[hr][center]  [img]http://i.imgur.com/1WvlyjC.png[/img] [/center]

[code]Greencrest Heights, White Coast_
 5 hours ago[/code][hr][hr]
Thanh was being a nuisance again while Lihn was trying to work. It was becoming a more regular occurrence – Lihn would settle down in her office to do some work when the bangs and clatters began to ring around the house. Some part of her missed years ago when Thanh had been a quiet child, as calm as Lihn was, and if she was full of energy for one day Kei was in the house to keep her entertained.

Of course, she understood that this was just her daughter growing up. She was glad than Thanh was becoming more adventurous and confident, even if it meant she was always making a mess or talking to her dog. And she’d never wish for Kei to move back in with her. It had taken long enough for her to get him to do something with his life. 

Thankfully she had very little do right now, and she got it done while trying to ignore what hopefully wasn’t her daughter injuring herself while playing. The noise stopped just before she finished and she let out a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t have to go down and check on Thanh, at least not right now. Lihn had plenty of other, more personal and less work, things she wanted to get done which she’d rather not put on hold. Getting just a little bit of time to herself was difficult enough these days. She hadn’t realised how much she depended on her brother to help with Thanh until he had left.

God, being a single mother was hard.

She wasn’t too long into the research she’d decided to take on herself when her phone started ringing, an annoying buzz that interrupted her stream of thought. Well, that was just great. She reluctantly answered after checking the caller ID.

[i]”I hope that this is important, Kei, because I’m very busy right now.”[/i] She slipped into her native Vietnamese easily, rolling her eyes at the laugh at the other end of the line.

[i]“Sorry to interrupt you at a busy time, though you always seem to be busy,”[/i] Kei sounded amused as he spoke. [i]“I’ve got a bit of a problem.”[/i]

[i]“What kind of problem?”[/i] Lihn frowned. She hoped that it wasn’t work or college related – Kei had been doing so well lately and last thing she wanted was for him to have to move back in.

[i]“I got an email from our cousins saying they were coming over on holiday, and asking to stay a week or two. I don’t really have the room to put them up so…” [/i]

[i]“You were hoping I could? Why did they email you and not me, and which cousins? We do have quite a few of those.” [/i]

[i]“I can’t tell you the answer to that first one, because I have no idea why. The one’s visiting are Minh and Tuyên, I believe.” [/i]

[i]“Phoung’s youngest?”[/i] Lihn mused. Well, that was certainly something she hadn’t expected. She had hoped after the events in Vietnam last year she wouldn’t have to see any of the extended Phan family again. [i] “They were better than the rest, I’ll give them that. I’ll give them rooms if you’re the one who spends time with them.[/i]

[i]“I guess that’s fair, but I have work too sometimes.” [/i]

[i]“We’ll work something out.”[/i] Trust that side of the family to cause problems again.

[i]“I’m sure we will. How is it going for you? Busy, as always?” [/i]

[i]“Between work and Thanh I have my hands full, but you already know that. I was just taking a break now when you called. Really, I could do with more breaks.”[/i]

[i]“Hmm.”[/i] Lihn could tell that Kei was thinking. [i]“I don’t have work for two more days. How about I pick up Thanh in an hour and give you tonight and tomorrow off? I’ll take Chi too, if you give me some dog food.”[/i]

Lihn smiled.[i]“Thanks Kei, I appreciate it.”[/i]

[i]“No problem! Well, see you in an hour.”[/i]

[i]“Yup, see you in an hour.”[/i] Lihn hung up and turned back to her laptop.

[hr]
[center] [sub][@Mr Allen J][@Altered Tundra][/sub][/center]
[code]The Golden Throne – Strongriver Plaza, Hedgemont_ [/code]
[hr]
It had been a long time since Lihn had a chance to kick back and relax. Between work and looking after Thanh she was lucky to even get a quiet night in. But with her brother promising to look after Thanh for the night, taking her to stay with him and all, she had a few more options for something to do to let her hair down. She wasn't the kind to normally go out for a drink, or go to a club, but it was something she had always enjoyed when younger. Being saddled with a child after one of those times had been enough to stop her frequent visits. But there was no harm in going somewhere like that just once on a while.

She didn't exactly plan to even drink enough to get drunk, nevermind to the point where she'd been making bad decisions. 

Lihn didn't know why she had chosen the Golden Throne. It had seemed popular enough, and she was yet to be hit on by any sleazy guys. The clothes she wore were practically prude for a club like this - so no one was going to mistake her for a prostitute or anything of the like. She'd been enjoying herself sitting off to one side watching what was going on, only on her second drink of the night and not even near being tipsy.

She'd been absentmindedly checking her phone when she first heard the screams, immediately followed by an overwhelming anger that broke through the quiet buzz of emotions that Lihn had grown to ignore. Then there was fear stabbing through it, a sharpness through the throbbing pain that was the rage. She froze, unable to process what was happening as her eyes moved to whatever that [i]thing[/i] was. Most people were running out, a sensible reaction to the fear she knew they felt. Lihn knew she could definitely follow them too. But she was stuck, her brain caught up in the anger emanating off what looked like a monster and her legs too weak to move. Her head hurt from the sheer force of the emotions she was sensing, but she was sure that a migraine would be the least of her worries if she didn't get out. Yet she sat still, barely seeing a man hit the beast with fire through her crowded vision.

It was the sprinkler system turning on that snapped Lihn out of it. The water hitting her allowed her to rip herself out of her own mind, offering a clarity around the fog of anger than hung densely in the room. She stood while looking for the neatest exit. Her search brought her gaze to the man that had tried to fight the monster and whose abilities had now been rendered useless. 

If she left, he was probably going to die. If she stayed? Well, they'd probably both die. She knew she should think about her family, really the last thing she wanted was to leave Thanh without a mother, but she couldn't leave with her conscience clean. Lihn wasn't the kind of person who could just abandon someone to die. And anyway, she might just have an idea. 

"Hey, keep it distracted, I can try and calm it down," Lihn called out, hoping that her words would get through to the man engaged with the beast but wouldn't draw its attention to her. She needed to be able to be able to focus and couldn’t exactly do it if it came running at her.

Not waiting to see if it’s attention had switched to her Lihn concentrated, easily finding the anger that was resonating off the tumour covered beast. There was no need to concentrate on reading the emotion and finding out what it was – that much was way too obvious as it railed against her mind. She forcefully took hold of it, throwing her will against the creatures to push the anger down. If she could reduce it just a little maybe it would stop its rampage. Then she could increase some more calming emotion in it, and maybe also extend her reach to the man fighting it. 

That was the plan at least as she forcefully took it’s anger and decreased the intensity of it, without any of the subtly she normally had. She didn’t have time for subtlety.

All she could do was concentrate on using her strength as an empath to forcefully calm it down.