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Morning came just like any other morning and promptly at 7 I woke all at once. (Yes I'm odd and wake up freakishly early naturally no matter what. No I can't stop it..I wish I could every once in a while though, you know, like the times that I don't get to sleep until 4 or 5 in the morning)You always read the stories about where the person is put into an extraordinary situation far from home and everything that they know only to wake up and for a few moments in the morning they forget their predicament, well, that didn't happen. I'm not one of those people. I knew where I was the moment I woke which again never happened slowly but all at once. I was awake or asleep, there never had been anything inbetween, just like most things with me.

"Morning" my host greeted me "You ready to earn that keep? I have a few things that I need to do today and I just might let you help"

Let me help? Who was she kidding, she wasn't going to goad me into thinking that I was doing her a favour when all I was doing was paying her back for giving me supper and a roof over the night. I definitely wasn't that easily conned, but I didn't take the opportunity to point that out to her. I've learned that when most people underestimate you it can come in handy later.

So I 'helped' her out.

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"Jovian!" Keisha looked a little startled as a dark haired boy in light gray clothing approached her "home long have you been home for?"

"Oh..umm..a week and a half. I'll be heading back soon, though."

"Oh well, tell your mother hello for me and that if she needs anything more for your sister Kelsie to come to me in the next two days. I'll be here until then." The blonde smiled at the boy and I simply looked between the two of them.

At that moment Jovian stumbled forwards then immediately turned around to glare at the big snickering white horse that had apparently pushed him. "Corena!" he glared at the creature then turned with a glance at Keshia before his eyes settled upon me and he looked properly embarrassed. "Sorry" he mumbled, glancing at the woman next to me then back at me while the horse pushed him again with her furry white nose.

"Oh..." I stared and trailed off as my brain finally caught up with the situation by putting two and two together to figure out that Jovian was a herald trainee and Corena was his companion. A very familiar looking companion at that. Hey! Wait a minute! I remember that fuzzy white muzzle!

"YOU!" My exasperation expressed though a finger pointed at the looming white creature. The finger promptly changed directions then as it leveled at the shaggy haired boy next to it "You're insane demon likes to eat things upon my person!" my short lived tirade then trailed off as I realized something "And lead me to civilization...." I finished weakly. Stupid horse, it was smirking at me. I could feel it.

"Ah.." the boy had the decency to look sheepish "Core, likes to eat things. I never did break her of that nasty habit." His green eyes unfocused for a moment then returned to me "She says that she was only trying to help. Said you were radiating distress enough to disturb.." He flushed and glanced at his companion seemingly embarrassed "..to disturb her" he finished lamely with a slight squicky shudder as I could only imagine what she had been talking about and the kinds of images she could be sending him. Squicky for me even and I wasn't even on the receiving end of it. That's what I got for possessing a really good imagination with a guarantee for a nice mental image at the least convenient moment.

"Ahem?" Keisha once again gathered both our attentions "was there something else?" She asked Jovian pointedly, as a way of telling him that she had things that she needed to get done.

"oh...um" the boy blushed as Core tugged at his sleeve. He then looked at me as he said his next monumental words "Corena says that you have to come with us"

"What?" My mouth hung open in shock and even Keisha looked surprised by what he said, though that didn't last long for it faded into a somewhat knowing smile. Interesting that.

"You have to come with us" the trainee repeated while his companion stuck her furry, runny nose into my face and snorted. It was laughing at me again. I could feel it. Stupid horse.

I glared at Corena for good measure before I even considered answering Jovian. "Why?"

"Oh..umm.." the herald in training looked a little bit flustered if not a bit confused "well....I'm not entirely sure why but she says that you have to come and that she wont leave without you.." The boy then grinned a little "then she told me that if you don't voluntarily come with us that she'll have me knock you out, tie you up and throw you over the saddle because you have to come.."

An eyebrow was raised as my attention went back to that smirking white beast beside him "really now? That's interesting..."

"You know" the first words that Keisha had spoken since the boy's utterance of kidnaping me put a halt to anything else that I would have said "I think you should go with him"

Was she trying to get rid of me?

"I did sense some empathy from you earlier and even if Core doesn't give you any more reason to come with them than she wants to eat more of your clothing you can at least get some training from the Collegeum in controlling that."

Death glare now leveled at said blonde book character, crafty little weasel that she was. She was definitely trying to get rid of me and I did not like being manhandled like this. Everyone was deciding for me what I should do and it got old rather quickly.

Big white nose in my face! Core, I had forgotten about her. That crazy horse probably knew what I was thinking and trying to distract me. Well it wouldn't work. I am undistractable. Yup, no distraction here. You know that is a nice shade of blue on that woman's skirt. Yeah, indistractable my left shoe. So as I was pondering how to make that colour blue a nice runny nose once again took my attention away as a throat was cleared.

"So?" Jovian looked at me with hopeful eyes. Big hopeful puppy dog eyes. Stupid puppy eyes. I kick you puppy eyes.

"Well..." I trailed off in my indecision "I suppose it can't hurt...." And it couldn't, Haven is always a good goal in situations like these.

The boy instantly looked partially relieved and partially excited, the damned horse was dancing merrily and Keisha looked extremely pleased. Yay for them. Too bad I all of a sudden feel as if I'm being magically herded towards something that I'm not entirely going to like.

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