i'm here to save the world ;; tamar

"Are you really sure you want to do this?" Jasmine asked for the umpteenth time. "I mean, you're putting our lives in danger!"

Hollis's daemon had taken the form of a tiny little humming bird so that she could flit around his face in a panic. For years, Hollis had been in hiding, for years he never went any farther than the city of Dahlin, but today he made the decision to expose himself. If Kole found out about Hollis's future then so be it, but at least nobody couldn't say Hollis didn't try.

"This is my destiny," Hollis replied, probably saying this for the umpteenth time. "You can't hide from destiny forever."

As stoic as he sounded, Hollis was scared shitless. He always knew about the psycho overloridian of Deilig, but never thought the man would start a war. He already had taken control over Adhbhar, threatened Earalas, and somehow formed alliance with Solas. What could happen next?

Hollis was scared because he was destined to be the next overloridian of Deilig, and for sixteen years of his life he had been hiding from the psychotic murderer, Kole Roden, but not today. Today he was going to seek the overloridian of Dian for help.

He climbed up the steps of Tamar's estate, staring blankly ahead at her large double doors. He lifted a fist to knock on the door and waited.

Tamar had just finished up a meeting with some of the Dian military officers. A possible war was brewing with Deilig and its "allies", so Tamar and Hadley were building up their forces in secret. Tamar had never trusted that the peace that had lasted so long in Amelia was guaranteed, and had always maintained a decently sized and funded military. Her and Hadley (as annoying as he was, she was at least glad to have an ally who wouldn't give into Kole's threats) had been discussing tactics, whether or not to attack Deilig directly to stop Kole, or to focus on defense in case he decided to attack them. In the end they'd decided to bulk up on defense, given Earalas' important resources and the fact that it was unfortunately surrounded by Deilig and Adhbhar.

She was getting ready to...well, not relax, but at least sit down for a moment and not have to talk to anyone. Unfortunately she was immediately interrupted by one of her staffers, who had a young man with him.

"Overloridian Batel, this is Hollis Wren," the staffer introduced. "He says he has something important to discuss with you." With that, he turned and left the two alone in the main living room of the mansion.

Tamar looked at the boy for a moment before saying, "Well? What's so important that you had to come to my home unannounced and uninvited?"

As the doorman led Hollis to wherever the overloridian was waiting, he steadily grew more and more nervous. What if she didn't believe him? What if she just laughed in his face and sent him on his way? So many things could go wrong with this. He really should have thought this through. But before he could change his mind and turn around he was already standing before the overloridian.

Tamar wrote:"Well? What's so important that you had to come to my home unannounced and uninvited?"

"Uh..." Hollis responded, standing there looking like an idiot. He didn't continue speaking until Jasmine nudged him in the leg. She was now in the form of a german shepherd. Regaining his composure, Hollis grinned at the overloridian.

"Well rumor has it," he said, sounding a bit unprofessional. "That the overloridian of Deilig is a psychopath, the world is doomed, and I just might be the clio to save it."

Jasmine shook her head; her clio's dumb mouth could get them killed someday.

Tamar looked at Hollis as if he were an idiot, because he clearly was. "You're correct on the first point, the second is highly debatable, and the third is probably the most ridiculous thing I've heard today," she told him plainly. "Now please leave my mansion and leave the Deilig situation to the adults." She wondered if this was some kind of joke or prank from the unsettled boy. If so, Tamar was not amused.

Hollis opened his mouth and then closed it. He knew this wasn't going to work. He wasn't going to give up so easily though, this had to happen.

"Look," he said. "If you just give me a chance, I know you won't be disappointed." He set his hands on his hips, and planted his feet firmly on the ground. "When I was born, my wisp glowed blacker than the night sky above Deilig, and ever since that day my mother has kept me in hiding, afraid that she'd lose me."

He crossed his arms over his chest, and his normally carefree expression took on a more dark and serious one. "If you give me a chance to prove myself," he said. "You will see that I am destined to be the next overloridian of Deilig."

Tamar looked back up at Hollis, wide-eyed, as though she were seeing him in a totally new light. If he was telling the truth this changed everything. Hollis looked like he was around maybe sixteen or seventeen, not far off from settling at all. That would mean that Kole was destined to die soon (thank gods!). It would mean that Deilig was going to lose the upcoming war.

...As long as Hollis was telling the truth, and he didn't die before settling.

"If you're lying to me, I'll find out," she warned him. She walked over to him and stood in front of him. "And it won't end well for you. If you're telling the truth, then I'll do everything in my power to keep you protected until you settle. I'll train you and teach you how to be an overloridian."

"Just let me prove myself," Hollis replied simply. "And you will not be disappointed."

Although, he wasn't really sure how he was going to prove himself. It would have been one thing if she had saw him when he was born, but yeah...

"I'm...not sure how though," he said, feeling slightly defeated.

"There are ways to verify your story," Tamar told him. It was next to impossible to hide the birth of a future overloridian completely. There would always be witnesses; parents, doctors from the hospital where they were born, other relatives or caretakers. There were clio out there who could prove that Hollis was (or wasn't) who he said he was. Now that she was thinking about it, she should probably ensure said clio were protected as well, in case Kole came sniffing around.

"Your mother was smart to hide you," she said. "Kole would've had you killed the second he found out about you. You'll have to stay hidden until you settle."

Hollis nodded in agreement. "I've dedicated my life to training," he told her. "I wanted to be prepared," he continued. "So that if Kole ever found me, I could at least defend myself."

Growing up, Hollis had exercised, and practiced with all sorts of different weapons, he wanted to have some sort of chance against the overloridian, if they had ever crossed paths.

"So," he said, while rubbing his hands together eagerly. "How do I prove myself?"

"The only way to prove you're the next overloridian without a doubt is with the Deilig star piece," Tamar told him. "Obviously that's not possible, so I'll have to find all the clio who had contact with you when you still had a wisp. Your parents, any doctors..." It wouldn't be too difficult to access those kinds of records, especially if he lived in Dian.

"Once that's done with you can stay here, under my protection," she added. Tamar herself was an extremely skilled fighter, she wasn't too modest to admit. And she made sure her security team in the mansion were worth what she paid them. Anyone she considered too incompetent didn't last long in her employment.

Tamar couldn't allow herself to get excited about this as long as Hollis' claims were still unproven, but she'd be lying if she said her hopes weren't up. Hollis looked old enough to settle any day now, and if he really was the next Deilig overloridian, that would mean the death of the worst overloridian that fate had ever seen fit to curse Amelia with.

Holli$ bit his bottom lip nervously. He knew his mother had taken every precaution she could to ensure his safety. What if she had been too cautious? He felt defeated suddenly, like this visit was all in vain.

"What if you can't find any proof?" He asked her. "My mother was very...careful."

"In that case, the proof will come in the event of Kole's death," Tamar said. There was no doubt in her mind that that would happen, whether Holli$ was telling the truth or not. Right now it was only a matter of when and how. Most likely it would be as a direct result of this reckless war he was starting. "In any case, by looking into your past I'll at least be able to prove that you are who you say you are, and not one of Kole's spies."

Tamar wrote:"In any case, by looking into your past I'll at least be able to prove that you are who you say you are, and not one of Kole's spies."

Holli$ nodded in agreement, although it made him slightly nervous. He knew she'd find nothing incriminating against him, but just the very thought sent butterflies to his stomach. Maybe it was just the paranoid side of him. He clenched his fists in determination. He was probably the craziest clio alive to willingly risk his life like this, but something had to be done.

END