anything from me for fear of anything, I promise. Now if you would please lead me back to wherever it is that we were...I'm afraid that I just kinda wandered here just the same as I wander everywhere, I never really go back."

[Uriel Seraphim]

She stared at him then, her body trembling with the cold and the fear of what this revelation may lead to. It was about survival, it had always been about survival. The sisters did what they could to protect and care for their family. It was their precaution, these duel identities. It stopped most men from following the gypsies. Though in Hiro's case, it didn't seem to have worked all too well.

When he pulled her against him however, she froze, listening to his words before daring to allow herself the sigh of relief she had been hoping for. She hugged him back then, her arms reaching around those powerful and broad shoulders.  It had been a long time since she had been held by a man she cared for in the slightest... it was a welcomed change of pace.

"Nadya will already know I'm sure. There's no point in keeping secrets from a Seer." She pulled away from him then and touched her hand to his cheek. "I'll lead you back once Mercury is ready to leave."

She loaded the horse quickly, filling the sacks before tying them securely to her back and pulling gently on the reins. She took Hiro's hand in the other, the slightest blush lighting her cheeks as she did.

"Our camps is never too difficult to find. We tend to gravitate towards the centre of things, be it a square, state or even forest. If nothing else, the fire can always lead us home."

[jinkagai]

"Umm..." Hiro swallowed, "What sorts of things can seers see and do?" He felt her hand on his cheek as she turned away from him, "And who's Mercury?" He called to her, even more perplexed and curious. It was then that he realized there was a horse. A horse! How did he miss that? It was right there the whole time...he had to be more careful, he was severely getting caught with his guard down. If this world wasn't this world it would probably be fun that this was happening. Hiro had to keep reminding himself that this was the real world, and even though this small reprieve was truly inspiring, it did not affect the grand scale of things, or his endless quest.

He gave a small little chase after her, was going to offer some help in packing the magnificent creature, but she was already done by the time he got there. As she took his hand he smiled at her, "At least you always have a beacon of hope right?"

As they enjoyed their walk back to her home inquired, intent on learning as much as possible, "So, who are your children and how many are there? I haven't seen a happy child in a long time." He could not hep but clench his other fist but made sure not to tense the one being held.

[Uriel Seraphim]

"For me, that's a difficult question to answer. Nadya and my mother are the only ones I've ever known. Both of them however could only see the future. Most of the time they come in the form of dreams or premonitions." Ilyana laughed when she thought of her childhood. No matter how well the sisters could lie, their mother always knew what was going on. "Sometimes it seems like Nadya just knows things, but I guess that just means her intuition is stronger than mine. But that's to be expected, I'm a Healer, not a Seer."

She glanced up at him when he spoke about their fire. "Yes, it is nice to come home to something beautiful each night."

"The children are very energetic. I doubt you'll be able to remember all their names just yet, after all, there are nine of them." She smiled a little as she thought of them. The children were distinguishable enough, but perhaps she thought so because of the time they had all spent together. "You'll meet my children tonight; Christopher and Sophia. Little Sophia is a little over three now and Christopher turned five about a full lunar circle ago. Their very protective of each other..."

She looked down then, stared at her feet as they swept across the thick grass below. "When their father passed away it was difficult for Christopher. He's since resigned himself to a station of care for his little sister." Her eyes began to redden again when she thought of their loss. It was difficult to live without a man these days, but Ilyana knew she could survive. But what she worried for most, what she truly regretted was that her children would never come to know the love of a father the way she and her siblings had. 

She tried not to think of husbands, but it was Esmeralda's plight that came to her mind next. "My eldest sister has four children and has been widowed twice. Nadya has three children but never wed. I think it's because she's afraid to get close to men, but Nadya says she merely hasn't met her soul mate yet." Ilyana did not know what to make of soul mates. She knew as all Gypsies did that some souls were connected, and many happened to travel down similar paths together. But to have only one person in your life to ever truly understand your soul song... it was difficult to believe. Then again, some days it was difficult to believe that some people had souls at all.

"We lost contact with our siblings about a year after Marcel and I were married. We have four brothers and a sister out there... Nadya says we'll meet them again, be it in this life or the next. Personally, I just think that's how she deals with our loss. Convincing herself that no matter their plight in this world, we will be reunited no matter our age in the next." It was a kind hope, but one that Ilyana could not hold enough faith in.

[jinkagai]

Hiro relaxed in his own mind at the knowledge the seer could only glimpse events that had yet to take place and did not have the ability to see things that had already transpired. Although he soon found himself gawking at the premise of nine children existing in one family, though it made more sense once he found that not all nine belonged to one person.

"I'm sure your son will grow up to be a fine man, and I'm glad to hear he has the maturity to step into is father's shoes at such a young age." He smiled at her, no doubt it was hard to talk about her missing family...especially when it came to her late husband. He kept walking beside her, but he found himself watching her and not where he was going, content in the belief that the horse would not lead him astray into a ditch.

"I'm very sorry to hear about your losses...but, at least you've clearly known the love and joy of being a true woman.  And, assuming that your family are all similar to you, you have nothing to worry about. You will see them again. That I can promise. Even your husband, and it will be a momentous occasion, I assure you. I'll even make sure to bring flowers to the event, the best I can find." He knew of course, she probably wouldn't get the references he was making, but at least she knew he was being sincere.

"I myself have never had a family, never settled down, I've simply existed, from one battlefield to the next, trying to liberate as many good souls as I can...I know I know...it makes no sense...don't mind my ramblings" He gave a small chuckle, even found himself fiddling with her delicate fingers as he walked.

Then the campfire slowly came into view.

[Uriel Seraphim]

She brought her hand, still holding Mercury's reins, to her heart and smiled at Hiro's comment. "I hope merely that he will be an honest man, like his father was."

His comment on her loss made her smile turn sad however. "A true woman?" she asked: skepticism clear in her voice. It took her a moment, but after a while, she came to understand what he meant. "I suppose I have known... Marcel blessed me before he was taken into his next life..."  her thumb caressed the top of his hand as they walked; her voice much softer than it had been even a moment ago. "I hope my sister is right and he is guiding me even now... No matter the path he leads me down, I hope to meet with him again." Her smile was bright as her eyes began to redden, "I will never stop loving him, not for as long as I live." She shook her sentimental stupidity away and gave a somewhat frantic awkward laugh. "I'm sorry; I must seem like an old crown reminiscing about the better years as she reaches her last."

She glanced up then to see the camp fire's glow shining through the trees, guiding the two back to her family.

"My sisters and I are not incredibly similar." She said in response to his statement. "But blood and love bind us together, as it has always been and will always be for the gypsies. We are different, but we do not let our differences get between us." She stopped just before the clearing and whipped the small tears from her eyes with a soft smile. "I do not want them to see me like this," she explained. "You know, my mother once said that there were people in the old world who believed we were all the children of gods, a global family." Ilyana's smile was bright then, as she glanced up through the tree stops to glimpse the stars above. "She said that as long as we remain the way we are, a family built on love, then we would be carrying on their greatest hope for mankind... sometimes I think my mother was more than just a Seer..."

She raised her hands to the skies as if trying to touch the listening light above, her long flared sleeves falling to her elbows. "The stars are their eyes," she whispered with a smile, "Everyone we've ever lost is up there, watching over us, even when we can't see them." She had to grin then; the warmth of such a thought... the memory of her mother as she and her family gathered around the campfire and stared at the sky, sending out their own silent prayers of thanks to the ancestors...

She looked at Hiro then, and touched the side of his face."Even if you had never known your family, you can always take comfort in the fact that they have loved and watched over you... even if it doesn't feel that way some times."

She took his hand again then, and led him into the clearing, into the warmth of the flames, the food and family. The children and Ilyana's sisters were gathered around the campfire, sitting on the slightly wet grass or on mossy logs Esmeralda must have dragged over. Ilyana tied Mercury back to the thin but sturdy tree before heading over towards them. It was not long before she was spotted. "Mummy-mummy-mummy!!!" little Sophia cried as she ran towards Ilyana. Her slight smile turned to a full blown grin when she caught sight of her child.

Ilyana dropped Hiro's hand then and pulled the girl up into her arms. The nuzzled against one another, connected into a grasp that only mother and child ever truly experiences. She kissed her child and rubbed some of the dirt from her face. "You're all grubby Sophia. Were you playing with the boys again?" she asked, that mocking mothering tone smothering her voice.

"Uhuh!" Sophia said in her impossibly high voice, her cherub cheeks protesting at the magnitude of her grin. "I won the racing!" she proclaimed.

"We just let her win," Christopher called out to his mother in humbled pride. He stood from the fire, half a leg of boar in his grubby hands and stared at the stranger. Chris had always been the perfect mirror of his father, tall for his age with graying eyes and sandy blonde hair. His sun kissed skin was radiated by the fire, giving an almost red tinge to his skin. The boy puffed out his chest and scowled when he saw Hiro. "Who's he." The boy asked, as if commanding his own mother to answer.

Ilyana merely laughed and came down to the children's level, allowing Sophia to stand on her feet as she put an arm around her son. "Sophia, Christopher. This is Hiro and he'll be staying with us for a little while, okay?" Sophia, being forever brave and cheerful clapped her hands and launched herself at the stranger. "You founded us a daddy!" she shouted.

If Ilyana's face could have turned any more red or her eyes been any more round, one would have sworn she was a tomato.