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Tianara had dropped into sleep like a stone, and didn't so much as stir when Joshua tucked her in. After a few minutes, a soft voice spoke up, sounding as though it were next to Joshua's ear. "Well, survived the first assault? Is Tia okay?"

It was Katalina, who had apparently woken up sometime during all the chaos. She had not been able to reach Tianara, and sensibly deciding that it was probably because the girl was asleep rather than because she was dead, the mermaid had turned her attention to Joshua.

((OOC: Goodnight! See you tomorrow!))

Katalina was silent for a moment. "Exhausted?" she asked finally, sounding a little worried. "That isn't good, Joshua. That really isn't good." She seemed to muse on this fact for a moment or two. "Being tired is one thing, but if she's totally exhausted, that meant it got in farther than is safe. Take good care of her. Did she ask you to wake her up if it came back?"

If she had, Katalina was now going to countermand it. If Joshua had seen nothing to worry about in Tianara's behaviour, that meant it probably hadn't gotten in all the way. But if she had to hold it off again...

Katalina shook her head. She knew the other three were listening in - she was allowing it, actually. They were all concerned for their little ocean child.

Katalina seemed to hesitate, then finished her own thought first. "Well, don't. If it comes back, call me or Nezik - we'll support you. Let Tianara stay asleep as long as you think you can protect her; sleeping folk are especially vulnerable."

She trailed off, then seemed to decide to answer his question. "If she didn't let you two look out the window, that means she decided to take the worst of the Dark One's strength away from you. Looking out the window - looking directly at it, really - is like a challenge. She directed its attention to her and away from you. It isn't your fault, Joshua," she hastened to add. "It was a choice she had to make. In her place, I'd have made the same one. Neither of you are likely to know how to deal with the Dark One's full attention, that's all."

Tianara shivered briefly in her sleep, but other than that did indeed seem to be (as Joshua had said) resting well. Katalina, who couldn't see this, had to take Joshua's word for it. "All right," she said uncertainly. "If you need help, or even if you just want to talk or anything, you know how to reach me." She fell silent, and a moment later the connection flared again briefly. "Nezik feels it coming back, he says, but he thinks it's headed our way now. Be careful - once it's done here, it'll likely try for another shot at you. If you can't reach us..." She paused, then finished, "Only wake Tianara if you have to. Be safe, Joshua." And the connection petered out.

At almost the same time, Tianara stirred briefly, her hair falling over her face. A few whispered words escaped from her, disjointed and seeming to make no sense. Then she sighed softly in her sleep and seemed to settle once more.

Although Katalina did not reply, a sort of warm glow seemed to flow briefly through the link, taking with it everything she would not have time to say before the Dark One reached them. Thanks, Joshua. You too. See you soon.

Tianara's sleep seemed to have begun to interrupt itself - she was stirring now in fits and starts before going back to sleep. At last, she gave a soft, strangled gasp and her dark blue eyes snapped open, finding Joshua's quickly before moving on. "What's happening?" she demanded, sounding anguished - but a lot more coherent than before. "I felt-- it's gone, I can tell, but where did it go?"

She didn't even try to sit up - her body warned her that she would regret it. So she looked at Joshua again. She didn't repeat her questions, instead just waiting for an answer.

Tianara sighed. "I probably shouldn't be," she admitted. "I'm still tired. But that's the thing with the Dark Ones. They'll exhaust you completely, but you - well, I - never have to sleep long to be mostly restored."

She listened with a grave face to Joshua's words, then nodded. "That gives us more time to prepare," she said simply. "They'll be fine - not only do they know how to handle it, they've got at least one pair of new lovers there, Joshua, remember? Love is like anathaema to the Dark Ones, especially new love, when it's all giddy and happy." She smiled. "I doubt they'll have much trouble." Her words were reassuring, nearly as much as the fact that she actually seemed to believe what she was saying.

Sitting back, she said quietly, "It'll come back for another assault as soon as it's recovered from them. They're buying us time, but not much - we're by far the easier target. It'll come back to us."

((OOC: Holy s**t. These Dark Ones are totally going to be the base for an RP I just thought up, like right this moment thought up. >.>))

Tianara hesitated, and seemed to choose her words very carefully. "Well, I..." She was silent for a brief moment. "Well, yes. I guess so. But you have to understand, Joshua, that there's only so much you two can do to help me." Her eyes rose up to his. "If you try to take on too much, you might draw its attention to you instead. And that's the last thing I want, okay?"

She didn't specify why - perhaps she figured that there was no reason to frighten him or Mac. Sitting back, she said after a minute, "So. Like I said before, positive thoughts. The Dark Ones thrive on dark emotions - pain, grief, horror, hate. They love that stuff. If you don't have it in you, they'll try to plant it in your head - that's why it feels the way it does. You have to keep it out, because once it's ensconced itself, there's no way to get it out." She smiled a bit. "Luckily that isn't too hard. It just requires some focus. You need to keep positive emotions and memories foremost in your head, no matter what else tries to intrude. The Dark One will almost always focus the brunt of its power on one person in a group - usually whoever looks directly at it and challenges it. If no one does, it'll pick the one that feels like the easiest target. The rest will feel its power, but not to the same extent."

She shrugged one shoulder. "The way to help that person is, again, to channel positive feelings, but towards the target in question. It'll sort of...boost them, I guess. Help them." She looked almost shy suddenly. "Does that make any sense?"