Abysmal Souls Chapter 5

[Rapier]

Weeks ago, after hearing from this master that his new goal would be to travel around the world and gather experience and knownledge, Rine thought a lot about where he should travel to. He didn't find North as attractive as the other countries that lie to the East of Shuthra, so, at least, he had in his mind that his destination would be East. Now the question was where to go, to Astarte or Lushira? Those two were appealing to him, but he knew that Lushira was almost impossible to reach without fighting. Their relations with Shuthra weren't the best, and maybe they would think that Rine had something to do with witchcraft. "Well, maybe I do have something with witchcraft. That tome my master gave me generates wind, so, isn't Witchcraft classified as something that is created from nowhere? At any point, it'd be best if I avoided going East. So, North-East it will be.".

Rine had little to none information about the Astarte Empire. He knew that something was going on there, but not exactly what. "I don't need to think so much about it right now. I can get more info as I go to the east. I mean, they are -close- to Astarte, there must be something they know.", he thought, while analyzing the map on the table carefully. If anything went wrong, he could head North instead. "No reason to ponder about it so much". Thus, the young mage decided to head to Pravna first, in order to attend to the magic festival, and then think about what else to do from there.

Then, he finally reached it, after two weeks and 3 days traveling. Pravna was a lot different from his home-town, as if it was ever possible to compare the two of them. Crowded roads, a huge fair, a lot of shops, and much more, even in the noon. He had a tour around the city before going to an Inn and setting out there, preferably the one closest to the festival. He found it absurdly expensive, but still, it was a good deal, as he could rest as much as he wanted and not be late to the main event. It was a long trip from his home, and he had to hurry up in order to reach Pravna in time. The space between the cities were much bigger than he expected, and he was tired from traveling for 5 hours straight, another sacrifice which he doesn't mind anymore. Rine went for his room in order to get some rest and then get ready for the festival later.

Edited September 18, 2011 by Lorddomu

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian

Flat against the bed with a rather domineering Carrion right on top of him, his embarrassment became worse, even though he knew that it'd be pretty easy to roll her off of him. His claim to being normal was assaulted, but she was right. Of course he let her finish before trying his own rebuttal. Not that there was anything to argue against. "Yeah... yeah I died, that's true. I still can't wrap my head around that, you know? And of course I did... to be honest, though, back then I didn't think I had a choice of whether or not to stay with you. My soul's in your book, so I thought at the time that leaving you would... kill me. And I'd already died once, I didn't want it to happen again. It was terrible, so I stuck around. And after hearing your story and seeing you for you-- it would've been terribly inhumane of me to just walk away from you, wouldn't it have been? I couldn't have done that..." There was one thing that he'd sort of caught when she was speaking, which was sort of unnerving him. "... granted so have a few other people, but..." I'll ask her about that in a moment...

"I guess that makes me unique, yeah... So yeah, I'm more than the average guy. Thanks." He smiled, almost having forgotten his blush, but Carrion seemed to have attached herself to the topic, which made him turn right back to the red. "N-No that's fine, you d-don't need to know what's going on in there!" Her hand on his face was even more telling of what he was thinking, which embarrassed him further. "Really, it's nothing s-special, I assure you..."

"Do I have to beg you to tell me? Pleeease Adrian? Pretty pleeease?"

She won't get mad, I'm sure. What's the harm in telling her? And she's so cute! How can I say no to that face? "Uhhmmm, w-well... I was imagining us in the future, right? And, you were in the kitchen, we-wearing nothing but an apron... heh heh..." He hadn't been this red in a while, finding the feeling almost foreign. "That's why I'm so red. I'm sure you don't mind. But, hey, enough about me!" He was back on what he'd heard a few moments ago. "So, uh... don't take this as me being jealous, but... those other times that you've had sex, they were consensual, right?" He tried to sit up a bit, managing to prop himself up on his elbows, Carrion on top of him too much to sit up any further. "I guess we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, I'm just... morbidly curious, I suppose." Maybe I shouldn't have gone there. It might be a touchy subject for her... "Y-Y'know what, forget about it, how about I just run down stairs and see if they've got anything we might be able to snack on, how's that sound?" He really regretted asking, all of a sudden, hoping that he'd be able to sway her onto another topic with some food.

Andy

Alright, think this over, Andy. You like Noel. Langley likes you. Langley and Noel are best friends... you're dead. Yeah, you really are dead. He began to frantically make porridge; something to eat, as he kept thinking of what was going to happen. There's... there's no way this is going to end well for you, there really isn't. Langley probably brought me this entire way because of how she likes me, but... and now there's Noel, and that'll probably hurt their friendship, and from what I heard earlier, it's already pretty shaky at the moment... maybe there's some way I can just disappear and leave them to their lives. Like, slip out the back door and try to get far enough away that they wouldn't be able to... no, that's the coward's way out, Andy. You've... y-you've got to face up to them, like a real man... even if you're still a boy. During his monumental thinking session, the porridge had started the boil over, the hissing of half cooked sloppy food against the heat of the stove waking him out of his thinking. He cleaned it up and turned the heat down, making sure to pay attention, this time. "Whatever happens..." he said, beginning to speak his thoughts aloud, "I've got to face it. I really do... I can't just run away from my problems and think that'll magically fix them."

Horatio

‘I will go home, one day. But not today.’ "Oh, good. I'd hate for you t'worry yer parents like that, Carrie." He wondered what had happened to her serious tone, as she seemed to have settled back down into being calm, smiling. Oh well, if she's feelin' better, that's fine. Not gonna complain about that. Her next comment made him chuckle again, a bit surprised, even. ‘If you had any idea how much I’ve wanted a guy to just say that, for however long it’s been, you’d know I have no qualms with you sayin’ it, Horatio.’ "You don't get boys tellin' you that all th'time? That's nuts! I can't believe they'd ignore someone like you, really. We're still gettin' those glasses fixed, though. Can't have them break on ye." The waiter seemed to be expecting an answer from Carrie, so Horatio motioned for her to check her menu, but she'd taken a small bag of what sounded like money, and placed it on the table. ‘I hope that’s the right price for you to want to see me again.’

"Gahahahaha!" He quickly brought his laughter down to a chuckle, not wanting more stares than necessary for a laugh like that. "Oh, Carrie, please. Don't be so serious all the time, alright? I don't plan on leavin' any time soon, and I wouldn't need payment to stay in the presence of such a wonderful girl. Y'don't have to pay me t'be friendly." He straightened himself out in his chair, his laughter having left him leaning way too far back in it. "Excuse me, miss, but I am waiting on your order. If you would, please." What a pushy waiter, Horatio thought as he gave the guy a side eye. Whatever, the place looks a bit busy, so I guess I can understand why he might be irritated.

Edited September 19, 2011 by seph1212

[ReformBlade]

Unable to help herself, she started laughing. "For real? Oh come now, why are you so embarrassed? But just to make sure I've got this right... You like me in short shorts, you wanna go to the beach with me and see me in a bikini, and you want me to wear nothing but an apron someday? I'm actually quite flattered, you know." Maybe I really am selling myself short...? Or the kid is desperate... or maybe I'm just being overly analytical. "You just wanna see more skin from me is what I'm hearing, and I suppose I could oblige you if you do some things for me which I'll ask of you later, OK?" Unfortunately for Carrion though, Adrian had caught her comment about her being with other people.

"Um... Yeah, about tha-"

"Y-Y'know what, forget about it, how about I just run down stairs and see if they've got anything we might be able to snack on, how's that sound?"

"HEY!" She shouted, which almost startled her. "Look, if you're sorry you brought it up, that's fine, but it's on the table right now. If you don't want to hear about it... I'd like that, to be honest, it's not exactly one of my best memories, but at the same time, I think this question of what the hell happened is just gonna keep coming up for you. And all I have to say is, do you want to get into this discussion now or save it for later? I can guarantee I won't like talking about it, but you deserve to know, I suppose. As I said, it's gonna come up eventually..." Rolling off of him and pulling the blanket up on her, she sighed. "I may be exaggerating it a little, it's not my worst set of memories, it's just... disheartening to think about at times. Also, if you would get something for us to eat that'd be great, regardless of what I just said..."

[Nanami Touko]

"Of course I do! I-I mean, uh..." He had gotten a bit too excited as she listed off what had been brought up about her, getting even more embarrassed at her having remembered all of that. "Of course I do. I think you're beautiful, why would I not want to see more? And I guess I'm embarrassed because... I'm a huge pervert? At least, that's what talking about all of this feels like. You obviously don't mind, so..." His blush faded a little, her mentioning something about doing a favor for her in exchange for... whoa, that's a bit much, don't you think? And it was back, but he didn't mind being red. Not this time. "What kind of favors, Carrion? I can do them right now-- well, I can try to do them right now." He was getting a bit too anxious, and was also hoping that Carrion would just leave the topic alone like he'd asked, but...

"HEY!"

Their flirty conversation had taken a turn that he didn't really want to take, or at least regretted taking, as he shrunk back against the bed. That was a lot louder than... that was just scary, damn... Wide eyed, he watched her roll off of him, her tone serious and solemn. "Alright... Yeah, it would probably get brought back up, and it'd probably be my fault as well... or we'd be talking about your past and it'd slip out." He sat up now, and sighed, calmly placing a hand on her shoulder. "I really hate seeing you like this, so... if it'll cheer you up, we can drop it for another time," unsure if that was the best answer, he added, "unless you just want to get it out of the way, so it doesn't get brought up again." He laid back down and pulled himself next to her, wrapping an arm around her stomach. "I'll get us some food either way, I'm getting a bit hungry. If you'd rather just stay like this, though... that's fine, too." It felt nice, laying next to her, and for a moment, he had wished that the topic hadn't come up at all. He could be enjoying snuggling up to her, instead of feeling a sense of awkwardness that was beginning to worsen.

[ReformBlade]

Her mind in a state of confusion and anger, Carrion turned away at Adrian's touch and wanted desperately to simply ignore him for the rest of the night but she thought against that. "You know what I'd really like Adrian...? To not have to hide my face from damn near everyone. I want to be some normal girl with no real aspirations, simply living from day to day, not expecting some horrible truth to be revealed around every corner. I'd like to be able to introduce myself to people without feeling like I'm simply lying to their face in order to ensure that I won't be killed on sight. I'd REALLY like to have been dead by now, all things considered, and to top it all off... getting into these discussions with you about things no normal person should ever even have to fucking talk about is just wearing me down at this point. I want to explode right now, I want to just set everything on fire, give everyone a true fucking taste of the 'Witch' everyone thinks I am, but you know what? It'd get nothing done, and I'd almost be OK with that. I really, really would be OK with it, because I'd just keep coming back and then everyone else would eventually run out of resources and manpower. Either that or they'd find some way to cage me up like an animal and torture me for the rest of eternity. After dying, being bludgeoned to death, decapitated, limbs severed, raped, beaten black and blue, you name it it's happened, after all of that, I just want to hold my hand up, catch my breath and curse as loudly as I can at the world." She took a deep breath, stopping herself from raising her voice any louder, almost shaky at this point. "And in the end... I've accomplished nothing. Right now and even in my fantasies, I get nothing done. Just... fuck it. I don't want your pity, I don't want your goddamn condolences anymore. If either of those actually helped any, this world wouldn't be such a pile of excrement."

Lying there, closing her eyes and listening to her own breathing, she sighed. "I know... you're trying... but it's too little too late at this point I'm afraid. I hope to the Goddess you find some miracle, Adrian, because I'm not seeing anything hopeful at all anymore." Wrapping herself in the blanket even more, she tried to make herself more comfortable. "Go eat, go to sleep, do whatever. I'm not hungry, just tired. Good fucking night..."

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

‘If you die, I lose a friend. You don’t die today, Ken.’

Her tone is as cold as she has ever made it, yet the message remains as caring as she can keep it. She draws her sword from her side, the long, jiggered backed blade glinting at the jewels in it’s hilt against the light streaming in from broken glass and through cracked glazing. She turns her head to the door, keeping her blade level with the head of the door and letting her clawed gauntlet free of the swords handle, allowing it to rise halfway in a guarded position.

‘Not today.’

---

With a rather heavy sigh, Noel realises after a moment she hadn’t noticed her body slumping against the wall, slipping down it until she hugged her legs and just, well, sat. She glances around a moment and noting no activity bar the chirp of rather annoying seagulls in the distance, wondering. When did she become such a quick to action kind of person? The want to train came pretty much soon after Langley left, the want to fight every time someone raised a voice in hate against her for no reason other then her look. Andy… she’d known for what, five minutes?

But he called her… she shakes her head, a slight sigh echoing that movement from tired lips. Langley. This is a pretty crap way to welcome you home.

---

Langley’s sleep is disturbed, ever so slightly by bird calls in the distance. Not necessarily the intensity of noise, so much, rather her body being used to being woken in the morning by the early day chants of the gulls. When you live relatively close the sea, you get somewhat used to it. She mumbles once or twice, a small exhale coming from her as her body tries to awaken, despite the motion to try and curl within her own cape even more being rather tempting, seeing as it is rather warm…

---

‘I don’t like worrying ‘em either. Despite my dad’s attitude, my mom’s protection, I love them. Always will.’

She smiles too, neither tired nor serious. Just honest for the moment. With a slight curiosity, she actually ignores the small tint in her cheeks, hearing those words.

‘Someone like me…?’

With a slight stare, she blinks, realising suddenly he’s mentioned her glasses. She tugs them from her face, unknowingly exposing her eyes as she glances over the lenses, a small realisation that she may have already gotten, but the effect dawns on her now, making her groan somewhat.

‘…Crap. I forgot about… these may cost quite a bit, lenses are meant to be specialised...’

But with a slow pause at the chuckle, she is hesitant, worrying he’s just laughing at her, for being foolish or childish or-

Too serious. Well, that was from left-field.

‘…You… actually want to hang out with me? You’re not just pranking me or something?’

She is quite genuinely surprised. It wasn’t as if she was like a disease to those around her, or avoided like a virus, but since this journeys start, she’s felt like she hasn’t quite fit in with anyone she has met enough to just be able to hang out with them for more then a day. She has no time to further awe herself at this, having been jolted back to reality by the waiter, a worried glance at his annoyance and hastily opening the back, grabbing a handful of coins and handing them too him.

‘Uh… there, that’s for putting up with my waiting, sir. I’d like… some steak? I’ll pay for whatever my friend here’s having…’

[Caliban of Sycorax]

((Uh what, a post? Jesus.))

Adano

((Eating in silence. Doku, you can think of something!))

Lucretia

((Asleep on her dream man))

Ellandra

She heard the knocking, and wondered who was at her door. She figured the nap would have to wait and instead headed to greet the visitor. As she opened the door she saw Zwool standing there, which surprised her. Last she had seen, he had just up and left.

What is he doing here...? She wished she could ask him.

The Tricky Trio

In silence, Julius and Gabriel moved outside. It was nice out, the sun was setting soon. Gabriel had tried to talk to Julius, but he refused to speak. His desire was focused on one thing only, and he wasn't going to leave until he got what he came for. Cameron, on the other hand, stayed behind, watching the two from the inner garden.

"Julius..." Gabriel tried again to reach him. "Julius, please talk to me."

"Just give it up." Cameron yelled to him, from his position.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Julius snapped finally. "You have no fucking reason to speak, you lowly servant!" Cameron's rage had reached its boiling point. He was seeing red. He drew his blade and charged toward the pair. Gabriel quickly stepped aside, and Julius merely drew his blade, extended the whip, and threw it at Cameron. After quickly flicking his wrist, the whip coiled around Cameron's sword, and Julius tugged hard enough to send the blade out of Cameron's hands and make him trip. Almost as casually as he drew the blade, Julius resheathed it and stood over Cameron.

"Fucking... Asshole!" Cameron pounded his fists on the ground. "We were perfectly happy! Then you came back and his eyes have gone right back to you!" Tears began to fall down Cameron's face. "I loved him, I cared for him, and you just went off and screwed everything up! And again! You're fucking with our lives!"

Gabriel was stunned into silence. His mistake had been realized; he had used Cameron, prolonging his lover's feelings that he did not feel. The truth was, seeing Julius again reminded him of his true love--the love he had felt for Julius.

"And so the truth is revealed." Julius turned to Gabriel. "I'm sorry, I've caused too much pain for you. Your father's dead and here I am, intruding on something that is clearly working for you."

"No--no--Julius, I was wrong." Gabriel exclaimed, "I'm going to give you my backing, and I'm going to help you rebuild your home. For now, you can live here, in one of the spare bedrooms."

Both Cameron and Julius were now silent. Gabriel, noticing the tension, merely headed inside, and tended to the issues with his father, while Cameron and Julius stood outside, merely looking at each other in surprise.

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian

He'd been waiting for this to happen again, as he knew the last time it happened wasn't going to be the last time. And Carrion decided to throw in some extra details about her deaths, which served to make him a bit nauseous. More than a bit, as his mind began to imagine all of it, the bile rising in his throat. Just... don't think about it, don't, don't, please... Pale now, he listened to her, sitting up and letting her lay there with the blanket. It always hurt him to hear her talk about her life like it was pointless, but how could he tell her she was wrong? He'd thought of how to convince her otherwise, but after what she had been through, he didn't know if honeyed words and comforts were enough. And apparently, Carrion thought the same. "And in the end... I've accomplished nothing. Right now and even in my fantasies, I get nothing done. Just... fuck it. I don't want your pity, I don't want your goddamn condolences anymore. If either of those actually helped any, this world wouldn't be such a pile of excrement."

And, for the first time, he felt pretty hurt from something she'd said. Hurt enough to stare threw tear strewn eyes at her form, covered in the bed's sheets. He opened his mouth to try and say something, but the only noise that came out was a small squeak. "I know... you're trying... but it's too little too late at this point I'm afraid. I hope to the Goddess you find some miracle, Adrian, because I'm not seeing anything hopeful at all anymore." "R-Right..." He didn't know how to argue this. He only had promises of hope and that they'd find something; he didn't know if there was an actual solution to her problems, so his choked voice just agreed with her, his arm wiping the foolish tears from his eyes. There was no point in making the situation worse by getting upset, so he sucked back his hurt, and did his best to stop crying. "Go eat, go to sleep, do whatever. I'm not hungry, just tired. Good fucking night..." "Okay... I'll just..." he never finished what he had to say, grabbing his shirt and slipping off of the edge of the bed.

He looked back at her once more before he walked out of the room, pulling his shirt back onto himself. "There was a lounge in the entrance, right?" he spoke absently to himself, thinking about where he could sleep for the night, "yeah... I think there was." He was dead tired himself, but after all of that, he didn't feel welcome around her. Not at the moment, he didn't. She needs time alone, and you need to think of something... we're leaving tomorrow, so... maybe we'll find what we need at that island. Or not, and we can die together. Heh... wow, that's a thought I'd never imagined myself thinking. He slumped himself into one of the chairs in the foyer, which was dimly lit. There was only one attendant at the desk, and they seemed to be sleeping. If someone told him he couldn't sleep there, he'd slink back upstairs and fall asleep on the floor, or something. But at the moment, the chair was comfortable, and he didn't want to wrack his brain with everything that had happened a few moments ago. It would only cause him more worry and sadness, and he only wanted sleep.

So he closed his eyes and tried his best to get comfortable in the chair.

Andy

"Porridge is good enough, I guess... no, I can't complain about that. Food is always something one should enjoy." He sat down at the one table in the room and began to eat, having turned off the oven. His mind was still going everywhere, and contemplating wanting to leave and have neither of them worry over his choice. Wait, my choice? You're acting like Noel already likes you as much, Andy... but she kissed me, but... agh, women. They're so confusing... Of course, he also thought about how attractive women were, and thought that dealing with their confusion was definitely worth it. Or at least trying to. Of course, he was now afraid to leave the kitchen and confront them, wondering how that would turn out, or it would just be even more awkward.

Horatio

"... right, before we get ye those new glasses, we've gotta get ye some new self esteem. Carrie, yer an attractive girl who has no qualms spendin' time with someone they've just met. I wouldn't object. The fact that yer an interestin' person just makes it better. So, chill out about that." The waiter smiled a semi-forced one and took down their orders, mumbling a thank you and walking off. "Geez, what an ass he was. He'll probably spit in the food, er somethin'." As an offhand remark, he mentioned, "oh, and no, yer not payin' fer this, Carrie. I am. Don't try t'change my mind either, I'll just ignore ye." He gave her a smirk and prepared for some sort of protest against him paying, and would enjoy whatever argument would result from that. Gotta wonder how young she is, though... Maybe I'll ask later.

In fact... "Carrie, odd question, how old're ye?" He figured it'd be best to get it out of the way, in case the unthinkable happened later on in the night. He wasn't planning on it, but she seemed... attached, to him. He wasn't that good at reading women, as much as he liked to believe he was, but she seemed, to him, a bit smitten. The thought made him smile inside, as he waited for whatever she had to say about that.

Edited September 21, 2011 by seph1212

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

"Adrian..." The door closed shut and suddenly she felt cold and alone. Afraid, confused, sad and angry, she couldn't stop herself from crying. Why do I do this to myself? Why did I just... Oh Goddess... If you really, really exist, I need help... "So much help... I didn't mean to yell at him and shoo him away, I.... just...." Her voice was cracking, her tears flowing freely into the pillow. I need to go talk to him... or is it too soon? It's too soon, it'd only confuse him more if I just went and... apologized out of nowhere... "Oh dammit..." Goddess, please... please don't make this screw everything up.... please hear my plea, I didn't mean t-to say all of that, I was just angry and confused and flustered and... I wasn't thinking... "Adriaaan..." Burying her face in the pillow, she cried herself to sleep, her voice hoarse and her throat soar from the constant sobbing.

Pralken

Taking a stop so his horse could rest, since it had been running with next to no breaks all day, he decided to rest it up until the morning. "I wonder what awaits me in Pravna...? Does destiny have something in store for me there, or am I just chasing a stupid dream? Ahahaha..." Taking a drink of water from a gourd, he sighed. "Pointless... destiny will happen whether or not I welcome it into my life." He looked to his horse, smiling at the ignorance the animal displayed. "How I wish I could be as carefree as you, steed..." He held up his gourd in a toast. "Truly, you've got the better life. We humans have fucked everything up for you fair creatures, to an almost irreversible point. If nothing else, at least I'm sorry for that." He burst out laughing at himself. Look at me, talking to this animal..."

Aiduen

The inn was packed, but using an excessive amount of Arcen's share of the gift money she secured a room for herself, feeling quite accomplished for herself this night. Of course, she noticed something she thought she'd never see again. "Is that... Adrian?" Her mood brightened immediately, but upon closer inspection, her face was one of concern as she approached him. "Adrian, you look awful... are you alright? Did something happen?"

[Nanami Touko]

He had really wanted to sleep it all away, and wonder if things would be better in the morning, but a rather familiar voice had made that impossible. "Adrian, you look awful... are you alright? Did something happen?" No, that... that can't be who I think it is... He opened an eye, much to his body's complaining, and saw what he supposed was a sight for sore eyes. Aiduen, standing over him, with a pretty concerned look on her face, and tone in her voice. Maybe I need to talk to someone else about this, hah... No, I doubt Carrion would appreciate that... but why should I care? She's been so rude to me, when I've only wanted to help... ugh... He sat up in the chair and tried his best to not look sad. As tough as that was. "Nothing much, Aiduen... sorry, it's just been a long day." That had to have been the most bold lie he'd told in years, but he was sticking with it. I'm not mean enough to do that to Carrion. If she wants me talking to others about this, she'll talk about it first. He was happy that he got another chance to talk to Aiduen, though. He missed speaking to people like him.

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon, Melanie

"You seem... really annoyed by her, Gideon. Is she really that bad?" Yes. "I don't think she is..." Dammit... "sure, she's loud and a bit too hyper, but, well, so am I." Gideon glanced over at her, arching an eyebrow. "Your brand of hyper is tolerable," he said, half-smiling at her as they walked. "And you can't expect me to believe you're as loud as a girl who screams in libraries."

"table for three, now, please!" So much for that. He couldn't really blame her - today had been stressful, and she was hungry. Besides, Mel could probably hear them in here...

The restaurant was as Gideon expected it to look from the outside: plain. Clean, quiet, and dully colored. Gideon took that as a bad sign, but for all he knew the food was good, so he didn't bother noting it. He sat down next to Amera, directly across from the seat that Mel had already situated herself in. She looked like she was enjoying herself, like she knew she was a third wheel (in a manner of speaking) and just didn't care. Trust me, girl, you don't have a chance. It never ceased to amaze Gideon how easily girls could become unattractive when they began to speak. Amera wasn't guilty of that yet; hopefully she wouldn't ever be.

In typical Mel fashion, Gideon's scrutiny went right over her head. She was busying herself with gazing over the selection, which was nothing short of amazing holy shit how am I supposed to pick by the time he gets back this is incredible! Choosing one's food wasn't something Mel was that used to. Usually she just munched on whatever was at hand - which, for the most part, consisted of stale bread - while she was at work. Having the option, or rather, having it so blatantly pointed out for her, was rather novel. It didn't help her indecision one bit, though.

I wonder if they drink...monkey probably does, he looks like the type to drink. "You guys getting ale or anything?" she ventured, peeking over her menu. "I mean, if you do, I will, but I don't wanna be that girl, ya know?" She grinned sheepishly at herself. I sorta do want to be that girl. I wonder what kind of drunk I am...note to self, get drunk some time to see whether I'm a bitch.

Gideon glanced over Amera's shoulder at her menu, not really feeling like opening his own, as Mel's question hit his ears - and sent a chill up his spine. His mind flooded with images of toting two noisy drunken women back to the inn, enduring crowing, shrieking laughs and incoherent babbling from both sides. No...oh, shit, no...Amera, don't you dare.

[Shin]

Aurelio

"So, Adano, what d'you think you'll do after... if we find my sister. In all honesty, I've been chasing ever single lead I could get. Sometimes I use to think I'd be doing it all my life, but this time's different - I can feel it. Maybe we can reclaim Keyes together, it's been a bandit hideout for ages."

Ken

‘If you die, I lose a friend. You don’t die today, Ken.’

"Obelia, I shall not let you down!"

He'd do his best to keep Obelia and Lady Lucinda safe, but he wasn't going to throw his life away. He couldn't do it to Obelia... or Rafael.

The second least subtle group of assassins ever

Fronty had made his way to the window of the room next to him. Meanwhile, Lefty and Righty were right behind the door ready to strike. Now was their chance, the duo crashed through the door, only to face Obelia. It wouldn't be pretty. Armed with shortswords, they liked their chances.

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

‘Hello.’

With a grin, seeing two come through the door, wood clattering against her armour and a cold smile cutting across her lips, Obelia turns her blade, so the flat is facing them, one hand gripping the handle, the other holding the tip, before thrusting the flat into the edges of their blades, pushing them both in an intention of sending them straight back out, backwards onto their asses.

He doesn’t die. She doesn’t die.

---

Of course, when the problems come to the doorstep, it might be time to eat that porridge a bit quicker.

Langley yawns, as having shifted her body fro the chair, her mind as dazed as someone who’d just spun in a dozen circles, she wobbles into the kitchen, still fully dressed, rubbing her eye with a gloved hand. Her other, half open one catches sight of Andy. She smiles a bit and opens the hand rubbing her right eye, a form of wave.

‘Yo.’

She murmurs it with a rather tired yawn added into it, stretching and elongating the word as she heads for the cupboards, a small sigh of delight at the smell of porridge, wondering what else there could be, oblivious to Andy’s turmoil. More just happy he’s here.

---

Noel’s eyes flicker shut, almost as if with Langley awake, she is swapping time with her, drifting into casual sleep. In truth, her sleep the night before was not long, not filled with any hopeful dream. Her parents had slumbered while she had lain in bed, curled tight and wondering on the sight she had seen, of Langley and the then unknown Andy returning. So she falls into a rest, curled to her knees with the sunlight coming in against her fur rather gently. Today has been an odd start indeed.

---

‘…Thank you.’

Carrie’s eyes are rather quiet, her smile a bit small too. But her heart is beating a bit faster, actually genuinely touched by that remark. No one has been this determined to make her feel good since her parents and even then, their attributes sometimes got in the way of this act. Slightly hesitant, she smiles at the waiter and rubs her head, trying to relax a little as she responded to the idea of the waiter being quite an ass.

‘Nah, I shoulda just ordered. It’s busy so I guess the dude just hasn’t got time to stand around and relax.’

With a slight raise of her eyebrows, relaxed once again, she folded her arms and cocked her left brow, tilting her head at him with a smile.

‘Fine, but I get to tip too. You can’t be COMPLETELY awesome this whole time and leave me out.’

She grins, emphasising her completely with a small but rather playful roll of hr eyes. But at his next question, she goes a bit quiet. Hesitant, she wonders if this means he’s… well, going to just go. She realises very clearly she’s being clingy… but after all this, if he just ups and leaves…

‘Nineteen. Sorry if that’s a problem or something.’

---

‘Oh.’

Zwool’s eyes got a bit wide at the door actually opening, seeing Ellandra standing there. He looks to her eyes and wonders why he didn’t notice they were so bright before. Maybe if she can’t talk, she finds other ways to? His question he quells because he knows what he wants to do, his gauntleted hand rubbing the back of his head as he speaks.

‘Uh… I came to say sorry. I… well, over the past day or two, you’ve been treating me really well and ‘cus I was being a bit narrow minded, selfish, I didn’t quite see how kind you were being Ellandra. And I wanted to also say thank you. Thank you, a lot, a real lot. If I could see you again, or something-‘

Wait, am I asking her out?

‘-then I would like to see you again and even though you don’t speak, I um… would like to get to know you more? Uh… yeah. Sorry for coming across… yeah.’

Well, with awkwardness aside, knowing she won’t vocalise a response, he still waits for one, standing there with a sheepish expression, rubbing his cheek hesitantly.

[Shin]

Ken and his "friends"

Two men had suddenly burst through the door, swords a-blazing. Obelia had been quicker than him and already made a move. The two stumbled back a little, her ploy was effective. However, now was not the time to relax, there had been a third bolt. Obelia seemed to be holding her own for now, but she was still at a one person disadvantage.

It soon became a two person disadvantage. Their third member had arrived through one of the broken windows.. Who would send three people to take him down? An enemy of the Urith house? He had to do something, just a little to help. Well, he did have some grasp over fire magic.The problem was that he had never been very good at it, he lacked the passion and anger to wield it properly. He'd have to do his best, even if it didn't do much... for Obelia and Lady Lucinda!

He unleashed a single fire ball. It wasn't particularly impressive, and his aim was way off. It ended up crashing through the window, trailing off into the night sky. The assassins looked at him, probably uncertain why it had taken so long to kill him.

"Well, that wasn't quite as good as I expected..."

At best he had been a distraction, the odds were it wouldn't have caused much damage even if it had hit.

[Nanami Touko]

Amera

Steak, steak, steak... aha! Steak! I'm done. And maybe I'll get some water. That last time... ugh, I doubt I'll ever want ale ever again. She set down her menu and waited, the other two seemingly looked at... huh, I wonder why Gideon's not-- "You guys getting ale or anything?" Amera shivered just a little bit. Oh, no we're not! "I mean, if you do, I will, but I don't wanna be that girl, ya know?" "Nope!" she blurted out, leaning back in her chair, "not going near that, not after that last time. It was fun at the time, but the morning after was just... horrid. Please don't get any, Mel, you really won't enjoy it." Maybe she was being too forward, but Amera hoped that would convince Mel away from it, if only because she'd want to know what happened. It's better than nothing, I guess? I hope she doesn't get to intrusive, if she does start asking. I was... Amera turned red, remembering some of how she'd acted, way too touchy feely.

She then took a moment to glance over at Gideon, who still, to her, seemed annoyed. I really wish she wasn't this annoying to him. She's not all that bad, really... maybe he just doesn't have any patience for people like her. I'll have to ask him what my brand of hyper is, later. Don't quite get what he meant by that... Feeling that they needed some sort of conversation going, she nudged his elbow, "hey, Gideon, why aren't you looking at what they've got? Don't tell me you're not hungry. Come on, pick something." She gave him a light smile, wondering if she could think of something they could all talk about, and that would calm Gideon down. Maybe you're over thinking this, Amera. He could just be tired!

Andy

"Uh, yes, 'yo' to you too, Langley." Oh, this is too awkward. Way too awkward... He shoved whatever else he could from the bowl into his mouth, as quickly as he could without choking himself. He did cough a bit, but as soon as he'd gotten that in, he stood from the table, gave Langley a semi-forced smile, and tried to slip out of the room quite inconspicuously. "I'm just, urhm, going to get myself some fresh air, alright? Need to get some nature into my lungs." Wow, that... didn't sound forced at all! Good job, Andy! Now, just... slip out the front door, and explore a bit. He was actually smiling now, impressed with himself. Maybe that smile would come across to Langley as a good thing, so she didn't pry.

Horatio

"Yes, I can, so watch me," he said with a smirk as she faked a complaint at his gallantry. This is almost too easy. I sorta feel bad fer her... ‘Nineteen. Sorry if that’s a problem or something.’ He sighed inwardly, glad she wasn't any younger than that. He had qualms about being romantic with people eight or so years younger than he was. Good thing she's only five years younger. "And y'don't mind hangin' out with someone as old as me? I'm twenty four, y'sure that's fine with ye?" He gave her what he considered to be a coy smile, wondering how she'd take it. I don't mind givin' her a bit of a tease, though... can't really push it if she gets freaked out. But he was going to push it as far as he could without scaring her off.

Edited September 21, 2011 by seph1212

[ReformBlade]

"A long day, huh... Small world" Sighing and taking a seat, she smiled. "I got into a fight with my brother and I kinda ran off. I feel bad but at the same time, it feels good. Weird to say it out loud, I know.. I mean, I love him a lot but sometimes, he doesn't seem to get that there's a world outside of his own wants and dreams. Not a mean bone in his body, but sometimes he's so narrow minded! Argh!" She had to rub her forehead in frustration. "Haha, I'm sorry... Anyway, what're you doing down here? Were you unable to afford a room? If that's the case, you can room with me tonight or something." A blush went over her face. "Just as friends, you know? S-Sorry if I'm sounding immature with that, but... I just want to be clear on this." She smiled, obviously enjoying Adrian's company. "Which isn't to say that I... uh... nevermind... My offer still stands though! Unless, like, um... you find the seats here comfortable or something... Which is odd... I'm sorry, am I prying too much here?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Ahh..." he blushed as well, not sure if that was the best of ideas. Carrion's extremely upset, and no matter how much she says that she doesn't want my coddling, I can't just... leave her there alone. But... maybe she wants some time alone. But to go as far as to spend the night with another girl? Though, she says it'd be just as friends... "I-I don't know if I could do that, Aiduen... I do have a room here, I just... well, I'm not sure I can really say. B-but... that is a very tempting offer. Just let me think about it, you said you got into a fight with your brother? What happened?" He hadn't met Arcen, but from what Aiduen had told him from before, and now, he really seemed like a selfish twit. Wait... didn't I meet him for a bit when I was talking to her before? I think I did, can't really remember. Must not have been too impressionable if I can't recall him.

"Oh, uh... I don't think you're prying, to be honest. You're a friend, you're just worried something's wrong. I... guess I can just tell you that I got into a fight with Carrion. So I decided to come down here and sleep for the night, give her some time to cool off, y'know? Seemed like the best idea, but now I don't know if I should wait a bit and go back up, or let her be by herself for the rest of the night... any advice? I just don't know anymore... I care about her, you have no idea how much I do, but... it's tough." He sunk his head into his hands and sighed, hoping Carrion wouldn't get more upset at him asking Aiduen for help. It's not like she has to know, but still... I do kinda feel bad going behind her back about this.

[Rapier]

After renting the room, Rine went upstairs as fast as he could, after all he was tired from the trip and felt that his backpack and his tools were weightening on him. Unfortunately for him, his room was the one closest to the end of the hallway. "Of course, who wouldn't want to stay on such a strategic place like this Inn? ... Whatever, just keep going, you'll reach it eventually.". When he entered the room, he noticed how well-spent his money had been; it wasn't the biggest and most gorgeous room in all Pravna, surely, but it made it's job: The bed was simply huge, with a big table and chair next to the right wall; the room had more space than he needed; the bathroom wasn't as small as a bird cage; it was perfect to stay for the night. Without thinking twice, he took his boots out, put his backpack on the table, and jumped on the bed.

Before he knew it, Rine fell into a deep sleep. His dream made him go back in time, when he was a kid, and magic was too hard for him to do anything good with it. His parents always tried to teach him how to use Fire magic, but it was useless. His brother, on the contrary, had an easier time: Their uncle would come each week especially to meet him and tell him more about Thunder magic, which they had a similar affinity that only enforced their bounds even more. He'd spend a long time chatting with his nephew about his life, a life of a full fledged mage and about Thunder magic, raising the boy's spirits everytime they met. When his twin was 7, he left home with his uncle in order to be trained closely by him. Rine's brother was always excited with the idea of leaving home and going somewhere else, he just couldn't refuse such a proposal, even though it would mean staying away from his parents and his brother from a long time. "We'll be far away from each other for a long time... But when I come back, I'll be a very skilled Thunder mage! You'll see!" and then "You'll also try hard to become a Wind mage, won't you? So, yeah, when we meet again, we'll be very different from now... Take care, brother, and never think about giving up!"

And when he finally got to learn more about Wind magic from a master, their teachings were too advanced for him, and he was always abandoned eventually. No matter how much he studied or how hard he tried, the result was always the same. "It's useless, you can't even control the wind as the others in this class. I can't teach you something beyond the basics if you don't even know the basics themselves.", they always said, as if every master he met was a copy of the previous one, only using different words. "No matter how many times I try... Is it really impossible for me? I can't accept it... yet, it's so difficult...", he mumbled to himself, alone, in the darkness of his room. A deep sadness has been born inside him since the day his brother left and left him all by himself, and his lack of proggress just strenghtened it.

It was on that moment that the present Rine's memories merged with the past Rine's, reminding himself that he would become a skilled Wind mage in the future, and that he'd be able to surpass all the difficulties on his path. That thought made the boy smile, and the sadness faded with the dream, as he slowly regained his counsciousness. The second thing he did, after scratching his eyes, was to hold tight his amulet and stare at it. "Master, I'll be forever in your debt for helping me out. Thank you for everything."

Edited September 22, 2011 by Lorddomu

[ReformBlade]

"Oh you... had a fight too...? Gosh, it really is a small world... And well, the fight with my brother was just... It's just me being selfish I guess." She looked around, eventually staring at the fireplace. "He likes to go do everything he wants, not really giving any thought to what I want. So the final straw was when he, admittedly accidentally, knocked me over in the streets this evening. He was off chasing after someone, running around like a buffoon and he bumped into me and made me skid my knees. So, I told him off, walked away... I've just been kinda wandering around town, looking for something that'd interest me, but... haha, I couldn't find anything." Smiling and shaking her head slowly, "I yell at him for not doing anything I wanted and I couldn't find anything I wanted to do... I'm just the smartest person, aren't I? Ugh, makes me wish I had just stayed home instead of running off to be honest... Oh what am I saying, I'm rambling about stupid stuff here aren't I? Are you alright Adrian? That fight must have been something powerful if you're out here tonight, and if it's that bad, I.... probably shouldn't offer you a room. So many mixed messages from that, even though it'd be completely innocent..." She smiled at him but her face was one of disappointment. "Is there anything I can do for you though? Forgive me if I'm being forward here, and I do realize this is intrusive, but... do you want me to go talk to her for you?" She clasped her hands together and waited eagerly for his response. She wanted to try and help him, desperately.

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Gideon, Melanie

"Nope! Not going near that, not after that last time." The last time? She was really intrigued now. "It was fun at the time, but the morning after was just... horrid. Please don't get any, Mel, you really won't enjoy it." Mel smirked and shook her head. " 'sfine. Alcohol just doesn't like some people, I guess." Only now I have to be good... "Um, Gideon, you don't drink, do you?"

"Not often," he shot back rather genially - it helped that Amera had decided not to drink. That was one less concern for him. "Wasn't planning on it now, either." She seemed rather hung up on it, though. Could a girl her size really handle alcohol? Knowing her, she could probably drink me under the table... "You gonna look at us all day, or you gonna pick something?" Then Amera nudged him, as if to point out that he was being a hypocrite. "hey, Gideon, why aren't you looking at what they've got?" "I am," he assured her. "Or I was until you put your menu down." Smirking, he picked his own up with one hand and flipped it open. It took a moment, but he was able to hold it still enough to read it. "You two're getting steaks, right?" he asked absently as he looked over the menu. Outside of alcohol, looks like all they've got is water...so I'm either getting drunk or I'm drinking sewage.

Mel was a bit disappointed that not even the monkey wanted to drink with her, but it didn't bother her that much. He asked something about steak - she wasn't listening. Maybe now I can get some info on Carrion out of them. They'll know her better than Crippled McDumbass probably does. "Yeah, um..." She paused, not sure how to articulate what she was going to say. Do I just ask, or what? Um...think of something, girl.

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian

"Ouch... yeah, that does sound like something to get upset over. I know I would've. I'm sure he does care about you, though, he's your brother. There's no way he's always thinking for himself," and he thought to himself, as much as he wanted to add, I know that I still think about my sister. It really did feel good talking with her, as she seemed to be a lot like him. Most of all he just need someone to talk to to cheer up after that rather painful shot from Carrion. I wonder if she even feels bad about that... maybe she'll just forget about it, or try to move onto to something else... Ugh, am I seriously thinking this? There's no way she'd be that evil... no way.

At Aideun's mention of prattling on, he shook his head, giving her a soft smile. "No, you're not, really. It's... nice to talk to someone, it is. Nice to talk to someone about my problems. And the offer was very nice, really, but... yeah, that'd be really sketchy to her." She's smiling, but... her face, that's... And now Adrian was worried, wondering if he'd said something to upset her. "Aiduen, are you alright? You seem sad. I didn't say something, did I? I'm sorry if I did..." But then she mentioned something that turned Adrian's smile into a bit of worry, almost stuttering in his attempts to say no. "I-I appreciate the sentiment, but, I really don't think that'd go over very well, I really don't... it's not that I don't trust you or anything, I really do, I just... don't think she'd appreciate someone she barely knows trying to talk to them about this... but..." he took a moment to actually think about it, "well, maybe she'd want someone other than me to talk to, so... actually, yeah."

He smiled at her again, not worried anymore. "If you want to see what you can do, talk to her console her, whatever, I think you should go ahead. Uh..." he reached into his pocket quick, and held out the key, "here. Just... if she doesn't want to talk, don't, alright? I'll probably get in shit for telling you that we fought, 'cause I doubt she wants to know that someone else knows, so... I dunno. Tread lightly. I don't think I should go into the room, but I might come up and listen in, alright?" He stood out of the chair and stretched, the hole in his shirt opening a bit. "Oh, and this... gotta get that fixed as well. Can't walk around with a hole in my shirt, can I? Alright, so, try to talk to her, don't push anything, I'll come up and wait outside. Sound like a plan?" He walked over to the stairs, hoping Aiduen would just agree to his idea without much fuss.

Amera

Phew... dodged a bullet there, I did. I don't want to have to deal with a drunken Mel as much as Gideon seems to not want to deal with her at all... And Gideon didn't sound like he was planning on drinking, either, which was both reassuring and somewhat disturbing. He seemed to enjoy those kinds of things, and he could hold his liquor, unlike Amera. She had been doing a lot of heavy thinking lately, which is something she rarely ever did, but at least Gideon was there to bring her back into reality. "You two're getting steaks, right?" "Oh! Uh, right, steak. Rare, please. I want it still bleeding when I bite into it," she said with a rather ravenous stare up at Gideon, realizing her response, and shrinking back a bit, "I mean, uh, I... just prefer it tender...?" Whoa, that was probably really, really creepy. I hope he doesn't think I want to eat him! She shrunk back down to being red, scratched the back of her head.

Until Mel donned a tone that was more serious than expected. "Yeah, um..." "Hmm? Mel, what's up?" Maybe she's going to pry into what I just said... I hope it's not that. Or maybe it'll be more questions about us? I take it back, I see why Gideon gets so annoyed with her, now... Amera leaned her head onto Gideon's arm, relaxing herself until the waiter came back to take their orders.

[ReformBlade]

Aiduen and Carrion

"Yeah... Yeah I know he cares, he's kept me out of danger plenty of times in the past, it's just... Sometimes, and this may even be Carrion's case but I won't say until I see, sometimes... I need to let out my steam, you know? Unfortunately for the both of us, I just happened to let it off at Arcen..." Shaking her head, she sighed, taking the key from Adrian. "Anyway, you got it. I won't push any buttons, I won't force her to talk about anything, I'm simply there to try and calm her down a bit." Aiduen smiled as she walked past him up the stairs, glad to be able to help out somehow, and yet she couldn't shake the feeling of jealousy in her stomach at the whole situation. Walking up to said room, she took a deep breath before looking at Adrian and giving him a nod. She knocked on the door softly and spoke up slightly. "Carrion... It's... It's Aiduen here... Can I come in?" Praying that Carrion would say yes, she closed her eyes and waited.

Stirring in her bed and twisting out of the blanket, Carrion was surprised there was any noise at all. She didn't recognize the voice until she opened the door and saw Aiduen. "...What? Uh... look... ... ... Just.... sure, come in..."

Walking past Carrion, Aiduen waited until she closed the door to talk to her further. "So... Carrion, can you guess as to why I'm here?"

"Well, I don't know... I'm so confused, so frustrated, so angry, depressed, muddled..." Burying her face in her hands, she sniffled. "But I guess it's because of... A-Adrian... I don't even know where he is, he probably left me... probably for the best anyway. I'm volatile, I'm mean, he doesn't deserve the crap I j-just... Ah..."

Putting an arm around her shoulders, Aiduen ushered Carrion back to the bed, "Shhhh... Calm down, Carrion." Aiduen held Carrion until she was ready to speak again, which seemed like an eternity to Aiduen.

"I've tried calming down, but I just keep going back to it. I can't help it. I keep shoving people away who get close to me... but I don't want to. It's just... a gut reaction... I-I... ... ..." Gulping, she wiped her face of her tears which seemed to be endless. "I can't think right now. I screwed up, I ruined something good, and now I get to be all alone again. I suppose it's fair... Maybe I committed some heinous crimes in a past life that I'm paying for now..."

Frowning, Aiduen held her closer. "Come on, it's not that bad, alright? You feel you made a big mistake with what you said. Wouldn't it make sense that you could talk and fix it all up as well?"

"What? Why would he talk to me? Why would he even bother listening to me anymore?!" In hysterics she was losing control of her voice now.

"Shhhhh shh shh shh... Take it easy and calm down, Carrion..." She began ruffling her hair in an attempt to calm her down, which seemed to be working as Carrion's body stopped shaking as much. "If he didn't ever want to talk to you again or see you again or even think about you again, then why would he have been so beat up about this, hmm? I'd say he looked hurt, but he didn't look angry. Not at all, just sad when I saw him."

Sitting there for the longest five minutes of her life, Carrion sat silently, speaking up suddenly in a squeak. "What...? When did... you... How... Are you serious? Are you sure he's not mad at me?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Leaning in and shushing her voice, "He's just out the door, he's scared and concerned, and who can blame him? I won't judge anything you've said, I don't even wish to hear it, it's your business and I won't pry into it, but... Adrian told me about what you said, and he seemed conflicted, and yet at the same time, he just... he wanted to be with you, but at the same time he wanted to give you your space. Quite literally, he was trying to make himself comfortable in a seat down in the lobby here."

"H-He was?" Surprised, Carrion took the new information as a good sign, almost smiling before burying her face again. "... Are you absolutely sure he isn't angry?"

"I can't say. I only saw his face, and I saw no anger. If you want to find out, again, he's here... You can talk to him when you're ready, it doesn't have to be instant, these things need time and you can take as much as you want, I think he'd be willing to wait. From the way he talked about you way back in Lazarynth, I think it's safe to say he thinks you're worth the wait."

"I... alright... tha-thanks Aiduen... This is so random, and yet... I feel much better. That being said, could you give me some time to myself? I need to think a-about all of this... And if it's not too much trouble, c-could you ask Adrian to... to wait a little longer? I still don't feel like I can talk to him right now." She was shaking still, but she was maintaining control over herself now, the tears not flowing as freely as before.

"Of course, of course, I'll tell him. I may be over stepping my bounds here, but I'm glad you're so, well... beat up over this. It says to me that you really care, and I'd hate to see it end between the both of you so quickly and suddenly over a few words said in a fit..." She gave a quick kiss to Carrion's forehead and got herself up. "Anyway, I'll go tell him now. Just take your time here, alright? There is absolutely no rush here." She opened the door and exited, closing it as softly as she could, sighing deeply. "That was... draining..." she muttered to herself. Looking over at Adrian, she had a slight smile on her face. "I don't know if you heard all of it, but... she'd like you to wait for her a little bit longer." Poking Adrian in the chest, her smile widened. "And you'd better wait if you know what's good for you. I'll keep you company here if you'd like, but I'm gonna make sure you're here for her, alright?" Her expression changed to a more serious one, "She's hurting, Adrian. Her face was a mess, she was trembling, her voice was hoarse... she's probably been crying for a while now... So I'm not gonna let you screw this up, OK?"

Edited September 22, 2011 by SlaveKitty

[Caliban of Sycorax]

Adano and Lucretia

"So, Adano, what d'you think you'll do after... if we find my sister. In all honesty, I've been chasing ever single lead I could get. Sometimes I use to think I'd be doing it all my life, but this time's different - I can feel it. Maybe we can reclaim Keyes together, it's been a bandit hideout for ages."

Adano pondered the question for a moment. "Well I wouldn't mind helping you with Keyes. If I'm still alive." He chuckled. "I'm certainly growing older, and ever since the injury Anastasia's given me, I've been far from my prime."

Lucretia stirred slightly, but nothing else. She was still asleep.

"But I'm sure Lucretia will help."

Ellandra

‘Uh… I came to say sorry. I… well, over the past day or two, you’ve been treating me really well and ‘cus I was being a bit narrow minded, selfish, I didn’t quite see how kind you were being Ellandra. And I wanted to also say thank you. Thank you, a lot, a real lot. If I could see you again, or something--then I would like to see you again and even though you don’t speak, I um… would like to get to know you more? Uh… yeah. Sorry for coming across… yeah.’

Ellandra smiled and merely nodded. I wouldn't mind seeing him again. She couldn't do much else, but her face read approval like a novel.

[Nanami Touko]

She gave him a nod, and he gave her a "thanks, Aiduen," as she walked into the room. He felt as if he should've walked in right after her, almost reaching for the doorknob but stopping himself as he knew that Aiduen could handle this. Instead of pushing his way into that situation, he slumped up against the wall, and slid down to the floor, letting his face fall into his hands. "What am I doing? Should I really have brought her into this? Carrion barely knows her, but... maybe having another girl to talk to will help her feel better? I just don't know..." He thought some more to himself, resisting every urge to just walk in and see what was happening, eventually hearing Carrion's voice from inside, becoming worried as she sounded extremely distraught, "What? Why would he talk to me? Why would he even bother listening to me anymore?!" It was hard enough to stop himself from listening in, harder still to stop from barging in, but it was bringing him to tears listening to her like this. Dammit, Carrion... of course I want to talk to you, I want to be next to you, I don't want to fight with you, I want to help you, I... Eventually she quieted down, and so did he, as Aiduen seemed to be doing a good job, from what he could catch of their conversation. He couldn't hear enough to try and think about what they were talking about, sighing and wiping away whatever tears were still in his eyes.

His patience and resistance were rewarded with Aiduen finally coming out, as he practically shot up from sitting. "I-Is she alright? What's going on? Can I see her? Is she mad, I just..." he shot too many questions at her, not knowing that most of them were going to be answered. "I don't know if you heard all of it, but... she'd like you to wait for her a little bit longer. And you'd better wait if you know what's good for you. I'll keep you company here if you'd like, but I'm gonna make sure you're here for her, alright?" "I can wait, I-I can... I can wait as long as she needs me to." He sighed, wondering if that was really all she wanted, but Aiduen had more. Her expression changed as well, which worried Adrian more. "She's hurting, Adrian. Her face was a mess, she was trembling, her voice was hoarse... she's probably been crying for a while now... So I'm not gonna let you screw this up, OK?" "Aiduen..." he smiled at her, but he was still crying, wanting to do nothing but walk inside and be there for Carrion. But you're going to wait... you can't push this, you really can't.

"Just... thank you, really." He couldn't help himself, he hugged her, way too happy that he'd asked her for help instead of trying to handle this himself. But he quickly let her go, afraid that he was being too forward with that, "s-sorry, just... thank you, so much. I can't imagine anyone else would've wanted to help us out like this." He wiped more tears away, holding them back now as he tried to collect himself. "So... what do you want to do? I don't know if the city has anything going on at night, unless you think we should wait here until she's feeling better. I'd prefer to wait, but... I kinda feel like I'm crowding her by being here, like I'm just waiting for an answer right away."

Edited September 22, 2011 by seph1212

[Caliban of Sycorax]

Gabriel

He stood in the room that housed his father throughout his life as a noble. The only thing missing from the room was his father. The body had been picked up and brought to the family's crypt. The formal service itself would be held later, at Gabriel's discretion. He had a lot to do still, contact his relatives. He wondered if he should write, send servants, or go himself.

Tears streamed down his face, both at the loss of his father and also at frustration of himself. Weeping for his mistakes and missed opportunities, Gabriel realized his wrong, and realized he had not only lost his closest friends, but he also lost the love of his life. And now his father was dead as well.

"I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." He muttered through sobs.

Cameron

Not wanting to be bothered with Julius' presence any longer, Cameron left in silence, immediately going into his room and packing his things. Gabriel had betrayed him and Julius had come back. There was no need for Cameron in this home any longer. As for where he'd go, that was a tough call. He wanted out, but he just didn't know where.

Julius

I've got what I came here for, I don't need to stay any longer...

Julius wanted to leave, and he had every intention of leaving. Yet part of him wanted to stay, walk through this place. Relive the memories.

No--why do I want to relive it?! He lied to me. He betrayed me!!

He stood at the door to Gabriel's bedroom, which was left open.

--

"Do you love me, Gabriel?" He asked softly, as Gabriel dressed near the bed, the silhouette of his body moving intoxicatingly. Julius observed Gabriel's body, his movements. He was so beautiful; a living, breathing, work of art. Just watching him make the slightest gesture was amazing.

"Julius, that's such a dumb question." Julius was somewhat offended. "Of course I love you. You are my everything. My sun, my moon, my stars." He kissed Julius on the lips, a warm kiss that could melt snow. His hand ran down Julius' chest, which made him shiver somewhat. It was so smooth, so endearing.

"Good, I love you as well." Julius replied with another kiss, and with it he pulled Gabriel into bed with him. "Now... Where were we?"

--

"No.. No, no, that part of my life is over." He said to himself. "I am... I'm not in love with him--no, I can't be."