Abysmal Souls Chapter 5

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon

"Well, if you really have tried everything else, then fine. I guess I can live with this." Not everything. "I would hope so. Most people tend to find me friendly." He laughed. "That's one way of putting it." "I'm... just asking what you think of us. I mean, a lot of people would think a relationship between an anri and a human to be some sort of horrible thing. I'm glad you don't think like that~" That made him look her over for a moment, his expression a bit surprised. "There is nothing horrible about you or about what we do, Amera," he said, his tone very calm and sincere. "And I don't mind that you're an anri at all. It's not as fun to scratch human girls' ears." "I think we offset each other pretty nicely, that's what." Again, that's one way of putting it. Gideon smiled and rested his forehead against hers, his eyes half-closed. "So let's keep offsetting each other for a while, yeah?" he said, stroking the fur on her ear gently so as not to make her squirm too much. He wasn't entirely aware of how affectionate he was being; if he were, his subconscious would be screaming at him. But his mind was completely clear for once. It was a good feeling.

Melanie

"Waaait wait wait, you're not giving me numbers here. I'm running on maybe fifty pieces of gold here you realize, and I don't have a job in which I can get a reliable income from. You understand where I'm going with this, right?" Mel cocked her head. "Not really..." "I mean, I'm not selling this sword, and I'm sure as fuck not selling my armor, already sold the helmet. The best I could do is try and find some mana stones and clean those up to sell. I can do that, but chances of finding enough and of any good quality in any decent time are very very slim for me." "Nah, you don't have to sell anything," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm not a tax man, Grant. Pay me when you have the money. Or give me something else, I dunno. I'm not picky." She yawned loudly and leaned forward, planting her head in her hands again - only to sit right back up. The fidgeting continued for a bit as she talked. "But if I do end up emptying my pockets to pay for the armor, you'll have to at least steal me something to eat, or something. I'm not starving myself over a job, you hear?" He's probably a master thief, too. The way he talks about this kind of thing means he must be!

"Ahaha, you actually stole that? Nice, who knows, it might come in handy. There's some people who'd pay a lot for that kind of stuff ya know..." Mel examined the key a bit, frowning. "It's not even made of anything good," she whined, pocketing it again. "Looks like rusty iron. Worthless. Hopefully I can pawn it..." She looked up at Grant and folded her arms. Wasn't he uncomfortable? She couldn't get comfortable since the ride began...Fidgeting again, she reached for her notebook and scribbled some things in it. "So what's this...um, Red Witch like, anyway?" she asked Grant as she wrote. "Is she all old and stuff, like with a wart on her nose and all that?" She had never seen a witch before, except in storybooks. That must have been what they looked like in reality, right?

[Caliban of Sycorax]

Adano

Eating one of the apples, he watched the people walking by. It was certainly interesting to say the very least. These people were different from Lazarynth's people. The fact that no guilds or arenas existed could have helped with that. There were armories and a blacksmith, but this was also the last major town before Lushira, after all. That was to be expected.

Adano certainly was enjoying his time with Lucretia and Aurelio; he'd never traveled with others before and he couldn't ask for a better pair of people. Part of him hoped that the two were more than friends, although he would be happy with his daughter's choice in men no matter what. He was just thankful overall that she didn't turn out like Anastasia. Even thinking of her name made his side hurt where she stabbed him. Finishing his apple, he decided to look around some more to see if anything else would be needed for their travel.

Julius

As Julius continued onward he realized how tired he was. He completely bypassed Malegon and was headed south, towards Coryngols. From there he would pass through Ensaria and then move to his old home which was located near Albion and Crystis. As he was on the road to Coryngols, his exhaustion continued. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to make it.

I... I need to keep on... Going... I'm going to find what I need...

His mind blanked, his body gave out, and he fell unconscious on the ground.

Lucretia

She was used to broadswords; they seemed to be a weapon of choice for most. She knew, however, that she just needed to win this quick duel and be done with it.

He struck first. Swinging the sword in a large arc, Lucretia blocked it with both swords, then ducked out of the way to advance towards his legs, which were left open from the attack. He sensed this and took a closed stance, leaving Lucretia no room to go. She backed up and parried another hit before moving in with her swords, eventually pointing them at his neck.

"Very good, very good," he smiled as he put the sword down, "you are certainly the greatest duelist in Miyako." He went over to the blade and took it off of its shelf. "That was quick yet I enjoyed it very much. I'll give you a discount on the sheath as well. Twenty gold in total."

She smiled back and paid the gold, taking the sword and putting it into its sheath.

"I wonder... I have seen swordplay of a similar style before. Many years ago." He looked at Lucretia carefully, studying her features. "It was a Myan woman, looking just like you. Yes, and she challenged everyone in town to a duel."

Lucretia's expression turned sour. "Y-yes, you're probably talking about my mother." She looked downward. "I apologize, but I must be going. Thank you for the sword, I appreciate it greatly." She left before the man could get another word in. The mention of her mother hurt her deeply; the scars she had all over her body seemed to pulsate with Anastasia's rage.

She's dead; I killed her. Why is the pain coming back?!

Her focus shifted to the sword she now held in her hands. "Aurelio will love this." She smiled again. Thinking about him made the pain dissapate, even for a moment. He truly made her smile. Look at yourself, Lucretia. You're falling for him, aren't you? Her smile was truly bright now. He's quite the man. Attractive, strong, and he understands you more than anyone.

She rushed off to find him and give him the gift that, she hoped, would win her his heart.

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

"Ah.... oh geez, thank you uh... Ellandra, was it?" She let go of her shirt, her hand now covered in blood. Staring at it, she looked back to her wound, feeling it. It made her twitch a little, the wound still relatively fresh yet recovering, but she smiled. "Thank you so much... And now, I just want to take it easy. What say you that we go out to the festival again? Before that, sorry about earlier Adrian, I shouldn't have run off like that but I just got... really upset. Won't happen again." Standing up, she pulled Adrian up as well, "But who cares, look!" She held out her hand and produced a ball of flame. "This is it! This is what I've been waiting for!" She was about to hug him, but then she realized he probably didn't want blood all over him.

Grant

"What's she look like? Hahaha! She doesn't look anything like that, she's... actually kind of cute, but definitely not my type, I'm just going to say that now. She's got pink hair, probably around five feet tall, very slender... wears all black, and generally scowling all the time." He wondered though. She hadn't really done anything terrible from what I saw, actually... No, bullshit, she's just using that kid to get around this world, just playing him for a fool... "Anyway, so you're just going to basically keep me as your bitch until you get payed, huh... We'll see how that plays out, Melanie..."

[Nanami Touko]

Amera

"There is nothing horrible about you or about what we do, Amera," You have no idea how many people would disagree with you, Gideon. But... I'm really glad you think like that. "And I don't mind that you're an anri at all. It's not as fun to scratch human girls' ears." She laughed a bit, looking up at him, "well, I hope I'm fun for more than my ears, Gideon! Heehee... There's got to be a part of me that's more fun than them~" Like, like my tail, or... uh... well, I can't think of any. Darn... "So let's keep offsetting each other for a while, yeah?" She shivered once more as he touched her ear, settling into the stroking as to not fidget against it too much. "Well... Gideon." I don't want to scare him off, but I really want to ask him, "what if... what if I want to keep offsetting you for more than just a while? Like..." She blushed now, her tail swaying a bit behind her, "what if I want to offset you... permanently?" That question made her red, as she hid her face against his chest. "I understand if you don't want to think about that sorry for even bringing it up I'll shut up now..." she blurted out her embarrassment, mumbling it against his shirt.

Adrian

This... girl? Now that Adrian got a better look at her, she seemed to be an anri of some sort. Either way, he was glad that she'd healed Carrion, giving off a huge relaxing sigh of relief. "Thank you so much... And now, I just want to take it easy. What say you that we go out to the festival again? Before that, sorry about earlier Adrian, I shouldn't have run off like that but I just got... really upset. Won't happen again." "Yes, thank you! And, sure. That actually sounds like a good idea. And... it's alright. I know why you got upset, Carrion. No need to apologize for that. I would've gotten upset too. Don't sweat it." Though, we really shouldn't talk about that here. If they found out that you were actually the Crimson Witch... "But who cares, look!" Carrion produced a rather large ball of fire, and it made Adrian jump, scared of the flame for a second; scared she might throw it at him. She let it disappear, "This is it! This is what I've been waiting for!" "Y-Yeah, it is. Glad you're happy, Carrion." Just... please warn me before you shove that much fire in my face. She went to hug him, but she was still covered in her blood. He shrugged, and hugged her anyway, not really caring about it. He could just wash his clothes later, and if anyone asked, they could say they got too close to one of the festival exhibits.

[Zsword]

Ellandra nodded when Carrion guessed her name... well, inferred is more like it. Stepping back to let them talk. When they mentioned leaving though, she cleared her throat and gave them a wave, indicating that she would be coming too. I hope they don't mind my being silent, words are just so... un-needed, besides, it's funner this way, making people guess at what you're trying to say, teehee.

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon

"Well... Gideon. What if... what if I want to keep offsetting you for more than just a while? Like...what if I want to offset you... permanently?" Gideon blinked. Was that a confession? "I understand if you don't want to think about that sorry for even bringing it up I'll shut up now..."

"Hey." Gideon took her chin in one hand and turned her to face him. "You apologize too much." Before she could reply, he pressed his lips to hers, taking his time before pulling away, his face barely an inch from hers. "I didn't expect you to try to claim me after one week," he admitted, still stroking her ear. "So does this mean you love me?" Even with her looking so timid, so vulnerable, he couldn't resist a jab at her. It wasn't entirely joking, though - he wanted to know. Of course, he also wanted to have a few more weeks with her before something like this came up. Damn fortune teller... "Because I don't really think I'd mind that." She did seem very taken with him since they had left Lazarynth, but maybe it was her age. She was young, and young girls fell fast.

Melanie

"What's she look like? Hahaha! She doesn't look anything like that, she's... actually kind of cute, but definitely not my type, I'm just going to say that now. She's got pink hair, probably around five feet tall, very slender... wears all black, and generally scowling all the time." Melanie shook her head. "No, sorry, I meant what is she like? Like, she's probably done a lot of evil shit, right?" From this description, he seems to know her pretty well. Maybe this is a personal vendetta? A maimed warrior out for revenge...sounds cool. "Anyway, so you're just going to basically keep me as your bitch until you get payed, huh... We'll see how that plays out, Melanie..." This made her grin. "Alright! You can carry my bag when we get to Pravna, then. It was hurting my back. Don't worry, I'll get something of yours...I dunno what, but something light. Then we have to get something to eat, right away. I didn't have breakfast today and I'm hungry as hell. After that, I'll just find some place where I can start working. You gotta look for alchemists for me though, okay? I can't be everywhere at once." An idea hit Mel and she smirked. "You don't think she's in Pravna, do you? I mean, if she is, I doubt I'll be done in time..."

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

The hug came out of nowhere for her, and at first she panicked a little and yelped since her wound still hurt for the most part, but she ended up sighing and grappling him back as thanks for his support. "Let's just go have fun, OK? Forget about everything that's happened, let's just go out and have a blast, really live it up. I don't think that guy expects immediate results, so I figure we can spend a few days doing it. And besides, he's got to know just how painful that is by now, unsealing..." Grimacing, she shook her head and pulled out of the hug. "Ugh, new topic, what do you wanna get to eat?" Taking her hand, she started rubbing the shirt dry, heating the blood up. Sure beats having something wet and sticky on me all day... "Well? Wanna grab fair food, wanna see if we can grab a seat at a restaurant, what? I'm tired of decision making right now, you decide kid."

As an aside, she turned to Ellandra, "Yeah, uh, we're proooobably not going out today, or at least, we're not heading out until night time maybe. So uh, I guess you're welcome to join us or go do your own thing if you want. Just a heads up."

Grant

"Oh! Let me tell you." He folded his arms, his face frowning. "Well, for starters, she lured us all, which is to say, me and a bunch of other mercenaries, into a trap, nearly killed us, then the next day, she comes by, threatening to kill one of the same mercs again, and then the NEXT day, she's running from out of Sapphine, literally destroying the gates before we could exit forcing me and another kid to literally scale the wall to save some time, by the way I don't reccommend it, the landing is rough... where was I, oh right, we chased her to the mountains and then she had the same kid from before CARRYING HER AROUND... I'm not making this up, he was carrying her. I don't know why, I assume it's because she has some hold, magical or otherwise one him. And here's the weird part. As a group of us are chasing her, we get surrounded by Frost Chameleons. Ever seen these shit or heard about em? Freaky little fuckers! They're bigger than me, and much longer, and their tongues are stickier than the toughest glue! So anyway, we're surrounded by some crazy amount, I couldn't count how many... and the witch stands up, holds her arms out, and then suddenly, all the lizards literally start exploding. I'm not making this up, I swear to the Goddess! After seeing that, I was so sure she had to be the witch. And I almost had her, but that kid stole her away, running for their lives... Ugh, it makes me sick, using people like that! If she IS in Pravna, I'll snap her little neck and crush her skull, fire or no fire. Heaven and Hell couldn't stop me, I WILL end her!"

[Shin]

Aurelio

He was still stumped. He wanted to get her something nice but he wasn't quite sure what.

"Think, man! What does she like? Swords? Nah, she's already got her own. Do I actually know anything else about her?!?"

He was giving himself a headache. However, fate seemed to be on his side for once and pointed him in the right direction. A small store, sporting a wide array of shoes, caught his eye. More specifically, a pair of boots on the stall. They seemed pratical, yet very elegant.

"A lot like Lucretia... hehe..."

The price tag was a nightmare though. 80 gold pieces. After buying the coat, he only had around 50 left. He didn't want to steal them or cheat the owner, for once, it wouldn't feel quite right giving them to her that way. He approached the stall;

"I'll give you 40 for those boots there."

Starting low was a good idea, it'd make 50 seem less ridiculous. The owner wasn't impressed, probably unhappy with the offer.

"Not a chance, sonny boy. I'm not accepting a piece under 70, that's if I'm feeling generous."

That plan hadn't worked quite the way he wanted it to. Well, it looked like he had to resort to trading.

"How about I throw in these two swords here? They're in pretty good condition, and they're pretty dang useful. Heck, I'll even bump it up to 50 plus the swords."

The stall owner contemplated for a moment. Was this guy seriously going to give away two swords for that little?

"How much are they worth?"

Aurelio had no idea whatsoever. Well, a small lie wouldn't hurt.

"Well, I paid 200 for them but I'm starting to think I got ripped off."

The owner smiled, he'd definitely make a profit from the young man in front of him. Even if they were worth half that, it'd be a bargain."

"Deal."

Aurelio smiled, the idiot hadn't even checked the blades. The transaction finished, he made a getaway before they figured it out. He still had his axe, he'd probably find a sword eventually.

"That's what you get for being greedy. Heh, it works for me."

[Nanami Touko]

Amera

"Hey." "Huh?" "You apologize too much." "Wha-- mmm..." She couldn't have been more confused as he kissed her, eyes wide for a moment, before letting them close, pulling herself more into the kiss. Her lips practically followed his as he pulled away, stopping when he talked, "I didn't expect you to try to claim me after one week" She shied her face away again, still red, "w-well, you're making it hard not to..." She was getting into enjoying the scratching, starting her purring once again (which probably wouldn't help Gideon keep a straight face), "So does this mean you love me?" "S-Stop making me blush, dammit...!" She was tired of him making her turn red, and she didn't know how to answer that question. "I..." All she could is mumble and sigh, not knowing if he even wanted an answer to that. I don't even know if I can answer that... "Because I don't really think I'd mind that." She took a quick glance up at him, looking back down again, "you're not making this any easier, you know? You're just... making me want to say, that... that..." Don't stop now, you're too far in to not give him an answer. "I do..."

Adrian

"Oh, uh... sorry about that." She's probably still hurting, you dolt, you shouldn't be hugging her so tight. "Let's just go have fun, OK? Forget about everything that's happened, let's just go out and have a blast, really live it up. I don't think that guy expects immediate results, so I figure we can spend a few days doing it. And besides, he's got to know just how painful that is by now, unsealing..." She let go, and he just smiled, glad that she seemed happy again, "That sounds like a great idea, actually. I'm just... really glad to see that you're happy again, Carrion. And I'd hope not. I don't even want to fathom how much pain that had to have caused. If he expects you to just rush out right after that, well... I guess that's just too bad for him, eh?" Adrian figured they'd at least get a day or two to mess around in Pravna. A day or two before they were shoved into another hectic situation.

"Ugh, new topic, what do you wanna get to eat?" "Yeah, food sounds good. Where do you--" "Well? Wanna grab fair food, wanna see if we can grab a seat at a restaurant, what? I'm tired of decision making right now, you decide kid." "Oh, I've got to choose... heh." He wasn't used to making any of the choices, even beginning to enjoy listening to her. "Hmm... I don't really know if they've got any good restaurants in Pravna. Should we just walk around until we find one?" The anri from before made her presence known, and Adrian sighed. Great, more baggage, and another anri to boot. Like two wasn't enough. "Yeah, we know. But, like Carrion said, we're not going to be leaving for a few days so... just go do whatever until then, alright?" He took Carrion's hand and started leading her out of the room, brushing past the girl.

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon

"you're not making this any easier, you know? You're just... making me want to say, that... that...I do..." "That's all you had to say," he told her, knocking on her head gently and smirking. He actually regretted asking her - he wasn't entirely sure if he loved her back. Still, it probably wouldn't hurt her to tell her what she wanted to hear... "You don't need to be so timid around me, you know. I won't hurt you. Ever. Okay?" That was the third or fourth time he had told her that; maybe it would take more to break her particular issues down. It surprised him how easily he could stomach all this, all while being so affectionate; it seemed a far cry from his stoic drifting persona. Maybe I do love her. Why else would she do this to me so easily? "I..." His voice caught in his throat as he tried to say it, and he felt himself getting red. Didn't I just tease her for messing this up? "I love you too." Once he had actually said it, it sounded a lot more believable. "So don't go anywhere, okay?"

He just lay there for a while with her in his arms, pressing his face into her hair again. "You're always so quiet when we're alone," he mumbled. "Why?" It bothered him a bit. She had to know by now that she could trust him.

Melanie

Mel listened intently to Grant's story, her eyes sparkling with awe as he spoke. Internally she was gushing over the fact that He's so cooooooooool~; she wasn't aware of just how much of that was showing through. "If she IS in Pravna, I'll snap her little neck and crush her skull, fire or no fire. Heaven and Hell couldn't stop me, I WILL end her!" "Dude. Grant." She was speechless for the first time in her life. "That's...you know what, fuck it. I'd be happy to make you some armor. No charge. You just gotta promise me you'll bring her to justice!" Though she hadn't seen anything of the Crimson Witch, from Grant's story and from how impassioned he was, he had to be right in some capacity. A scarred witch hunter out to right the wrongs of the world. Holy shit, it feels like I'm a character in a novel!

"Wait, wait, wait. If she's so good at manipulating people, won't she have bodyguards or something?" Her eyes widened at that notion. "You aren't going to kill all of them, are you? I mean, what if some of them are just misguided, or under a spell or something?" She stood up in the coach, nearly hitting her head on the roof; the hunched-over position she was in, though, put her face a few inches from Grant's. Instead of backing down, though, she just grabbed his collar. "I want your word, Grant," she said very carefully (trying not to sound like she was pleading) as her eyes narrowed. "Promise me that you won't kill anyone who isn't evil while you're hunting her." As much as she was impressed by how cool Grant was, Melanie refused to be an accomplice to any unjustified acts. She wagged a finger in his face. "I don't care how much you hate Crimson. I'm not giving you this armor so you can go off and murder people who don't deserve it. That clear?" Even if he was bigger than her, and a better fighter, and more driven, Mel wasn't about to back down and let Grant walk all over him. He is my bitch, after all.

[Jaybee]

Danyon

Nothing else seemed very interesting, though he was happy with his stash. He decided it would be a good time to eat, therefore he made his way to the inn. Hopefully the food would be pretty damn good.

Elune

Too... many... people... She decided to make her way up to the top of one of the buildings, where she could stay hidden and look down on the crowd below. She stayed there for several hours, but although she saw several old men, none of them looked crazy or anything.

Adonis... If you work like this you'll never find him.

Adonis

Yeah, way too crowded... Adonis would have tried to find a good spot to spy on the people, but he wasn't a very athletic person, nor did he have splendid eyesight. As the crowd began to disperse, he didn't find any signs of his father.

Elune... Please tell me you've found something.

Cyrus

One of the walls of his house had horrible chips and "spike" marks in it, some sort of "practice area" for Cyrus to keep his magical abilities in touch. If his son was in town, hopefully he wouldn't choose to look at the older areas, for then, he'd be found.

Then again, he'd be able to kill his son. He had absolute confidence in himself, and the belief that his son would never surpass him.

Edited August 8, 2011 by JBCWKitty

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

"Eh, we can worry about it later. Let's just go watch some spectacles and stuff. I can probably even explain how they do some of the tricks that we saw in the plaza!" She had to resist the urge to skip down the stairs and out of the building she was so ecstatic at the moment. This is gonna be a great night, except.... Oh gosh... "Adrian, about that treat... Please understand, It'd hurt a lot for me, but like... If it's really, really what you want, I did promise you... I swear, I'm not trying to tease you here, I didn't think it'd be that bad in there!" Looking at him with an apologetic face, "I'm really sorry, I want this as much as you do, believe me..."

Grant

"Whoa, whoa, I gotcha. Well I know that Adrian kid, possibly another kid was with her, so I don't think I'd like murdering children on my conscience, so yeah, I promise." And sweet, I'm getting it for FREE now? She must really like this kind of stuff I guess...

[Zsword]

Ellandra sighed and shook her head at their comments. Not only was her job to keep an eye on them, she also had nothing to do in the first place. She started to follow them as they exited. You know, this did seem like it was gonna be fun, but if the people you're supposed to watch don't even like your presence... this might suck.

[Nanami Touko]

Amera

"That's all you had to say" "It can't be that eas-- ahhhh, don't do that." The knock hadn't actually hurt, but she felt like overplaying it, trying to get her mind off of this and onto... anything else. I can't believe it'd be that easy, especially for a guy like him. He's just to action to settle down to one person like that, but... I really do hope it's true. "You don't need to be so timid around me, you know. I won't hurt you. Ever. Okay?" She nodded, trying to lose the timid expression that she knew she had on. "I know you won't, you've proven that, but I can't just snap my fingers and change, you know? It's tough... I want to change, though. I really do." She sat up on him a bit, blushing, but smiling. If you're going to get over this, just do it! Even if it embarrasses you, just do it and beat this. "I..." Gideon had froze, and blushed, which confused Amera to no end. "Y... You what? "I love you too." And she was back to her timid ball, cuddled against his chest. "So don't go anywhere, okay?" "I-I won't. Wasn't planning on it." She sat up on him again, only a little, just so she could see his face and give him a smile.

"You're always so quiet when we're alone, why?" "Uhm... well," she started, resting her head on her hands, and placing her elbows on his chest to keep them there, "I guess I'm just too used to talking in groups. Whenever I've been alone with someone... it was never pleasant, so it's just something that I don't know how to do. How to be... intimate," her face became red at the mention, "that is."

Adrian

"Eh, we can worry about it later. Let's just go watch some spectacles and stuff. I can probably even explain how they do some of the tricks that we saw in the plaza!" "Wait, those were tricks? They weren't real magic? You're kidding me! They looked so impressive, too..." Well, damn. And here I thought they were just some really powerful wizards showing off. He'd followed her down the stairs, although she'd stopped, for whatever reason. "Adrian, about that treat... Ohhh, here it comes... "... Please understand, It'd hurt a lot for me, but like... If it's really, really what you want, I did promise you... I swear, I'm not trying to tease you here, I didn't think it'd be that bad in there!" Dammit... why does she have to be so cute? She seemed too sincere for him to argue against, as much as he seriously wanted to. "It's... it's alright. I do understand." "I'm really sorry, I want this as much as you do, believe me..." "No, really..." I'm dying here. Seriously... "it's fine, it really is. I can wait." He gave her another hug, albeit a soft one, in an effort to reassure her. "Let's just enjoy today, alright? Not even gonna bring up what you promised tonight, just going to enjoy spending time with you."

That anri was following them, which was beginning to annoy Adrian a bit. "Uh, hey, listen... we know you're supposed to keep an eye on us, but, again, we're not going anywhere today. D'you mind giving us some time to ourselves, please? You can do your job once we've finished having fun." Seriously, if I have to get this magus out here to tell her to bugger off, I will.

Edited August 8, 2011 by seph1212

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon

"Uhm... well, I guess I'm just too used to talking in groups. Whenever I've been alone with someone... it was never pleasant, so it's just something that I don't know how to do. How to be... intimate, that is." Gideon smirked. Even if he didn't mean to laugh at her, there was that offsetting again; it would be so obvious to him now that she pointed it out. He laid his free arm on the bed - it was so comfortable - and just listened to her and scratched her ear a bit. "We can fix that." Hopefully. "It'll just take some time, probably. And we've got time." As much as he was enjoying the moment, they hadn't eaten all day, and his stomach growled loudly to remind him of that. "Oh, wow..." Gideon covered his face with his hand, trying to keep calm. It didn't work, and within seconds he was laughing. "That...heh, that was awful timing, wasn't it?" He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. "I haven't laughed like that in a long time...sorry about that." His face was a deep shade of red, and he didn't take his hand from it - this was embarrassing, even if he found it really, really funny.

Melanie

"Whoa, whoa, I gotcha. Well I know that Adrian kid, possibly another kid was with her, so I don't think I'd like murdering children on my conscience, so yeah, I promise." Mel glared at Grant for a moment before letting go of him. "Alright," she said as she sat down. I think I can trust him. "But if she's in Pravna, I can't really help you with stopping her. I mean, I can't fight." Her hand shot up in front of her quickly and she shook her head. "No, wait, sorry, I forgot. I can sort of use a crossbow. I mean, I'm not a sniper or anything, but I can hit, you know, cans and stuff. Haven't actually...um, fought with one though," she admitted, glancing out the coach window. No towns in sight. How long have we been riding?

For the next few minutes, she said nothing, instead just staring into space out the window. "You don't have a girlfriend, do you?" she blurted out of nowhere. He's gotta be, like, thirty or something. I bet he's married. Ooh, maybe Crimson killed his wife, too, but he won't say it! That'd really make him hate her... "Well? Do you or not?"

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

"Like I told you on the mountain, just be patient and have some faith, OK? It's not like I'm doing this on purpose you know...." Hugged again, Adrian didn't squeeze her like last time which lead to a sigh from her. "And, look, that was real magic, but they were just putting on shows out there. I guess you wouldn't really care to know how to manipulate mana like that though... and speaking of which, I do have another present for you..." Unstrapping the sword from her belt, she handed it to Adrian. "Don't think I'll need this anymore, you'll want it I think, but I don't think that's gonna be good enough for ya. So, hold the blade out, flat on your hands, and I'll give it a little 'oomph'. If you say you're any good with a sword, this will make you even deadlier."

Unfortunately, Adrian seemed to want the Anri gone from the both of them, which really confused Carrion since she had invited her along with them. However, he seemed insistent this time, and she didn't want to step on his toes this time. I'll just ask him about that tonight. "Sorry Ell... I can call you that, right? Anyway, I guess he's got something planned for the two of us for tonight. I'm really sorry, didn't mean to make an offer I couldn't hold up... Just meet us at the inn next to the north gate at night, OK? We can hopefully talk about plans then when we got everyone else with us."

Grant

"I ain't asking you to fight, girl. If you got hurt, or worse, killed trying to help me out, that'd only make things worse. Not to be selfish, but I'm not gonna tolerate you helping in that way if you're not all there on the field. Take that as you will." At the mention of a girlfriend, Grant sighed. "... No, never had one. Not a serious one, anyway. After all, I'm pretty much what you see here, a broken man out for blood because some witch threatened to kill me and my family. I WISH there was more to me than that, but you know what, I think I've gone far beyond the point of no return there. It's... pretty easy to throw my life around in the wind since I've got that mindset, ya know? Some might think it's sad, but hey, they got futures, of course they'd think it's sad. Me? My future died 6 years ago when my best friend was taken away from me. I just... gave up, I guess... Fuck!" He kicked his bag away, frustrated that he was even bringing that up right now, of all times. "Forget what you just heard, it'll be better for both of us."

Edited August 9, 2011 by SlaveKitty

[Nanami Touko]

Amera

He chuckled a bit, and she smiled. I guess I made him happy? I hope that's why he's laughing. "Gideon, what's so funny?" She asked, still smiling, hoping it wasn't something serious. Oh well, at least we're off of that psychic topic... ugh, Amera, stop thinking about it. You'll just get worked up again. Everything's fine, now. "We can fix that. It'll just take some time, probably. And we've got time." "Yeah... we do." She leaned in and kissed his cheek, giggling a little. She was so tempted to push her boundaries for just a moment, but she didn't know what would happen if she did, deciding to rest up against Gideon, instead. Her pillow decided to rumble, though, causing Gideon himself to laugh, "Oh, wow..." Amera started laughing as well, having to sit up on him to hold her stomach. Her entire body was shaking with laughter as Gideon tried to calm himself down. "That...heh, that was awful timing, wasn't it? I haven't laughed like that in a long time...sorry about that." She still couldn't contain her laughter, but was calm enough to try and talk a bit, "that's... ha ha, that's okay. You need a laugh like that sometimes... but," she cleared her throat, her laughter ceasing, "they sure are taking a while with that food, aren't they?"

Adrian

"Like I told you on the mountain, just be patient and have some faith, OK? It's not like I'm doing this on purpose you know...." "I know, I know. And I will. I trust you, alright?" He was alright now, as upset as he had been moments ago. She's right... I've just gotta have a little faith in her. Besides, it's not like I'll die if we don't. I can be patient. "And, look, that was real magic, but they were just putting on shows out there. I guess you wouldn't really care to know how to manipulate mana like that though..." "Well, I might. It sure looked like they were having fun, and, hey, they were making money out of it as well!" It'd be nice to have something like that to make money off of, if we were seriously strapped. "... and speaking of which, I do have another present for you..." She took off the sword, and he gladly took it from her, happy to actually have a weapon back. "Don't think I'll need this anymore, you'll want it I think, but I don't think that's gonna be good enough for ya. So, hold the blade out, flat on your hands, and I'll give it a little 'oomph'. If you say you're any good with a sword, this will make you even deadlier." He grinned, and quickly did as she said, holding the blade out. Maybe I'll actually be able to hold my own in a fight, now.

"Sorry Ell... I can call you that, right? Anyway, I guess he's got something planned for the two of us for tonight. I'm really sorry, didn't mean to make an offer I couldn't hold up..." Great, gonna have to deal with Carrion later... "Er... yeah, sorry about that. I just think it'd be nice for us to have a little... well, a date. Sort of to celebrate her getting her power back? Sorry if I've offended you, there." Well, not really sorry, but I'm not going to be smug about it. There's no point to that. "Just meet us at the inn next to the north gate at night, OK? We can hopefully talk about plans then when we got everyone else with us." "Yeah, that. That sounds like a good idea."

Edited August 9, 2011 by seph1212

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon

"Gideon, what's so funny?" He shook his head. "It's nothing," he told her. "Don't worry." When she kissed his cheek, he resisted the urge to kiss her properly; at the rate they were progressing, there would be plenty of time for that once they broke that boundary. He didn't want to scare her, at any rate.

He was a bit relieved when she began to laugh with him, and, of course, he only laughed more as a result. It's a rare woman that can laugh with you at the noises you make. "that's... ha ha, that's okay. You need a laugh like that sometimes... but they sure are taking a while with that food, aren't they?" "Let 'em take their time," Gideon said, shaking his head. "They've got festival-goers to deal with. I can wait...three more days before we have a major situation. In the meantime..." Grinning mischievously, he put his hand on her ear again. "I'm not stopping unless you tell me somewhere else to put my hands," he taunted, kissing her forehead before beginning to scratch. Hopefully she doesn't make too much noise. That'd deter anyone bringing food up...

Melanie

"I ain't asking you to fight, girl. If you got hurt, or worse, killed trying to help me out, that'd only make things worse. Not to be selfish, but I'm not gonna tolerate you helping in that way if you're not all there on the field. Take that as you will." Mel just shrugged - he had given her a pass to avoid combat, so why not take it? "... No, never had one. Not a serious one, anyway. After all, I'm pretty much what you see here, a broken man out for blood because some witch threatened to kill me and my family. I WISH there was more to me than that, but you know what, I think I've gone far beyond the point of no return there. It's... pretty easy to throw my life around in the wind since I've got that mindset, ya know? Some might think it's sad, but hey, they got futures, of course they'd think it's sad. Me? My future died 6 years ago when my best friend was taken away from me. I just... gave up, I guess... Fuck!" He kicked his bag, causing Mel to jump. She eyed him warily, her arms stiffly at her sides as she tried to figure out if he was entirely sane. His story was sad and moving and all, but for him to lash out like that...He better not get that way with me, or I'm installing spikes onto the inside of his boots. "Forget what you just heard, it'll be better for both of us."

Mel shook her head fiercely. "Fuck no," she said sharply, putting her hands on her hips. "You expect to pour your soul out to a girl like me and have me just forget it?" Leaning in towards Grant, she wagged a finger at him, her eyes sharp with anger.. "You aren't the only one who's lost people, okay? My entire family disappeared because they didn't feel like paying tribute to some fat fuck merchant with a giant ego. Be happy you even have the means to get your revenge, because I don't." Her voice became bitter as she spoke, and her hands balled into fists. "No, I'm going to be a girl who plays with metal all her fucking life because I don't have enough money to go after him. So I just have to grin and bear the fact that he stole everything - everything from me and from my parents, who never did a damn thing to him! And you have the fucking balls to treat me like a child, to tell me I should just ignore everything you just said? Well, fuck that, Grant!" she snapped. By now, she was trembling. In a desperate attempt to calm herself down, she took a deep breath and held her hands out in front of him. When she spoke again, her tone was a fair bit calmer. "Look. I know where you're coming from, alright? But you struck a nerve today. Don't you dare brush me off again, Grant." Impulsively she threw her hands in the air again. "But if you want to, fine. I don't care. The hell should I know about loss?" she grumbled sullenly as she looked out the window again.

[Zsword]

Ellandra nodded with a sigh... she didn't have anything better to do now, except wait for the next explosion in the festival to send a handful of people to the infirmary, so she started making her way to the Inn already.

Zwool found his way to the camp, and was disappointed to realize that well, no one was there. Deciding he had nothing better to do he went back into the town and started heading toward the Inn... He didn't want to get to separate from the group, and Amera and Gideon were the only people he knew the location of. (Hopefully)

[Nanami Touko]

"Let 'em take their time," "Awww, but I'm hungry right now." She whined a bit, ignoring how busy the inn really was. "They've got festival-goers to deal with." Yeah, I guess, but we paid already... "... I can wait...three more days before we have a major situation. In the meantime..." In the meantime...? Gideon, what are you scheming? His smile was... entertaining, to say the least of it, so she just smiled back. This was, until she realized his hand was shooting for her ears, unable to stop him in time. Her reaction was as expected, a small moan and her body collapsing against his. Ooohhh, you're so mean, Gideon! "I'm not stopping unless you tell me somewhere else to put my hands" "Wh-what? Th-Thaaaaaat's so mean, Gideon~!" She continued to squirm, as much as her body would let her, under his scratching. At least it felt nice, but he wasn't going to stop until she told him to put his hands elsewhere. Of course, her mind went to the wrong place, and she blushed. "W-Weeeelll... where do you want to put them~?"

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

Taking a very deep breath, she put her hands on the blade. "Now hold it very still here..." She began to chant and inscribe runes along its surface, the trails red like hot iron for a moment. The process take barely a minute long, and when she was done, she sighed happily. "Now, before you go trying this thing out, I need to tell you how to harness its energy. It's not difficult, even a dunce like you can do it, it's just simple willpower at this point. Also, don't you fucking dare cause a ruckus with this thing, or I will take it back OK? Power isn't a plaything!" It was nice to be bossy again for Carrion. "But enough of that, put that away and let's go enjoy our 'date', shall we?" She tugged on his arm to move, smiling all the while.

Grant

"I wasn't competing. If I were competing for pity points here I would have embellished my past a little better. Excuse me for trying to give you a better perspective of where I'm at on this whole thing." He was not liking this turn of events, wanting so much to just get off of the coach and walk the rest of the way there, but he already paid and they had to be more than halfway there anyway. "And just so you know, it's shit like this that has kept me from having a girlfriend. I strike nerves with everyone, or else they strike my nerves. Sure, asking to forget what I just said is a bit ridiculous of a demand, but you know what? I didn't mean to tell you all of that. Bah..." He looked the out the back end, watching the ground flow beneath him. "For what it's worth I'm sorry. Didn't think you'd explode on some gimp like me."

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon

"Wh-what? Th-Thaaaaaat's so mean, Gideon~!" she squealed out as he scratched her ear. That was a guilty pleasure of his: he loved it when she made so much noise. Usually she was so quiet when they were alone, so it was a nice change. He didn't think much of the condition he had given her. Ideally, it would just be an easy reason to keep scratching her ear. "W-Weeeelll... where do you want to put them~?" That took him off guard, so much so that his scratching slowed for a moment. If you actually want to play this game, we can. "No fair," he chided, keeping up the scratching. "You can't ask me where I want to put them. You have to pick."

Even if he wasn't expecting it to go very far, it was a fun little game they were playing; still, he had to be sure that she was okay with it. His hand stopped for a moment, stroking the fur on her ear instead of scratching it, and he looked right at her. "This will only go as far as you want it to," he assured her. They had moved pretty quickly in their relationship to this point, but that didn't mean he had to push it further. Of course, he could still tease her. With that in mind, he went right back to scratching. "You like this anyway, though," he quipped as he scratched. What? It was true.

Melanie

"I wasn't competing. If I were competing for pity points here I would have embellished my past a little better. Excuse me for trying to give you a better perspective of where I'm at on this whole thing." Excuse me? Are you serious right now? If you had both your legs... "And just so you know, it's shit like this that has kept me from having a girlfriend. I strike nerves with everyone, or else they strike my nerves. Sure, asking to forget what I just said is a bit ridiculous of a demand, but you know what? I didn't mean to tell you all of that. Bah..." "Well, you did," Mel said flatly, folding her arms. "I don't care what you tell me, or what you don't. But don't assume you can't trust me with it when you don't know anything about me." She sighed. "That's all I was trying to say, alright?" "For what it's worth I'm sorry. Didn't think you'd explode on some gimp like me." "Nah, don't be. I get that a lot." She rolled her eyes and smirked at him. "Not very ladylike, I know. Far as the girlfriend thing goes, you're probably safe around me. I'm hardly fetching. Plus there's that whole I-scream-at-people-over-small-shit thing." With a wide grin, she leaned over and slapped him on the arm before sitting back up straight. "If you were missing that arm, I'd probably shout you down worse!" He's got a troubled past, too! Maybe that's the key to his soft side...this just keeps getting cooler and cooler! "How long is this ride anyway?" she asked, leaning to one side as if to see the driver. "This seat's not being very nice to my ass..."

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian

His eyes watched in wonder as runes and other magical symbols began to dance across the blade, embellishing it with fantastic designs. It became hot, but for a moment, not actually harming his hands (like he could feel much with them after all the damage they'd been through). "Wow... That's pretty incredible, Carrion..." She went on to explain how easy it would be for him to use, going as far as to call him a dunce, which made him chuckle, and give her a smile with a cocked eyebrow. "Dunce, am I? I didn't think someone as smart as you would go and fall for a dunce. Give me some credit for not being completely stupid." Great comeback there, Adrian. Glad to see you're just full of snark, today, aren't you? He was cursing his lack of creativity, as she started to tug on his arm, urging him to go on their little date. He shot his smile back at hers, and started walking, "so, like I said before, I have no idea where a good restaurant would be, especially in the midst of this festival. I know you told me to choose where we go, but keep an eye out as well, okay? It'll make it easier on the both of us." He walked out of the building with her, starting to look around for some place to eat.

Amera

"No fair." No fair? Oooohhhh, you! He really wanted her to say where his hands were to go, which only made her blush more. Her mind was still taking this the wrong way, which had her wondering desperately, m-my chest, or my butt... can't I have neither? His scratching was almost driving her crazy, enjoying it all too much, her body fidgeting and her vocal cords purring out her pleasure. He did stop for a moment, giving her the chance to look up at him, "This will only go as far as you want it to." She would've sighed a happy sigh if she could, simply doing her best to nod, instead. "You like this anyway, though." And it was back to scratching, another moan from her before her body settled back down into a state of relaxation. "A-About thaaaaat... I d-don't really mind if they... your h-h-h-haaaaands, go a bit... l-lower." She struggled on the words, but got what she wanted to say out. She just hoped he took it the way she had intended it, her face still red.

Edited August 9, 2011 by seph1212

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

"Pfft... I fell for you because you were there! If I had known what I was getting into beforehand, I woulda picked Zwool! Ahaha!" Giving him a light jab to the shoulder, she smiled at him. :Oh come on, kid. I ask you to make a decision and you default to the 'Oh I don't know this place very well' routine! Gah, FINE, what are you in the mood for? Gruel, pasta, meat, what?" Carrion knew that she could go for a nice cold drink right now, but she really wanted Adrian to start making some decisions. "Come oooon, it's not that hard, just say one of em and we'll go, or you could flip a coin, or or... we could just skip it and grab a drink? Hell, just make a decision pleeeeease!"

Grant

He made an attempt to try and lighten the mood. "Not very ladylike? Eh... With those assets ya got right there, I figure most people, well... men anyway, they'd find you rather fetching no matter what. Maybe a little cleaning up would do you some good there, if you're looking anyway. As for the yelling over the smallest thing? I figure that's just some sort of thing women do. Believe me, you ain't special for that!" He started laughing, not really caring how she'd take all that, but he knew he was having fun now. "As for how long, eh..." He looked out the front to see a city rising up from the ground seemingly. "Well the city's in sight at least. I guestimate another few hours, so get comfy or something."

[CT075]

Teis

Aaaaand they were done. Adrian had blood all over his clothes, and Carrion... well, she seemed a lot more like the person Ormis had described her as. She had a new light around her, a happier one. Not to mention a renewed air of danger. Teis, being restless (and being himself, that is, very protective of basically anyone in the group) followed at a bit of a distance. He made no effort to hid himself, but he made a point of being far enough away that it could be passed off as a coincidence.