Abysmal Souls Chapter 6

[Jaybee]

Elune

Where... where am I... what happened...

She was lying in a bed, in what seemed like an inn - Not the inn she was staying in, but the rooms did look similar. Her top was removed, and she was lying under a light blanket. A man was sitting at the side, watching her.

Last night, those three...

She started into a sitting position as though she'd been woken from a nightmare, immediately screaming in pain as she clutched her stomach, where her stab wound was. She willed her way through the door before the man could stop her, pressing down on her wound as she ran to the washroom, where she threw up into the sink.

This isn't happening... This is just... a bad dream... right?

Danyon

"Let's jus' wait an' see what happ'ns, then, eh? Yeh're not goin' anywhere wit' that arm of yers, not fer a while."

"Oh, come on. Well, sure, I can't fight or anything, but riding a horse wouldn't be too bad, if she went gently. Of course, I'd need someone to help, but then again, if I'm going with you then you'd need to take charge of the horse anyway." He stood up and stretched, before walking outside, where he saw a rather familiar face.

"Huh. Aren't you the asshat who tried to kill Carrion just a few days ago? What in hell are you doing here?" He nearly placed his hand on his sword by instinct, but given that his sword arm was his bad arm, he thought better of it.

Julia~ and other people!

There were six people in the small wagon, with one directing the horses. Radek was at the reins, while Jerome, Carmen, Benedict, Benji, Sarah and Julia sat in the wagon. The males sat on the left, the females sat on the right. Carmen was attending to a gash on Sarah's forearm she had picked up when she had tripped over a rock with a particularly jagged edge, Jerome and Benedict were sleeping, and Benji was cleaning his equipment as best as he could with a rag cloth. Julia was leaning back, mindlessly looking out the front of the cart.

There was a small commotion from behind the wagon, and a short while later a man dressed in somewhat elaborate clothing pulled up in front of Radek, blocking his path entirely. I could imagine Daniel wearing something like that... No, Julia, stop it.

"Hello there, you seem to have upset my horse... and ruffled up my men. I'd advise being more aware of your surroundings, lest you come across trouble."

"And you would do well to get out of our way, lest you bring such trouble upon yourself. If your men are so easily disgruntled that even a cart in front of them displeases them, they would do well to grow some brains under their thick skulls and learn how to, for example, get their wagon to move in front."

"Unnh... Radek, what's the problem here?" JUlia adjusted her position before moving over to the front of the cart, stepping out from under the covers.

"Nothing of concern to you, Ma-... Julia. Just some slow-witted fools who can't handle simple issues by themselves."

[Shin]

Oshea

It seemed that the man in front of him wasn't particularly polite, much to Oshea's disdain.

"And you would do well to get out of our way, lest you bring such trouble upon yourself. If your men are so easily disgruntled that even a cart in front of them displeases them, they would do well to grow some brains under their thick skulls and learn how to, for example, get their wagon to move in front."

"Now, now, I don't think you can afford to be so insolent. You don't seem to understand who I am, I am the great Oshea Horvath, the Supersonic swordsman! My rapier's speed is second to none, hundreds of villains have fallen before it." he boasted, well, not all of it was a lie, his name was Oshea. He spotted a young woman at the front of the cart, and Oshea liked what he saw. She was the very image of beauty, an angel, a goddess.

"However..." he began, maintaining his noble air, "You have such a fine young lady with you, I suppose I can find it in my heart to forgive your rudeness. My true goal is the Crimson Witch, who has been terrorising these lands for too long. I cannot bear to see such injustice!"

His men were amazed, mostly because they were idiots, but there was no denying that Oshea had refined his charm... through years of deception. He took a bow;

"My dear, could I be fortunate enough to know your name? I am Oshea Horvath, at your service."

Edited May 29, 2012 by Doku

[ReformBlade]

That morning...

Grant went off to find the innkeeper and let her have a piece of his mind, but that can wait for a little while...

Arcen and Aiduen seemed to be having an argument though, let's go check that out!

"Look, aiduen, I've said it over and over, she tried to kill you! I can't just accept that, you know? I'm not going to let you just friggin waltz around with her knowing that she's just a step away from snapping!"

"Arcen, step off!" Aiduen glared at him, "She's not evil! I mean what about you?! Y-You kill things and sometimes people for a living, what makes you so much different?!"

"I DON'T CHOKE MY FRIENDS! WHAT THE HELL, AIDUEN?!" Being compared to Carrion like that made Arcen absolutely lose it. "You can wave her actively trying to kill you, berate you, yell at you, disrespect you away, hell I won't be surprised if she heavily tries to take advantage of that! For what?! We have a million other better things to be doing! Did you forget why we're here?! I haven't, and I'd REALLY like to get back to work on it, not running off with some random murderer!"

"Will you stop that?! Will you PLEASE just drop that friggin point already? I get it, you hate her and nothing will change your mind on that, but I have to try and help her, don't you see?!"

Raising his fist up as if to hit her, he held it for a moment, trying to let his anger pass. "No, I don't see. And you know what? I can't be sitting here by your side all the time either. It's become quite clear to me that our personalities clash just way too much, Aiduen. I'm glad to have such a saint of a sister, but there's only so much I can take. I guess this means goodbye, Aid..."

"What? You're just gonna leave? Just like that?!"

"Yeah..." He said, already turned around and walking away. "Unless you want me to stay and kill her that is." He kept on walking, knowing what her answer would be. Truth be told, he wanted nothing more than to go back an apologize to her, cry to her, hold her again... but he couldn't. Not as they were now.

Aiduen, on the other hand, had a mix of feelings swirling about her. She was glad that her brother seemed to care what she thought, but at the same time she felt badly that she seemed to make him have to choose. Not wanting to stand there and contemplate it all right then and there, Aiduen sought out the inn, bottling up her feelings for a moment.

Carrion...? Well... she was hurting still. A lot, actually, but she shoved it to the side in an attempt to move on from it all. Slipping out of the bed, she hurriedly walked out of the place, ignoring all the others as she glanced about. It was still early in the morning, that was good. Rubbing her head in exasperation, Carrion found herself looking out over the ocean on the pier, the cool morning breeze chilling her to her core. Despite the pain she should be feeling, the witch couldn't help but smile, the ocean waves splashing below her and drops hitting her face every so often. She didn't even notice, or more exactly probably didn't care, that another woman had walked up next to her, eyeing her curiously. "Aren't you cold out here in that getup...?"

"It feels... nice."

The lady was confused, "Look, miss, it can't be healthy... I advise you just... go take shelter until the sun comes up in full bloom at least."

"If I want to be warm, I'll heat myself up just fine... But I just don't want that... that luxury right now. I don't deserve it. I don't deserve much, you know? I bring misfortune to this whole damn world just by being alive... I just want a normal life, a life where I'm not hunted like a rabid animal, cursed for every goddamn problem that seems easy enough to blame on me."

"That's quite a tall order there, kid, what exactly did you do? I doubt people just kinda hate you on principle for no reason, unless you've only run into jerks."

"I did nothing... Well, accurately, I didn't mean to do anything... but that's what I get for trying to save my brother with a magic book that I didn't know how to use~" Carrion said almost too playfully. "And now I get to be chased everywhere I go, since I'm the Crimson Witch that everyon gets to blame."

The lady took a step back, her hand instinctively going to a knife in her belt but not drawing it. "Say that again? You're the witch? If I were you, I wouldn't be making such drastic claims, there's some good money for your head out there."

"Go ahead and do it, see if I care. Hell, if you can silence me for good I'd be so happy, you have no idea!" Carrion turned and smiled to the lady, a hint of sadness in her voice and her face. "I don't want this life, I can't even say for sure it's mine at this point since I've been killed so, so many times. What's one more death on the pile, eh? I'm just one little heartless evil devil, go on and do it!" Dropping to her knees, Carion looked like she was about to cry, however she simply sat there. "It doesn't matter if I get stabbed in the heart or burned at the stake, or even beheaded. I get up. Every time. I walk away to tell the tale, I get to live through all of that pain. I GET to live forever in this cursed existence, the only option of getting out would be destroying my soul and... and my current boyfriend's soul... Please, please leave me alone if you're not going to do the deed, I don't want to talk... I just want to go do my job and be on my way, I may be able to live a normal life after this, staying the hell away from civilization."

"Job? It wouldn't happen to be going down south would it...?" The lady asked, getting a nod from Carion. "Ugh... Wait, if you're the witch as you claim, then what the hell is down south? An imposter?"

"Something like that... I doubt that 'witch' is any less dangerous despite being an imposter."

"And you're going after her as a job? I doubt that highly. Sounds to me like you're looking to die! Listen, kid, I know all about hardship, had to deal with prejudice and stupid stigmas all my life, some incredibly stupid and nonsensical ones, but there's always the chance things will get better."

Carrion laughed out towards the sea. "Things will get better? Better, you say? Tell me, woman, how can things get better? An apology? People waiting on me hand and foot? Recompense? No! No you seriously don't get it! I don't want anything except a long desired end! I should have died years ago, but I was goddamn denied that sweet release! No, you ignorant fool, I don't see things getting better... My brother is still dead, I'm in love with what should be a dead kid, and I'm now chasing an imposter. I took my brother's life by accident and I can't give it back. Can you imagine that? The weight I have to carry, knowing I'm the reason a hardworking and loving human being who only wanted to try and let loose for one night... was burnt to cinders."

Grabbing Carion by the hair, the lady wanted to bash her face in, getting sick of the self deprication and the sob stories pouring out of her. "Shut. UP. If you talk about giving up one more time, I'll feel tempted to try my luck! Nothing is gained by giving up, I would think you of all people would know that!" Pulling Carrion up to her eye level, "If I never got the chance to quit, then neither do you. I'm going to make sure of it."

"Oh, this is rich, you're telling me what to do? This is a big change of pace from what I've gone through, being told what to do, being told to shut up, being told I'm a blight... What's next, you're going to kill me?"

"Kill you? No, as much as I might want to if you keep pushing my buttons... I don't have it in me. And I find it pretty dumb that you have such a will to complain and yet you don't want to live. You're simply afraid... aren't you? It's ok, you can admit it. It's hard but doable." The lady said, almost smirking, "Nothing worthwhile in life is easily obtained, so... yeah. I'm going to make sure you get to the witch safely, I won't watch you give up. I'm gonna assume you were with that knight jerk earlier as well, and as much as I don't wanna offer him a ride, I'll take whoever you think you'll need. I just need some supplies moved about which won't be done until... well, when I get to it. It's a lot of stuff, so go prepare."

"You're such a fool... Don't you care about living?"

"Meh..." she replied with a shrug. "We view life very differently, I think it's time you saw some purpose." and then she walked away. Unfortunately, she ran into Grant again who seemed to be accosted by a rather DASHING fellow.

Grant sighed, pretty resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to ever enjoy talking to Danyon with his name calling. "Look, son, I've got things to do, so if you want to berate me for acting like a normal human being with some goals, be my guest and fucking help me find a boat to the damn island."

"You mean my boat?" The lady chimed in, Grant merely scowling at her, "I've changed my mind, but YOU get to help me do some heavy lifting. That's my condition."

"Really? Done. I've got nothing to really do, so lets get to it." Grant agreed readily, glad to be able to shove Danyon aside.

"Just come and follow me. Come on, don't keep me waiting!" and they both went hard to work after Grant informed everyone of the situation.

Well... that was a thing... I feel like I'm missing something... Oh right Pralken! Well, he finally found his way to Pravna, after a long slogging journey and possibly driving his horse into the ground for the most part. "Well, beast, you've done your part, now get out of my sight!" he said, slapping the thing on its rear end before entering the city. "Now where is that fool...? Oshea, was it? Damn..."

And then the time was nigh...

Later that night...

Carrion looked over the side of the boat, scanning the island. As she looked about, she noted the scorch marks that littered the area. "I... Am I ready for this?"

Edited June 6, 2012 by RainbowKitty

[Shin]

Aurelio

He had found Teis in the end, although the group had no luck finding Rina. As much as Aurelio didn't like the possibility of something bad happening to her, he couldn't lose this chance now. Adano's friends were willing to help them, and even sail at night. It didn't matter how long it took, he'd repay them one day.

Night had fallen, the sea was black and menacing. However, he had faith in Adano's friends, and they couldn't lose any more time. The stories from the folks at Devon seemed to imply that somebody was still on the island, which could only be a good sign. Carrion's party was something he didn't want to think about, they were at least a day ahead of them. Fighting Carrion would be dangerous, even with Lucretia and Teis helping him. The boat was ready to set sail, although something was nagging at the back of Aurelio's mind.

"Yo, everyone. I appreciate everyone coming this far. From now on, it's gonna be dangerous, I can't promise that we can avoid fighting Carrion... and if we do, I can't say that our chances are great. If there's anyone who wants to head off from here, it's cool by me."

Man, sometimes he thought he was starting to get old.

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Lunaria

After spending half the day in a puddle, Lunaria managed to find the strength to stand up. Her legs were very weak, and she was so very cold. Where was she? She couldn't find Reynor or her house... or anything. He probably hated her now. She staggered around, managing to find a sheltered bit of the forest. She was hungry, and needed warmth.

Extending her hand towards a pile of twigs, she focused hard on harnessing her power. After a few seconds, the twigs began to smoke, and became blanketed in small flames. The berries on the bush next to her caught her eye. She knew that they weren't that good for eating, but at this point it didn't matter. She grabbed two handfuls, tearing the berries from the bush. Finding a nice spot next to her fire, she sat down and began eating what she had collected. Tears starting forming in her eyes, she was alone again... just like all those years.

"I'm sorry... Reynor... please be happy... you don't need to stay here..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eiran

Eventually, they had ran out of guards to kill. Those that weren't cut down had decided that they'd retreat. That left his opponent, although Eiran was apprehensive about striking him down now.

"I'm leaving, don't get in my way. My blade seeks the flesh of the Crimson Witch."

He turned, sheathing his sword, and began walking away.

[Jaybee]

Julia

"Now, now, I don't think you can afford to be so insolent. You don't seem to understand who I am, I am the great Oshea Horvath, the Supersonic swordsman! My rapier's speed is second to none, hundreds of villains have fallen before it."

Radek couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Hey, Benji! Can you believe this fool? You have heard of him, have you not?"

Benji stretched, gently laying his equipment by his side. "The only thing I've heard of this idiot is that he's legendary for trying to get girls in his pants. Don't know how good he is, of course - Julia, Carmen, Sarah, watch out." He couldn't help but laugh, partially at Oshea, partially at his own joke.

"However... You have such a fine young lady with you, I suppose I can find it in my heart to forgive your rudeness. My true goal is the Crimson Witch, who has been terrorising these lands for too long. I cannot bear to see such injustice!

My dear, could I be fortunate enough to know your name? I am Oshea Horvath, at your service."

"Well... Benji, it seems as though you were right." Julia giggled, moving up next to Radek. "If you really are under my 'service', as you call it, you could start by getting your cart out of our way."

She climbed back into the wagon, motioning to Radek to join her inside the wagon. When he had joined her, he whispered, "If he's really going for the Crimson Witch, we might as well follow him, or something along those lines... I mean, if Daniel's really there, then..."

"Major, in my opinion, going with him would be absolutely pointless. Look at the men with him. How many of them do you think can even read? Not to mention, this Oshea, whoever he is, doesn't exactly seem like a decent man."

"I know, Radek, I know. But... we're not really in the best shape, are we? If we go with them, what would Oshea do to protect a woman like me, assuming what Benji says about him is fully true? Just... give me some time. I have a little idea."

Julia climbed back out of the wagon, looking Oshea in the eye. "If I were in mortal danger, what would you do, Oshea?"

Elune

She sat down, lying against the door. She nearly vomited again, but she managed to prevent herself from doing so. Instead, she began to fight back tears, sniffling a few times. Looking for a way to stop herself from crying, she searched where her knives or crossbow would usually be, but where she would usually find the handles of her weapons, she found nothing.

I-I'll be fine... Don't cry... Just... stop...

The first tears began to roll down her cheeks.

[Shin]

Ken

It had been quite some time, and he could hear crying from inside the bathroom. She was very upset, either because of her wounds or that she thought she had been captured.

"Miss, please. I'm not going to hurt you, I only want to help you... please... let me tend to your wounds..." he began, but eventually he couldn't say any more. It hurt, he wanted to help, but she had hurt him so much.

"We can talk later... but please let me look at your wound..."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oshea

He hadn't quite got the reaction he had expected.

"Hey, Benji! Can you believe this fool? You have heard of him, have you not?"

"The only thing I've heard of this idiot is that he's legendary for trying to get girls in his pants. Don't know how good he is, of course - Julia, Carmen, Sarah, watch out."

"If you really are under my 'service', as you call it, you could start by getting your cart out of our way."

"If I were in mortal danger, what would you do, Oshea?"

They were all mocking him. Oshea normally pushed a little harder when women turned him down, but to be mocked by a whole group. Everyone mocked him, why could nobody see him for what he truly was? Sure he liked to chase after women, but how could he ignore such beauty? He was blessed with handsomeness and charm, it would be a sin to waste such greatness. The men would pay, he'd make them pay. He regained his facade of nobility, he'd show them.

"I see, whilst I do admit I am rather fond the ladies, you don't seem to know me too well. I was under the tutelage of the great knight, Sir Culpa for eight years. Unfortunately, my master passed away years ago, but he managed to impart his skills to me before then."

For once, he actually wasn't lying. The only thing Culpa ever praised Oshea for was his prowess with a rapier. Unfortunately, when it came to things like lances or maces, Oshea was very much a novice. In fact, he struggled with swords that weren't rapiers.

"Now, if you were in mortal danger? I would draw my rapier and strike. If you're doubtful, I'd be more than happy to demonstrate. I'm not just a charmer with a handsome face, your two stooges wouldn't even be a decent warm-up for me."

[Jaybee]

Elune

"Miss, please. I'm not going to hurt you, I only want to help you... please... let me tend to your wounds...

We can talk later... but please let me look at your wound..."

That voice sounded so familiar, she could almost place it, but regardless, she didn't want to see or hear anyone. In response, she covered her ears and shrieked, "SHUT UP! Go away... Just leave me alone..."

She was failing at blocking out both the physical and mental pain, and her wound was beginning to hurt again. Applying pressure on the wound only made it worse, but she still wouldn't budge from the door, biting her lip to stop herself from making any more noise.

Julia

Oshea certainly was... persistant.

"I see, whilst I do admit I am rather fond the ladies, you don't seem to know me too well. I was under the tutelage of the great knight, Sir Culpa for eight years. Unfortunately, my master passed away years ago, but he managed to impart his skills to me before then."

"And, according to what most people say, Culpa was killed because some simpleton pushed him down and his eye was stabbed out by a rock. Your master was 'skillful' indeed." Benji was having a field day throwing random jabs at Oshea, and he didn't feel like stopping anytime soon.

"Now, if you were in mortal danger? I would draw my rapier and strike. If you're doubtful, I'd be more than happy to demonstrate. I'm not just a charmer with a handsome face, your two stooges wouldn't even be a decent warm-up for me."

"Good. I need a warm-up." Radek was reaching for his axe when Julia stopped him, placing a hand on his arm. "Let me, Radek. You don't need to tire yourself."

"Those ought to be my words, Lady. Do not waste your time on this rabble. You achieve nothing by fighting him, aside from several serious injuries if things go awry."

"Relax, Radek. Carmen can heal me if I get injured. And besides, would he really seek to severely injure me, given the way he acts?" Julia slid off the horse, drawing her sword, which shone a brilliant silver in colour.

"My 'stooges', as you call them, won't be dueling with you. Instead, I will be your opponent." She swung her sword around a few times, while saying, "Defeat me, and we will travel with you. Lose to me, and you will wait until we have left, and bother us no more."

In the wagon, Sarah and Carmen kicked Benedict and Jerome in the shin, waking them up.

[Shin]

Ken

"SHUT UP! Go away... Just leave me alone..."

Ken wasn't sure what to do, he wasn't strong enough to force the door open. It would be wrong to do so as well, it was rude and there was the possibility that he could hurt her.

"I'm sorry, I'll let you be, but please reconsider... I can only imagine the amount of pain you are in now. I'll be in the next room if you change your mind..."

He left, concerned for her well-being, but there wasn't much he could do. He could always ask Sophia to talk to her, she might be more willing to listen to her than himself. But first, he had to let her calm down. She clearly needed some time to herself.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Oshea

"And, according to what most people say, Culpa was killed because some simpleton pushed him down and his eye was stabbed out by a rock. Your master was 'skillful' indeed."

That was low. Whilst he hadn't cared much for the old man, he was the only one who actually believed Oshea could amount to anything. He had been ready to take on one of her men, he would have called for back-up if he needed it. His men were watching in awe, all probably too stupid to say anything.

"My 'stooges', as you call them, won't be dueling with you. Instead, I will be your opponent."

What? How could he fight a lady? How could he point his sword towards anyone so fair? What if he were to damage her beautiful face, he'd never forgive himself... and ruin any chances he had with her. His pride had already been hurt, and he'd receive more taunts from her men, what could he do? One of his men finally thought hard enough to put some words together;

"Mr Oshea. Do you want us to rough them up a bit? Y'know, for disrepectin' you and ya teacher."

"No, do nothing of the sort." he replied. He turned to Julia, he had made his decision. As much as he'd love to tear her clothes apart, he needed to play it cool.

"I refuse. To fight a lady is unspeakable. Your men are filthy, to speak such ill of my master. We're leaving, I have no interest in associating any further with these people. Pravna is within the day's travel, let us travel swiftly. Milady, I bid you adieu."

He turned away, walking back towards his wagon. He'd like to see them respond to that.

Edited June 1, 2012 by Doku

[Jaybee]

Elune

"I'm sorry, I'll let you be, but please reconsider... I can only imagine the amount of pain you are in now. I'll be in the next room if you change your mind..."

When she heard him speak again, everything clicked together in her mind.

Curse you, Lushira... First, you take my family, then my dignity... and when I'm ready to die, you snatch me away from death's embrace...

As her mind wandered, her wound became more painful. She couldn't stand it any more, whimpering in pain as she keeled over, clutching at her stomach.

Julia

"I refuse. To fight a lady is unspeakable. Your men are filthy, to speak such ill of my master. We're leaving, I have no interest in associating any further with these people. Pravna is within the day's travel, let us travel swiftly. Milady, I bid you adieu."

"Tch... Desperate." Julia turned away, sheathing her sword. Radek helped her back onto the wagon, steering the horses towards the side, travelling away from Oshea's men.

"Filthy? That's the nicest thing a stranger's called me in a month." Benji chuckled once again.

[Shin]

Oshea - After the timeskip!

His men had asked about the encounter, but Oshea had managed to put his spin on things. This was the first time in a long while he hadn't wanted to chase after a woman. No matter, he'd make her pay if their paths crossed again. Her and her men.

The journey had been long, and night had long past fallen. At long last, the gates of Pravna towered in front of him. From here, they could gather information and chase after the witch. After his success, the masses would know his name, Fame, riches and women, they'd all be his. He was almost drooling at the prospect. He saw a single horse a the gate. It was difficult to see who it was, but with every step the figure grew clearer. Oshea smiled, it was about time.

"Ah, Pralken. How good it is to see you again. Now, after we find somewhere to stay... we should get... down to business."

[CT075]

Therese

It wasn't likely that Danyon would get on that boat with his broken arm. As much as she wanted to, Therese couldn't bring herself to abandon the man who had saved her to go chasing a fairy tale. She stared for a while, then turned away.

"C'mon. That arm 'f yers isn't gettin' better ou' here. We should head out t'town sooner or later."

Tiran

Tiran left his current blade in the gut of the final soldier, then spent a moment fishing for his original broadsword. It had fallen near where the fight had started; that was good. He faced his original opponent.

"I'm leaving, don't get in my way. My blade seeks the flesh of the Crimson Witch."

"You'll have to get in line, there's already more than a few fine fellows who've pledged that to me. All but two of 'em are now dead."

He turned, heading towards the gate. Interesting man...

[Caliban of Sycorax]

Lucretia & Adano

Post-Timeskip~

Father and daughter were at the boatyard, with the rest of their group. They were ready to sail. Lucretia looked out to sea. It was cold, black, and menacing. She had never sailed before. She grew up in the frigid Miyako winter. There were no seas where she lived. The lakes were frozen almost perennially. She had never sailed. She wondered if she could even stand the seas. Nonetheless, she stood firm, not letting anyone see her fear.

"No matter what, I will stay--for Aurelio," she kept repeating this phrase to herself as they made last-minute preparations to sail, "he needs me now more than ever."

Adano, on the other hand, had sailed a few times before. He wasn't as adept at it as his contacts, but he felt comfortable enough to stand the boat.

"Yo, everyone. I appreciate everyone coming this far. From now on, it's gonna be dangerous, I can't promise that we can avoid fighting Carrion... and if we do, I can't say that our chances are great. If there's anyone who wants to head off from here, it's cool by me."

Lucretia kissed Aurelio on the lips and held herself close to him; "I will not leave you, Aurelio... Not now, not ever. We'll find Lunaria, and rescue her. I won't hesitate to strike anyone down, if it means the safety of her or you."

Adano also gave his opinion, "The three of us have traveled together since the guild fight, Aurelio--I'm not about to leave you just yet."

[ReformBlade]

"Hm? Oh it's you uh... Oshea! right, right, how could I forget you?" Pralken said, a little annoyed at being addressed by the man. Clearly he didn't think it through when he asked his help earlier, but hey, no one is perfect in this world. "Come with me, we can chat along the way." Indeed, he decided to try and accept the overbearing man's help, to at least try to be less arrogant... or something. "Have you made any further developments? Any plan of action or rumors you've heard regarding the witch?"

[Shin]

Oshea

Pralken seemed a little surprised to see Oshea again, but he took that as a good thing. He'd show him, he'd show all of them... He'd actually thought hard about the Witch. It made no sense for her to living on an island when there had been reports of her travelling around the continent in the previous weeks.

"Have you made any further developments? Any plan of action or rumors you've heard regarding the witch?"

"Ah, I was hoping you'd ask that. Now, there are quite a few funny little stories. A lot of them say that she's on an island south of here, and has been for quite some time. However, I decided that doesn't make sense! I've heard that she's been travelling about. Now, that could a predicament. We may have two witches... or something."

He turned to his men.

"Men, this is Pralken. You are to give him the same respect you give to me."

His men nodded, their obedience was unusual but it didn't bother Oshea at all.

"My plan is that we ask about here. I'm sure we can find something."

[Jaybee]

Danyon

He hadn't been able to get onto the boat, with his arm and all. Even so, by the time Carrion had left, he hadn't been able to tell her he was leaving. He regretted being unable to follow her, but it wasn't really his choice to make.

"C'mon. That arm 'f yers isn't gettin' better ou' here. We should head out t'town sooner or later."

"Yeah, I know, just... give me five minutes, alright?" He fished a pen out of his bag and asked a seaman for a piece of paper to write on, which the seaman gave to him.

Using his good arm, he began to write.

---

Dear Carrion,

It pains me to write this, but at this time, I must leave you. I dislocated my arm in a rather unfortunate incident, in addition to some wayward travelling. As such, I was unable to find you at this village - In fact, I probably arrived later than you did. I have a small duty to carry out, one which could involve me for a long period of time.

In all likelihood, this is farewell. I wish you the best, and hopefully I will get to see you again.

Regards,

Danyon

P.S. Flip this note over

---

I couldn't help but overhear a part of your conversation with the lady in charge of the boat. You may not like this, but I agree with her, somewhat. Do not put yourself down so much. You are not half the demon you make yourself out to be. You are a nice person, Carrion. Do not forget that no matter how the world may try to take you down, all those people are wrong about you.

If you ever need my help regarding anything, create some trouble somewhere. If you are near enough, I will be able to find you. And if you desire a normal life that badly, I will see what I can do.

---

He folded up the note and tossed it into the caravan. The job done, he walked back towards Therese, sighing.

"Alright, I'm done. So, where do you think your sister would be?"

Adonis, post-skip

Jalden... there's nothing refining about this place at all. Regardless, it's somewhere I can actually stay the night...

(get a room eat yadda yadda yadda)

Cyrus

(same thing in melgrythine)

Julia, post timeskip

Radek had brought them slightly off course, but they had eventually made it to Pravna, entering from the south.

It wasn't too late at night, and after finding rooms at an inn (One of the few that weren't already full), Julia took a walk by herself through the streets of Pravna. Many of the shops were closed or closing, but there were a select few stalls still open. Unfortunately, there was nothing worth noting in any of those shops.

She absentmindedly fiddled with her bag, finding two small pendants inside one of the smaller pockets. I made this years ago... I don't know why I decided to bring it. I didn't think I'd ever see him again... I suppose this is fate, in a way?

She took one of the pendants out of the bag, slowly putting it on. A sapphire stone was inlaid into the pendant, shining brightly despite the low lighting.

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon and Mel, following the timeskip

As much as Gideon liked his sleep (and he really, really did), it was surprising even for him that he was able to sleep as long as he did. Fortunately, the group he was traveling with seemed to still own the cart he had made into his bed, so his awakening was not rude when it came. What it was, however, was disorienting, and his incoherent grumbles as he attempted to shift into a sitting position were evidence enough of that. His attempts to sit up were without much success, though they quickly reminded him just why he couldn't move - there was an anri lying on his shoulder, and light through she was, she was still another person for him to have to move. She seemed to be sleeping; admittedly, Gideon's drowsiness was still in full swing, so he couldn't really tell. I don't have to wake her too, do i? Deciding it wasn't worth it to stir his girlfriend (on the off-chance that she was asleep), Gideon simply tried to accustom himself to the awkward medium he had found between sitting up and lying down. Had his back been able to speak, it would undoubtedly have complained.

"Morning," came a familiarly smug and grating voice from the edge of the cart. Gideon didn't want to look, to see that girl's inevitable stupid grin, much less engage her in a conversation that would be saturated with not-so-subtle jokes at his expense. "Except, you know, it isn't. Honestly, are you part bear or something?" There it is. Don't look, Gideon. Don't encourage her. " 'Cause, like, I don't think normal people can even sleep that much. Hadda be fourteen hours or more. Don't you get hungry, or restless, or have to take a shit even?"

Gideon growled softly to himself, resisting every urge to snap at Mel. "Just..." Then it hit him - where had everyone else gone? The cart was nearly full when he had gone to sleep, and by now there were far fewer people on it. Of course, it didn't help that one of them was Mel. "Never mind," he said quickly, fighting gravity as best he could to sit up. It took him the better part of a minute, mostly for lack of enthusiasm, but he eventually made it. "Where'd everyone else go?"

"Huh?" Mel replied absently. Her mind was too busy wandering to have even the slightest interest in what the big ape was saying. "Yeah, like twelve, I guess."

A number. Gideon rolled his eyes. It was nothing new that Mel was ignoring him, but she could have at least tried to convince him otherwise. "I'm the one who was sleeping, lass. I should be out of it, not you. Listen for a minute. It won't kill you."

A groan escaped Mel and she stomped over to Gideon, making a show of leaning over him and looking him directly in the eye, her hands falling directly on her hips. "Fine. What?" she demanded, her face contorted into an exaggerated scowl.

Gideon couldn't help but smirk at the girl's childish display. Do you always throw a fit when you get caught? "I asked you where everyone else is. Cart's pretty much empty."

"How should I know?" she shot back indignantly. "I don't take attendance. They're off doing stuff, I guess." Mel glanced over at Amera, who seemed comfortable leaning on Gideon, and folded her arms. "Is she awake?" Mel wasn't entirely sure why she asked - it seemed pretty obvious to her that Amera would be sleeping. It was just a thought.

It hadn't even occurred to Gideon that Amera might be awake; he felt a bit silly for not having checked at this point. "Well, let's find out." Still a bit tired, he settled for shifting the shoulder she was on to check if she was awake. "Yo, Amera. You up?" He kept his voice relatively quiet. At least this way, it'll be Mel that wakes her, not me.

After a moment of staring aimlessly at Amera, Mel's face turned pale as she realized where everyone else was. "Gideon..." she choked out, trying not to lose her cool. She came damn close when Gideon gave her a look that could kill. "I remember where they are...and we gotta move. Like, now."

Gideon glared incredulously at the wannabe blacksmith. "What am I supposed to do with Amera?" he demanded, arching an eyebrow. But Mel had already began to gather what few things she had left. Sighing, he gave her a light shake to wake her and rose to his feet, making sure he had his axe with him. "You'd better not get us lost, Mel," he called after her as he did his best to keep up.

- - -

After getting lost at least twice (or so Gideon thought - Mel changed direction twice without saying a word to anyone), the trio made their way to a boat which Gideon could only assume was where the rest of the group was. "Can't say I believed you'd get us here," Gideon said flatly, though calmly, to the shorter girl. "Or that our fearless leader would put us on a dinghy. Do you even know where this thing is headed?" When Mel shook her head, Gideon just sighed. "Guess there's only one way to find out. You girls coming?" He had almost used the word 'ladies' to refer to them. Almost.

Lowell, Seilynda

It's a long walk - they took the scenic route. They're almost there, so don't worry

Author's Note because he is a pretentious prick

I'm back for realsies this time. :) (also new page get!)

Edited June 6, 2012 by Sir Biggles the Antisocial

[Nanami Touko]

I RETURN, PEASANTS.

Andy

All of Andy's muscles froze when he stepped between them, closing his eyes and biting down hard on his lip; he swore he could taste blood. He knew that bracing for a hit wouldn't do him much, with how frail he was, but he tried his best to tense up anyway. Here comes her fist. I'm probably going to hit the wall. I might die. Was it worth it? Not really. He thought calmly to himself as he waited for the worst, but...

"... huh?" Noel grunted and walked off. Andy opened an eye to see her finally turn and grumble off. He almost beamed. That is, until he felt faint. "That... actually might've been wor..." he cut off as he fell over, having fainted. The stress was too much for his mind.

Amera

"Is she awake?"

"No!" Amera groggily blurted out in her sleep. "Five... more minutes, mommy..." It was obvious she was still sleeping. A jostle from Gideon got her going though, as she shot up, blinking a few times. It took her a moment to realize where she was, recognizing the cart. Then recognizing that Gideon and Mel were already off to somewhere. "Hey!" she shouted after them, collecting herself (the only thing she had), and chasing after them. Not that it took her long to catch up, they weren't much more than twenty feet away. "Geez, you could've waited~"

-----

"That... is our ride?" Not too keen on riding across what seemed to be a vast ocean on such a tiny boat, Amera clung to Gideon's arm, which unfortunately moved onto the boat, bringing her with it. Well, can't go back now.

Adrian

When he woke up, Carrion was already gone. He didn't get as worried as normal, figuring that she'd just woken up, and left. She's alright, you're sure of it. He was tired of the monologues, tired of the self loathing. Tired of feeling weak and feeble. Tonight was the start of a new Adrian, one that didn't shy away from everything, or throw a tantrum whenever something went wrong. Or so he told himself, as he walked out of the house. And sure enough, she was in the boat, along with most everyone else. Sighing as he always had, he did his best to throw on a smile, hopping into the boat himself. Time to see if you can change...

He shuffled himself over to Carrion, who seemed to have something on her mind. Or maybe she just looks like that all the time. I've never really stared at her before. Not when she's like this. So he found himself doing just that for a moment, before realizing how stupid he must look. Right, wake up! "Ready for this?" Smooth.

Horatio

Stirred by the sudden shifting of blankets, he opened an eye to see Carrie there, laying next to him. Foregoing a freak out, he smirked, and shuffled his way out of the bed. "Girl's got me in bed already, geez. Sure works fast, doesn't she?" He made sure to whisper, not wanting to wake her. Though... He thought, for a moment, of what they were supposed to be doing. It dawned on him in a rather loud exclamation, "Shit, th'boat!" He threw on his clothes and knives as fast as he could, grabbing the probably now conscious Carrie and hoisting her onto his back. She was wearing almost all of her clothes, so he grabbed what he figured was her coat and dashed for the boat. How could we have slept this long?!

(OLIVIA YOU CAN HANDLE GETTING THEM ONTO THE BOAT I AM SURE OF IT <3)

Lilith

Sitting on her rump waiting for Lucinda to do stuff.

Reynor

With Beatrice out, and Lunaria having stopped her mad rampage, Reynor was at odds with himself. She's unstable. She's a monster. But she acts just like a kid. Maybe she can get help? Maybe someone can fix her, I can't just end her life because she... she killed everyone, so I should kill her. It's only fair, and there's no doubt she'll try to kill again, so... no, I can't kill someone like that, but... I did kill that man, didn't I? He wandered through the forest, eventually fell asleep, only waking up to the sound of sobbing. Beatrice was gone, and he was lost again; nowhere near the beach. But he could tell who was crying. peaking through a bush, he saw a soft flame, and the small frame of who he could tell was Lunaria. "L..." he stopped himself, thinking over what he had already. But he had to come to a conclusion at some point. I... can't do it. She likes me, maybe I can get her the help she needs. "Lunaria... is that you?" He asked this as he slowly came out of the bush. He could tell it was her, but he didn't want to do anything rash.

Beatrice

Bea awoke on the beach, wondering where Reynor had gone. The insane girl was out of sight as well. "I need to signal for a boat... I need to get off of this island!"

Edited June 7, 2012 by seph1212

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

-Obelia-

Obelia's nerves have not been of good late. Her promise to care for the priest has not wavered, yet Ken's trust and honesty have led him to take decisions that make her job of protecting him even harder. Such as taking in the assassin who mocked him before, with the death of her brother. It... stuns her to see both such reckless want for an act that seems ridiculous, yet, she grudingly admits, confirms the care with which he holds dear to. She sighs a little, entering the room in which he rests to find the situation involving the girl hidden within that bathroom. She watches from the doorway, a small wince at the shout from the girl, herself still armoured. Oddly, she's rarely seen without it, but it may be a comfort thing herself. She just observes, a mixture of sadness, sympathy, yet a hint of anger boiling with the two. Ken has done so much to aid her and the girl needs it, knowing of the wounds from Ken's words. But, she marches over, soundless bar the clank of her armour, within a second, drawing her foot back and aiming it's metal clad base at the doors hinges, letting it fly.

It smashes into the side and most of the time, this might've dented the wood, albeit slightly. But coupled with a well trained swordswoman, clad in stern armour, a jolt of anger and worry powering her, the sheer force thrown into the kick smashes the hinges off the wood, not launching it, but causing it to fall back, albeit slowly, with which in the moment, Obelia's hand darts outward, to catch it by the handle and toss it aisde, her features stormy as her words come out.

'Ken, if you could heal her now. Miss, we have no intention of hurting you, raping you, sending you to prison, whatever. But for the love of anything you hold dear, let my friend heal you.'

-Langley-

Langley smiles a little, for the last few days having enoyed the various side trips to town. It's been enjoyable to see some of the citizens gasp a little, the residents of the town, usually against this sort of punishment, wholeheartedly grinning, sighing in frustration, one very specific couple white with both shock and shame. Langley herself rests against the blacksmiths, the grinning wolf anri she knows so well, older now, a little hunched, glancing with her to the large tree at the center of town, considering a sign of nature amid the growing township.

'Feh, considering staying a little longer, Langley? You actually okay with that? Thought you had your journey to go through.' She casts her eyes to the side, the wolf's own eyes older, a little softer with the worry he sees etched into her features.

'I would, but... my parents, you say, haven't come back yet?' He seems to be quiet, yet nods soundlessly, causing her to close her eyes for a little bit. Ignoing the display of the boy grown to angry man, screaming obscenities while his form, still clad in the mock dyed fur of an anri, tied to a tree with a sign dangling around his neck, which is to make sure they know why, written by Langley, illustrating in large capitals the words:

'Tried to be Noel's Auntie Back From The Dead. Tied To Tree Until Future Undecided Time.'

'Langley'

-Noel-

Two days have gone by. In Noel's bedroom, a boy's body rests after one of the longest faint periods known to the anri, her arms hugging him a little in her rest. She has her eyes closed and just listens, making sure his heart beat never gets to shallow. She's wearing clothes, quite clearly. (This isn't an eroge after all.) Her hand does ocassionally brush through his hair, her eyes a little concerned. Is the boy anemic or something..? He seems almost like he isn't built for shocks or anything of the sort. She just sighs and for now, amuses herself with a thought as to what has occured to her 'dear ol' auntie'...

-Carrie-

'H.. nn? Whaaa..?' Carrie's mumbles come between groans, her body slumped against something, moving fast- wait, that smell? It smells like- she blushes a tiny bit, recognising the distinct 'scent' of Horatio, then her eyes widening, she growls a little too, seeing a ship in the distance, Horatio's footfalls leading to it as it seems almost ready to-

'H-Horatio? T-That isn't... the boat, is it?' She means the boat, drawing away from the edge of the land, about to set sail. What occurs next is done in both a blind panic and yet, with an eerie calm about Carrie. She pushes herself off Horatio's back, grabbing a firm hold of his hand, jogging quite suddenly. For a girl without much combat skill, her running speed is incredible for a non-combatant, due to the sheer amount of walking she's been doing. She jogs and tugs him with a hard tug, her foot reaching the edge of the jetty, her only word one that is quite obvious. 'Jump!' She hopes he listens, her foot pushing away, tugging him with her in one long longjump... so close to the water, she feels a little fear of just crashing into the surface. Instead, she curses as her form and Horatio's slam into wood, her body rolling with it, though her side feels atrocious. '...O... oww...' She glances though, a little weakly to the side, panting from the run, to see if Horatio made it.

-Ellandra-

Ellandra mumbles to herself, as the boat cuts through the water, trying new words. She knows words, dozens of them, but to say them, is quite a little bit else, a small adventure of her own to indulge in. Her smile is quiet, careful to treasure the moment of talking. Yet she seems to be relaxed enough as it is, just her mumbles, testing her vocals and for now, letting the world go about it's own buisness, herself absorbed in her own sense of self-discovery. For now, at any rate.

-Zwool-

Zwool's eyes tiredly glance over the pages in the book, a small, bleak glance across the pages. Suprisingly, the librarian simply sits across from him, a look of quiet consolement there. The words within reveal a sinister truth behind his own existance. Not just an anri, but an artificially made one. That seems like a redundant statement, but his life, it seems, is a futher fabrication. His type, dragonic with a strange gauntlet on each, are known simply to be odd creations, made by a delusional memeber of the 'founders' of the Anri. They are dolls, said to simply wander from place to place, killing someone and then moving on, without a word. They are referred to as the 'Unthinking Assassin's' in the pages of this disturbingly bloodstained tome, flecks of dry blood along the pages. He says nothing, nor the librarian. They just sit for a good while, quiet as he feels absolute fear, for anyone who he has mixed with, 'contaminated' with his prescence.

[Shin]

Ken

He had been prepared to leave, he couldn't force her if she truly didn't want him to be there. However, Obelia had other plans, With a forceful, yet graceful, kick, the door was no more. It had been ripped from its hinges, with any attempts at clinging on to the frame thwarted. The only force preventing it from crashing down on Elune was Obelia herself.

'Ken, if you could heal her now. Miss, we have no intention of hurting you, raping you, sending you to prison, whatever. But for the love of anything you hold dear, let my friend heal you.'

It wasn't exactly how Ken wanted to do it, but he couldn't deny that her approach had been effective. Ken had always been very mild in his ways, some would even say weak-willed. Could it be that he could only go so far agreeing with people and doing what he was told? That was the proper way of behaving, wasn't it? Or that's what he had thought... but this journey had taught him a lot. He had to do something.

"Uh... thank you, Obelia. Miss, I apologize, but I am going to heal you. When you recover, you will be free to do as you wish... but for now, I cannot leave you in such a state. Nobody... nobody, regardless of who they are or what they may have done deserves to suffer. I refuse to sit by and watch your life end."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lunaria

The berries tasted fine, but she could already feel her stomach cramping. The fire wasn't helping, she was still cold and it would only get colder. She just wanted to sleep.

"Lunaria... is that you?"

She wasn't sure who it was, focussing was difficult. She couldn't move and could barely say anything. Even when the person came closer, she could only just make up that it was Reynor. She looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears.

[Jaybee]

Elune

She slumped against the door, not bothering to fight anymore. Her mind felt hazy, and she almost wanted to vomit again. She bent over one more time in a hopeless attempt to stop the pain, when the door she was leaning against got kicked to hell and back.

She had guessed someone would get the door open eventually, but kicking down the door wasn't the way she expected it. She barely registered what the woman whom had kicked down the door was saying.

"Ken, if you could heal her now. Miss, we have no intention of hurting you, raping you, sending you to prison, whatever. But for the love of anything you hold dear, let my friend heal you."

As the armoured woman's sentence came to a close, Elune's mind suddenly cleared up.

"Uh... thank you, Obelia. Miss, I apologize, but I am going to heal you. When you recover, you will be free to do as you wish... but for now, I cannot leave you in such a state. Nobody... nobody, regardless of who they are or what they may have done deserves to suffer. I refuse to sit by and watch your life end."

She forced herself onto her feet, leaning against the wall for support, clutching her wound. She glared at Ken as she began to speak, forcing some of the words out. "You say that, but your fucking countrymen had such a wonderful time with me, didn't they? They were lucky, they caught me, and they... they destroyed me."

She continued bitterly, almost mumbling, "You think I have anyone left to love? Your bullshit teachings," she cast an icy glare at Ken now, "killed my family. I haven't loved anyone for over 15 years. The only thing I care about is vengeance. Vengeance against scum like you, who teach their crap around the entire world and ignoring the pain you cause to people like me."

She scoffed at Ken, almost raising her voice at him. "Why won't you let me die? I've caused so much pain to you, haven't I? I'm surprised you're not more eager to let me die." She was almost laughing now, a pained laugh tinged with sadness. "Your ideology... it's nothing but crap. I've assassinated over 200 people, one of whom was your dear brother. Don't I deserve some punishment for that? Everyone's done something they should be punished for; mine's just a hell of a lot worse than everyone else's."

"Your country crushed my family and my dignity as a woman. Don't you dare take my dignity as a fucking human being now, because I will find you - and kill you - if you heal me." She winced in pain again, almost crumpling onto the floor.

Sophia

She had stayed in the room with Alyssa, entertaining her while ignoring what was happening outside. When Obelia had finally left the room, Sophia carried Alyssa out with her; when she saw Obelia kicking down the door, she turned away, shielding Alyssa. As Elune began to talk, she took Alyssa back to the room, partially to prevent her daughter from hearing such words, partially because she didn't want to hear them herself.

[ReformBlade]

In Pravna, the city of dreams and... Wait no, it's just a capital.

"Well that'd make sense I suppose." A rather annoyed glance to Oshea's... friends and Pralken was already in a sour mood as he grimaced and looked away. "We'll start early in the morning then, lets meet at the northern gate and work our way south for information. But really, right now I'm more interested in some me time..." He said, gaze drifting over to the nearest bar in the city.

That boat place

A glance over towards Adrian and a weak smile, Carrion looked back over the ocean. "You know, just a little over a week ago I thought I had my entire life planned out, everything was in place, I didn't need help... but now? I can't even begin to think of what to do. So much crap has happened, I can't keep track of it all, and I really don't know if I'll ever be ready again. I always thought that life was simple life was just a decision you needed to make... Well, I can't run away forever, I was asked to do this so I have to, no matter what anyone says, if I don't do this it'll eat me up on the inside." Leaning on the rail, Carrion went silent as she stared out. The island is so close now... But I feel nothing except anxiety.

Grant and Clyde seemed to have settled themselves in easily enough, both of them sharing stories with each other and commenting. It was mostly idle banter. Aiduen, however, just seemed apathetic. "My brother just walked out on me... Just... walked away... Am I doing something wrong?" She kept asking herself, hoping she'd find an answer soon enough.

In a poorly designated room somewhere in Shuthra...

"Sir, our spies have some rather dire news for you, it seems Lushira is going to be doing another purge, like the years before."

"So soon? You'd think they'd drop this foolishness, what is Dianeira thinking?"

"Actually... that's just it. From what he told us, it's not Dianeira pulling the strings, but a certain Bishop Jonis who wishes for another fight."

"That would make more sense... In all the years I've known Lady Dianeira, a warmonger is not a wor dI'd use to describe her. Alright, I want you to rally up troops, do whatever it takes, but for the love of the gods don't stir up trouble. We don't need panic in addition to a war threat! However... we are sorely lacking in manpower, so... I think we may need to put forth a draft. Any healthy young man or woman who knows their way around combat, we need em. I'll trust you to take care of the finer details, sir."

"Will do sir. Have a good night, and sorry for taking your time, magus."

[Nanami Touko]

Andy

This is a really soft bed. Really... soft. Like fur. But... I've never heard of a fur bed. Weird. It was then that Andy had finally started to wake up, after being out cold for the past two days. He felt the same texture brush over his head, wondering why his bed was petting him. Turning his head a bit, he realized that his bed was none other than Noel, and he turned a fantastic shade of red. There she is. I'm laying on her. What do I do?! He decided it would be in his best interest to remain spineless and quiet, though she probably already knew he was awake. Fainted people don't turn their heads.

Adrian

His smile faded a bit, but he was determined to remain positive about the whole situation. "Life might not be that easy... but this is the last thing we have to do, right? And then our life... your life really will be yours. You'll be free to do whatever you want. Right? At least, I feel like you will be. This is the last big obstacle you have, and know you, well... you'll do just fine." His smile returned, wondering if that would have any effect. He didn't know how many times she'd heard that in the past. Probably some other lovers had told it to her as well. He knew that, but just wanted to give her something positive to dwell on. Glancing around the boat, though, someone else seemed out of it. Aiduen.

"Uh, hey, Aiduen..." he called over to her, "are you alright?" He didn't want to bother her too much, and wasn't about to pry if she didn't say anything.

The assassin and his tag along landed in the boat right after he'd asked Aiduen what was up, which scared him enough to make him jump. Geez... talk about entrances. Hope that doesn't happen again...

Horatio

Hoaratio hadn't expected the sudden tugging, or the jump onto the boat, but rolled with it anyway. Literally rolled when he landed on the boat, whilst Carrie hit the wood with a pretty bad thud. Girl's gotta learn how t'catch herself when she falls. But he wouldn't scoff, he helped her up and took a seat near the back. He noticed a few people staring, so he gave them a smirk and a nod. "That was exhilaratin'. Might wanna be late next time as well."

Reynor

"It is you!" He rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug, glad to have at least found someone. He hated the idea of being lost on the island more than he hated the idea of being there. But he was also glad to have found before finding Beatrice. "I'm so sorry, Lunaria! I won't leave you like that again, I promise! Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" And he was, admittedly, extremely worried about her after her previous freakout. I shouldn't be worried because I'm sure she can handle herself, but... "What... are those berries you're eating?" Those don't look healthy. "I'm sure I could hunt us something to eat. If you promise you'll stay put, I'll go look, alright?"

[Caliban of Sycorax]

The Lovers and The Other One

The air was tense in the manor as Gabriel and Julius sat across the table from Gabriel's brother, who had a scornful look in his eyes.

"These are Father's terms?" He asked, reading the will and sipping from his wine. He had a cold and callous tone; it was clear that he was not pleased.

"I'm afraid so, Brother." Gabriel stared deeply across the table, not shifting his eyes. Julius stayed silent, merely looking on at the scene about to unfold. Gabriel had advised Julius to not bring his weapon with him. Julius knew otherwise. He sat there, one hand on the hilt of the blade, thumb ready to hit the whip.

"This is... unbelievable." Unable to move or think, he merely slid the will across the table. "I thought the fortune... was mine..."

"Not this time..." Gabriel replied, smirking. "Sorry, Brother."

Cameron, listening from the wings, entered and cleared the dirty dishes, glaring at Gabriel.

"I've won." Julius whispered to Cameron, breaking his facial expression for one of victory and gloating. "He's mine, the fortune is mine."

"It isn't over yet." Cameron replied, audibly. Julius smiled, evilly, and ran his free hand on Gabriel's leg. "Don't--" He tried to reach for Gabriel, but failed as Julius ran his hand up and down Gabriel's side, lovingly. He kissed Gabriel on the cheek and neck, letting Cameron bask in the horror of it all.

"I love you." He whispered gently into Gabriel's ear, which then turned into a kiss between the pair. Gabriel's brother had already stormed out of the room. It was now just Julius, Gabriel, and Cameron.

"Stop--! Stop!!" Cameron threw the dishes on the ground, allowing them to shatter. Julius and Gabriel stood immediately, in a defensive stance.

"Don't even--" Gabriel threw his fist into Cameron's face, breaking his nose. "Leave us alone, Cameron--you lost. I won."

"Fuck you..." Cameron said while spitting out blood. A crash had interrupted the three--they ran outside and found Gabriel's brother dead on the street.

"He jumped out of the window..." Julius said in a low voice. Gabriel stood, in shock.

"Fuck," was all he could utter, "I didn't... I didn't mean for this..."

[Shin]

Aurelio

With everybody happy, the boat set sail. The sailors were certain they would reach the island by morning. All they could do was wait.

------------------------------------------------------

Ken

Unfortunately, she had responded as he had expected... but not as he had hoped. The assassin truly hated Lushira will all her heart. She was alone, she was angry, she was afraid.

"Why won't you let me die? I've caused so much pain to you, haven't I? I'm surprised you're not more eager to let me die."

It was true, she had hurt Ken a lot. It would have been easy not to treat her, or, heaven forbid it, facilitate her death. The way she saw the world scared Ken. Those weren't feelings that happened overnight, she had been hiding this for years, barely holding it back. Her pain was immense, far more than he could heal with a simple spell.

"...because I will find you - and kill you - if you heal me."

There was her pride too. She saw Ken as an enemy, something that would hurt her. She would not allow him to get any closer, and he knew he'd be too weak to approach her. Weakness. He had been relying on other people for his entire life, doing things to please people. This time was different, he needed to do something for himself.

"Miss, I understand your feelings towards Lushira. I never knew... or maybe I never wanted to know the wrongs that we have caused outside of public view. I can't ease your suffering, nor can I turn back time and undo it. However, I don't want to heal you because I am a priest, I would be doing it then because it would be my job."

There was an uncharacteristic boldness in his voice. He had finally found something he needed to stand up for, he refused to back down.

"I want to heal you because I don't think it's right for you to suffer such pain. It is true that you killed my brother, that is something that has truly hurt me. My brother wasn't just my brother. He was my best friend, my hero, my idol. When he died, I became next in line for head priest. I once only saw it as something people expected me to do. But now... now, I know that I must do all I can to stop everyone from suffering. Whether they are a noble, criminal, foreigner or anyone. You can do as you wish later, but that doesn't change my mind. My journey wasn't to convert people, it was to help me grow as a person. Once I return to Lushira, I promise to right the wrongs that we have done. I shall heal you, not as a priest of Lushira... but in order to combat suffering."

He began his healing spell, she could hate him later... he'd probably has some trouble, but he would rather risk that than delay her healing any further.

--------------------------------------------------------

Lunaria

"I'm so sorry, Lunaria! I won't leave you like that again, I promise! Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

There was so much Lunaria wanted to say, but her throat wouldn't have any of it. She wanted to apologize, he shouldn't have to. She'd killed all his friends, trapped him on the island and terrified him. He'd done all he could to help her, but she'd never done anything for him.

"I'm sure I could hunt us something to eat. If you promise you'll stay put, I'll go look, alright?"

She shook her head. It was time she returned the favour.

"No..." she croaked, the cold had taken its toll. "We will go... to the beach... I can signal... maybe somebody will... come... I'm sorry..."

---------------------------------------------------

Oshea

"We'll start early in the morning then, lets meet at the northern gate and work our way south for information. But really, right now I'm more interested in some me time..."

Pralken didn't seem very happy with the alliance. He should have been begging for Oshea's help. Nonetheless, he'd play along - he could probably get some worth out of him.

"Of course, my good comrade! Until then, I shall bolster our forces! There are currently only eight of us! Even with my peerless swordplay making us a fearsome force, we can be far more flexible with more men. I shall be you then, take care until then!"

He turned to his men.

"Let us find a place to stay for the night, no? Do not worry, even if we have more men aboard, you shall all still receive the pay I had promised you."

His men nodded agreeably, as long as he promised the money, they'd be more than happy to follow.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Folgore Red

[ReformBlade]

Walking down the streets of Pravna, Pralken saw a few military personnel walking by. "What are they doin out at this time of night?" he spat under his breath, "Some criminals out and about this late?" It was at this point that Pralken noted they were walking away from the tower, where the magus resides. "Interesting... Sounds like something is gonna be brewing!" It was food for thought as he found himself a room in a rather low class Inn. Cheap but worthwhile. Unwinding himself, the former lord started brainstorming about his next course of action over a glass of wine.

Looking out over the island again, Carrion sighed as her boyfriend walked away, apparently to go talk to Aiduen. She looked away before anyone would notice, a few teardrops falling into the sea below, but that downpour was quickly wiped away as she tried to hide her growing depression from the others, possibly failing but not caring. If he wants to hang with her... that's fine. I don't own him... After all, why should I be so worried? He's so young, he doesn't know what he's doing. He doesn't know it makes me mad to see that, or how it makes me want to cry at how easily he can just walk over to her and be all buddy-buddy with her. Why does it matter anyway? I don't need him specifically, I just... need to find a place where I belong. I don't need a goddamn child clinging to me all the time... She shook her head slightly, knuckles white from gripping the railing so hard at this point. But is it wrong for me to want him near me, with me? Is it selfish to want him to devote himself to me, and I to him? Mom always said to never put all your eggs in one basket, I never really understood that until now... "Heh... so foolish." I've been chasing an unachievable dream this past week. I need to back away from it and... get my head out of the clouds. Adrian... I wish it could have worked out, I really do, but... "I'm no miracle worker..." she mumbled hoarsely.

"Huh? I uh... Well as you can see my brother isn't here. He just left me. I can't help but feel it's my fault is all... I know exactly why he left he... he can't tolerate her" Aiduen pointed over to Carrion, "and his hate for her trumps his wanting to be there for me... but I think, I hope anyway, that it's because he doesn't want to kill my friend, not that he doesn't want to be near me... Forgive me, I just feel so bad right now. Vulnerable kinda too... I've never had to deal with any tough situations without him at my back, I just always kind of thought he'd always be there, you know? I don't mean to sound rude, but I just.... can you give me some space? I'm sorry."

The captain of the boat simply forged onward, the tiny whispers of conversation both welcome and at the same time a whee bit distracting, but overall thankfully unnoticeable in the end. "Certainly an interesting bunch... I've never seen so many diverse folk in one gathering in all my life. Maybe I should branch out, maybe do some delivery services...? Nah. Not right now anyway."