'So you have to sense it.'
"I guess."
Mirin sat across from Askari who stared down at the rug under his feet. She'd decided against going to Sanria and Gilean with the information on Claire. They didn't seem to be spending much time dwelling on her, and Mirin wasn't going to be the one to destroy that. It didn't anger her that they were happy and isolated from what was happening. Her mother, Claire, had made her choices and seemed to be paying the price... still...
'So when I get close-'
"I can help you get close, but I won't go in with you."
'Askari... you could help me a great deal.'
"No... I... can't."
'What happened to you?' Mirin telepathed with a sigh. "He turned into a chicken," Leandra snorted as she entered the room. She plopped down on the chair and smirked. "His racist sack of shit father slapped him across the face when he tried to stand up to him. He hasn't really been the same since."
Mirin turned her gaze on Askari. She narrowed the focus of her telepathy, speaking to her brother directly. 'Is what she says true?'
'Does it matter?'
'Of course it matters, Askari... did he strike you?'
"I know when I'm being excluded, I'll go make myself useful in this dump." Leandra got up and left the room, leaving Askari to make a long lingering sigh.
"Yes," Askari answered simply.
Mirin leaned over, taking her brother in her arms. Her response back was a stiff pat on her back as Askari pulled away. "I'll get you nearby, but I don't want to see him... ever."
'I understand.'
Thus it was that Mirin found herself on the edge of a wood, alone. She could sense the presence of the camp, the tingle of magic that only those with esper blood could decipher. She took a deep breath and stepped forward and through the camouflaged barrier.
