AN: Gah, this chapter starts off well enough in my opinion, but then slowly deteriorates.... -.- Can I blame the fact that I've been concentrating too much on RHSP? GAH! And the first chapter of that is crap anyway! ;.; Now I'm gonna switch the subject by heading to reviews....

Sheryl, I'd be terrified too. I would (at least try to) distance myself from Masén so quickly it would be as if I was never even there. And as for Xanthos dreams, he wants to share them anyway....

Xanthos: -for some reason quite hyper- -laughs rather loudly- "Oooh, I had the BEST dream!" -twitches- "You see, I too was playing blitzball! And so was Aurora! Except she was on the opposing team, trying to get the ball from me! And then things got physical. ... mmhmm, very physical indeed... don't ask how, they just did." >:D "But then DOMOVOI APPEARED! Apparently he's also a blitzball fanatic. And -- "

-cuts him off- Sheryl I'm sorry you had to hear that. ;.;

Nam, Beren has a tendency of acting a bit like a martyr around Tari, and this fact keeps coming up throughout the story, just a warning though. And Gavin is NOT semi-drunk! If you want to see anything that has to do with drunks, start reading RHSP or go cling to Mark in Ésalno. -.-

Xanthos: -suddenly screams for apparently no reason- O.o -laughs loudly again- "HAHA! .... ooh, pretty colors.... HAHAHA!"

Okay then.... -backs away- RAHMID, 'IN-DEPTH' REVIEW MY ASS! At school I was so looking forward to this fat, lovely review sitting there waiting for me... and I got THAT?! -fume- And guess how I repay you? I give you a chapter that mentions Dirt Dust. DIRT DUST! Because I know you love it, don't deny it! And I know, I know, it's an RHSP invention, but I just couldn't keep it out of Insum. Apparently it's quite popular there.

Xanthos: -snorts a mysterious substance before laughing yet again- "Such pretty colors...." -staring at a blank, white wall- "ooh...."

And in Ésalno, too. :D

Several miles north of Serden, Lirun.

Tari opened her eyes to the sound of birds chirping overhead. Odd... the birds were never usually so close, unless she was out in the garden. But how could she be there? No, she was lying in her bed, lazily opening her eyes. This was where she was every morning.

It took her several moments to realize that something was wrong with her pillow, her sheets, linen, mattress, everything! Her head was definitely not resting on down-feather pillows. No, whatever it was, though soft and rather comfortable, it was not her pillow. She was breathing in the odd scent that came from it, noting it as somehow familiar and comforting. She knew that scent from somewhere, but at that moment she couldn't clearly identify it.

Oh, I'll just sleep a little longer, and deal with all this when I wake.

She was about to close her sleepy eyes, but before the lids were down she suddenly gasped. What was she staring at? What she had originally through was her wall she soon realized was something completely different. Something... green.

Huh, I wonder why I'm out in my garden, she thought as she stared at the berry bush nearby.

The bush began to slip out of her mind as once again she closed her eyes, ready to fall back asleep....

But then the absurdity of it all hit her smack in the face when she felt a sharp pain in her left foot.

"Ow!" she cried, voice muffled against the odd pillow, which for some reason started to feel itchy against her skin.

"Oops," came a rather uncaring-sounding voice. "I'm sorry, Tari. I tried to get this done while you were asleep, but alas, I failed. At any rate, good morning."

Tari blinked. Beren?

"Asidon," she began to scold, "what are you doing in my room? I mean, garden?"

For several moments there was no response. Whatever Beren was doing caused another sharp pain in her foot, and she winced uncomfortably.

"Sorry," he apologized again. "Tari, we're not in your room, or your garden. We're several miles north of the village, in the forest."

Her first instinct was to laugh. After all, why would they be --

"Oh no," she breathed in shock, the memories of the night before coming back to her.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Beren said, his voice calm and emotionless despite the situation.

"Ow!" she cried, as a third annoying pain hit her left foot. "What are you doing?"

"Saving you from a horrid infection, and possibly death," came the cool reply. "I already have one foot done, and this one's almost finished."

She desperately wanted to see what exactly he was doing to her foot, but she could not. She was laying on her stomach, her left leg bent at the knee so that her foot was in the air. Occasionally another sting of pain would come, and she would grit her teeth, staring at the bush nearby.

"The bandages you had before were not suitable," he said as he worked. "You hadn't cleaned the injuries properly. Several stones and bits of dirt were in the wounds."

"Well, isn't that good to know," she muttered. "Tell me, where is Masén?"

Momentarily Beren stopped in his work. "The blundering oaf that kidnapped us is a little distance away, looking at a map I doubt he even knows how to read."

His voice had lost its cool, just like it always did when he began insulting Masén. Though Tari couldn't see him, she could imagine him gritting his teeth and glaring with narrowed eyes.

A few more moments passed by, during which the girl could feel soft bandages being wrapped around her injured foot.

"Finished," Beren said, gently laying her bandaged limb on the ground. "It's as best I could do with limited supplies."

"Thanks...."

Tari gingerly rolled onto her back, immediately shielding her eyes from the noon sun. After her eyes adjusted, she sat up and looked around, taking in the details of the area. They were in a small clearing, sitting along a worn dirt path. Birds chirped loudly as they sat in the trees directly behind Tari. The odd pillow, she saw, was nothing more than grass, which immediately explained the itchiness she was beginning to feel. Many berry bushes were along the path and scattered in the small clearing.

After several moments her gaze switched to her friend. His usually neat and crisp clothing was ripped in various places, and his black pants were covered in dirt. He had a long gash on his forehead near the crescent moon scar. There were dark circles under his light eyes from what Tari guessed was lack of sleep. A bruise was forming on his chin, adding to his disheveled look that was so unlike him.

"Did Masén cause all those injuries?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Immediately his eyes narrowed. "Of course he did. The oaf used my own plan against me." He pointed at the gash on his brow. "Before I knew what was happening, the rock was out of my hand and in his instead. The bruise on my chin I think I got from my fall."

Tari's eyes were fearful. "Beren, we need to get out of here," she whispered.

"It'll be next to impossible with him watching us," he muttered, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder.

She glanced past him, seeing Masén's large figure huddled over a map. He was quite a distance away, sitting in the middle of the clearing. Occasionally he would mutter softly to himself, paying no attention to Beren and Tari.

"I had to travel all night with that loon," the Asidon heir muttered bitterly. "At first I was out cold, but the second I awoke he dropped me on the ground and ordered me to walk up front ahead of him, watching me so that I wouldn't run off. We walked all night, hardly ever resting, and the entire time he kept talking to himself in third-person with that slurred voice. Only recently did his voice go back to normal, but he still continues to talk to himself."

"Why is he acting so strangely?" she asked, shaking.

"I don't know," he said. "Tell me, how do you expect me to understand a mind as warped and challenged as his? Then again, I'm not sure there is a mind in that thick skull...."

He muttered a bit more about Masén's lower intelligence while Tari continued to glance over her shoulder at their captor.

"Perhaps I should speak with him, and see if he's okay...."

Beren's eyes widened, and for the first time in her life she saw fear written clearly across his face. "Tari, he is dangerous! He just kidnapped the two of us! You always used to call him a 'gentle giant', but now he's snapped! There's nothing gentle about him!"

For several moments she thought it over, chewing on her lip all the while.

"You say that his voice changed back to normal?"

"Yes, but -- Tari, get back here!"

She had struggled to her feet and was limping forward, ignoring Beren's cries for her to stop. He didn't dare follow her towards Masén, and instead stood along the path with a grimace on his face.

"Masén?"

---

"Glance over to the left a bit... wait, back to the right. Uh-huh, I see.... Okay, now up some... and then to the left again. No, wait, you've gone to far!"

Masén grumbled angrily under his breath. "Why don't you do this?" he whispered, staring down at the map.

"I'm too weak right now. I must preserve my energy and rest before I take control again. Speaking of resting, you must rest soon too. At sunset I will restrain Tari and Beren, so that they don't try to run off in the middle of the night. Then you will be able to sleep."

He didn't object to the plan at all. His body ached terribly, and he was beginning to find it hard to concentrate. While he had only been in control of his body for the second half of the night and into dawn, he had been physically moving for far too long under Gavin's control. Yet even though he was fatigued he knew he had to keep going at least until sunset, to distance himself as far as possible from the village.

"Do you think they've sent people after us?" he asked.

"It's possible, mostly because of Beren and Tari. Both are of the upper-class, are they not?"

Masén groaned. "Gods help me...."

"We'll worry about anyone pursuing us when the time comes."

"What will we do? Run? Fight?"

"Didn't I just say that we'll worry about it when the time comes? If possible, we will run. If cornered, I will take control and fight."

"You... you would actually fight?!"

"If I had to, yes. Though I must admit I've never been the greatest in weaponless hand-to-hand combat. I've always been best when armed with hatchets. And it doesn't help any that your body is built for sluggish yet strong motions, and I am quite used to fast, precise movements, even if they do lack in strength. Usually the momentum of my swings made up for that."

"Gavin, have you ever... killed?"

For a moment there was no answer. "Yes," eventually came the slow reply, "I have. I have killed animals, but only in defense or for food. And as for other people... it hasn't happened often, but I have. Once by accident, and the rest in personal defense or the defense of others."

"But never offensively? Like for revenge or out of anger?"

"Never. No matter what religion one follows, or no religion at all, it is wrong to kill so needlessly. Though once I did come close... but I refrained."

"That's good, because if you had ever killed offensively I would have to kick you out of my mind so damn fast you wouldn't know what -- "

"Masén?"

The farmer glanced up, a startled expression on his face. Tari was looking nervously at him, shyly limping forward on bandaged feet.

"Tari? Don't walk, sit down or something," Masén said, quickly jumping to his feet. "You don't -- hey, what's wrong?"

When he had jumped up she stepped back, eyes suddenly widening in fear. She was shaking terribly, biting her lower lip nervously as she stared at him.

"Tari?"

He took only a step forward in an attempt to approach, but then he heard her inhale sharply, fearfully. Immediately he stopped, then backed away to give her some space. She began to breathe again. He didn't speak again, instead waiting for her to attempt conversation.

After a few moments of shallow breathing Tari spoke. "Masén... are you okay?"

He glanced down at himself. "Yeah, I think so. I mean I'm tired, but I'm fine."

She shook her head. "No, not physically. I mean... mentally."

He gave her a grim smile. "Yes and no. But I'm not insane, I tell you."

"The crazy never know they're crazy, Etnowa."

Beren, strengthened by the fact that Masén seemed to have changed back to normal, strode confidently over to the two. Though his clothing was dirty and ripped from the previous escapade, his narrowed, hateful eyes were much the same as how they were when he was in his own territory, the village.

"You're going to send us back right now, Etnowa," he breathed as he approached. "Do so immediately and I'll make sure that my family doesn't send someone hunting after you."

"No can do, Asidon," came the reply. "You're stuck out here whether you like it or not."

"Now you listen here, you brute! If -- "

"Hey, you're not in the village anymore!" Masén exclaimed with a spiteful laugh, the anger from both him and Gavin melding together. For too long had the farmed endured such insults. "And yet you still call me a brute, despite the fact that no one's here to protect you now? Bad mistake...."

Out of nowhere his fist came and hit Beren in the jaw. The smaller male fell to the ground, eyes wide with shock.

"Masén, stop!" Tari cried, kneeling down next to Beren. "You can't do this!"

"Like hell I can't!" It felt as if a life's worth of revenge was about to spill out of him. He pulled his foot back, about to kick forward. Tari shrieked and moved in front of Beren, protecting him.

"Move aside," the Asidon heir ordered with a level voice. "There's no need for you to take my hits."

"Ah, so we finally agree on something!" Masén yelled. "Tari, move! This guy deserves every bit of pain he gets! Remember, he's been tormenting me since we were children! He has nothing to hide behind now."

"Except me," she whispered.

"No, Tari," Beren said, gently trying to move her aside. "There's no need for you to be so brave, and rather suicidal. Remove yourself from this brute's path before he strikes."

"If you call me a brute one more time -- "

"Stop it, both of you!" Tari yelled, silencing them. "We'll come to a compromise, okay?"

She stood, but still remained in front of Beren in case Masén suddenly snapped. The two stared at her, waiting.

"I have two proposals," she said. "The first is the most obvious. Beren and I cannot stay here. We must head back to the village immediately. Let us go, and we will not tell anyone happened."

"No," Gavin immediately objected. "It defeats the entire purpose of us bringing Tari with us in the first place. Besides, Beren will not keep his word."

"Not a chance!" Masén cried. "What happens if Asidon's tongue slips, eh?"

"You have my word that I won't say a thing," the other male replied from his seat on the ground.

"Oh, so your word means something now?"

"Enough!" Tari cried, and they both went silent again. "The second proposal is similar. This one, however, requires that only Beren head back, and I stay here."

Masén, who had been glaring avidly down at Asidon, gave a startled glance towards Tari. The girl stood bravely, head held high and back straight. For several moments the two males stared at her in shock. Then, chaos broke out.

"You suggest that I leave you here with the brute?!"

"He'll tell everyone for sure!"

"He's a madman!"

"As much as I hate to keep him, I must."

"I'm not leaving without you, Lady Sigen."

"The little snot won't keep his mouth shut!"

"He's a brute, a loon, a -- "

"QUIET!" the girl screamed, making sure to keep herself between the two males. Beren had finally stood back up and was glaring, and Masén's fists were raised once more. "Just listen to me! With this plan, everyone will be happy. Masén, you will be able to leave like you wish. Beren, you will be back at the village."

"And as for you?" the two asked.

"I won't have to marry Jarundé Mayin."

There was silence as the two thought it over. Well, three.

"Asidon will never stay silent."

"How do I know Asidon won't tell?" Masén asked.

"He won't, I swear," she said, glancing pointedly at Beren.

"Tari, I refuse to leave you here with him."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. He may hate you, but he's nice to me. Don't worry."

While Masén seemed ready to go with the plan, Beren did not. He ran his thin fingers through his dark hair as he thought about it. His feminine eyes locked onto Tari, and though he next spoke with his usually calm voice, his eyes betrayed concern.

"I refuse to leave without you."

---

Tari couldn't believe the situation she was in. Desperation and fear were overwhelming her. No longer did she care about why Masén was behaving so oddly; she only wanted to go home, even if it meant heading to Mayin. She couldn't stand the insanity of the situation.

But Masén wouldn't let her. She had no choice to stay.

Beren is my only hope...

... except he was being stubborn. Though usually the one to think about the situation and himself rather than use his heart and concentrate on others, he had always had a soft-spot for Tari and was doing the unthinkable; letting it control him. In the situation they were in, she desperately needed him to be cold and heartless, to think about every angle instead of only the ones focusing around her.

Tari turned to face him properly. "Just go, I'll be fine! It's better this way, trust me."

With her back now turned to Masén she allowed a panicked expression to come over her features. She stared at Beren pointedly, hoping that he would get the message.

Just go... and tell everyone about the situation! GO!

She continued to give him her panicked and desperate look, but it wasn't working. He shook his head slowly.

"I said I refuse," he said, much like a martyr.

"No, you do not refuse! GO!"

Once again she gave him a desperate glance. He was about to shake his head again, but his eyes then widened fractionally. She could see the comprehension dawning in his eyes.

"Are you sure, Lady Sigen? You really think you'll be safe here with him?"

"Yes! It's better here than with Mayin! And I thought you were smart...."

"If you insist, then I will leave." His cold eyes glanced over to Masén. "I won't tell a soul about this little adventure, I assure you."

Tari fervently hoped it was a lie. She needed him to tell anyone and everyone. However, she couldn't tell what he was thinking by looking at Beren. His words were as smooth as they always were.

And by the momentary silence, apparently Masén couldn't tell either.

---

Gavin didn't have a chance to think it over before Masén spoke.

"Fine," the farmer said. "But if I find myself being followed, you'll have hell to pay the next time we meet."

Beren nodded in understanding, then turned his back on him and Tari. He calmly began walking towards the edge of the clearing, heading to the path. He glanced back at Tari, giving her a silent goodbye before walking down the path to the village.

"No." Gavin said. "He gave up too easily. I don't think he would leave her alone like that."

"Maybe, but...."

Tari turned to see Masén, a look of deep concentration written on his face as he apparently spoke to himself. She glanced worriedly a moment later at Beren's retreating figure.

"I think Lady Sigen and Master Asidon are up to something," Gavin said, amused. He gave an appreciative laugh. "They aren't fools. Too bad they think we are, though. There's no way Beren would stay silent."

"It's possible he might not, but.... I don't know, he might hold up to his end of the deal...." He fervently hoped the Asidon heir would; after all, having to drag him around everywhere would prove frustrating.

Tari, meanwhile, backed away from him, watching fearfully as he continued to speak to nothing but air. She looked half tempted to turn on her heels and run for it.

"So, are you going to chase after him, or should I? I only have so much strength left, though."

"Do we have to? I mean, even if he does tell, the village probably already knows we're gone by now anyway, right?"

"Yes, but they don't know it's a kidnapping. For all they know, they could be thinking that we all went for a lovely walk in the woods and got attacked by a wild animal, or lost. So are you going to chase after him?"

Masén wasn't given the chance to respond, for at that moment Gavin took over.

---

Masén's body went limp, and Tari gasped. Shaking, she began to back away. Immediately she remembered what happened the last time.

Oh no, not again, she thought fearfully.

After a moment or two his eyes darkened in hue, just like before. For a moment he blinked and glanced around, then his eyes focused. There was an amused smirk on his face. The dark eyes met Tari's, and 'Gavin' gave her a reassuring smile.

Then without warning he sprinted forward, leaving Tari standing by herself in the center of the clearing.

The girl watched in horror as Gavin ran down the path and into the trees. Hardly a second later a frightened yell was heard, and Gavin came back, dragging Beren behind him. The Asidon heir was struggling, frowning all the while.

When they reached the middle of the clearing, Beren was thrown to the ground. When he tried to stand Gavin placed a foot on his chest, making sure to keep him down. Tari stood in silent shock as she watched.

"Madén idn'd bery 'mard, bud I am," he slurred, glaring down at the other male. His words were almost incomprehensible. "Don'd be a fool. You will nod be 'eading back 'ome anydime doon."

Beren couldn't speak for several moments. Then, "Etnowa? What are -- "

"No, nod Madén Ednowa." He let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Gabin. My name id Gabin."

"What? How is this possible?!"

"Fingd do need do be 'dblained, don'd dey?" he said thoughtfully. "Madén will day id for me... 'e can 'peak bedder dan me."

His voice trailed off as yet again his body went limp. The eyes changed back to normal in seconds, and soon Masén was the one they were speaking to, not Gavin.

"Neither of you would believe me in a million years," he said, shaking his head slowly as his foot left Beren's chest.

"After what I just saw, I'm at least willing to listen," Beren said coolly.

Masén ignored him, and instead glanced over at Tari. "Do you remember the night I had to bury your dog?"

---

He explained all of it; Puppy's attack, the strange dream, the voices in his head, the first time Gavin took control, everything. Occasionally the intruder, though weakened from having taken control once again, would supply bits of information that Masén had forgotten or neglected to tell. Gradually the insane story came together completely.

"And... we decided to help you by... kidnapping you," he said to Tari, face red. "And Asidon got mixed up in all of this on accident."

The two others didn't respond. Both were sitting in the grass, staring blankly at their feet.

"And... yeah, that's it," Masén finished lamely.

"Oh, and you can add in that we need to be leaving. Now. We've wasted too much time explaining."

He sighed. "And Gavin says that we have to leave now."

The two didn't even glance up. Finally, Beren spoke.

"This... this is...." A pause, then... "Lunacy! Fanatical lunacy, I tell you!" He jumped to his feet, pointing accusingly at Masén. "You expect us to believe that?! I... you... we... what has your father been feeding you?!"

Tari was on the verge of tears. "This isn't possible... not at all...."

"Oh, what's that drug I'm thinking of...?" Beren continued. "Causes wild hallucinations, quite popular across Lirun.... Dirt Dust! That's it! You've been taking Dirt Dust, haven't you?!"

"Surely I'm dreaming, because I know this isn't possible. Yes, sitting at home, dreaming...."

"Of course, it's quite possible that we're all on Dirt Dust, I suppose. Or perhaps I'm the only one on Dirt Dust, and I'm hallucinating all of this? Hmm, but I don't remember ever having taken Dirt Dust in my life...."

"No one's on Dirt Dust, Asidon," Masén said with an aggravated sigh. "At least I'm not. I can't afford Dirt Dust. Now c'mon, both of you, let's go."

"Just a terrible nightmare, I'm sure..." Tari breathed.

"We're not going anywhere!"

"Like hell you aren't!" he suddenly yelled, feeling Gavin's anger more than his own. "Get moving, now!" He pointed to the path, breathing deeply, nostrils flaring. Beren didn't respond after that.

"Just a... dream...."

"Tari, are you able to walk?" the farmer asked. "I know your feet are badly injured -- "

"I don't need to walk, because I'm dreaming."

He sighed and approached. She didn't try to escape his grasp as he picked her up, hoisting her over his right shoulder.

"Dreaming..." she whispered, her voice muffled slightly against his back. She merely dangled there, helpless, defeated.

"I'm not going, Etnowa," Beren tried again.

"GODS DAMN YOU! GET MOVING!"

He gave the Asidon heir a literal kick in the ass, causing him to let out a sharp cry before jumping forward.

The gods are frowning horribly down on this, I know....

"No, they're probably laughing and passing around Dirt Dust," Gavin said with a laugh. "Don't worry, things will improve shortly, I swear."

You better be right.

"It's only a dream... just a dream..." Tari breathed yet again.