What price do we pay?

[Clarity]

_____What about those conspiracy theories you post, Mr. Ron? Those are mysterious, aren’t they? And Mr. Deacon, if you have an explanation for who took Ethan and why, could you share it, please? When I’m not sleeping or helping people, I’m trying to find what happened to him. But I’m afraid I’m not very good at finding him.
_____P.S. I think it matters that you helped that old-looking man, Mr. Ron.

[Lord Shakar]

And Ron has hit the nail upon the head.

[Deacon Ash-Shaytan]

He's one of the few. He doesn't know everything, and he admits to it. But the rest of us probably should at least give a little evidence as to why we know (or think we know) exactly what is up.

[Lord Shakar]

He's one of the few. He doesn't know everything, and he admits to it. But the rest of us probably should at least give a little evidence as to why we know (or think we know) exactly what is up.

I have more than once freely admitted when I have encountered something that I don't know what it is. It doesn't happen often much anymore, but when it does its a big'un usually.

And as an experienced Traveller of the World Between Worlds there are many things that are unexplained. But I tend to take them for what they are or appear to be because I see no need to go around questioning everything. Somethings just don't have an answer. Or the methods of getting that answer are more than I am willing to seek out, Unless the need is dire.

[Deacon Ash-Shaytan]

I am sorry, Lord Shakar. I have often heard it said, "The man who questions nothing, learns nothing, and grows naught at all."

If that is truly your case, then I lament your position.

[Lord Shakar]

First all I never said that I didn't question things. There are some things that I have come to accept as matter of fact, because I encounter them on a regular basis.

Furthermore, It would be best if you stopped prying into my affairs. I don't take kindly to such things.

[Deacon Ash-Shaytan]

I stopped prying many posts ago, Shakar. If you still feel like I am, maybe my previous question hit a nerve. If that's the case, just give it time. It'll pass.

[Grace]

Maybe there is a price to be paid.

And maybe there are dividends to collect as well.

[Hannah]

and sometime it gets paid forward to others.

I don't understand why so many things have decided that I should be a focus. I don't know what I did to earn this.

I've escaped each time due to the help of others, but those others often end up hurt because of me.

Now they've taken my mother from me and quite probably the only boy I've ever loved is gone forever.

All I can do is wonder why this keeps coming back to me. Why am I such a curse on those around me?

I'm the one who should have been born a black cat, not Peter.

[Cybermancer]

To paraphrase Gandalf;

So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Hannah, besides the will of evil. And that is an encouraging thought.

As you seem to be replying to Nemesis in this thread, I will use her as an example of what I mean.

When she arrived here, she was a murderer for hire. Let's be clear about this, she killed human beings for money. In many ways, she was every bit as bad as some of the monsters that the people on these boards confront on a regular basis.

Even her motivations for changing to monster hunting was driven by greed.

When she responded to your call for help, regardless of her personal motivations, she took a step away from being motivated by greed. As things continued to unfold she started to learn that there could be better or at least alternative reasons for doing things.

Then she encountered Not Ron and he triggered a massive mental breakdown.

This is a good thing.

Think about it. She had to call out for help and to strangers at that. And the people from this society responded. She wasn't a hero like Ron Caliburn or Ben Holister but they came to help her anyway. Hopefully she has learned some valuable lessons from this.

Certainly, based on the thread the Miss Solstice has started called "Darcy's Inferno" we can see a mind full of strife. Apparently not issues that the nightmare brought to her mind but what was already there. A ticking time bomb that has begun to be defused.

Skeptic recognized her troubled mind and was among those who came to help. It would seem that a connection of some sort has been formed the two of them.

Nemesis has learned that she is not alone in the world. New options for their life appear to be opening up. She is being confronted with choices and is answering for those she has made in the past. This is all a part of her 'karma'.

Yet this chance at redemption may never have come about were you not a focus, Hannah.

[Hannah]

I am happy that Nem is finding the chance to start over, really - but it's a small silver lining in a pretty big black cloud.

[Cybermancer]

I could continue to offer platitudes or turn phrases. I don't think it will really help right now.

Things are bad for you and those around you right now, yes.

Will they get worse before they get better? Probably.

Will they get better? Yes.

For whom and when are questions I don't have answers for.

The most important question is the one only you can answer for yourself.

What are you going to do about it?

[Ron Caliburn]

I normally only talk about these sorts of in person with my daughter, but I wanted to share this with the rest of you to help you understand what's been going on. . .



Hannah, the flood of misadventure that has so often threatened to sweep you and your friends away has nothing to do with you. It is the punishment that has been passed down to you for the misdeeds of your grandfather and your father. We are the ones with enemies who wish to hurt us through you.

I know there's been many times I've wished I could take your place int he firing line. Many more times I've wished I could find these fiends and force them to leave you alone forever. Unfortunately, our enemies are possessed with abilities that I just can't counter.

Luckily we have friends who can and have stepped up to fill that gap. I am grateful to everyone who's ever tried to help us.

This isn't your burden to carry Hannah. This is mine.

[Clarity]

_____Hi, Hannah. You’re never a curse to me. Just a lot of fun to be around. You always help me laugh, and you know how to have fun without us needing to run away from really loud noises and mermaids screaming and shrieking. I’m not sure why these things are happening to you or what it has to do with silver linings and big black clouds, but I’ll try to give it a nice answer that doesn’t help everyone to stare at me like they do sometimes.
_____One of the things I’ve noticed is that things that keep happening to people, happen to people because they don’t quit. And because something special is on the way. Sometimes that something special is a really long way off, but they’re coming. Maybe these things are happening to you because you’re still here? Stuff like that kept happening to a boy named Lucas here in the house, and now he hides under his bed and curls up and cries. Things have stopped happening to him. Sometimes I’ll go under the bed and hold his hand and sit and wait. Sometimes he just screams louder, but sometimes he smiles a little and says “uh gurk!”, too. He’ll eat food too, if I sit next to him when they put him in a chair, but mostly he just sits there.
_____I wish I could say something that would help you feel better about Sarah, but I don’t even remember my parents. Sometimes it’s nice not to remember anything before the dumpster. But you still have her memories, right? So maybe you can dream of her still, and play with her there, and tell her everything? Maybe if you dreamed hard enough at night, you can bring her back in a good way, like Mr. Ron dreamed Miss Wie.
_____P.S. If you were a black cat, could we still be friends?
_____P.S., again. It’s fun to dance in the rain when the black clouds are over us. Everyone else says I’m crazy, but that’s okay.

[Hannah]

Clarity, have I ever told you how awesome you are?

[Clarity]

_____Yeah, but I still don’t know why you think so, Hannah. But I’m still glad you do. I hope you’re okay, wherever you are. It helps me have a bad feeling when Mr. Ron mentioned Mr. “Khavik” has you.
_____P.S. It sounds like people are coming to help. Wish I could, too.

[Hannah]

I'm not okay . . . I don't think I'll ever be okay again.

But I guess that's okay.

[Shang Li]

Sorrow fades with time child. Those who say it goes away completely lie.

Your loss will never vanish nor will it's pain.
With time, you will feel the pain of the memory less acutely.
With time, you will find the bittersweet joy of remembering the little things.

I am truely sorry, Ms. Grant that you had to shoulder that burden so young.

[Ron Caliburn]

Yeah . . . it was pretty hard to put her through that - but I had to make sure Khavik wouldn't see me coming.

[Holister]

Wow, you are one sick SOB mac. To do that to your kid. Was it worth it? I thought you were seriously messed up before Ron, but now. I just don't know.

[Ron Caliburn]

Wasn't something I liked or wanted to do at all.


But if it meant I could get the drop on Khavik, I had to take the chance.

[Holister]

That would me like usin' Molly as bait to catch JD.

Man, there is a line bewteen duty and obession and I think you crossed it.

[Ron Caliburn]

She wasn't supposed to be bait. When it happened Khavik had her.

When she re-appeared I thought that the others would have hustled her off and hid her someplace safe.

When it became apparent she was sticking around to go after Khavik, I stepped up the pace on trying to find him, so that she wouldn't get the chance to put herself in harm's way.

I don't know if it was the noise on the boards or me and Darcy squeezing folks for information, but something tipped him off and we didn't get him.

[Holister]

So ol' fang face is back in the breeze. That is just great.

[Ron Caliburn]

Yeah, score for our side is a big fat nothing.

All of this work, all of this pain, all of this grief . . . and nothing to show for it.

Makes me wish I hadn't sworn off the sauce.

[Eilonwy Solstice]

Excuse me, Ronald Oswald? Nothing? Considering we were in the negatives without Hannah, I’d say that means we regained something.

We have Hannah back, don’t we?

She’s hardly what I would consider “nothing.”

[Grace]

I think everyone is way to hung up on Khavik. He was, is and shall always be a secondary objective in my books.

The mission was to keep Hannah alive.

Score one for our side.

But for those who insist on obsessing over Khavik:

Along the way, three of Khavik's nests were destroyed.

We've drained his resources.

We put him on the run.

We denied him the achievement of his goals.

While we didn't bring down Khavik, it was still an overall win for our side.

[Holister]

"Special K" as we like to call him is at his best, and pain in the neck. He is a nusanace, an occasional distraction. He gives us entertainment when we are bored. He is not bottom of the barrel, for him we must lift the barrel and look beneath it to find him cowaring with the other vermin.

In simple words, if he were any more of a loser, he would have to look up to Andy Dick.

[Ron Caliburn]

I hate it when she uses my middle assumed name.

[Holister]

Oswald??? Just avoid any book depository windows in Dallas and you should be fine.