.ｇｅｎｄｅｒ/ｓｅｘｕａｌｉｔｙ
Dana is a sapio-bisexual female
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ｋｄ'ｓ ｎａｍｅ
Dana
{ pronounced dan-ah }
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ｇｅｏｃａｃｈｉｎｇ ａｎｄ ｔｒｅａｓｕｒｅ-ｈｕｎｔｉｎｇ
ɪ - ᴄᴏɴғʀᴏɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ
There was a low hum emitting from all of the enchanted artifacts resting on the mahogany shelves of her father's office. Spirit ears erect and twitching violently, she paced up and down the aisles scanning for her favorite bauble, a blue opal that had been bewitched to act as a tracking device for the holder's strongest desire, the Desire Opal. It was one of a kind, a missing piece in her extensive magic gem collection, and worth a hefty sum of money. Startling and freezing in place when she heard the reverberating "clunk" of one of the stone talismans falling off of its displaying holder in both the spirit and earthly realm (sprites don't like their stony homes falling all over the place) she was immediately aware of another presence in the lofty study. Overcoming her initial surprise, she whirled around to face the daemon she could feel was behind her, now. Tall, dark and cold; that was an interesting first impression. They stepped into the light, then, and she could fully see her impending doom. It was her father's old bane, much worse for the wear. He had gained a new scar from back left ear to jaw, and now sported an eyepatch frayed all around from age. His fire a much paler blue and his once pure black, lustrous pelt dull and graying betray his age. He gripped the Desire Opal in his fangs, carefully. She braced herself for the sure-to-come message, and was not disappointed. A deep, grating growl, thick with sorcery and charm, met her spirit ears, warning her to end her searches for the gems, and she heard no more.
ɪɪ - ᴅɪʀᴛ
The earth was awake here. You, a mere mortal human, could feel it if you tried hard enough. Unlikely, of course, since your species doesn't like to try too hard or just believe. This ground was full of things a human couldn't imagine, and it was just as well, because here was where Dana found her peace.
ɪɪɪ - ᴄʟᴀᴡs
Out here in the forest, alone with only a GPS beeping out instructions, here is the best of Dana. Her fire has calmed, and there are birds (birds!) fluttering around it for warmth and protection from father Winter. She hasn't felt like this since her brother got her the GPS and a geocaching pod of her own, complete with over a hundred preprogrammed caches and tips on hunting them down and hiding them. Her claws click quietly on the frozen twigs and frosted rocks, and the birds continue a soft medley of chirps that sounds like the noises of the church bells on her dear brother's wedding day. The GPS is beeping louder now, and its backlight has turned on to combat lady Night. Darkness is falling and the birds have left the area silent to go roost in trees, and claws clicking on ice become a lonely, lonely sound.
ɪᴠ - ғɪɴᴅ
There's a thing that occurs when the beeping increases to a crescendo and becomes a steady hum entirely. It isn't tangible, solid, but it's there. Dana knows. Dana feels it when claws clang on metal, thud on wood, cling on glass and thunk on stone. It's a feeling one and the same with finding anything that is no-ones and claiming it yours because you found it. Out in the forests of this vast land, where no demon nor man claims ownership over the earth or each other, finders-keepers is a law. Maybe the only law in this lonely godforsaken place, where the finds are few, far between, rich in money and sorcery but paid for in companionship (or lack of.)
ᴠ - ʀᴇsᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ
She's about to give up her search for the damned opal and call it quits on that gem and tracking down that demon (for the first time ever, quitting, it's worth mentioning) when she finally comes across her dad's enemy one last time, or rather he, her. He comes quietly, in the middle of the inky, silent night, while she's camped in one of her many rickety shelters that are strewn across her treasure-hunting grounds, and her guttural scream when she saw him sitting by the ashes of last night's fire surely reached a third realm. He shoots her another message to calm her quickly, his mental voice weaker but still as deep as the pits of hell.
Yᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴀʟᴍ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ, ɴᴏᴡ. I'ᴍ sᴏʀʀʏ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ᴛʜɪs ʜᴀs ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴍʏ ᴀɴᴄᴇsᴛᴏʀs ᴄᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ ɴᴏᴡ. Mʏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪs ɴᴇᴀʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅs ᴛʜɪs sᴛᴏɴᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ I. Bʟᴇss ʏᴏᴜ, ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀsᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ ɢᴇᴍs ᴡᴀs ᴛʜʀɪʟʟɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴅᴜᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ, ᴀɴᴅ I ᴀᴍ ᴘʀᴏᴜᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴏʀᴋs.
Bʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ... I ᴍɪssᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ.
The tears are beginning to break through her emotional dam.
I ᴋɴᴏᴡ, Dᴀɴᴀ-ɢɪʀʟ, I ᴍɪssᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴛᴏᴏ. Wᴏᴜʟᴅ... Wᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʟʟ Fᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʜᴇɴ I'ᴍ ɢᴏɴᴇ?
The tears flow freely now, silent down her cheeks, carving paths and touching places that hadn't been touched since her brother had thrown his freeing fit, rejected his title and fled their family's once wealthy estate.
Oɴʟʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ I'ᴍ sᴏʀʀʏ ғᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ʙᴏᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ɪɴ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ʜᴇ ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ. Eᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴇʟsᴇ, ᴅᴇᴀʀ Bʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ, I ᴄᴀɴ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʜɪᴍ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ.
Aʟʀɪɢʜᴛʏ, Dᴀɴɴʏ-ɢɪʀʟ. Kᴇᴇᴘ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏɴᴇs sᴀғᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇᴀʀ?
'Tɪʟ I'ᴍ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, Bʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ, 'ᴛɪʟ I'ᴍ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴏɴᴇ.
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ａｎｄ ｓｏ ｔｈｅ ｊｏｕｒｎｅｙ ｓｔａｒｔｅｄ
ａ ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ｂｅｇａｎ
ａｎｄ ａ ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ｃｏｎｃｌｕｄｅｄ.
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clarification - Dana talks in her rusty red, her as-yet-unnamed brother would speak as this navy when he was younger but has weakened to this paler steel blue.
