Quick fingers grasped the apple from the vender's bushel basket and tossed the fruit from behind her straight up into the air. Her hand quickly moved to her hair, running fingers through the silky brown layers. A crooked grin tugged to the right as she glanced to the vender.

Marcus was quick to catch the would be thief, even though he was haggling over the price of pears with another customer. "Five for the whole bushel and not a noble less....." his gaze shifted after the moving culprit as his voice raised after her. "I'll be puttin that on yer tab too, Luv!"

Leun laughed and caught the apple. "Can't fool you can I....I'll be by on Friday to pay up then." In actuality, she could've ripped him off without him knowing, but she loved to keep him on his toes and feeling confident. He'd been a friend to her as she grew up in RhyDin, especially after the death of her parents.

She ate the apple while she strolled through the streets, meandering near the bars. It was not just to the bars she was heading...it was the Annex that held her interest more, better then drowning her life in booze. It was bad enough she had to get paid to serve others to do that. it was not something she wanted to be for her life.

Leun rarely ever sat around the Red Dragon Inn, or any other bar for that matter. Normally, she would go home and practice her skills, take care of her place and prepare for yet another day.

For weeks now, she had been attending the duels and watching it all closely. Lately she had found an interest in dueling. She never really allowed herself to think too deeply why, it was just an urge to fight spurred on by the rare glimpse of someone who carried a lightsaber. It wasn't the person, it was the weapon and what one had done to her and her parents almost ten years prior. She never thought about it until she'd seen that lightsaber.

Fighting that way was a problem for her, though. She was intrigued, but it was close....closer then she wanted to be to an opponent, especially an enemy. Perhaps she would never do more then observe, having no one to teach her. But for now it was something she was inspired to do.

Her steps took her closer to the Inn and she made her way down the steps for yet another night of observing Fight Night...

((reposted from RoH The Streets ))

Her steps took her from Market area, heading across the river to a small pub that most didn't even know existed. Haley's was the simple name, a place only open for lunch and dinner - noon to eight every day. The owner liked it that way, small and unobtrusive to the general public. He liked the quiet clientel and the peacefulness the obscurity gave the place, especially considering it was on the edge of the docks area. It was why Leun picked up the gun and the knife as defense.....get them from a distance and then run like hell. She was a pretty fast runner.

Her thoughts continued to linger over the last visit she made to the underground dueling place. It seemed they had a variety of duels, but none she was trained for. They had magic wielding duels and melee combat duels and duels with only the fists in hand to hand. The question as to why they didn't have one with ranged weapons - guns, bows and the like - went round and round in her mind. As it was, she'd never seen that type of weapon used in the matches. She finally came to the conclusion that she would have to learn to use other things if she were to go and participate. But....who would teach her?

Neo' She really didn't know him at all. She only knew his name by listening to others say it and the matches as they were announced. She didn't know anyone and only knew their names by the same method. Neo probably had no interest in teaching her. Besides, he was definitely more the magic weilding type, and she had no talent in that area.

She didn't know anyone and that was the crux of the whole thing. There was life beyond her meager home and the pub she worked in. Perhaps it was time she did something about that one, too....

A week later....

Leun walked into Haley's late that afternoon carrying a big 'ol dress box. She moved inside and set the box on the counter, beaming widely. "Hi, Haley!"

Haley eyed her the whole time and smirked at her. "Sick, huh' Oh yeah, ye look sick. Lemmi guess.....shopping's the cure?"

"No, the lottery....I won, Haley!" She opened up the box and gingerly pulled out The Dress, pressing it up against her lythe form to show off. The color was a dark forest green, perfect for her skin type. The dress was a strapless taffeta dress with delicate beaded motif on the bust line, with a cute bow, and an extravagant skirt flounced in an airy style. Leun picked up the matching scarf and wrapped it loosely round her neck. The shoes and purse were likewise set out for show and the necklace pulled out from beneath her shirt to show Haley what the Whole Outfit would look like.

"Well?"

Haley nearly dropped his jaw, eyes googling over the match. Letting out a long whistle, he wiggled his brows. "If I were twenty years younger....Yer goin' to that Ball aren't ya."

Leun nodded with excitement.

"All by yerself?"

The excitement started to fade, though not completely. A glimmer of innocent hope remiained in her brown hues. "Well....yeah....but why not' I can't be the only one going without a date."

"It's just....not yer style, Lass. I mean the Ball. What about the dueling thing ye've been up to."

"That' Oh....well...I dunno. I guess I'll pop by there and watch sometime then too." She actually hadn't thought about that.

"In yer dress?" Haley chuckled at the thought of that.

"It's not like I'll be dueling.....I still gotta find someone who'll teach me first. I'm not thAt stupid."

"In yer dress..." he repeated, amused at the thought of anyone going there with such a lovely dress on....for any reason.

"Now you're making fun of me.." she shot him an annoyed look....a loving one, but an annoyed one.

"NooOOooo! Not me!" he laughed and moved to clean up some dishes off the other end of the counter.

"Yeah, go ahead, make fun of me..." she gingerly put the dress back in the box.

"Lass, I'd never make fun of ye. If they don't notice ye tonight, hun ye should just hang it up with the likes of them. They'd be blinder then a bat. The men anyways....the women, now they'd probably ignore ye even more outta sheer jealousy!" He winked to her.

Leun smirked. "You were always good for my ego Haley. It's not why I bought the dress, though. I just wanted something....pretty. I don't have anything. Something I thought about while I was sick. So when I won the lottery, I bought the dress and realized there was a Ball to go to. And yes, I'll be in tomorrow as usual. I do feel much better."

"Good. Ye should go get yerself ready. Make sure ye strap a blade or hand gun on ye, though.....right on the inside 'o yer thigh...er lower....I mean...yer calf. Ye never know what might happen." Haley eyed her with that serious father look.

"I will." she assured him as she gathered the box up in her arms again. Then she headed out to get ready for the night...

Word on the street spread quickly. Markus was by her side before she knew they'd gotten Harley unlodged from the tree limb. Leun felt herself go numb as voices spoke all around her, whispers in her mind that she questioned was even real. Whispers and rumors of the strange storm that night and Harley's death connected. Rumors went on to a more nefarious nature, something about money owed and paybacks were coming. She began to question the storm as more and more rumors and reports came in.....

Within two days, Harley was burried and the small pub closed down. Leun was without a job. She was still numb with pain, yet deep down something stirred within her, some need for revenge or justice....perhaps both. Her gaze shifted towards the dueling rings once more, this time to the Outback.

Later, in the wee hours of the early morning, Leuni stepped out after attending yet another Fight Night. Wide eyed and awake, yet her gaze seemed distant, not really focusing on what was around her as her steps meandered slowly. She got a half a block down the street when the entire night just hit her consciousness swiftly.

Somehow, she'd just gotten a very capable person to mentor her.

"YeeEEEEESSSS!!!" her voice echoed with the hollar and a victory sign with her arm extended, fist closing, wrist twisting her palm side up as she pulled her hand to her side.

She had expected the worst after sitting in there with a sign for so long and not one person looked at it. After getting so discouraged, she decided to try one more thing.....she was really going to take Harley's advice if it didn't work.

Turning the *Mentor Wanted* sign into a note with the question *Will you - me"* added, she signed the thing and set it by Tass' coat while he was dueling. She waited to see that he'd gotten it and for a moment to talk to him.

The man was popular, it seemed. Just when she thought she had that moment, he was asked to duel by another. Yet he called her name even though she was walking away, content to wait for a better time...that is until his voice seemed so tangible he could've been putting a hand on her shoulder instead. Her steps faultered and she turned around to face him.

In all the duels she'd seen him fight in, it didn't prepare her for the three of Him that she saw as she turned around. Two were heading to seperate dueling rings and one was leaning against the bar top looking at her with some expectancy. Clearly he was far more qualified then she had expected. Try as she did to keep her thoughts clear, her brain fogged trying to concieve the concept of three Tass', or three of anyone for that matter. She was sure she embarassed herself on several things...

Her mind was weighed down by other thoughts as well, trying to answer the question of why she wanted to learn, a question she'd been struggling with for days now. In the end, it was his answer to that question that settled reassuringly within her. It wasn't the love of fighting, wasn't about revenge or justice, although being prepared for them was a smart thing....it wasn't even a competitive issue of gaining the highest title. It was simply the love of people he displayed.

She had trusted her instinct and now she felt, for the first time in weeks, that she was right where she was supposed to be. A long sigh of relief escaped her followed by a whole new set of uncertainties as she drew in her breath again. Would she be good enough"

She laughed at herself, shook her head and started to meander down the road again...

The trip to Twilight Island had been interesting to say the least. She'd never been there and thought it was just a beautiful place. She'd never met a goblin either, but it was nothing like she'd read about except it's looks. It was just so eager to please, something unexpected. And the pies...they were just so tantalizing! Leuni had two pieces.

"So did ye learn anything?" Markus asked while he packed up his goods, ending yet another day of selling.

Nodding, Leun replied, "I took a few notes. Tass' friend, Rena, was there. Tass wasn't. Still, I learned some things. It was interesting to see the magic fly. I don't know that I'll be able to do that one, except by device."

"Got one yet?"

She shook her head. "No. That might be a while in coming. Do you know how expensive magical bobbles are?"

He laughed as she rolled her eyes. "That I do. So what about last night' I saw ye headin that way again."

"I think I might've found a weapon to use." she remarked.

"Oh' Was yer mentor there to help ye pick it out?" he asked.

"No....well, sorta but he had nothing to do with me picking it out. See, Rena was there again and she told me we're allowed to use the weapons from the displays on the wall. I always thought they were just display, like trophies from old battles or something. So I checked them out and held some of them."

"Whad'ya pick?" he eyed her curiously.

Though the amusement in his gaze didn't go unnoticed. She grinned. "Well, I didn't like the short or long swords. The blade on the short seemed too wide and awkward, as the long was too long. I felt like I was gonna tip over or something. There was another one, I think it's called a scimitar....thin curved blade. It looked interesting but I was afraid the curve in the blade might be something else to get used to. Might be a challenge best left for another time."

While she spoke, she pulled out padd and pen and began to draw a picture. "So I picked up one I don't know what it's called. The weapons weren't labelled. Longer then a short sword but thinner like the longsword and shorter then it ....had straight blade except for the angle of the tip. Like this....."

She held the picture for him to see. He gazed at it very briefly. "Katana. Interesting choice. So did Tass say he would teach ye how to use it?"

"Well...." she seemed concerned. "Not exactly."

"What did he say?"

"He didn't. We didn't exactly talk last night, just pleasant hello's from across the room sort of thing."

Markus frowned. "What was he doing?"

"Sitting with the Caller during the big match last night." Yeah, it bothered her. She felt comfortable enough around Markus to let her guard down a bit.

"Dissapointing, no' Why do ye suppose he did that?"

She nodded. "I dont' know, maybe trying to wait and see what I do?" "I'd say that's a good bet. Then next time ye should corner 'im fer guidance. Get him to give ye lessons with that thing."

Soft green speckled her slight tan skin like a splay of freckles. Squatting there in the middle of the room, she screwed the lid onto the paint compartment and stood, lifting the sprayer up again. The prep work had been long, moving everything out of the living room, taping off the windows and anything else that she didn't want to get paint on. Last, tacking down the cover across the carpeting. She held the sprayer like a gun, took aim and just as the curtian covering the door flipped open ....

"Whoa!" Markus appeared where the curtain had been and just as quickly ducked away when he saw the sprayer aimed his direction.

Leun just laughed. "Whimp! What's a little paint' I think you'd look awesome with some green in your hair."

"Yeah, we could be wonder twins, eh?" He was grinning as he came back round to the opening. "Me with green hair an ye wit yer green freckles.....an matching hair too." He pointed out the spray of green in brown strands. His grin deepened. "It really shows up."

Brown hues sparkled with mirth...and something more.....a dreamy looked which was usually brought on by a fair amount of spirits. A pinkness tainted once clear whites and her pupils were fairly dialated. "I liked your suggestion, can you tell?"

Markus snickered and put an arm over her shoulder. He gave a quick glance around to see how much she'd done. Most of it was already finished, she just had half of the wall with the doorway to do. "Yep. Damage done. Just that one spot 't do?"

She nodded.

"Come on with ye. Get 'er done! I brought Pizza...." He quickly darted out of the room, shutting the curtain to block the spray from getting into the kitchen. The fumes were another matter all together. He opened the windows a bit and set the door the same to let the air push the fumes out.

The tease of pizza spurred her on and she aimed true, finishing the task. Ten minutes later and she was sitting in the kitchen eating pizza with Markus. Paint sprayer was soaking in the sink.

"I found another job." she said, taking a bite of pizza.

"Oh?" he was her twin merely a second or two behind her in the pizza biting.

She nodded and chewed a few times until she could speak again. "Yep. Bullet Catcher." Grin.

He looked like he was going to either choke on or spit out the pizza in his mouth. "What"!"

"Well, I figure if I can shoot 'em, why not catch 'em to?" dainty eyebrows wiggled humorously. She took a sip of iced tea she'd made earlier.

"Good luck wi'that. Lemmi know how it goes fer ye, okay?" He just shook his head, set his pizza down, picked up a tape measurer and began to measure her body.

"It won't be so bad. I figure it won't take me as long to save up for that .....What aRe you doing?"

"Measuring ye fer a casket, Lass...." he grinned.

She swatted his arm and he darted back to his seat, picking up his pizza again. Leun just laughed and continued. "Anyway.....I'll get the funds for the sword faster that way. Tass suggested I get with a guy named Artemus Kurgen, of Kurgen Keep, to get a better sword. I'm sure it won't be cheep."

"I know of 'im. He's got..er, had a school with his brother I think. Sylus. I'm nae sure if it still functions, but it's down the road a speck." he offered.

"I know. I've seen it before. Just been putting it off for now though. Money and all."

Markus nodded. "I'm trying 't help ye out, Lass."

"And you have been! I don't know what I'd do without you, really. You've been awesome to me." Her tones softened. She realized he was about the only real friend she had in the world....the only one she could call family. She reallized in that moment what a recluse she had been living as. Soft browns glanced down to the floor.

"When ye goin?"

His voice broke her reverie.

"Huh' Oh....I don't know. I suppose I could at least talk to him, maybe go there later after I get cleaned up."

"Are ye going to fight?"

"Huh' Oh! I thought you meant to Kurgen Keep ....never mind. Yeah, I guess I could go for the duels. It's fiststicuffs, though....Duel of Fists. I dont' know if I can do that."

"Isn't that part of the training in the Holocron?"

She nodded. "It's not the same without a partner though."

"You'll be fine. I'm sure you'll find a partner there."

"Maybe Neo will be there. He's got this wierd thing he does whenever he fights. I don't know if it helps him, but he thinks it does."

"What's he do?"

"I don't know what he calls it. I'd call it blinders...all the way around." she chuckled.

Markus raised a brow but grinned all the same. "Why you say that?"

"Cause....he just....I dunno...he just totally focuses so much on what he's doing that he's completely oblivious to everyone else. Sometimes that includes his opponent. I think I made him mad at me last time I was there. I told him what I thought of his technique."

"I wouldn't worry about it. Ye might've done 'im a favor."

"I was trying to. But...you know....I'm just the newbie. What do I know?" she shrugged.

"Sometimes...it's the newbie who sees the real problem with no bias 't taint their opinions. If they're smart, they'll be listening."

"I think that works both ways." she nodded.

So did he. "So are ye goin?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. I should. Maybe Artemus will show up there. Or maybe I'll just go crawl into bed and go visit him tomorrow at his place. "

"Totally up to ye, Lass. Do what you think is best."

"Dogs..." Leuni's quiet tones fell from her lips as she was leaving the Outback. The door closed gently behind her as she guided it to do so.

The air was crisp leaving her breath in soft wisps of fog trailing along behind her as she began to walk away. She had a few bruises from tonight's duel with Matt, but the air felt good on them. It had been a fair night for her. Now she could say she held hands with the Governor and whipped his hide real good in the match. It had actually been a fairly close match. She still wondered how she had actually won.

It was after the match that she was reminded again of how lonely her life was at times. Matt and Koy....Tass and Kitty....the twins...others....she had paused and pondered the scene, caught up in some reverie. It reminded her that her parents were gone and her house was, when Markus wasn't there, quite lonely.

As she had left the building, her thoughts pondered the possibility of getting herself a dog, or two.....Someone she could come home to, something of protection as well.

She took a few steps down the path along the pond and stopped in her tracks. In the lamplight, she could make out the figure of some kind of medium sized dog next to a slightly larger one. Dogs sometimes ran freely, but usually not at night. It wasn't often, but not unheard of, that packs from the dumps would wander the streets for garbage, sometimes attacking other animals or people in rare cases. Two dogs together were a sign that there could be more.

Her gaze keenly looked around, ears straining to hear and she tried to use the Force to sense her surroundings more keenly. They were nearly on the other side of the pond, though if they ran it wouldn't be too long before they could catch up to her.

As it was, she sensed their curiosity, saw their ears perk up and bodies stiffen as they were extending their senses to, no doubt, check her out. Leun could've kicked herself for not wearing her weapons. It had been Duel of Fists that night and she hadn't thought to need them. And now, she was becoming painfully aware that her back was hurting more.

Leun tried to move normally, though keeping senses tuned on the two dogs. She started to walk away from them, heading for the street. No sooner then she got halfway past the building and she heard the clatter of canine nails on the boarwalk around the pond...running fast. She broke into a run.

The pain in her back increased and she tried her best to ignore it. The dogs were chasing her and the last thing she wanted to become was food for dogs. She dodged through the streets and down back alleys, jumped over fences and ran through people's yards. Though they didn't go into the yards, the dogs did continue to follow.

Desperate measures for desperate times.

Left turn swiftly into an apartment buildind. She shut the door behind her and raced up the stairs until she was on the roof. Getting a running start, she raced across the roof, jumping over the narrow alleyway and landing on the next roof, dropping to a roll as she landed. She did this three more times, changing the direction on the last jump. Then she came down the outside stairs of that building and back to the streets. So much for the effort. She saw them coming down the street a couple of blocks away.

Dashing toward the wall to the west, she manuevered to it and began to rock climb the wall. It took her a few minutes to get to the top, thankfully she didn't fall. The dogs were there at the bottom of the wall, barking up at her in a pitch that was strangely not tainted by hunger, or anger, or anything but the impression of a *Hey You! Come play with me!* tone. She stood on the top of the wall and gave them a strange grin.

"Find something interesting?" came a voice from behind her.

She nearly jumped as he startled her. It was the nightwatchman walking the wall. He could've gotten her for it, but when she explained what she was doing, running from the dogs, he let her go. His first reaction was preparing to shoot the dogs, but Leun wouldn't let him. Relenting, he offered to distract the pair with some extra meat in his pack so she could get a clean break from them and escape down the other side. Thankful, she made her way down the other side of the wall and quickly went home.

The next morning, her back was in worse shape. To top it off, she heard wimpering outside her back door. Then a bark.

"No way..."

She looked out the back window to see the larger dog barking for attention while the smaller dog layed on the ground wimpering. It's front paw had blood on it. She got dressed and grabbed her gun. Then she went outside to check out the dogs.

Weeks had gone by. Before her injury, she had made a business arrangement with one Artemus Kurgen. The deal was made, some of the money placed, the schematics given and she was healing and training while the items were being made. It would take time, she knew and therefore wasn't in a hurry.

Her healing went faster then she expected it to. Within a week she was up and out of bed, returning to normal life. The dogs, however, were clearly protective. For the next week, Leun had to assure the dogs it was okay for her to move before they would back off from whining, growling or otherwise moving in front of her to keep her from going anywhere. The smaller dog's injury took a good week before it was scabbed over and healed enough to let it go without a bandage.

"I need to name you two..."

Wagwagwag their tails moved in unison. The larger of the two whined playful and inched closer to her so she could pet him. Of course, she complied and gave him a good rubdown. Then the other one had her turn. They were adorable.

Yet she couldn't think of any suitable names for them. And none of the names she came up with seemed to appeal to them. It was strange how they seemed to understand her.

"Well, I don't know what to name you two, but I'm glad you both seem to know which one I'm talking to. It's okay, something will come up."

A few days later had her back to the rings, if only to watch. Another meeting with Sylus and company, Anne, brought her an opportunity she couldn't and probably shouldn't, ignore. She held the paper he'd given her in her hands, reading over the address he had written there.

"So what do you think?" she asked the dogs as she explained to them about Sylus.

The two looked away from her in that same subservient manner they had done the other day, except this time it was more pronounced. It was then she sensed something through the force about their feelings. She definitely sensed a respectful fear in them, not unlike her own feelings the first time she watched Sylus step out of the ring the first time she met him.

"Do you want to meet him?"

The two had a strange reaction, looking at each other, nuzzling each other and then they both walked away from her and moved to sit by the door, one on either side. She didn't know what to make of it. It was hard to say if they wanted to go with her or if they wanted to protect her. Their odd noises had her at a loss, except maybe that they were at a loss. Or maybe they were trying to tell her, that it was up to her.

The next night had her in the rings this time, participating in not just one but three duels. It was apparent to her that fists were not her strongpoint, losing one to a lady named Aya Hayashibara and another to Matt.

Matt was a source of confusion that night. It was like he didn't want to win, like he was giving up. That's what she thought she sensed in him, some darkness in his demeanor. She almost felt like a polar opposite of him, every time she tried to use fists, she'd lose. Swords, she'd win where he lost and won in the opposite. It was clear to her that He seemed exceptionally frustrated with the use of weapons. He'd even tossed his knife aside during their duel of swords, which confused the hell out of her.

His mood was dour, there was no confusion about that.

They sparred twice but it was all she needed to know something wasn't right when she won in the last one, the one with weapons. It was only confirmed as she watched him duel with someone else and virtually repeated that same loss. She was fairly convinced that he just wasn't fighting with the right weapon and was giving up on all of them because of the one. She even wondered if the thing was cursed, but had kept that thought way in the back of her mind.

Her back was hurting her again when she came home. Instead of crawling into bed, she sat on her couch, legs crossed and folded beneath as she meditated in the Force instead. By morning, she was fine again but she had also made up her mind about something. She was going to take Sylus up on the offer, and maybe help him get a few more students along the way....

Things were going well for Leuni. Training with Sylus had begun and she was living with her two best friends - Barret and Allie. Markus would come by every now and then to give her someone to actually talk to in the evenings. Life had been fair for her lately. She had no complaints.

With the construction of the light Sabre and a new sword underway, there wasn't much more that she could want from life ....except maybe help in her training with the Force. So far she was learning how to use telekinesis to move an object or two, developing combat sense, boosting her own physical aspects and reading thoughts and emotions from others. It was all still new to her, but she fully recognized how to do these things. It would only take time and practice to better the performance.

The knock came to her front door just after she'd let the dogs out the back one. Hardly anyone came to her house and rarely was it ever to the front door.

When she arrived and opened the door, there stood a man dressed in a black suit and sunglasses.

"Leuni Dokara?" he asked in business like tones.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I'm from the minister of defense office with a special request for you. May I come in?"

"Of course." Leun stepped back to allow him entrance. She shut the door and led him to the couch where she sat at one end and he the other. "What's this about?"

"It's been decided to put together a special task force, The Avengers. We would like you to be part of that."

"Me" Why me?" This clearly seemed strange to her for them to be contacting her. She was nothing.

The man handed her some papers and gave her time to read them. More then once her brow quirked up with curiosity and furrowed with confusion. She finally looked to the man.

"But why me" I'm nobody...."

It was then that he told her about her father's undercover connection with RhyDin government and what had really happened that day he died.

"His cover was about to be blown, but he persevered to keep it in tact. Unfortunately, this resulted in the deaths. I'm sorry that his death was the result of the undercover work, but there was nothing that could be done to prevent it."

She was quiet for several moments, shocked by the news and her mind raced with the possibilities of what would've been so important that he gave his life for it. "What exactly was it he was working on?"

"I'm sorry, that is classified. I don't even know myself. All I was told was that it happened too fast for anyone else to prevent. Your mother would've been saved but she refused to follow instructions, choosing instead to fight by your father's side. She died trying to protect him. We would like to remedy that situation. You being his daughter is not the main reason we're asking you. Our reason is because you show talent in the force. There aren't many in RhyDin with that ability, fewer yet with any real training to it. Anything we can do to help you with that, we will do our best. We've been watching you over the last year or so. Your potential is why we contacted you."

It was a lot to take in. But there was truth in what he was saying. She fully remembered her mother staying and trying to fight them off. Even Leun had tried but was swatted away like a fly. It had been the most frustrating thing, to feel so helpless.....It was no wonder she clung to that promise of help.

"I suppose I should have a good way to use those talents. What exactly can you do for my training?"

"Help you find the right teacher for your force training. We're working on it. In the mean time, other training associated with being an Avenger...and an outlet to do good. Does this sound like something you're interested in?"

Giving her the instruction, the man sat quietly and waited. Lueni found herself picking up a pen to fill out the application. It was like she was watching herself from some other place as she did this.

—————————————

Government Name: Leuni Ray Dokara

Alias/Codename/Handle: The Loon

Identity: Public

Gender: Female

Age: 27

Date of Birth: January 16

Birthplace: RhyDin

Current Residence: RhyDin, Southgate District

Registered Occupation: Barmaid, villiage idiot, bullet catcher

Title in said Occupation (If any):

Special Abilities & Unique Talents: exceptional knife throwing and other thrown weapons, force sensitive in training. Combat Sense, enhanced physical aspects and some telepathy have been developed. Others TBD as training progresses.

Other Notes of Interest: Daughter of Chuck Dokara who had been an outside contact for the secret services of RhyDin. Died in the line of duty to protect that service.

—————————————

Feeling like she was in some sort of daze, she put the application into the envelope and handed it back to the man. She watched as he let himself out. All she could do was stare at the door.

An hour later and the dogs were scratching and whimpering at the back door....



She shook the daze from her gaze and focused on the sound coming from the other side of the door.

"All right, babies...." she soothed and got up to open the back door.

She would be greeted not by two expectant gazes but by three.

"What's the news of the day, Luv" Anything interesting with ye?" Markus stepped inside with a basket of fruits and veggies, which he held out to her.

"Uh....well.." she hesitated, remembering what the man had told her. It wasn't a time to bring knowledge of this out to anyone, but Markus wasn't just anyone. Leun took the basket and smiled ear to ear, kissing his cheek with thanks. "Nothing worth noting....except you bringing me this food. I don't know what I'd do without you, Markus."

He smiled at first until her words sunk in. Then he was thoughtfully curious. "Not worth noting, eh' What's not worth noting.....Ye didn't catch any bullets today, did ye?"

For a moment he looked worried and pretended to look her over for bullet holes.

Leun chuckled a bit and set the basket by the sink. "No...no bullets. I'm fine, really..."

Except, that last part didn't sound so fine, even to Leun's ears. She was really shaken inside and still numb to its depths.

He knew something was not *just fine*. His tones softened with the concern of a father like figure. "Then what is it' Something happened today, didn't it. Wouldn't have anything to do with the guy I saw leavin the house an hour ago would it?"

Brown hues widened as Leun darted her gaze to him. "You were spying on me?"

"Only cause I'm jealous, Luv." he winked to her with the joke before his gaze grew serious. "But seriously....I was making a delivery to Mrs. Thompson when I went by and saw the man leave. Who was he, Leun" An what did he want' Cause yer lookin a bit pale, Luv."

The fatherly tone always did it. She caved. First the tears welled in her eyes and the leaned against the counter for support. Next her head bowed and the soft cry escaped just as the tears fell down her cheeks. Both dogs perked their ears and canted their heads, soft wimpers escaped from them. And Markus came to put his arms round the girl. He knew her well enough to know something dId happen, and all he could do was comfort her.

The words for her didn't come for a while, not until the tears subsided. It was like she was crying for her parents all over again. The past memories brought up just by the earlier visit finally registered in her mind from that fatherly prompt. And then she struggled with telling him the whole truth. Had he known then about her father" Should he know now" She was afraid to say too much. Finally she decided on what to say when the tears allowed her to speak again.

"I'm sorry....I just....the man that came was from the government. They were interested in me....with my talents in the Force....said they were interested in the potential of them and wanted me to be part of a special task force group. And that just ....it just got me to thinking about my parents, Markus. I guess I was just kinda denying it until you pushed me. I miss them so much, Markus....it hurts!"

Fresh new tears spilled quietly from her. Markus didn't say anything more about it while he pulled her to sit on his lap as he sat down in a chair. What else could he do but comfort her while the child within her grieved again. He hadn't heard her cry like this in a long time.

"It's okay, Luv....Maybe this is just what ye needed. It's gonna be all right, hun...It'll be all right. Ye know I'm here if ye need me, always. I'm right here with ye."