Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 22: The Hunt

[Phoenix]

Viveka

While Morgan had been talking to the innkeeper, Viv did just as she'd intended and stayed put, and stayed quiet. Their conversation was going surprisingly well and Morgan had somehow gone without upsetting any of the people ... save for Adam and the refugee woman who seemed to be biting their lips the entire time. She didn't spend all of that time quiet however since she bothered answering Helios' question.

Viveka: The life of a grunt I guess. That's all I am now. Just a goddess damned grunt. It's not as if sitting back and watching things unfold would have saved me or anyone else. We didn't know that other dragon or Jace was coming. With just us, Helenos, and her goons; all we could really do was fight or hide. I just picked a foe that I felt wouldn't kill me outright and hoped for the best. That's all I can really do here until this crimson weapon business is over with. I'm really tired of pretending this little brigade of ours is anything but a jumbled up mass of weapon toting grunts with uncanny luck.

A frustrated answer, but an honest one.

[Snike]

Return to Civilization

Elle had woken up a few minutes before they had left the ruined city, on a horse and confused. She was a bit dazed, wondering who saved her. The silver soldier lady was walking away, so, she probably was responsible for the rescue. The sage vaguely wondered why, but her attention was then drawn to the task of following the now crippled group to safety. After all, if she tried to run off, the less injured ones could easily catch and kill her, as she was unarmed.

The town had seemed to be alive, compared to the last one. Children were playing in the outskirts, men and women were moving about, and alley cats were running around, with not a care in the world. It almost felt soothing... like she was at home. But, she didn't remember having a home. Odd. The woman thought about that for a second, but stowed it away, as the rest of the group dismounted and went their separate ways. The thunder sage placed her horse in the stables, with the rest of the mares, and retreated to a room designated to be hers'. It wasn't like anyone cared about what she did, anyways.

---

Hours after he had been knocked out, Derek woke up inside the carriage. They were in a town, now, and as he stepped out of the carriage, the cavalier could see that almost everyone else had gone into the inn. Before he joined them, he checked his sword and shield, or rather, tried to. The sword was now a jagged piece of metal, and the shield was useless as well.

I'm an idiot. I rushed at a Hero, without thinking, and expected anything better than this? He could have killed me, and then what would have happen to those I'd leave behind? he thought, as he discarded the mangled metal. Dammit, the Princess needs me, Viveka needs me, my sister needs me. I'll have to be more careful next time, or just give up.

Speaking of Dani... I haven't said one word to her since the forest. Way to go, big brother. Well, I'll go see her now, the man decided, as he entered the inn. After having asked for the thunder sage's room, Derek went down a hall to the left of the entrance, and stopped at the third from last door. After removing a gauntlet, the man knocked on the door.

---

A knock. It was probably Helios, coming to see her. Elle didn't know why he bothered, but the wind sage was a nice person, and the only person who really bothered to talk to her. The woman rose from the bed, and opened the door, to find the green giant, standing at the door. She had assumed he had died in Altenau, so it was quite a surprise for the sage.

"Hello," the man said, with a slight smile on his face. "Can I come in?"

"...Oh, uh... alright...," Elle mumbled, as she stepped aside to let the giant inside. After closing the door, she turned to him, and said, "...Who are you?"

"My name's Derek," the man replied, simply.

"...Oh, so, you're..."

"Yes, I'm Dani's brother," Derek said, as Elle trailed off.

"... Why are you here...?"

"To talk to you."

"... Alright...," the woman said, looking out the window. Here she was, with her look-alike's brother. Maybe it was better that noone noticed her. After a while, she spoke again.

"... What was she like?," she asked. "I heard a little about her from Helios, but you were her sister. What was Dani like?" The question had caught Derek off guard, she could see, and there was a long pause before the answer.

"My sister... was the more energetic one of us two. Very happy most of the time, constantly teasing people and chatting with others. Very impulsive as well, though. When she was angry, she would usually blow up. Adored thunder magic, ever since a few years ago, and pursued it with as much effort as she did cooking," the cavalier said, remembering his sister's occasional visits after she went to TISME. "She was really a genius. But, Dani had confidence problems. Any little mistake, and she would beat herself up for it. She didn't let anyone else notice, but most of the time, I could tell... I'm sorry, I rambled for a bit."

"... It sounds like you two were close...," Elle said, having turned to look at her guest as he told her about his sister.

"We were. She was frail when she was younger, so Eric and I had to help her around whenever she was outside our estate," the cavalier explained, before getting

up. "... I'll be leaving, then."

"... Thank you for sharing, Mr. Derek...," the sage said, as the man moved for the door.

"My pleasure... And Elle? Don't worry about the resemblance. Things will sort themselves out in due time," he said confidently. "Farewell." The door closed, leaving the thunder sage with more than a few things to think about.

---

The confidence had only lasted until the door was closed. Derek had known that Dani had lost part of her memory, but he thought there might have been a few memories left. But no, she truly had forgotten him and everyone else. He had to help his sister. But how? This question plagued him all the way down the hall, and out the entrance, until he saw that Viveka and Helios were outside. That's right, Pary had died earlier today. The frown vanished. No need to weight the pegasus knight down with his problems, when she had heavier ones already.

Edited January 11, 2011 by Snike

[Inactive Account]

"All right, then..." The innkeeper was rushing around as soon as the group entered the building, directing employees to ready rooms, handle people's packs, and start dinner. Looking a bit flustered, he turned back to the group. "Your rooms are in order, hot baths if you wish, and dinner will be ready soon," he reported before heading off to make sure things remained in order.

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

Arrin had slept for most of the carriage ride, and so was slightly less exhausted upon reaching the inn. Still, he was a bit groggy. "Dinner, that sounds good," he remarked distractedly. Not sure if anyone was following, he headed off towards where he assumed the dining room was, ready to eat.

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

Kelas had made it down from the saddle with only a slight stumble, and handed the horses off to the inn's hostler, insisting she was fine. Clearly she needed to get some things in order before she could sleep: she headed to the room indicated by one of the inn's workers, got the few salvageable clothes from her bags to be sent to the laundry, and washed. Somehow having managed to remain awake, she threw on the last remaining clean, intact shirt and breeches she had, and stumbled downstairs. She managed to eat what could technically be considered a meal's worth of food before falling asleep at the table.

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan managed to wolf down some food before making it upstairs and collapsing into bed.

Charlotte eventually woke up with a rather large headache. Probably shouldn't have done so much in such a short amount of time in retrospect. She sat down at a table and looked around. "Wait...where did Sir Pary go?" she asked those sitting around her.

Tristan pondered over what had happened. Maybe I should have asked Jace what happened to my parents. But I couldn't be sure if he would be telling the truth. Then again, he didn't attack me or Charlotte. Maybe he didn't kill my parents either? These thoughts were interrupted by the realization that he hadn't seen Tas all day. He decided to ask that wyvern girl who he couldn't quite remember the name of.

"Hey...Nina." Tristan guessed. "Have you seen Tas around lately? I didn't see him around during the battle and I don't see him here now. Did he deliver those eggs to your mercenaries or something?"

[Dark Sage]

"Well, we finally got to an inn after a long hard fight against a dragon that nearly killed some of us. Might as well relax," said Alf, heading towards Aiya. He hadn't been quite getting along as well as before and he did offer to help her with her axe work. Not just that, but he liked being near her. In any case, they all deserved a treat for, well, everything related to the dragon.

"Heya Aiya," he said cheerfully, "You ok after that fight with the dragon? That was very tough out there, but I'm glad we made it all out in one piece."

Although come to think of it, he hadn't seen Pary at all today. Not that he cared but it was still something that he took note off.

-----

Reika meanwhile had decided to head towards a room shown to her by one of the inn helpers. It had only been a few days since they were last in civilization, but it seemed like forever to her. The room was pretty small. Couple of small beds and a window. That was pretty much it. Nothing like the luxury of the castle.

Heh. Doesn't have the stench of nobles though she thought, chuckling inwardly. She lay on the bed, thinking about what she was going to do with all her money she was going to get. Lots of gold from the people who hired her to spy on the group and a lot of money offered from Luc in exchange for being a double agent on his side, which would undoubtedly would be paid for her if she helped stamp the first group who hired her out. Firstly there was how to carry all the money she got, how to prevent some people from stealing it, and what to do with it.

[Phoenix]

Nina

Hearing something remotely close to her name being called, Irina stopped what she was doing and turned to face Tristan. Turned out that he actually was referring to her but didn't know her name yet.

Irina: It's "Irina". I'm not sure where Tas is but Lev already left to go find him. I'd rather not worry or panic about it since Tas knows how to take care of himself. As long as he doesn't get attacked or anything I'm sure he'll be okay. Then it's just a matter of Lev actually finding him.

Levski and Kiev

The two were feeling a bit awkward about each other. Lev was used to riding Krinkov, a significantly larger wyvern, and Kiev was used to a different and noticeably lighter rider. He turned his head around several times to face Lev throughout the flight wondering what he was doing there, and each time Lev motioned for him to keep his eyes up front so they wouldn't glide into anything.

Soon they had retraced the group's path back to Altenau. By then all the fires had been snuffed out and what remained were overgrown ruins. Not bothering to take a closer look, he guided Kiev onto the next path the group took making sure to keep high enough to spot Tas if he was anywhere nearby. A bit more travel and Altenau was back in the distance with Lev and Kiev soaring high over the plains. Kiev wasn't sure what they were searching for but kept a close eye out for anything that stood out as they flew along.

[Mercakete]

(How long has it been?) As he'd kept idle, Tas' vision was returning to him, but it was getting dark and he felt he was growing weaker by the moment. (How long have I gone without food?) He hadn't eaten since he'd hunted last for the group: the previous day's breakfast. Having a fast metabolism was robbing the courier of energy and though now his vision was only a bit spotty and blurry, Namid seemed to only just be recovering. Or at least that was what it seemed like the last time he checked his wyvern's eyes. (If his sight returns soon enough, then he'll be fine. I'm so relieved he's not been blinded perminantly.) Now Tas had time to worry about himself and his dislocated left shoulder was making its self known. In addition, his stomach was churning in hunger and there was the large bruises and scratches Tas had receved from the sliding crash to worry about. Tas wasn't so concerned with the open wounds or bruises, though. He couldn't find his vulnerary, but he'd rather save that for something worse anyway. (I can't do anything like this. If I have to, I'll wait for Namid to recover. I think I can keep from starving until then. Too bad I only know how to treat wyverns or I might be able to help myself a little more.)

Namid's sightlessness had him in a depressed slump. He wasn't as worried as he would've been if he couldn't feel Tas resting against his belly or been unable to smell the human's scent. Tas had still been trying to take care of him. Though it made sence, it was almost grimly amusing. Yes, Namid knew he could always rely on Tas, even if the man was hopeless in any sort of combat without him. The wyvern decided he would go find food for the both of them as soon as he could see or fly properly again. Even if he could just use his wings right, he'd be able to smell prey well enough to perhaps kill some. However, his left wing was still sore from when Tas had forced it back into place and his side still ached from the crash-landing. He could tell Tas was in even worse condition, though, and that worried him. For now, all Namid could do was lie on his side and recover, smelling the air for danger. It was all he could offer his rider for the moment and that was what he was going to do.

[Phoenix]

Dinner

Iso barely touched his food because it wasn't prepared by a mage chick. He had things on his mind, and how to proceed with exterminating the demons and avenging his loved ones was one of them. Kelas also garnered some attention once she fell asleep at the table. He gave her a light poke on the shoulder to see if she would respond.

Iso: Kelas. Kelas are you alright? (I need to get her to a bed so she doesn't try to sleep out here or something.)

Flight

As they continued flying they passed right over the former campsite and the both of them gave it a good long stare before letting it fade into the distance. Tas probably hadn't been back there at any point in time or they likely would have intercepted each other around or before Altenau ... assuming he hadn't flown off in some other direction, but that seemed unlikely for someone with access to a wyvern's nose. With that in mind he kept going expecting to see Tas and Namid somewhere along the way ... and hopefully before the wild woods came back into view.

Kiev was rather happy, they just happened to be going with the wind so he had very little actual work to do. Keeping his wings firm and spread he rode the current and cheerfully scanned the surroundings for ... whatever he was supposed to be looking for. He hoped they were out hunting for deer or something.

[Inactive Account]

"Nnnn... <five more minutes...>" Kelas muttered, swatting at whatever was poking her and missing. "Wai... not morning yet is it?"

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

Tobe had spent the trip chattering away to Altion. He wasn't sure if he'd helped the man or not; at times he seemed to be causing the knight dismay, but he couldn't be sure. When they arrived at the inn, he wasn't sure what to do. Surely they didn't mean for him to stay in there? He snuck some food when he thought nobody was looking and slipped back out to the barn, blending in among the stable boys to care for the horses and annoy the older hostlers. Figuring he'd done all right for now, he climbed up into what seemed like the warmest bit of hayloft, and curled up to sleep.

[Mercakete]

Namid lifted his head. There was a familliar scent on the wind. It was undobtedly that plains wyvern from before: the one that flew with the female human on his back. Though annother scent was also there and it didn't belong to the female. It was the other male that he and Tas had met before. Both had proven themselves to be helpful and friendly. Surley they were there to help again. He didn't want to wake Tas -- who was undoubtedly dozing again -- but this was an emergency. Taking a deep breath, the mountain wyvern let out the echoing call of a mountain wyvern in distress, asking for aid specifically from Lev and Kiev, though he didn't know if the plains-dweller would understand what the call actually meant. Most plains-dwellers couldn't desypher the mountain calls, after all.

Tas lifted his aching head. "What is it?" Tas asked. He knew what that call was. "Are you hurt? Are we under attack?" Tas' questions were a little dumb since he was too dazed to really understand what he was asking his wyvern.

[Phoenix]

Isotov

Iso: No. It's not morning yet. In fact we're still having dinner. Why don't I just help you upstairs to a room so you can rest ... and so you don't fall asleep on the floor or something?

Finding the Courier

Both Kiev and Lev heard Namids call though Lev barely caught it in the wind. Kiev wondered who made the noise. Lev figured that one of the people they were looking for had caught wind of them already. With that in mind he kept an eye out, though Kiev was the first to spot them both, a spec in the distance. Lev noticed them too once they flew closer.

Lev: Ahah. There you are, Tas. Okay Kiev, fly over there and land. They can't be just dozing down there if Namid called out to us. (I hope he's not injured.)

[Inactive Account]

"All right, all right, I'll get up, I don't need help," Kelas mumbled. She stayed put for a moment, then shoved herself up from the table and tottered off towards the stairs.

[Mercakete]

Tas could hear Kiev's wingbeats. Looking up, beyond the little multi-colored dots in his vision, he could see a golden-brown blur in the vauge shape of a plains wyvern. Namid was completely relaxed though. That could only mean it was Kiev. Figuring it was pointless to try talking to the wyvern's rider -- which he assumed would be Irina -- while said rider was in the air, he waited for the plains-dweller to touch down and fold his wings before attempting conversation. He was notably not in the best condition, though not quite the worst. Well, by looks anyway. Most of his bruises were covered by his clothing and there were only a couple scratches on the left side of his face and a larger, deeper scratch on his arm, partially under his sleeve. His eyes were fairly unfocussed and he was subconciously holding his stomach. Namid was lying on his side and resting his head on the ground again. The wyvern's eyes were paler and duller than they had been before.

[Phoenix]

Worry

Kelas' movements didn't have Iso convinced and so he stood up from the table and followed close by. He resigned himself to take the annoyed reply she might make if it came.

Saving Courier Tas

As the two landed Levski immediately dismounted and hurried over to Tas and Namid with Kiev creeping up behind nervously. Upon getting a closer look at them Lev sighed.

Lev: Oh man, you're a mess. What's broken, what's not? I'd rather not find out by you screaming for me to put you back down. Namid isn't hurt too is he?

[Inactive Account]

Kelas reached her room with only a minor stumble. At the door she turned, realizing she'd been followed; Isotov was hovering, clearly trying to make sure she didn't fall over. "Oh, for-- I'm okay. I didn' fall up the stairs, did I? I just need to sleep. Stop worrying. I'm okay," she insisted. Then her expression softened a bit, and she walked over to hug him. "Guess I'm glad you give a damn, though," she mumbled into his shoulder before pulling away. "G'night." She headed into her room, beginning to feel vaguely embarrassed, but forgetting it the second her head hit the pillow and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Edited January 12, 2011 by Kiryn

[Phoenix]

Isotov

Until Kelas said goodnight, Iso hadn't spoken a word.

Iso: Sleep well.

Afterward he returned to the top of the stairs and sat down. He scooted to the side as far as he could letting a couple pass by. He figured to just stay there in case more people needed to get through but he didn't really feel like going back downstairs at the moment.

[Mercakete]

"We crashed," Tas began, "We were trying to catch dinner when there was a giant flash and Namid panicked. I don't blame him since both of us were blinded. We wound up here. My sight hasn't fully returned but as far as I can tell, Namid is only just regaining his. His left wing was dislocated, but I put that back in place. It's still a little swollen, though and he hit the ground pretty hard. I'd bet he got some rub burn and some nice bruises, not to mention some scratches. Its all superficial, but he shouldn't fly until the swelling in his wing-shoulder goes down. He hasn't had anything to eat since we caught the dear a couple days ago either, and he's probably thirsty."

Namid snorted, bearing his teeth at where his nose was telling him Tas was. His rider was neglecting himself again.

"I'm a little surprised to see you two, though. What happened to Krinkov?" Tas asked, giving a little wave to Kiev.

[Phoenix]

Levski and The Kiev

Lev: Krinkov's the only one that can keep pinky in line so he needed to stay there. Plus I wasn't in the mood to deal with all the luggage and sorting it out. Irina didn't train Kiev to only be ridden by her so anyone he isn't wary of can ride him it seems.

Taking a closer look, it seemed that Namid actually was injured.

Lev: Great. So Namid can't fly?

Lev lowered and shook his head in dismay. Walking was pointless and Kiev couldn't carry all of them. Hell Kiev couldn't carry Namid all by himself.

Lev: We wait then.

He quickly pulled out a vulnerary and tossed it to Tas.

Lev: ... and you apply that where you need it in the meantime. We'll eat once we get back to the group. They stopped off in a place called Worthington and it's not too far beyond Altenau.

[the_whistler]

OOC: Flashback from Chapter 18: Grand Ballin'

[spoiler=Punch time]

Heinz quickened his pace as the tall wooden doors leading out of the palace came into sight. Too much is going on back there.... and I still can't find Irina anywhere, frowning to himself. It's been awhile since I left her at the table to get food. Pushing both doors open with his hands, the thief exhaled and took a deep breath of the night air.

"What's going on out here?" he asked, seeing Kiev dressed in the remains of a nobleman's suit. Probably used to belong to that nobleman... recollecting what the Ivanko mercenary had told him about her wyvern. "Figures," he sighed, running a hand through his hair as his head, previously cleared by the fresh air began pounding again.

Irina noticed Heinz, but her vision was blurry and she could only let out a short moan. Still a bit scared, and not sure what to do. Kiev meanwhile kept his eyes on the guards, who looked far less than pleased with them. One of them accosted Heinz too, his voice alluding to some repressed anger.

Guard: Hey, do you know them?

Heinz looked at the guards warily. Doesn't seem like we'll be able to get out of here easily. "I know them," he replied, reaching up to remove the leftover torn clothes and top hat from the wyvern and placing them on the ground nearby. He looked at the other wyvern rider as well, who seemed slightly less drunk.

"Do you know what happened?" he muttered to the Halton soldier.

As Heinz addressed her, Aiya looked towards the mercenary, a slight flush accompanying the alcohol she had unknowingly consumed in the punch.

"Irina is getting all... *hick* paranoid. She came out here to get away from the palace, and to get me out of there... she thinks I'm her mom..." Aiya muttered unhappily, placing her hands on Heinz' shoulders firmly.

"D-do I really look old enough to be Irina's mom?" Aiya asked the man, concern over the matter washing over her quite evident, as she began to shake the thief slightly.

Heinz frowned. "I don't think so..... Probably she just had too much to drink or something." Seems like you might've had too much as well. "We need to find some place to rest, I think," debating whether to risk going back inside or not. Hearing the clamor of guests beginning to exit the palace, the man quickly made up his mind.

"I'm sorry about your clothes," the mercenary apologized politely to the nobleman, placing Aiya's hands on the nearest stable object he could find, the wvyern. Leaning over, Heinz handed back the slightly smashed in top hat. Don't think he'll be able to wear his suit again, but at least the hat should be alright. Pausing for a second, Heinz took off his green cloak and handed it to the man, discretely pushing the clothing fragments underneath a bush.

"We should probably head to an inn after we put Kiev back in the aeries, it's getting late out," he suggested, trying to tug the wyvern's broken reins in that direction.

At first Kiev was a bit resistant to the Heinz. Not sure where they were going, he stayed put waiting for Irina to give him some kind of sign. Opening her eyes and spotting the broken reins in his hand, and Kiev not moving an inch, she quickly piped up.

Irina: ... Mmmmush!

She then collapsed back in the saddle with her head resting along Kiev's neck. The wyvern didn't understand the command, but it was quick and decisive sounding. She probably wanted him to take action. With that he stopped anchoring himself and went along with Heinz with Irina still nearly passed out on top of him.

The wyvern refused to move at first. Damned walking boulders, he grumbled to himself before Irina called out something, prompting it to move suddenly. Heinz stumbled for a second before regaining his footing, hoping the other wyvern rider would be alright. "Glad there's not a war going on here," he mumbled to himself. Fighting in this condition...

Noticing the guards nearby, the thief abruptly changed his mind and handed the reins off to them. "Would you two mind putting away the wyvern for us? I'll find a place for them to sleep off the drink," attempting to pull the nearly unconscious woman off. "Oof," he grunted, as he half dragged, half carried her towards a side door in the palace. Good, not too many people around here, looking for an empty room.

Heinz had dissapeared suddenly, and before she knew it, Aiya was leaning against Kiev.

"Huh? Where'd you come from, Kiev?" Aiya asked, before Irina said something incoherent, and Kiev began to walk.

Following along behind them, Kiev was left at the aerie, and Heinz began to carry Irina towards the castle.

"Heinzzzzzz!" Aiya called out after the man, catching up to him and lightly wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Where are you taking Irina, Heinz? You weren't gonna take advantage of her, were you?" Aiya slurred, the smell of alcohol on her breath reaching Heinz.

"That'd be ba-*hick* bad Heinz." Aiya continued, pressing her weight against the thief to make sure he knew she was there.

"Yipe!" Aiya yelped, as the curses of drunken lack of motor skills became apparent, as Aiya tripped and barreled over, taking Heinz and Irina with her.

"Oops... hahahahaha!" Aiya had landed atop Heinz, and began laughing hysterically.

"..What?" he protested. Though it's not hard to see how she got that idea. Falling to the ground with a thump, Heinz found himself pinned to the floor underneath the combined weight of the two women. Ignoring the snickers of a few servants passing by, the mercenary inched out from underneath them. Pity there aren't better circumstances, chuckling a bit to himself before he stopped.

Having located an unoccupied room, Heinz walked back over to the two wyvern riders. "I'm going to put Irina in one of those rooms," nodding in that direction. "No one else besides her will be sleeping there either, don't worry" he reassured Aiya, smirking slightly. Picking Irina up again, he walked into the room and set her down on the bed. "Night," he said. Should find some place to sleep myself soon.

Irina moaned when she realized she had somehow ended up on the ground. Clumsily shaking her head a bit, she looked around wondering how she and Heinz and even Aiya had gotten down there. Suddenly a man hearing the commotion peeked around the corner with a cup of punch in his hand. He smiled when he saw them.

Man: Harold's Law. Man who chases one rabbit catches TWO! Ahahahaahahahaaah!

The man then vanished back down the hall with his drink staggering about. Irina quickly chirped up with an annoyed look on her face.

Irina: I'm not a rabbit ... ... ... you're a rabbit.

Once Heinz delivered her unto a nice comfy bed and wished her goodnight, she spoke one last time ...

Irina: G'night ... Heinz ...

... and then quickly fell asleep.

Heinz smiled briefly before walking back into the hallway and closing the door behind him. Wouldn't be surprised if she fed him to Kiev. Finding another room a corridor down, Heinz returned to where Aiya was, mentally willing the floor to stop sliding around. "Found another room for you," offering her a hand up.

As Heinz returned from placing Irina in her room, Aiya looked at him suspiciously.

"I don- *hick* trust you, Heinz. You're all, you sneaky and... stuff. You'll jus- *hick* come back for her." Aiya barely managed. It seems her rapid consumption was catching up with her, the alcohol hitting her like a truck.

"I won't le- *hick* let you do Irina, Heinz, not li- *hick* that." Aiya grasped Heinz arm roughly, and gave a mighty tug, spinning the thief, somewhat like a spinning top.

"When you st- *hick* you won't be able to find her again~ ... Ohh... I'm getting dizzy..." Aiya muttered, falling on her behind as Heinz stopped spinning.

"Whoa!" Heinz shouted, slamming his shoulder into the wall as he finally stopped spinning. I forgot how much drinking slows reflexes, rubbing his shoulder with one hand. "I'd rather go to sleep myself than find someone who already fell asleep," he replied irritably.

"There's a room down that way. Either take it or someone else will," pointing to the right.

"Wha's wr- *hick* wrong Heinz?" Aiya muttered, as she shakily stood. Walking towards the thief with an obvious sway in her step.

"You sound m- *hick* -mad."

"Being thrown against a wall will do that," he answered curtly. "I'd like to rest before the sun comes up, at any rate. You should do the same," Heinz said flatly, rubbing the back of his head. Wonder how late is it anyway, though its probably been at least a couple hours since the sun went down. Shouldn't a Halton soldier know how to hold her drink? he grumbled to himself.

"Most of these rooms seem filled except for that one I showed you, I'll find somewhere else to sleep," walking away. Must be plenty of other rooms around here.

[Mercakete]

Due to lack of good vision and a dislocated shoulder, Tas almost didn't catch the vulnerary. He wound up only using his left arm. "You don't have to give me yo-- OW!!" Tas was cut off as Namid nudged the dislocated shoulder and grunted. He'd successfully pointed out one of Tas' biggest problems. Now the other human could deal with it. Tas cut the groan off in his throat and tried to force his face back into a smile: a pittiful attempt to enforce his claim that he was fine.

[Phoenix]

Hint Hint

Lev raised an eyebrow at Tas' loud cry and then a crooked grin came up. An injured limb was nothing to be hidden. It was time to find out if it was simply dislocated or ... something else.

Lev: So how bad is your shoulder, Tas? Be honest or I'm going to have to just check for myself.

[Ether]

As Ixion completed his demonstration, Damian looked on with apprehension. Such a thing... was it possible? Ixion had so effortlessly struck down a perfect likeness of Irina...

'He has known her for years, and I only a little more than a month... but I could not even think to do something like that... he didn't even appear to bat an eyelash...'

Damian shook his head wearily, and looked back towards Ixion.

"So I need to create a place such as this in my own mind, so that I may mold and realize the boundless domain of my own conscious thoughts... when I do that, Gae-Borg will lose it's grip over me... once I can perfect this." Damian restated what he had been told, more for his own benefit than for confirmation at the time.

"Once I attain that clarity, the solution to any complication is simply figuring out how to deal with it... there is no impossible if you can envision and find the solution... although your technique is certainly unorthodox." Damian deliberated, breathing more deeply than usual for a short timeframe.

"I do not know how my psyche will react to such a thing... I would not call my current state stable. But I will conquer this, and if this is what will bring me to that point, than I will do it... Ixion, nothing will stop me. Is there anything else you need to tell me?" Damian finished, opening his eyes again to look directly at the dark druid.

[Mercakete]

Tas sighed. "I don't know. I can't move it very well and it hurts when I try," he admitted, "I can treat wyverns well enough but I don't know a thing about human treatment. I think my shoulder hit the ground when we were crashing."

One issue was being taken care of. However, there was Tas' other problem. Namid knew humans had to eat more frequently than wyverns. However, Tas had to eat even mor frequently and he'd hardly eaten at all since they were in the wyvern-stable days ago. The last time Tas had eatten had been breakfast of the previous day. Namid was surprised Tas was still concious. Now, how to alert the other human to his rider's condition? Namid began to ponder that.

[Phoenix]

Levski and Kiev

Kiev walked up and sat down close by while Lev listened to Tas' explanation. From where he was standing, Lev had a solid theory of his own and didn't see the need to actually physically touch Tas ... yet.

Lev: Well you aren't still moaning and groaning so it's unlikely you broke your shoulder. But you also can't move it much so I suppose that means it's dislocated. Pretty common in crashes.

He stepped over and knelt down next to Tas' injured shoulder and looked him dead in the eye.

Lev: Think about something nice for a minute ... like a fantasy you'd like to see become a reality. Don't ask questions just do it.

Ixion

Ixion: Anything else? Yes. Take heed, Damian. The limits you have imposed on yourself up until this time will fight against you. The emotions, the logic, everything you accepted to be true that put up walls around you. They will all stand firmly against you until you conquer them. Don't forget that, and don't give in ... or you might trigger the very thing you are trying to avoid. You're beginning to understand a great truth, Damian. Just remember that it is the truth, not just an interesting platitude. An absolute truth.

As those final words left Ixion's lips, the entire scene began to become wavy and unstable. The ripples grew in number until there was nothing but an ocean of colors that soon faded to black. Both men returned to consciousness then and there. As Ixion opened his eyes, he looked over to see that Damian was alright. He sat up and rubbed his chin a bit. He seemed to be thinking about something.

[Mercakete]

Tas was, in fact, about to ask a question when he was ordered not to. (Why does he want me to think of something nice?) In fact, it was a little difficult since Lev was being a little...intimidating. So, he closed his eyes to what little effect that had and began to think, selecting something to think about. A couple things came to mind. One was food. He was so hungry and a good, big meal would be quite welcome, though he didn't want to have to ask for it. Annother thought was making sure the eggs had a safe place to hatch. Though that only caused him to worry since it reminded him of how close they were to hatching and they weren't exactly in the best of places so far as he knew. Discarding that, he thought of how nice it'd be when namid was healthy again. Again, though, that reminded him that he couldn't hunt properly in order to catch...food. His mind returned to that and that only caused him to pay more mind to his stomach's hunger pains. Was there any truly pleasant thought in his mind?

...Yes. The promise that he would meet up with Riggs and his father once he'd finished the delivery. He could see it clearly enough in his mind's eye: the giant hug he'd recieve, the questions about how he and Namid were doing and anout what they'd been up to, wondering what the hatchlings looked like once they broke shell...