User:Fire InThe Hole/The Hideaway

HS c95634 (Years pass, age gently fades the planet. Time buries what was once clear, and lays bare what was long forgotten. Soon, it will lay bare that which you so dearly seek, though you know not what it is.)

05/07/963

''I knew he'd pick it up! Raff might be an innocent boy but he's not stupid. Kath and I have been teaching him some things. You know, stealing from stupid hoardy shopkeepers, slipping things in and out of pockets. He was more surprised that Kath can pick locks like no other than at his own talent, he's really good. Too good, I thought, but then I remembered that he isn't completely new to living off of street scraps. It's still relatively fresh from his perspective, too.''

''We're making him something nice for his twenty-fifth. It's going to take a while to get everything together, especially since we can't both leave at the same time unless he's sleeping, which he oddly enough doesn't do much more of than Kath or I ever do. Kath has been much more active, what with the season finally warming up again. I know she hates urban environments, but they make for wonderful heat pools during the bright season.''

''Raff isn't so scared of me now, though. Dammit Kath, you and your clever speeches. I like him better like this, however. He's starting to make his own assessments without looking to either of us for a thumbs up. Oh, and Kath had a plan for his birthday. Not this one but the next.''

965, Myriad 27.

''Raff's birthday approaches. The vest will protect him from temperatures and weaponry impact alike. Granted, it was a terrible challenge to acquire the material. It will be well worth the effort once he discovers what it does. We've tentatively named this project the Simple Vestment. It's a ridiculous name, but we both suspect he will adopt it as such regardless.''

''I do worry about him, now and then. He certainly has taken well to the surroundings that Helena has taken us into, but I wonder if he does not get a little homesick sometimes. It is not easy leaving your old ties behind in such a radical way, and I believe that he was not entirely aware of the consequences of his playful suggestion. Now that he is, he seems to look at it differently, perhaps feeling as if my sister and I have effectively kidnapped him. I know he has forgiven me my deceit, yet I still feel as though I continue to deceive him into more things he'd rather not delve into. Without any word of him against it, however, I can do no more than guess.''

''On the bright side, he has finally gathered up the courage today to ask us about our past antics, especially regarding any 'charming young strangers' of all kinds. Helena could not resist feeding him insane stories about herself, although I could tell that Raff was about as aware of their accuracy as I am. I think it must have surprised him to know that Helena and I were both quite the charmers in those days. I just hope he realises how long ago that was.''