It's about time that I did some explanation... Marcus is a magi-knight of the kingdom of old, just like me. But, unlike me, he remains loyal to the kingdom that betrayed me. I still recall the dreadful day...when he murdered...my fiancee...Valencia...

*Morte pauses his writing as tears slide down his cheek. He wipes them off and continues his entry.*

However, although he seems loyal to the ethic of Light, there's something I have noticed about him...something that is driving him to threaten my friends...I don't know what it could be, so I shall ask Eyas. He may know more about this, since he is one of the few who actually know my brother. Maybe Charquin knows something as well.

One day, I shall have my revenge...and drive my cutlass through his heart...until then, I must discover what he wants, before my friends die by his sword...I cannot allow them to suffer as I have. I cannot allow this madness to continue.

*Morte closes his journal and walks out onto the deck, observing the stars in the night sky while thinking of a plan...*

Captain's Log, 6 January, Morte Geist.

Mags knows me too well,

She knows exactly how to get me to see red. She's always been the red flag to my bull.

And when will that Turnip of a Neo learn? Mags turning to another reminds me she shall outlive me, I'm but a moment in her life. So when he reminded me of age I grew angry. I took him apart. It may not have been the noblest thing I've ever done, but it soothed an old man's wounded ego.

And afterwards, Mags went to sleep on a rock and wouldn't talk to me.

Journal Entry, 6 January, Halfdan the Black, Master Harper of these Isles.

***sitting in her near darkened room, lit by only a single candle flame, she pulls out her journal, now, the voices of the last two lost being relayed by her mother and father into the recesses of her mind. Attempting to write into the journal, though, ultimately, being spoken to in the interim by her Da****

Cal and Casi are gone. Perished..seems tha after I had watched them set sail, the Rover crashed.. I dont know what possesed them to leave then.. Cal knew of the tides and their times. Things have been so hard here.. on this Island.

*** Interrupting her thoughts is the rough, gravelly voice of her Father.. "Then will ye be returnin' tae the mainland, lass?"

Shaking her head, Tika replies aloud to the voice in her head..." Nae, Da. I 'ave a 'ome 'ere. I worked 'ard tae 'ave wha I do, I am nae leaving, and why should I? Eh? Laddie an 'is Lass arena t'ere. Tis naething for me t'ere." Further ignoring him she again attempts to write****

All I have left on this Island is Bailey.. he's it. The last remaining Flynn besides myself. After us, there are no others. And, even more so than before, it doesnt seem as though I will find a man to stay with me... they all die. Is it a curse? Am I cursed to have those I love die long before their times?

**Again, the voice interrupts her thoughts, her Father admonishing her for her thoughts as he always does...

"Lass, any Lad whom could catch ye twould be damned lucky tae 'ave ye.. ye knae tha.. quit beratin' yeself, ye couldna 'ave stopped this one anymore than ye could 'ave stopped the last.."

"Da, 'ow do ye knae? W'ere ye t'ere? Did ye knae wha was tae 'appen? Nae.. ye didna, or ye would 'ave told me. Why didna ye nor Mother tell me tha Calhin and Casi 'ad died upon the Rover? Did the both o'ye nae think tha I needed tae knae? Is tha' it? Did ye both think me tae fragile tae 'andle it?"

Angry now, more so than she's ever been, she rises, pacing about the darkened floors of her rooms, talking with her Father who now tries to convince her that she is wrong, that they didnt think her weak...

"Aye... tha twas it, wasna it? Ye both thought me tae frail tae tell me yeselves. Tae 'ell with ye and with Mother. If neith'r o'ye think any more o'me than tha... then ye can keep Bailey company and donna E'er talk tae me again!"

With that said, she shuts both Kiralyn and Duncan firmly from her mind, not wanting to hear them any longer, wanting to finally become something other than what they had wanted her to be.

Returning to her small table, she sets to write again****

Perhaps that is whats happening. Im cursed.

I am tired. So much loss, so much gone. Calhin, Casi, their child...and...him. I will survive this too, somehow. I will find the strength to keep on going, to keep moving, to keep being. Its not hard... I have to keep being... I have Bailey.. thank the Gods he is deaf.. he doesnt have to hear me ranting and talking in the middle of the night to Da and Mother.

I need sleep... I am exhausted..

Journal Entry, 7 January, Tikaris Kyra Flynn.

::::sanding the entry, she closes the journal, returning to the candle, extinguishing it, before slipping quietly to her bed, curling beneath the covers and drifting into a fitful sleep, the voices of her Father and Mother both still murmurring in her brain**

: Disgust still in his face, he sits in his storeroom to write the journal entry, and wonders if he goes back to bed now, does this day count:

Dear Journal,
I have not had my stomach turn since I saw the man hanging. But a mermaid, a real mermaid, walked in this day, the minute I unlocked the door and with an amorous look about her, asks for the "Special." Well, I have porkchops on special. She smirked at me and held up a copy of the Sandpaper, with the former owner's ad..and wanted me to honor his 'terms'! I stick with my own kind, and I am not going to sell my body along with the merchandise!

As if I'd even know how to please a set of fish gen*talia!

Disgustedly,
Embrich

Journal Entry, 7 January, Lord Embrich Silverton.

"she goes to her office in the back of the Boutique after seeing all the orders ready to be delivered and writes in her jounal as she hasnt done that in several days"

Well Alterio hasnt returned yet. I wonder if he is still angry at me for not going with him to Achethe. I miss him and hope he returns today. hmm maybe if i write him a letter and ask him to come back? He didnt bother to tell me how long he would be there or if he would return. Damn men. He has to come back.

Nems asked me last night how the old man was. And after i said he was fine but had gone to the mainland. Well, He tells Val that he may get lucky and get me back IF the old man stays gone for 7 days."shakes her head" I dont think I have been quite that bad. Yes i get lonely if whoever Im with is gone for a long time. And yes, i have moved on many times. But now...I dont think I can or that I even want to.

Val? Well we argued the other night. And i still think he called me a whore. He said i had no room to talk about a whore when I made a comment about Char being one. He didnt come right out and say it but he sure indicated that. He denied he called me a whore but Nems said he did also.

eh well he seems to have gotten over me. Its been what 3 days since he came back and found out and he sure didnt seem to mind Chas being all over him all evening.

As far as comments about me and my husband. "Smirks shaking her head" Well i have learned to ignore their remarks about our age difference. Age doesnt matter. And I look at it this way... Im happy and most of the ones commenting are not. But i wont let them get to me. I hardly ever listened to people before and i sure as hell dont intend to begin now.

Well, i guess i better get to work. Will write a letter to Alterio later today if he hasnt returned by then. I would like for him to come back because he wants to and hopefully he misses me. I do miss him.

Journal Entry, 7 January, Vixen Blade Carazzi.

"she signs it and leaves it laying on the desk as she goes back to work"

Dear Journal,
All kinds of crap to talk about here. Bear with me.

Valyndor Lyndrae's Magic Emporium will be open very soon, thanks to my mainland trip. All should go well, I hope. Just about everything seems to be in order.

Vixen and I have had our obligatory fight. I kind of started it, after she called Charquin a whore. I believe I am right, she has no room to talk. If she thought I called her a whore, so be it, whatever. I spoke the truth, no matter what other people think of it, they all know, it's the truth. A few people kept interjecting, saying I controlled her and such, but they weren't in the relationship, were they? No.

I gave an awful lot to be with her. I ignored the fact she was in an escort service, despite my hate for that trade. I got over it. I got over the fact she kissed Gyanis. I got over the fact that she slept with Alterio the Second after one of our fights. I got over the fact that she stripped in public. I got over all of it, and people have the nerve to say I was controlling? She was controlling me, if anything, I don't think I did very much that she had to accept, besides the whole Charquin incident. And that incident was miniscule compared to the aforementioned happenings.

Maybe I'm a prude. Or maybe my moral compass is just tuned a bit too high in comparison to the rest of the isle. But screw that, I have never cared about fitting in. When I did, fine. When I didn't, fine. Big deal. This is my home, if people have a problem with me, oh well, I'll be here a long time.

Off that subject, Chastity seems to have taken some type of liking to me, as seen last night be any who were at the Pleasuredome. I flirted with her in return, but I know in my mind that any relationship between us would not work. She is too erratic and chaotic for me, right now. Especially after Vixen. Funny, usually, I didn't care about what might be, if a girl liked me, I went after her. Seems I use a little foresight after Vixen.

Nemesio, this man I have seen around lately. I do not like this man. He's rude, and he's been poking fun at mine and Vixen's situation all the while. Now, I'm all for a little joking and kidding around, but this man must realize that he's overstepping boundaries with those comments. I had to restrain myself greatly last night, and luckily, after my second request for him to leave me alone, he did so. But I'm sure, at one point, there will be a conflict.

I have decided to move on now, and delve into the guild and my shop more. If someone else special comes along, I'll take up another relationship, but I don't think I'll be actively looking like I used to. Too much trouble right now. Besides, it's hard to find someone that's compatible with me, considering that half the women here are promiscuous, chaotic, or just plain undesirable. Bah.

That's about all. There's my scattered thoughts for the day. Hope things work out.

-Journal Entry, 7 January, Valyndor Lyndrae.

Dear Journal,
Well I have heard he left for awhile. And moreso too... That he had kept company and was taken with Chas. Ah well. Perhaps that is for the best. I dont know what I should do if I kept company with someone anyway. And I have not seen Amalric for some time, either. I dont know what is wrong. Perhaps it is just bad timing, I dont know. Or perhaps it is something else.. I dont know....

Best just to keep to myself I guess... visit and be pleasant.. Just as well

More later
Xanthia, Journal Entry, 8 January.

::sits in his study as the journal lays open. He looks over at the new gifts Mags has gotten him. He turns to write..::

By the gods this gets more confusing by the day. Mags has seemed to take a liking to me for some reason. My person opinion is she has been hit on the head. *laughs* Well, she and Dan got into an arguement and headed to the Arena, in which I pursued and tries to convince Mags it wasn't worth it.

The only thing that went wrong is that daft woman attack me! Then said I was after Ros and Jane! She has been drinking the water I swear it! Val was right.. 'Stay clear of the whole situation'. Which I will... after I get some revenge of course..

Journal Entry, 8 January, (Lord)~Neo~

::laughs evily as he stands and walks to the dome::