Abysmal Souls Chapter 5

[Nanami Touko]

Amera

Things were going a bit better now, everyone finally ordering their food. She took that moment to get as comfortable as she could against Gideon's arm, almost wanting to close her eyes and take a nap while she waited for the food, but that would be pretty rude of her, so she kept herself awake. Mel finally came open to what was eating at her, and it didn't surprise Amera. "Well... we can talk about this, as long as you promise not to get too excited about it. I don't want to get kicked out because you start yelling, alright?" She pulled herself off of Gideon's comfy arm, leaning onto the table. "Right, so... I've never seen her do anything evil, terrible, or otherwise mean to others. She's been a pretty nice person for the few weeks that I've known her, and she's been nothing like what Grant described, except for being loud and a bit obnoxious. But hey, so am I, so I can't really get mad at her for that." She giggled a bit and leaned back, hoping that would suffice for Mel. It probably won't, will it?

"And, well... I don't know whether or not to believe the rumors. She gave me her explanation of what happened, and I don't think I've ever seen someone tear up like that..." She wasn't going to giggle at that, looking down at the table instead. "Maybe she's just a good actor, but... if she is, that was a really convincing act. So I choose to trust her, and so far I haven't seen anything to the contrary. This is really bugging you, huh? I can sorta understand why, but still... nothing went wrong, so you shouldn't let it get to you." And she went back to leaning on Gideon, hoping that would be enough for Mel.

Adrian

"I guess it's too bad we're together then, huh? Maybe you should've tried to kill me a few more times, I might've hated you then. But you didn't, and now we're here, so..." He gave her back a small rub, hoping to calm down the obviously scared girl, even if she was mustering enough for a smile, "don't sweat it. I'm here, you're here, so that's that." Her nervous laugh was a bit reassuring, glad that she could bring herself to even start laughing. That twitch wasn't though, but he didn't stop his touch, hoping she'd get over that soon. He wanted a hug after all this, at least. "What say we just go back up to the room? You seem really tired, and some rest would probably be best." He turned his attention to Aiduen for a moment, "sorry. She just... really seems out of it, and I think sleep would be best. If she'd rather hang around down here, that's fine, I won't object, but, please understand if she does. Sorry for not getting to hang around longer.".

[ReformBlade]

Carrion and Aiduen

"Sleep sounds so good... Yeah, no more talking tonight, just some good old fashioned sleep please..." Exhausted beyond belief, she tried to prop herself up but try as she might, she just wobbled and fell back down on the table. "This.... this'll do..." Snoring almost immediately, `she still managed to smile as her entire body went limp, almost falling out of her chair.

Aiduen caught her as she started to fall, "Whoa there, yeesh... I knew she was tired, but... dang, she's really out of it. Is she... always this bi-polar? You've got your work cut out for you, Adrian, hahaha..." Holding Carrion up a little, she looked at Adrian, puzzled. "So uh, you want me to carry her up, do you wanna do it, or you just want sleeping beauty here to sleep here? Also, please, don't worry about not hanging out... I mean, we'll have plenty of time to do that when we leave tomorrow to go after the witch, riiiight? Anyway, I think I'll just take her for you. Seems pretty small. Nice, you got a travel size girlfriend, you lucky lucky guy you~~" Hoisting Carrion up, she struggled and stumbled until she finally got her footing. The waitress came back but Aiduen explained that they wouldn't be eating tonight, just asking for the bottle to be put on her tab and calling it a night. Taking Carrion up to her room, she place her as comfortably on the bed as she could, tucking her in. A flashed smile to Adrian and a wave later, she went off to her own room. Sleep wouldn't find her for the longest time as she was worried about what her brother was doing.

Arcen

His sister gone, Ormis gone, the words of that rather fine looking girl still looming over his head... He didn't know what to do. Lost and scared like a little child, he wandered into an alley, covering himself with anything he could and tried to sleep. He refused to cry, he refused to admit that he was wrong or that he had screwed up, he simply wouldn't accept it. However, his eyes were welling up anyway, his body heaving slightly as he controlled his sobs and kept quiet.

Grant

Work kept him occupied, but he felt awkward in a place of knowledge and learning. Most of all, his leg kept annoying hm to no end, the feeling returning to it suddenly. He wondered why he felt some dragging when he looked down and saw that his leg had finally fully regrown. Startled, he toppled over into a bookshelf, just barely keeping his balance as he hefted himself up with the help of the shelf. "Ha... hahaha... Wow, it's..." He put pressure on his foot, staring at it in wonder, laughing to himself and holding the crutch aside. He went on his duty of keeping watch, a smile and a new skip in his step and a few odd looks from other workers, wondering why the man only had on one boot.

(You can post for the next day if you want)

Edited September 29, 2011 by SlaveKitty

[Jaybee]

Danyon

"Ow, fuck!"

He'd somehow fallen off his bed, slamming his head and body onto the floor. When he finally decided to pick himself up, it was still relatively dark outside, though the sun was beginning to come up.

What do, what do, what do...

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

‘Andy.’

It’s a simple call of his name, but for some reason however light it may sound; to Langley it is strained, forced through a smile. She finds him on the step and wants to giggle, seeing him look like a rather typically brooding teen. Yet she just smiles, boots echoing against the wood of the porch while she exhales slightly, slumping quietly to the porch next to him. She folds her arms across her legs but doesn’t look at him a moment, not quite finding the heart to, just smiling away.

‘Do you like Noel? As in, like-like?’

---

‘Well, we’ll see. I can make things last. This whole journey is lasting longer then I thought it would.’

She remarks on her trip with a casual tone but some genuine surprise echoes in her head. She hasn’t run away back home, crying. That’s what she feels is the most uplifting feeling; bring a tiny smile to her features as well. She does blink at his answer but chuckles, nodding once as she happily nibbles on another piece, keeping her eating slightly slower so if he changed his mind, she didn’t feel like she’d cheated him of anything.

[Caliban of Sycorax]

And now for the timeskipping of the characters!

Lucretia and Adano

The sun shone through the clouds, drying up the wet ground somewhat from the rainstorm prior. That meant moving again was possible. Lucretia was the first to awake, with enough time to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful, hues of orange and pink coming together to welcome the morning. She thought back to training with her mother at sunrise, not letting the painful memories haunt her again. "It's a new day," she remarked, "and I'm going to enjoy it." She walked back to the camp and noticed that everyone was still asleep, even the horses. It was early anyway, and bandits loved to roam around at sunrise, before everyone woke up. She figured guarding everything wouldn't hurt. The others would wake up soon enough.

Taking her two swords she stood a few hundred feet from the camp, taking some minor practice swings. She hadn't used the swords since the eruption at the guild. She remembered killing two men. Killing was one of the things Lucretia feared the most. Yet, in the past few months, she'd killed three separate people. Most swordsmen would laugh at Lucretia, calling her pathetic and weak for killing so few opponents. In a sense, though, Lucretia was stronger than them, because she was able to defeat many opponents without killing them or causing serious injury. One of the three people she also killed was her mother. Anastasia was one of the deadliest women in the world, having garnered a very powerful reputation despite almost no travel. Many swordsmen from faraway areas wished to challenge this mysterious swordswoman, and yet, none of them could, for her own daughter had taken her life.

As she swung, using a mix of short, quick slashes and long, powerful slashes, Lucretia wondered what kind of a reputation she had garnered. She remembered the arena announcer calling her the greatest swordswoman in Miyako. No one would deny that fact, either--not only did she defeat the greatest swordswoman in history in single combat, that swordswoman was her mother. Swordfighting was in her blood. A little too much, by some standards. Nonetheless Lucretia practiced and practiced, allowing herself to become one with her weapons, her trusted blades of steel. She had owned these blades for almost five years now, and they have never left her side. Few people wielded two blades in combat, and even fewer were capable of performing on Lucretia's level. Yet she knew she still had a lot of learning to do. She barely escaped the fight with her mother with her own life, and even in the arena fight she saw careless errors.

"Teis is a fantastic fighter but... I should have won that fight. It should have been Arcen and I in the finals, and I should have won." She said to herself. She knew that most of the others were surprised at Lucretia's loss, as well. The greatest fighter in Miyako lost to an unknown knight. Yes, he had armor, and yes, he had an axe, but Lucretia was no mere swordfighter. She was strong, she was fast, and if she wanted to be, she was deadly. Anastasia would have not held back. If Anastasia fought in that battle... Teis would have been dead. Lucretia was thankful that Anastasia was not there, yet she knew that she needed to learn something from her cruel mother. "Her ferocity in battle is frightening--she is unafraid and won't back down."

Julius and Gabriel

Julius awoke to a sunrise as well. It was captivating, and gave him a new hope for the future. He was staying in Gabriel's manor for the time being, waiting until his home could be rebuilt. The night before the pair had written a letter to the ruling class of Lushira, explaining the situation and requesting Julius' title be granted back to him. Because he had not lost it through any means, it would be easy to do, and with Gabriel's money and assistance, it would barely affect the national coffers. Lord Kilmore would soon return to the limelight.

As for their relationship, Gabriel continually tried to explain his faults and prove to Julius that he was madly in love with him. Julius refused to listen to Gabriel any longer. He reminded Gabriel he was here for one purpose only, and that was to receive help and backing on his journey to regain his nobility. Anything that had happened between the two beforehand was personal and Julius was not there for personal reasons. In fact, he mentioned, very callously, that if it were up to personal feelings, he would've bypassed the Sarson manor.

Gabriel, on the other hand, had been awake for a while. He couldn't sleep, with the loss of Cameron and Julius informing him his intentions. Gabriel was a man who adored affection--so much that he couldn't bear to be alone. He had alienated the two men he had loved more than himself, and his father had passed on, all in one day. His siblings were all on their way home for the services and arranging the inheritance. Gabriel was to keep the house--and the new title of Lord Sarson. Yet that seemed to be the only thing he would be keeping. His siblings were going to divide everything amongst themselves and Gabriel would get the scraps, if there were any left. He was somewhat furious at his siblings' arrogance. He knew in his heart that they were waiting for the old man to drop dead so they could collect their due and cut themselves off from the family permanently. He never understood their reasoning. Their father was a kind and generous man, who gave to charities and worked to assist those in need. His siblings couldn't care less, apparently.

That was when it hit him. He knew what he could do. He ran to Julius' room and hoped he would be on board with the idea. After all, he had a powerful weapon at his disposal. Kill his siblings, keep it all for himself, prove his father's good name would triumph over all.

Ellandra

Ellandra didn't wake up to the sunrise, nor did she wake up early. In fact, she woke up quite late. She spent her night thinking of the events of the days prior, specifically about Zwool's involvement in them. He certainly had changed drastically. From storming around with a volatile temper to being a giddy yet nervous schoolboy like person, she wondered what had prompted the sudden change. He seemed to be excited that she was willing to spend time with him, yet she was wondering if he'd go back to his more volatile state. She wished she could express herself yet she could not speak. This would prove to be a problem. Nonetheless she was excited to see Zwool today, they were going to go on a nice stroll through the town. The magic festival was over; at least the largest portion of it was. There would be minor things and cleanup, mostly. It would be interesting to see the transition from festival to everyday, humdrum life. Ellandra was excited for the possibilities of the day.

Cameron

Unlike Ellandra, Gabriel and Julius, Cameron did not sleep in a bed that night. And unlike Lucretia, Adano, and Aurelio, he didn't sleep near a fire. Thus Cameron awoke shivering, despite the sun being out and it being of moderate temperature. He also awoke crying, in the same state of mind he went to sleep in. He was crushed, after the betrayal he had faced. He almost felt sorry for Julius, because he knew somewhat about how he felt when he saw Cameron and Gabriel in bed together. Yet, at the same time, he cursed Julius under his breath because he was the cause of Cameron's current sadness. Had he not returned, Gabriel and Cameron could continue on as normal, two lovers wrapped in their own euphoria.

He got up slowly and dusted himself off. He didn't bother too much with logistics of where he was, he just wanted to keep walking. Somewhere... somewhere far away... away from Gabriel, away from his memories, away from the pain.

Meanwhile, in a mysterious place....

"Have you brought it?" He works quickly, gathering all of the materials he may need. His movements are somewhat erratic, yet he moves with a purpose. His purpose is unclear yet it is sadistic in a sense.

"Yes, I have it right here," the servant, equally sadistic, places the large sack at the master's feet. The master smiles and rips it open, laughing hysterically at the contents.

"Perfection! Absolute perfection!" He stares at it, taking in the beauty of the object. "This... this is what we may need to achieve what we want."

[Shin]

Aurelio

He'd probably fallen asleep talking to Adano. The morning sun was incredibly bright, the rain had subsided, Stretching, he looked around. He spotted Lucretia, she was probably practicing, Adano was stilling sleeping. Grabbing his clothes, he got up. Pravna was less than a day away. If he could find Lunaria, his search would finally be over. Maybe then they could move onto Keyes. Who knew...

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

Ken

Unfortunately, Obelia hadn't been able to convince them either. The authorities took the goons away, advising that Ken left the area - for his own safety. It wasn't that simple, Lucinda had still not awoken, leaving her would be selfish. He had to sleep on it. Maybe the morning would reveal the path he should take.

Before he got up in the morning, a messenger had arrived at the inn, with a letter for a Ken van Lirio.

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

The mighty Oshea

The night had been terrifying but his luck had pulled through. Of course, it was never luck with Oshea, just his own brilliance. He had made his way to Falanoon. Not quite as far as he wanted to be, but still a respectable night of travelling. In the early morning, he had checked into an inn. When morning came, the fire of his passion burned brightly, he needed to find men for his task. Strutting into the bar, he spotted a rowdy looking group, all armed with various weapons. His smile widened;

"Looking for work, gentlemen? I'm willing to offer you 100 gold pieces each, all for one little task."

He had the money with him, his schemes had made him quite wealthy - at the expense of others of course. There were six of them, it wouldn't set him back that much. What seemed to be the leader stood up, grinning with the same greed as Oshea.

"You got yaself a deal, mista fancy pants. Just tell us what we're afta!"

The goons all cheered, thrusting their weapons into the air. Oshea clapped, he had gotten good at playing the commander.

"Very good, I'll hire all of you. Our target is the Crimson Witch... you can back down if you like. I understand that you might not want to risk your lives."

"We'ull do it, just tell us who to chop!"

They all cheered again. Oshea laughed to himself. People were so easy for him to manipulate.

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian

"Lucky, yeah. Lucky to have her..." He made no motion to stop Aiduen from carrying Carrion up the stairs, just following along with a smile. He couldn't stop that smile, too happy for the resolution to this mess. He'd sleep easier knowing that Carrion wasn't bawling her eyes out back in their room. So as Aiduen left them there, waving them both off with Carrion collapsed on the bed, he gave a final sigh of relief, before collapsing right next to her. He wasn't going to bother getting undressed, only bother with sleeping.

And he slept well, his waking up quite pleasant as he sat on the bed, looking over at the person he cared the most for. Still sleeping, huh? Gotta try to not wake you... The bed shifted as he got off, silently groaning as he hoped it didn't wake her. The floor cooperated and didn't creak as he made his way over to the washroom, and he shut the door as quietly as possible. And now he changed out of his clothes and stepped into the shower, wanting the water to wake him up. We're leaving today, right? Man... it feels kinda weird. I was almost hoping we wouldn't have to go anywhere, and could just relax here, but... I guess not. He wasn't as worried about waking her up anymore, assuming the shower had done that already. If not, he'd get to her afterwards.

Amera

Mel seemed okay with her answer, and the food came right after that, so she dug into it and ignored everything else that went on until she had finished. And then they left, and were surprisingly quiet. It almost became unnerving, but being with Gideon that night wasn't. Mel kept almost quiet, the weird question popping here and there, and a rather awkward moment occurred when Mel plopped onto the bed next to a cuddling Amera and Gideon. But otherwise, she enjoyed the night, glad that she hadn't had anything to drink. It stopped her from wanting to be ridiculously perverted.

The morning after was also one hundred percent enjoyable, though. She'd woken up next to Gideon, crawling on top of him and smiling. He was still asleep, and she was hungry. Deciding to get some food before anything else, she stepped over the Mel on the floor and walked out of their room, seeking something to eat downstairs. It was certainly early, but she didn't mind, she just wanted food. So wandering into the kitchen, she found herself an apple, sat down, and chewed on it contently. Maybe Gideon and Mel will come down soon... that'd be nice.

Andy

‘Do you like Noel? As in, like-like?’ "I..." You're psychic, and that's really not fair, okay?! "... I can't answer that. I'm sorry." He looked away from her, embarrassed, confused, wondering how she even guessed it right. There were a lot of questions running through his mind at the moment, and none of them had an easy answer. So he sat there and waited for an unsavory response, bracing himself for some sort of hit, for pain, for anything.

Horatio

‘Well, we’ll see. I can make things last. This whole journey is lasting longer then I thought it would.’ "Let's hope it lasts, then..." His soup finished, he let her finish before paying for their bill. And then, being the gentleman that he was, led her back to his room. He was surprised that no one at the hotel gave him a weird look for bringing a girl in that was obviously much younger than he was, but he wasn't going to be disappointed by that. "Right, Carrie," his voice began as he entered the room, "you can either sleep in that chair," pointing at the one in the corner, "on the floor, or with me. Though I doubt you'll want to choose the third option. As for me..." he stopped as he let himself fall onto the bed, "I'm getting some rest..." A part of him hoped she'd collapse next to him, but he wasn't counting on it.

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

Stirring in her bed, the sound of rushing water woke her up. Her eyes opened slowly, vision steadily coming back to her. The pillow still felt wet to her, bringing back memories of the night before, making her hug it all the more tightly. "Why...?" Voice cracked, muscles tense, she asked a simple question she had no answer to. She didn't even know what she was asking about. Why was she in the room? Why did Adrian not lash out at her? Why was she so worried about everything? Why was Aiduen infatuated with Adrian? None of it made sense to her, and it only made her feel more vulnerable and tired. It was only now that she realized she was actually back in her room, unable to tell the time of day, but she assumed it was morning. "Am I back in my room...? I thought I was... uuugh..." Sitting up in the bed, she drew her knees up to her chin, covering herself in the blanket, simply trying to process the current happenings. And then it hit her, "I've got to head out today, without a doubt... And Elandra, where is she? I should have told... her... why do I keep messing up perfectly good things?" Eyes half closed, she stared blankly across the room. Crying wasn't going to help her, and Carrion had cried enough for a while.

Aiduen

Waking up, she looked out the window and groaned. Plopping herself back down on the bed, she complained, "Too earlyyy..." Falling back asleep, she kept tossing and turning due to her brother.

Grant

Dressing himself for the day's journey ahead of him, he couldn't stop marveling at his leg. It was just as he remembered. The feel, the the touch, it was his old leg, reformed. He couldn't quite believe it, and yet, thee it was, right in front of him. Unfortunately, he hadn't kept a spare boot to use for it since he didn't expect it to regrow, let alone that fast. Figuring he should go and get that problem fixed, he looked at the room he was in and his mood worsened on the spot. "She's still... Gah, women... I swear, they cannot be reasoned with, and yet... I can understand why she'd be that way..." He began fiddling with the scraps of metal on the floor, the few that remained, and got lost in thought. He didn't like the sudden stop in his day, so he stopped thinking. "What's done is done. I can see it, and now I can move beyond it. So simple..." Picking himself up and taking the satchel of gold he earned from last night, he made his way to the blacksmith, surprised to actually see smoke billowing out of the chimney this early. "Well, I shouldn't be all that surprised, I expected it since I was going here anyway, right?"

Ignatius

The mountains were home to Ignatius for as long as he could remember, a place he could find refuge in in the most dire of circumstances, a place he could outwit any opponent no matter the size or threat. He viewed all of nature as his home, as such, Lushira's mountainous landforms were no exception. "Wyverns above, soldiers below... This isn't a patrol..." Snarling, he picked at his teeth, "What is the lady thinking? Surely she must know that violence does not beget the Goddess' 'chosen' people? Something is wrong here..." Thinking to himself, he wondered what his friend would have thought of the current situation. "This is war they're looking for... Can they stand to start up more hatred? More bloodshed? Dianeira... I hope you know what you're doing, because this isn't like you... Ever since those apostles showed up, you've changed..."

Edited October 3, 2011 by SlaveKitty

[Nanami Touko]

He didn't really want to get out of the shower, enjoying its relaxing feeling after the previous night's hardships, but he knew that he'd have to leave soon. And that he wanted to make sure Carrion was alright. I'm sure she will be, really... we sorted it out last night, right? She knows I'm not mad, everything's fine. Sure of himself, he quickly dried off his legs and threw his pants back on. He draped the towel over his shoulders instead of drying himself up top, wanting to get back into the room rather then spend more time drying himself off. Why am I rushing? I'm... I-I'm not worried, I should be taking my time. She's fine, so... but he was worried, more than he knew. So as he opened the washroom door and caught sight of Carrion huddled up against her knees, he knew that everything wasn't fine.

"Carrion? What's wrong?" He wouldn't push his luck, sitting himself down on the side of the bed, instead of jumping her with a hug, as much as his body wanted to. "Sorry, you just seem a bit zoned, I'm wondering if... you're still worried about last night." Let's just get right to it...

[ReformBlade]

So lost in her own little world, she didn't feel the sudden shift in the bed when Adrian sat down, caught off guard but not visibly by his presence. "Hm...? Oh. Yeah, you guessed it." Rubbing her face on the blanket, she shuddered. "I try and I keep failing, and life goes on. I've been trying to be the damned best I can be, and I can't measuer up to my own apparently impossible standards." Smiling, she was feeling oddly happy about this. "So... I think... I need to stop. Stop worrying, stop fighting every single little thing that's going wrong, I need to stop myself from going with my negative gut reactions, I need to stop acting like I'm the one who is right, and most of all, I think..." Her eyes still opened lazily, she stared right at Adrian. "I need to stop pushing away cute guys who can't seem to get enough of me." Throwing her body at Adrian, she wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could. "Why push you away when you're so much better up close like this? And besides, who else is going to carry all of my belongings, listen to me moan about my day, complain about life, and generally deal with my bitchiness as well as you can ? I just feel... so... so bad about yesterday, but it happened... I can't change the fact that it happened, but I can change how I can deal with it, so... what do you say?" Her hand began to ruffle Adrian's hair, pushing herself closer to him in the meantime. "Water under the bridge?"

[Nanami Touko]

Wow, seriously? This is... this is good. Her reaction had made him feel like all of his pushes and pep talks had made some sort of impact on her, somehow made her change her views on life. She went on about how she wanted to change, and he couldn't stop getting happier and happier. Has she really realized all of this? I can barely believe it... Maybe we should fight more often, if this is what happens. This is great! But then she paused, causing him to lean in and wonder what she was going to say. "I need to stop pushing away cute guys who can't seem to get enough of me." By leaning in, he wasn't expecting her to force herself onto him, falling back against the bed as she jumped him. But he appreciated the notion, hugging her back with a bit of a chuckle.

Her obvious sarcasm wasn't as obvious as it should've been to Adrian, as he knew she'd probably make him carry all of her things, at least. Listening to her whine wasn't that bad, he was used to it. Something new: She tussled his hair, and it made him smile, as she asked a pretty obvious question, "Water under the bridge?" Sitting up with her on top of him, he wanted to laugh, choosing to sigh instead. "It already was, since last night. I don't think you should get so worried over things like this, but I don't want to argue that. Now... you going to let me put my shirt on so we can get going? I don't think we should hold ourselves up here much longer, you know." He kept smiling, waiting for her to get off of him herself.

[Jaybee]

Adonis

It was extremely early when he woke up, the sunlight barely beginning to stream in through the windows.

He made his way into the unoccupied bathroom, turning on the tap. As he washed his face, he added a little coldness to the water, getting himself as awake as possible.

He then left the inn, the streets of the town essentially deserted at this time of morning.

[ReformBlade]

"So we do the job, we don't owe anyone anything, and then what? Frankly, I'm so tired of running around on some wild hunt for something that's always out of my reach, so what do you say about us just... settling down after this? Just you and me living normal lives, normal as can be anyway, but just us living in a house in the city, not waiting for something spectacular but waiting around for sunsets or something, you know? It'd require a lot of work on both of our parts, but I think we'd both enjoy it much more. Or if you don't want to ponder that right now..." A sly grin replaced her smile, "Would you rather do something more... fun?" In a little above a whisper she continued, "The sun is barely out, I doubt the gates won't be open for another hour at least, and... well... I think it'd be nice after last night, dontcha think?" Carrion wasn't budging, her face one of smug satisfaction and contentedness. "If you say no, I'll be honestly surprised here, but if you really don't want to I can cope. I'll just bug you and annoy you until you give iiiin~" Come on boy, don't hold out on meee!

[Rapier]

Rine got warped to the past again, lost in the fake dimension created by his dream. This time he wasn't seeing things as in third person, he had full control of his body and could interact with anything he wanted. He looked around, remembering at first glance where he was and why he was there. Some of the students had the same age as him, but the majority was one or two years older, and they were learning about pushing objects by using the wind. Their teacher was an elitist, asking the kids to push the table to the marked point 7 feet away by using Wind magic. Infact, that was their lesson today; they all had their own table to push, and orders to stay here until it's done. He even brought some of his academic books, bringing himself to read one to pass time as soon as he explained his apprentices how to do it , answering anyone who'd ask him any other question with "I've already explained what you must do, there's nothing else to say. Try it or stay here, you choose".

He hated this one teacher in particular for asking him to do absurd things when he had a hard time even with the basics, completely ignorant to what's happening around him. Just because he was from a family with a certain renown and had to learn magic the hard way on a young age, it doesn't mean he should do the same thing to his students; saying that it was a necessary step to develop one's potential was nothing but being single-minded and ignorant to their current situation. "He doesn't deserve to be called a master, nor a teacher. It's ridiculous to see someone like him wieldg such a position.". With a single thrust of his right arm, the table was pushed to the marker faster than counting to two, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, even the self-proclaimed master's. He lift quickly from the chair, confused about what just happened, pressing Rine, "What was that, boy? It only took you seconds to move the table, and yet yesterday you couldn't even control the wind properly. Now tell me, what kind of trick did you use to make it happen so fast?".

Rine smirked, that's all he could do now. The ones who once misjudged him were completely wrong, as he became a full-fledged mage no matter what were the expectations, and now they're going to pay for it: Starting with this one. "Oh, don't be foolish now. I did that because I'm skilled, of course. Even more than you. I have no need for an idiot who wants to slow me down", and when he was about to counter, the wind got through his teacher's mouth and nose, filling his body with it in a matter of seconds. Some students ran; one or two tried to help their teacher, but it was hopeless; one of them tried to hit Rine, but he suffered the same fate; the others ran to the corner in an attempt to stay away from him. Nothing changed the result. As soon as he was done with his old teacher, the rest suffered the same fate. And so did everyone in the school, and outside it. In a completely berserk state, he even killed his parents in the midst of all destruction. "All shall know about me from now on, and they'll fear me. The Crimsom Witch? Lushira? They are mere bugs. Should anyone get in my way, they'll just suffer the same fate...".

Next to the debris, he saw his own body among the others.

OOC: Shit, I really need to stop making huge posts and try not to be so dramatic before you doods think my char is emo although he is. :/ Some day I will.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Lorddomu

[Nanami Touko]

"Settle down, huh? And quit your life of adventure? No, just kidding, I can't believe you hadn't tried to do that before. I still refuse to believe I'm the first boy that's come along like this. But... yeah, that'd be nice. No big towns though, please," he had to add in, as she'd mentioned the city. "I don't know about you, but I know I'd hate to have to live in some place like this. Much rather have peace and quiet in some part of the woods that we could call our own. Not completely void of civilization, but... just out of the way, you know?" This was a much better topic to be discussing, than to discuss her self esteem issues. And he had thought of it before, not knowing if they'd be able to last with each other long enough for such an event to occur. They had really only known each other for a few weeks, at best. And they were going this fast with their relationship. He wasn't going to say anything against it, it just surprised him to know that he could go this far with someone in such a short time.

Maybe it was her, though, as she began to act like she had a few nights ago. And he smiled right back at her, letting himself fall against the bed, while she went on. "It can't be that early..." he wanted to argue, but a quick glance at the window changed his tone, "... or it can be. Wow, I can't believe I'm not tired... and, Carrion," he started with a coy smile, slipping a hand down to her behind, "why wouldn't I want to? Especially when I'm already have naked..." He took his other hand and threw his towel on the floor, stretching his arm out a bit, with a tiny groan attached. "So, go right ahead. I know you can't wait to have your fun, so why would I stop you?" He snatched her hand and pulled her closer to him, leaving her face a few centimeters from his. "Unless you'd rather I lead again."

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Melanie

The night had been sleepless for Amera's tenant, though she wasn't sure why. Maybe the floor was just harder at this inn than anywhere else. Maybe she felt like a third wheel. It was a blur to Mel; what wasn't a blur, though, was the footfalls around Mel's head. Her left eye shot open to see Amera's foot next to her, which quickly lifted itself away as the anri moved to the door and left the room. Grumbling, she picked herself up and rubbed her eyes, as if her fists alone could cure her fatigue and the bags that had formed from her insomniac episode. From the corner of her eye, she could vaguely make out Gideon's silhouette on the bed - he was probably still asleep. Lazy fucker...

Despite her griping, though, Gideon had let her stay the night there. He and Amera had been nothing but accommodating to her, even after her crazy library episode. Fine, you can be lazy, I guess. She glanced around the room, her subconscious telling her to get her journal - there were some things she had to write down. It should be by the table, right? Somehow the room looked different. Really different. Why? That table wasn't there before. I swear I was sitting at it right there when Grant asked me to...

Mel's face went pale, and her eyes widened. Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. I totally forgot! How the hell could I forget?! She stood up quickly, her arms tense as she tried to keep from freaking-the-fuck-out. Okay. Think. It should be... As soon as it hit her, she bolted out the door and down the stairs. Amera was there with an apple, but she barely noticed - she had to get to her stuff before anyone found it! Smith first. That's where it should be. Narrowly dodging a few passersby on her way to the blacksmith, she ran as quickly as her legs would allow her, ignoring their aching and the heaving of her chest.

Gideon

A bit of commotion in the room woke Gideon up just in time to see the door slam. Neither of the girls were in the room. Sighing, he rolled over in bed and tried to go back to sleep. If she doesn't come back, I might become religious...

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

"Let you lead? Ha!" A soft kiss to his lips, she started blushing as she laid her forehead on his. "How about I show you how a witch does it, hmmm?" Pulling herself back off of Adrian, she began to undress herself, a nervous yet joyous laugh escaping from her mouth as she did so. "Don't you dare make me wait kid, take it off! Teehee..." Hiding herself under the blanket again she waited for Adrian to hurry himself up. "I swear to the Goddess, you don't hurry up I'm gonna put it all back on and deny privileges, Adriaaaan~"

Gwen

Still hanging around the small town, she had honestly grown slightly attached to it. Small, quaint, it was a nice diversion from her destructive quest, one born almost of insanity. In her morning stroll, she saw a familiar face. "Someone else out this early...? Wait a minute..." It took her a moment, but she recognized the man from before. "The suspicious man from the other day... He still looking for someone?"

[Nanami Touko]

Amera

"Oh, morning M... el. Wow, still as hyper as always." If it was anyone else, Amera would be worried, but with how active Mel had been the previous day, she simply assumed this was normal morning behavior. Maybe she goes jogging in the mornings, to help stay in shape and work off all that adrenaline she seems to generate. I can't imagine jogging's fun wit those, though... so maybe she doesn't. Oh well, time to bother Gideon. Not worried, but surprised that he hadn't come down with Mel, she stood with a stretch, garnering a few eyes from the one, two people who were in the lobby at the time. Too tired to mind, she headed back upstairs, and quietly slid back into the room. Gideon was a sleeping ball on the bed, which was almost cute, Amera giggling.

"Alright, come on big boy," she prodded him gently, not wanting him to get surprised, "we're supposed to be leaving with Carrion today, remember? Unless you've got other plans in mind." Sitting next to him, she smiled, hoping today would be smoother than yesterday.

Adrian

"Forward, aren't we?" That was all he could say as she got undressed, watching her unintentionally before shaking himself back into the situation. He wasn't sure he could be as forward as she was being, but he wasn't about to back down, so he shot his clothes off as well and dove under the covers with her. It almost felt a bit childish, getting under them as quickly as he had, but he wanted it just as much as she did now. "Right... go ahead and show me, Carrion. I'm all yours." Laying his head back against the pillows, hands under his head, he wondered how much different it was really going to be with her doing the leading.

[Anti-Social Meta Knight]

Melanie

It took her a few minutes, but she made it to the blacksmith, nearly knocking the door down on her way in. "My...my stuff..." she stammered out breathlessly to the old man at the counter. Without a word, he pointed to the back and nodded. She dashed into the back room to find a few of her blueprints and the shoulder pad she had made the other day. Where is it? She barely looked at either. Come on, come on... She spotted the corner of her notepad stuck beneath a few pieces of scrap, and quickly she snatched it, wincing as her hand grazed a sharp point in the pile. It didn't matter, though - she had found it. Her breathing finally slowed as she clutched the small book to her chest and closed her eyes. "Thought I lost you there..." Picking up what she could carry (which amounted to the shoulder pad and a few pages' worth of the armor blueprint), she trudged out of the back room, panting and leaning against the wall.

"Change of plans," she said to the old man. "I gotta go. Made a bit of a mess, but everything I left in there's yours if you want it." Without waiting for his reply she just walked out, glad that something had worked out for her.

Gideon

"Alright, come on big boy." Amera's voice drifted into his ear just as he was about to nod off again. Rotten timing... "we're supposed to be leaving with Carrion today, remember? Unless you've got other plans in mind." Yawning, he propped himself up with one arm and looked at the anri. He was still waking up, but already she had managed to surprise him. "Too early," he mumbled, stretching and scratching his scalp. His hair was getting pretty long... "You seen Mel anywhere?" Even if he didn't like the girl, Gideon couldn't help but wonder where she was. Judging by the racket she had made, she was probably out terrorizing someone on the street.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Anti-Social Kitty

[Jaybee]

Adonis

Another person out already? Well...

He looked up, and the person looked familiar... Was it the same girl who'd called him out the previous day?

He didn't really care, as he ducked his head and continued walking.

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

‘Well…’

An absent glance comes from Carrie’s eyes and she hesitates to say it… but she opens her lips to answer, worried of what this will sound like to him, of what look he’ll give her… and why does that matter so much.

‘I want-‘

--- ---

The next day is troubling. Obelia has been by Ken’s side through the night, her expression a constant, blank glare, not letting her gaze falter from the darkened corners, the broken window. She refuses to sleep, even when her body tries to make her, eyes half lidded and shoulders slipping on occasion. The next day comes and with it, Obelia’s bleary gaze turns to Ken as the news of a message for him comes through, studying his features as he sleeps, a quiet moment taken. Why does anyone want to kill one who even when asleep, seems so peaceful? She shivers and stays by him, awaiting his awakening before they collect the message.

---

‘Can’t or won’t?’

Noel looks over Andy, smiling a bit. And then says something she didn’t expect herself to.

‘I like you too. But you’re a smart guy, you know that. I mean, who broods on a porch when they have nothing to brood about? And considering most of the time we travelled here, you were happy… yeah. I guessed. I like you, Andy. But she does too.’

She rubs her head and smiles, as if paining herself to say it.

‘I’m not saying it’s love or anything. This is all a bit sudden to go saying that. But… it’s something, that’s the point I guess. And… with all Noel’s lived through around me… I owe her something. I owe her this.’

She leans across, a very soft kiss planting on Andy’s cheek. She looks to him though and ruffles his hair, murmuring.

‘I’ll try and play big sister to you. If you’ll let me… so you and Noel… well… let’s just say if you didn’t feel anything either, you wouldn’t be out here in the first place, but at the high hills by now.’

--- ---

‘Too early? Am I too early… Maybe. It’s morning. Isn’t it? I need to keep track of time.’

Zwool’s mutterings continue as he walks from the inn he has been resting within to the front door of Ellandra’s again. He is shaky but clutches something, a large bouquet of gentle white roses, sold at a… reasonable amount from a rather toothy flower salesman. He smiles and looks at them, at the rather curved white petals. They remind him of her. Is he buying these for himself or her? He shakes his head, rubbing it too to steady his focus. And he smiles, seeing that door again. Change. That’s what he wants to do. So he lightly knocks on the door, realising his cheeks grow ever more red as time goes on.

---

‘….Uh?’

Carrie’s eyes flick open once or twice, closing due to a light bleeding into her iris. She rubs her lids and sighs as the palm of her hand stays in one eye, opening the other. Turning her head ever so slightly.

Finding her arm wrapped around Horatio’s sleeping torso.

Well, she wonders lazily. I do work fast.

And then, without batting an eyelid, or just one eyelid in this case, she moves her head, pushes it against Horatio’s chest and closes her eyes again, content to just lay there.

[Nanami Touko]

Amera

"Too early?" No, It's not... a quick glance out the window showed her that the sun had just begun to come up. In her tired stupor, she'd gotten some food without realizing that it was ridiculously early. Well... I guess it is. "Oh, shoot... sorry, Gideon. Eheh heh..." Instead of pressing the issue and trying to force him out of bed, she fell down onto it next to him, almost wanting to sleep herself. "Oh, Mel? I saw her rush out, when I was downstairs... Didn't get a chance to ask what was wrong. She seemed really upset, though. Maybe I'm just imagining things, she must just be running off some energy~" she said the rest with a tiny stretch, her body almost instinctively cuddling itself up against Gideon. "So... what're we gonna do now? Just relax until she gets back, or... take this time alone to have some fun?"

Andy

Langley's guessing was beginning to annoy Andy a bit, so much so that he kept looking away from her as she spoke, trying his best to not react to the rather forward kiss on his cheek. And then she was finally finished, leaving him to sigh. "I said I can't, because I don't know if I really do or not. That's why I'm out here thinking, and it's not just that... Noel told me that you... yeah... so I don't know how to do this without hurting more people than just myself. So... I don't know." He groaned and fell back onto the porch, ruffling his own hair. "Love is too complicated..."

Horatio

Th'heck is... whoa. He had felt some sort of warmth pushing against his chest, cracking an eye open to see Carrie there. It was... a rather welcome sight, but at the same time, it worried him. He didn't want to have a girl as attached to him as she was, but he was enjoying her company too much to lose her. For the most part, he knew that he was going to get work soon, and he didn't want to see her get hurt. An' if I end up followin' that witch... that's bound t'be trouble. A sigh couldn't express his qualms fully, but that's all he really could do, trying to get back to sleep as to not bother Carrie's sleeping.

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

Almost quivering with anticipation, the witch found herself right on top of Adrian, smiling at him. "Don't worry, I won't be that rough, I know we've got places to wander off to later, but for now let's focus on the here... and now~" After that, she began to work her magic (aaaaaw yeeeeeeeeeeeeah)

Grant

Something he thought he wouldn't see for a long time, he watched Melanie leave the smithy, and he couldn't help his curiosity."Good morning Mel... Just so you know, you left a ton of stuff up in my room. Do ya want it back or no? And I can also assume that you won't be making any armor for me?" He sighed, not really caring for any answer, mostly just trying to get a conversation, one he knew he'd regret anyway. "Doesn't matter in the long run I suppose..."

Gwen

Eyes narrowing, she watched the man try and hide away from her. Not suspicious at all... But should I bother butting in or should I just ignore it? Or maybe I'm seeing something there that isn't actually there. Rolling her eyes, she decided to try and confront the man again. "Lovely morning, isn't it? Perfect time to take a walk and think, isn't it?"

[Shin]

Ken

Waking up at last, Ken was most surprised that there was a message for him. He made his way downstairs to great the messenger. It was a young man, he looked a little nervous. One thing Ken didn't like about his position was that everyone was so formal around him. The boy offered the message timidly, as if Ken would tear his hands off with it.

"Father Ken... there's a message for you..."

Ken smiled, he wasn't going to make it any more difficult for him.

"Thank you, my child. I deeply appreciate it."

Opening the letter, he was quite surprised by its contents. His father had learned about the situation and seemed very concerned. 4

"Young Ken, I have learned of the attempts on your life. However, despite such threats, your main concern was our Lady Lucinda. I may have never said this to you before, but I am very proud of you. In my old age, I fear I may not be with this world for much longer, and I have not had the chance to tell you how much you mean to me. At times I had been cold, and even sometimes cruel, but Ken, you shall always be my son. I had sent guards after I had heard that you had found our lady. However, I had also heard that you have your own protector. Do not worry about Lady Lucinda, my men shall take care of her. Please, take your guardian and travel to Pravna. Complete your journey, maybe I shall see you rise to the role of Head Priest.

Your loving father,

Ezekiel van Lirio"

The young man looked at the priest, completely unaware of the complex emotions running through Ken's mind.

"Thank you once more, please inform my father than I have received his message. Send him my regards."

The boy nodded, quickly leaving the priest's presence. As soon as he had left, armed men entered the inn. What seemed to be the captain stepped forward.

"Father Ken! We will be honoured to take over guard of our Lady Lucinda. May the Goddess be with you on your travels!"

Ken smiled. It was so nice to see such polite soldiers. He returned to Obelia, ready to tell her of his news.

"Obelia, my father wishes for me to continue my journey. These soldiers should provide far better protection than I could, although I'm not sure if they could outperform you. I need to head to Pravna, to see the capital before I finish my training. Do you wish to come with me? My father seems to have dubbed you my protector, but I would deeply enjoy your company nonetheless."

[CT075]

The Band of Merry Men (and Rina)

After a full night's worth of travel, the group emerged from the woods tired, most of their optimism drained. The trio would probably have been in bad spirits anyway (after all, they were going on 40 hours without sleep), but the mood was particularly low, mostly because of a certain dark-haired boy.

"I'm telling you, this is the right direction!"

"This can't be the right way, north is that way!"

"Gimme that map!"

"Wait, I thought we were supposed to be going south, the compass says we're going northeast!"

"Dammit, kid, we've been following your lead because you said you knew the way! Where the fuck are we?"

"I said, gimme that map!"

Whump

"Oof-!"

---

"Goddammit!"

Ormis picked himself off the ground and threw his shoe at a nearby tree. He missed.

"Hey, Ormis, I think we'd all appreciate it if you'd quit trying to find excuses to drag us off the trail. We're lost enough without having to go find your boot as well."

Rina, who had spent a considerable portion of the trip asserting herself as the sarcasm of the group, was probably the most irritated of the three, for multiple reasons. Foremost among them was the fact that Ormis had steered them in circles for roughly the entire trip. More than once, Teis had attempted to take the lead, but Ormis had insisted that he knew the area from when he'd been there as a kid*.

Teis, on the other hand, was less angry than simply impatient. If they delayed much further, they risked the fake Witch relocating. There's no way someone with as much ill reputation as the Devourer would stay in one place for so long. It just goes against reason.

Then he spotted something.

"Soot. Someone's set up camp nearby, or they did so in the recent past. Either way, that points to something semi-favorable."

---

By the look of it, it was Lucretia and Aurelio (and that old dude). There was no mistaking those double swords. Teis remembered, with some amusement, the penultimate arena match. It must have been a bit of a shock to everyone involved, the so-called greatest fighter from Miyako, losing to some no-name knight. By all rights, he should have lost that match. Lucretia outclassed him in speed and endurance, the fight should have ended almost as quickly as if it were Ormis.

"Hey, guys! Long time no see!"

As if on cue, the boy started shouting at the top of his lungs.

---

*Ormis has never been anywhere near Pravna in his life (the fact that he was just there doesn't count)