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<\|description\|>Katsu Takumi Age: 18 Gender: Male Nationality/Birthplace: Fire Nation, Khimori Village Current Residence: Republic City, Panther Lily Residential District Appearance: Occupation: Thief, Avatar Elemental Affinity: Fire Theme: Thief - Imagine Dragons History: Katsu's birth presented a bit of a conundrum for the Order of the White Lotus; an Avatar born in an era of peace wasn't needed quite as much as before. What should they do then? Take him from his home? Or leave him be and let him grow up in a normal life. It was a hard decision, but a choice needed to be made and ultimately a compromise was reached. Katsu would indeed be trained, but in the comfort of his own home village rather than being whisked away. His parents liked the idea, and initially Katsu had no problems with the arrangement. As he got older however he began to have quite a different opinion on the matter. How was he supposed to keep his identity as the Avatar a secret when these strange men followed him everywhere? His family wasn't well off and yet he had escorts, was waited on like nobility and provided for whatever he needed. Any other child may have been enamored with the treatment and yet Katsu came to resent it immensely. He had no autonomy like this, and it was near impossible to get away to have some time on his own. Pretty quickly being in the comfort of his own village meant little, it was every bit a prison as moving away would have been. The only solution in his mind then was to leave, abandon the Lotus' training and his parents in favor of a freer lifestyle, a lifestyle he would find in Republic City. It was an ideal plan on paper, but upon arriving in Republic City it became quickly apparent he hadn't thought things through entirely. Here he was, hundreds of miles from home, with hardly a coin to his name and nowhere to stay. What little money he'd saved up over the years had near all been spent on the boat ticket, so now Katsu found himself in a dilemma. He unsuccessfully tried getting jobs here and there but was turned down constantly, and returning home was not an option. At the age of 13 he settled on doing the only thing he could in order to survive: theft. Republic City certainly had its fair share of criminals, so he would only be one amongst the crowd. Or he might have been if he didn't have something of a superiority complex. He was going to be a thief, but he wanted to be the thief. He would join whatever group he could find and work his way up, and from there he'd be somebody. He'd live life how he wanted, do what he wanted, and get what he wanted without the meddling of the Order of the White Lotus. Much as he might have resented the White Lotus he had to be grateful for all the training they had given him. With both bending and martial training of the highest caliber he was an exceptional fighter, a fact that helped him climb the ranks of the gang he eventually joined. Nimble, strong and a capable bender he ascended to the second hand of the gang within two years, and not long thereafter he succeeded the previous leader. Granted… The gang had all of twenty members, many around his own age, but he still managed to succeed them all. Renaming the gang the Khimori Bandits after his hometown, Katsu began a life of "luxury". The Khimori Bandits amassed a fair fortune in a matter of a year, and yet Katsu kept very little of the coin for himself. It was never the money he was after, he'd argue, but the thrill and delight that came along with the act of theft. Even now he remains one of the poorer members of his gang in spite of being the leader, and he tends to carry out as many jobs as his best associates.</s> <\|message\|>Grand Lotus Hideki Yakedo "Disbanding? Not so much. They're likely going to move on without me. It's my hope they won't look at this as abandonment and more as a professional accident. I've been getting the feeling my Grand Masters don't want me in charge anymore either... Rather than wait for the coup, I'm getting ahead of it." Hideki nodded solemnly and watched Katsu over, "Katsu, I can't say enough how sorry I am for all you went through - that I couldn't be there for every minute of your training or oversee how they all treated you. I wanted you to have the organic life, so I made sure they didn't catch you when I knew you were planning to leave... But like I said, the White Lotus is about the preservation of balance... and years ago, somebody decided that the only way to do that was to become your caretakers and trainers... I can't see how that's possibly the right route. The Avatar has always found their own path, and I want you to do the same, Katsu." Yakedo placed a hand on Katsu's shoulder as he lamented for the events of the day and shook his head. "Listen to me and listen good... You have no control over these things. And no Avatar would be where they got to alone. Nobody ever has - not truly. Asha and Siku will be more than fine... They may have difficulty adjusting at first, but Siku is both an amazing probender and a powerful young woman. And air benders begin their training young - Asha may be far from a master, but she's certainly a very talented young girl. She's also reaching an age where it will be left to her whether she wishes to remain at the island, go at her own in the world, or move to one of the temples to continue her training... Or any of those. She's adventurous at heart - some of the elders here on the island think that the world's a bit small for her," The Grand Lotus smiled warmly, "They will be okay... I really have a confession to make." He sighed and met the Avatar's gaze seriously, "I know Siku's father. When he told me how excited Siku was to be here in Republic City, I put in the recommendation for his spot on the council. I'll admit, I didn't think Siku would even come to know you at all... But I'm glad she does - I'll speak with her father myself. In fact, I'll be with you tonight, to help you gather her and Asha's things. You don't have to leave today, like I said, but they need to be ready." Katsu's thoughts moved on their own rather quickly and Hideki cleared his throat, "No, hush, Katsu... Your family is fine. They're taken care of, they never lived in the compound nor did they need protection from my guards. They've their own in the Fire Nation and there is little they could offer to this other group... whoever they are. They worry about you, yes, but they're likely less aware then these renegades do." It didn't seem to take long, but the two had returned to the small shack sometime during their walk and Yakedo sighed quietly. "Do you want to speak with them, Katsu, or do you want me to?" ----- Hiresh rotated a couple of stones hovering over his hands, calming him down. The Avatar... This delinquent was the Avatar... It was crazy. He nodded to Asha, "Yeah, I don't get much time off on the force, but if you're ever going out that way, I'll see if I'm off, maybe I'll see you guys there. You airbenders travel a lot, right? So I'm sure you'll get to see it. Wonderful place." Siku then came out of the bathroom and Hiresh looked over to her, "Yeah, he went with a... Yakedo," He said, recalling the name before straightening up. "Yakedo! He's the Grand Lotus. God, I was trying to figure out where I'd heard that before... He leads the entire... thing, the Lotus. God... Stupid..." ---- Siku nodded to Asha's explanation, "Wait, wait... Yakedo? Hideki Yakedo?" She perked up with a bright smile, "Uncle Yakedo? He's one of papa's friends - I used to see him all the time when I was little, but he's been really busy lately..." She nodded, "Good - I'm glad he was here. If anyone knows what to do, it'll be him. He'll get the whole thing figured out."</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled over at Hiresh and shrugged, "Most air benders do, but I am not of that age right now. The elders like us to wait until we are a certain age so that we have all the basic training down. They don't want really young kids flying around..." she replied with a small giggle. She could understand why the elders didn't want young children running around out on their own, but it was kind of nice to be able to adventure out alone at times. "Yeah that would be awesome! We could all go together and have fun," The brunette said in response to Hiresh. He seemed to really love his job but it appeared that maybe he did want a little time off to go and do as he wished. Asha frowned at the thought that people were so tied down to their jobs. She remembered hearing about the past and how most people traveled around the world, their job unable to tie them down. Maybe she only liked the thought of travel because she was an air bender. Asha looked up at Siku and cocked her head to the side. Uncle Yakedo? So she knew that man. "I hope he will help Katsu find out what to do from here on out," she said with a nod of her head. She obviously didn't know Katsu very well, but could tell that he was a nice person and only wanted to live life how he wished. She moved her gaze over at the door as she heard mumbling of voices and footsteps from outside the hut. "Oh! They must be back."</s>	<\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "Heh... And here I was thinking I finally got away from it all... I was never free, was I?" Katsu asked bitterly, giving a short, curt laugh before looking away. "It's not like I have a choice in the matter do I? My own route was going to be to live how I wanted, but obviously that's not going to happen anymore. Fine... If I have to do this then I'll get it over with." At the very least he supposed he'd do his training if he must, but after that it was back to doing what he pleased. Just because he was the Avatar didn't mean he'd be behaving like a saint, not so long as he wanted to have fun and live as a thief. No doubt there would be complications in the days to come, but he did really hope he could return to that life, or at the very least something similar to it. Being consoled and told his friends should be able to handle this did little to alleviate his stress; handle it or not the fact remained the same, their lives were going to change drastically because of him. Maybe he just didn't want to deal with the guilt, but he'd prefer to go this alone than drag anyone else along with him. Talent meant jack all when you had no desire to train, he was a testament to that much. How much motivation might the others have, he wondered, once they were made to leave their homes and follow him wherever he went? That was a lousy part of it too, they basically were going to end up shadowing him, whether any of them liked it or not. "They could stay and train... Then they could protect themselves," Katsu suggested lamely, knowing even as he spoke his words were moot. The members of the White Lotus, or what formerly was the White Lotus anyways weren't pushovers; the men they had fought today must be out of practice or something, he certainly didn't think he was capable enough to take on a handful that easily. The mention of family brought a horrid realization to the Avatar: what had become of his own family? Neither of his parents had any part in this, yet if these people were after him it was only natural they may go through his mom and dad. Fearing for their lives he nearly had an episode when addressing Yakedo about it, feeling a proverbial weight lifted from his shoulders when he was reassured they were okay. Releasing the old man's shirt he nodded his head slowly, managing a faint smile as he closed his eyes, "Good... Good... I'm glad to hear that..." In the state he was in Katsu loathed to face the others, but knowing they had to be informed and given the news he couldn't well put it off. Following alongside Yakedo they made way back to the hut, pausing outside the door and looking at the handle somberly. "No, let me do it. It's my fault they're in this situation, it's only right I'm the one to tell them." Taking a deep breath Katsu opened up the door slowly, partly hoping that everyone might be asleep and he could put it off. When he stepped inside however he saw all three of them sitting there, feeling himself becoming uneasy again as they all looked at him. Sending one brief glance back at Yakedo he swallowed nervously, closing the door behind himself and forcing a smile as he stood along the wall. "Hey... So uh, about today..." he began, having to avert his gaze as he rubbed at his neck, struggling to find the words to break it to them. "Those people that attacked us, they're dangerous, and they uh... Might try coming after you, which means people might get hurt. So uh... Oh jeez..." Shaking his head disdainfully the Fire Bender let out a deep sigh, rubbing at his head before glancing between Siku and Asha respectively. "You two have to leave home and come with me! I don't even know where we'll go, but we can't stay here. Hiresh is safe, but we can't live in or near Republic city, at least for a while. I'm so sorry things worked out this way," he added, bowing down as he'd been taught as a young boy, holding the pose as he felt his eyes sting slightly again, "You can even just leave me after we get away, that's fine. I just can't let either of you stay here and be hurt because of me, so we have to leave tomorrow."</s>
<\|description\|>Katsu Takumi Age: 18 Gender: Male Nationality/Birthplace: Fire Nation, Khimori Village Current Residence: Republic City, Panther Lily Residential District Appearance: Occupation: Thief, Avatar Elemental Affinity: Fire Theme: Thief - Imagine Dragons History: Katsu's birth presented a bit of a conundrum for the Order of the White Lotus; an Avatar born in an era of peace wasn't needed quite as much as before. What should they do then? Take him from his home? Or leave him be and let him grow up in a normal life. It was a hard decision, but a choice needed to be made and ultimately a compromise was reached. Katsu would indeed be trained, but in the comfort of his own home village rather than being whisked away. His parents liked the idea, and initially Katsu had no problems with the arrangement. As he got older however he began to have quite a different opinion on the matter. How was he supposed to keep his identity as the Avatar a secret when these strange men followed him everywhere? His family wasn't well off and yet he had escorts, was waited on like nobility and provided for whatever he needed. Any other child may have been enamored with the treatment and yet Katsu came to resent it immensely. He had no autonomy like this, and it was near impossible to get away to have some time on his own. Pretty quickly being in the comfort of his own village meant little, it was every bit a prison as moving away would have been. The only solution in his mind then was to leave, abandon the Lotus' training and his parents in favor of a freer lifestyle, a lifestyle he would find in Republic City. It was an ideal plan on paper, but upon arriving in Republic City it became quickly apparent he hadn't thought things through entirely. Here he was, hundreds of miles from home, with hardly a coin to his name and nowhere to stay. What little money he'd saved up over the years had near all been spent on the boat ticket, so now Katsu found himself in a dilemma. He unsuccessfully tried getting jobs here and there but was turned down constantly, and returning home was not an option. At the age of 13 he settled on doing the only thing he could in order to survive: theft. Republic City certainly had its fair share of criminals, so he would only be one amongst the crowd. Or he might have been if he didn't have something of a superiority complex. He was going to be a thief, but he wanted to be the thief. He would join whatever group he could find and work his way up, and from there he'd be somebody. He'd live life how he wanted, do what he wanted, and get what he wanted without the meddling of the Order of the White Lotus. Much as he might have resented the White Lotus he had to be grateful for all the training they had given him. With both bending and martial training of the highest caliber he was an exceptional fighter, a fact that helped him climb the ranks of the gang he eventually joined. Nimble, strong and a capable bender he ascended to the second hand of the gang within two years, and not long thereafter he succeeded the previous leader. Granted… The gang had all of twenty members, many around his own age, but he still managed to succeed them all. Renaming the gang the Khimori Bandits after his hometown, Katsu began a life of "luxury". The Khimori Bandits amassed a fair fortune in a matter of a year, and yet Katsu kept very little of the coin for himself. It was never the money he was after, he'd argue, but the thrill and delight that came along with the act of theft. Even now he remains one of the poorer members of his gang in spite of being the leader, and he tends to carry out as many jobs as his best associates.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku nodded enthusiastically, "He will. He's brilliant," She said without a modicum of doubt. The door opened and she beamed at a man she'd known most of her childhood, giving a wave. "Uncle Yakedo, how are you?" She asked. The man gave her a somber smile and replied with a wave, but gave no more. He was going to respect Katsu's wish and allow the boy to speak. Once he'd said his piece, Siku snorted slightly, a grin on her face. "Yeah, right, and as it turns out, there are two Avatars. I'm the other one," She said, waving her hand and looking to the Grand Lotus. "Hideki has a plan to get this all straightened out, Katsu. No worries," She reassured him, shaking her head, "Besides, you're the Avatar. People can't really run you out of town, can they? They'd sooner move the whole town than you." Her eyes caught the look of sympathy coming to her from Hideki and she furrowed her brow... He shook his head. "N-no... Uncle Yakedo, we've... We've guards and officers and all sorts of things at that house - nobody would think of coming after us..." She couldn't help but blurt the first things that came to her mind, "What kind of danger could I possibly be in?! Or Asha, for that matter? We were just witnesses! We didn't even know he was the Avatar!" She stamped her foot to the ground aggressively, "Send them here, after me, I'll tell them myself. I'm not afraid of those... Bullies." That was... the dumbest choice of word she thought she'd ever made. Hideki's face became serious as he stared her down, "That's the understatement of the century, Siku. You're not staying here and you're not staying at home. I'll help you guys get back to your house to get some things and talk to your family, but you're not going to stay in Republic City. Not when nobody even knows who the enemy is. Hell, apparently they've been under me for years and I didn't notice it. So no, I'll not let you be subject to this place. At least if you leave, they won't have any clue how to find you. Here, they can easily surround you and ambush like in the restaurant. Nobody knew anything was going on until you were all attacked - they could do that again, with more people... stronger fighters. They'll learn from these mistakes and not make them again," He explained flatly. "This is not up for debate, do you understand?" Siku's gaze remained defiant as she squared off with the man... "Ugh! Fine." She looked at Katsu and saw the desperation on his face. It was his fault, she knew that, and he knew that. Pointing it out now would only make things worse. So what did she do? She lied, "Stop apologizing. It's not your fault, it's theirs, whoever these people are. The world just forgot how stupid it is to piss off the Avatar... And they certainly don't realize how stupid it is to piss me off." She took a breath, sighed, looked to Hideki once more and nodded, "Fine. I need to grab some things from home too, then." Hideki hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck, "It might be better if I go alone and get them, I know what you're looking for..." "No. I'm not disappearing without a trace." Siku glanced to the side, "Sesi wouldn't forgive me if I did, anyway..." ----- Hiresh remained a silent observer through the exchange. He didn't even know that Hideki was close to their family, but something caught him off in Katsu's explanation. "Wait, wait... what do you mean 'Hiresh will be safe?'" He asked after Siku's exchange with Yakedo. "So it's too dangerous for a talented bender and swordswoman of high esteem, but for a single cop living on his own, it's fine? Look, I don't want to leave either, but... Why am I allowed to stay?" The Lotus nodded, "You're correct. Under normal circumstances, I'd probably have you leave as well. However, I have no doubt the chief will want you helping the force get to the bottom of this, at least here in Republic City, to stop anything like it from happening again. My recommendation carries quite a bit of weight, I'm sure you're not long for guard duty either way." He then turned to Asha, "Are you okay with this? I'm sure we could speak to the other elders of the island... And even if you're not a master, I'm sure at the very least, Katsu could learn the fundamentals of air bending from you. Nomadic at heart; from the sounds of it, you've been itching to leave for a while anyway, right? What better way than with the Avatar?" Asha's youth made her both the biggest liability and the probably the easiest to convince that this was fine. Not to mention, folks of the Air Nation who were part of any monastery didn't usually have too many problems leaving home and making a brand new one. However, she was young, which meant she might just be as hard-headed as Siku. Katsu had to be ready to deal with either of them, at least until they separated. If they did. The Lotus looked to all of the people in the room... Children, all of them, even Hiresh in his eyes. "I promise, as soon as we can, I'll find each of you and personally see to it that you're safely returned home. And yes, Siku, we'll go and get your things... Soon. Once everybody's ready to go - we're not coming back here, so... Asha, gather anything you want to pack."</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha watched as Mr. Yakedo and Katsu came through the door; Katsu looked rather unsettled as did the older man, but not as much as the boy. She cocked her head to the side in curiosity, wondering just what had transpired between the two as they took a walk. Her gaze flickered between all of the people in the room as they talked, things becoming more and more clear with each word. "So wait...those guys think of Siku and us as accomplices? Yeah...I suppose that makes sense," the brunette said with a small shrug, getting up from her seated position and dusting herself off. So they weren't allowed to be in Republic City anymore because of some Grand Lotus members who turned bad? She sighed to herself before looking at the others and putting her hands behind her back. Her gaze settled on Hiresh, who seemed a bit put off by being left behind in the city; she certainly hoped he would be able to join them sometime in their travels. "I'm fine with leaving. Air benders are taught to leave worldly possessions behind and be free," Asha replied with a small smile. She tried to live by those teachings, but there was one possession that she just couldn't possibly leave behind: A plush Catowl stuffed animal. It was her most prized possession and she wouldn't leave without it. She looked over at Katsu and smiled at him, hoping to convey that she was honestly fine with what was happening. Life was constant, so that meant things were subject to change.</s>	<\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu really didn't want to have to tell the others this, but it felt better if he did; Yakedo was essentially a stranger to them far as he knew, it should come from someone they knew at the very least. Like before when he'd tried to tell Siku he was the Avatar, she once again did not believe him. Sighing to himself he looked at the Water Bender somberly, watching as she looked to Hideki for confirmation and her expression immediately changed. Just as he had worried, she was not taking the news of having to leave well at all, fighting against it however she could. Ashamed of bringing this upon them, Katsu looked away from the group and closed his eyes, letting his former master explain everything while he tried to brace for the inevitable guilt-ing he was going to get. Cringing when he heard Siku snap, Katsu finally and reluctantly turned back to face her, his expression one of pain and apology. There was nothing he could say to make this better, not to Siku or Asha or anyone. Families were going to be disrupted because of him, and they may not even be able to say why they were leaving; reasons like this were precisely the reason he had tried to keep his true identity a secret. Matters were made worse when Siku tried to play off his role in all of his, his chest feeling tight as he shook his head wordlessly. No, it wasn't their fault, it was his, all his. If he just hadn't been born, or had just sucked it up and stayed in training then none of this would be happening. No bystanders getting hurt, no friends losing their families, and no one would be at risk because of him. It was a selfish reason that he was here in Republic City to begin with, and it was that selfsame reason that had ruined things for everyone now. Today had begun with Katsu not giving much care for anyone else in this room, but now he felt terribly guilty and in service to them. Even if Siku could bring things with her, or if Asha said she was fine with leaving he sincerely doubted that both were a hundred percent okay. It was his fault this was happening, and as such he should be trying to correct things to get them back home, but how? What could be done to help that along? At most he could try and protect them, something he'd done marginally back in the sewers. The world may not need the Avatar right now, this much was true, yet these two girls could probably use him. Wherever they ended up then he'd be certain to keep them out of harm's way, safe from anyone that might try to do him or them harm. A burden perhaps, but one he should have to carry for his role in all of this. "If there's anything I can do for you two, anything at all, just name it..." Katsu offered weakly, looking between Siku and Asha. Hearing a soft whimpering he glanced down to his feet, watching Koinu as he rubbed against his leg, begging to be held. Smiling sadly and obliging his companion he lifted the small animal up, hugging him before letting out a sigh. "I don't know where we can go... But I know some people in the Fire Nation, maybe we can start there? Unless you don't want to travel all that way." Of all the nations, the Earth Nation was probably the closest to them, if he had to guess. As things stood currently the nations really weren't quite as dividing as they had been in the past, but they still existed in at least name. "I'll uh... I'll try and get in touch with someone, so we have a place to stay. If you think that would be okay, Yakedo?"</s>
<\|description\|>Katsu Takumi Age: 18 Gender: Male Nationality/Birthplace: Fire Nation, Khimori Village Current Residence: Republic City, Panther Lily Residential District Appearance: Occupation: Thief, Avatar Elemental Affinity: Fire Theme: Thief - Imagine Dragons History: Katsu's birth presented a bit of a conundrum for the Order of the White Lotus; an Avatar born in an era of peace wasn't needed quite as much as before. What should they do then? Take him from his home? Or leave him be and let him grow up in a normal life. It was a hard decision, but a choice needed to be made and ultimately a compromise was reached. Katsu would indeed be trained, but in the comfort of his own home village rather than being whisked away. His parents liked the idea, and initially Katsu had no problems with the arrangement. As he got older however he began to have quite a different opinion on the matter. How was he supposed to keep his identity as the Avatar a secret when these strange men followed him everywhere? His family wasn't well off and yet he had escorts, was waited on like nobility and provided for whatever he needed. Any other child may have been enamored with the treatment and yet Katsu came to resent it immensely. He had no autonomy like this, and it was near impossible to get away to have some time on his own. Pretty quickly being in the comfort of his own village meant little, it was every bit a prison as moving away would have been. The only solution in his mind then was to leave, abandon the Lotus' training and his parents in favor of a freer lifestyle, a lifestyle he would find in Republic City. It was an ideal plan on paper, but upon arriving in Republic City it became quickly apparent he hadn't thought things through entirely. Here he was, hundreds of miles from home, with hardly a coin to his name and nowhere to stay. What little money he'd saved up over the years had near all been spent on the boat ticket, so now Katsu found himself in a dilemma. He unsuccessfully tried getting jobs here and there but was turned down constantly, and returning home was not an option. At the age of 13 he settled on doing the only thing he could in order to survive: theft. Republic City certainly had its fair share of criminals, so he would only be one amongst the crowd. Or he might have been if he didn't have something of a superiority complex. He was going to be a thief, but he wanted to be the thief. He would join whatever group he could find and work his way up, and from there he'd be somebody. He'd live life how he wanted, do what he wanted, and get what he wanted without the meddling of the Order of the White Lotus. Much as he might have resented the White Lotus he had to be grateful for all the training they had given him. With both bending and martial training of the highest caliber he was an exceptional fighter, a fact that helped him climb the ranks of the gang he eventually joined. Nimble, strong and a capable bender he ascended to the second hand of the gang within two years, and not long thereafter he succeeded the previous leader. Granted… The gang had all of twenty members, many around his own age, but he still managed to succeed them all. Renaming the gang the Khimori Bandits after his hometown, Katsu began a life of "luxury". The Khimori Bandits amassed a fair fortune in a matter of a year, and yet Katsu kept very little of the coin for himself. It was never the money he was after, he'd argue, but the thrill and delight that came along with the act of theft. Even now he remains one of the poorer members of his gang in spite of being the leader, and he tends to carry out as many jobs as his best associates.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "Well, yeah... I beat most of those creeps, so I protected you," Katsu retorted, frowning when he saw Siku's dao, "And you're bringing a sword with you..." There was no reason to have a weapon on them, not when they were all benders. Bending could be used for defense or offense, sure, but it wasn't always as lethal as a sword. What was the point in bringing along a blade anyways when the way they fought was likely to put them at distance from their opponents? Siku tried to justify her having the dao but he wasn't a fan of it still, frowning and letting out a huff before shaking his head. "If they get close then you can still bend, it's not like you lose bending in close quarters," the Avatar said, "Besides... If someone else is chasing us with a weapon can you really use it that well? If they're using one then they're bound to be really good with it, can you match them?" Made more sense in his mind to just put distance between themselves and their attacker and keep bending. This was going to be one abysmal trip, if only because they had just begun and were already exhausted. Katsu hadn't slept terribly much the day earlier to begin with, having been busy on a job, and today hadn't allowed him more than a moment's reprieve. Much as he wanted to take a break and settle down he didn't want to be the one to say it, both pride and reluctance playing into it. When Siku mentioned taking a quick nap he tried not to jump at her decision, giving a small shrug instead. "We can do that, we've come a decent ways already," Katsu remarked, stifling a yawn with his hand before rubbing at his head, "Planning would be good... Don't want to wander around aimlessly." He had a few places in mind he might be able to go, places which would be easily accessible had they a vehicle; ferries and cars had gotten him around before, this would be the first time he really had to do extensive walking. The thief wasn't going to complain, he didn't mind the exercise, but it sure did make traveling take a bit longer. Taking to the cover of the trees, the trio had sought refuge along the tall vegetation, just barely out of view from the road. They could have gone in deeper if Katsu hadn't objected, wanting to be able to keep an eye on the road to know if anyone was on their way up. Finding the only clearing they could, bedrolls were laid out and everyone got ready for a brief if much needed respite. Siku and Asha had fallen asleep fairly quickly, as had Koinu, yet Katsu found himself sitting up and awake for some time longer. There were too many thoughts swirling around in his head, too many concerns and ideas that things would only get worse from hereon out. It was probably lack of sleep and stress doing this to him, but for a good while he could only sit and stare down at the road, a bit paranoid that someone was going to come up on them while they slept. Eventually however his eyelids grew heavy and he found himself drifting off, and when next he'd open his eyes he would hear Siku's voice calling to him. "Nnn... 'M up... 'M up..." the Avatar grumbled, already having been half awake by the time he was called for. Groaning as he sat up from his spot he raised his arms above his head in a stretch, popping his back before glancing down at Koinu, smiling as his companion woke too and greeted him with a happy yip. Scratching at the fox's head he moved over to join Siku and Asha, glancing down at the former's map curiously. "Gung-Li... Never heard of the place..." Katsu said through a yawn, sitting down on his rear and scratching at Koinu's fur habitually, "If we can get a ride there then let's get one there, no sense in more walking, right?" If they could find a ride then they'd make far better time, and more importantly put more distance between themselves and anyone that may be chasing them. If given the chance to get their own vessel should they take it? He'd been on boats before, sure, but he'd never actually piloted one on any kind of journey. Siku could water bend, Asha could air bend, so they'd have an easy enough time of making it he figured. "It might be better to get our own ship, come to think of it... Less people know about us that way and we're not relying on anyone else. If we're trying to keep out of view then we should avoid making any kind of transaction, you know?" he asked, smirking as he glanced at Siku and Asha, "I know something about flying under the radar, we should be fine."</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko "Well," Siku started, pointing to a small island off the Fire Nation. "This is Iwa here and Gung-Li is... Here," She moved her finger to a peninsula where the city was marked, about a few miles from where they were now. "It's not exactly on the coast closest to the Fire Nation, but it's on the Eastern front of this peninsula here, so they might have some way to get there. However, it might be faster to find something to get us closer to the south-western border and cross there..." She mused, scrutinizing the map. "We'll have to see what options we've got when we get there and decide then." She looked at Katsu when he mentioned getting on their way privately and she nodded, "On the other hand, if we go like that, then there's a more specific trail to follow. If we take a public route with lots of people, at least there will be witnesses and other people there to follow us in case something goes wrong. It'd be harder to track names, at least." The girl made sure she had all of her equipment before rolling the map up again and rising to her feet. "Alright, well... I guess we won't know until we get there, at least, yeah? So let's move." Siku shouldered her pack and rubbed her eyes again. Four hours was not enough, no, but hopefully it would last her through the night. They needed food even more, though. "When we get there, I'm gonna eat... and eat... and eat..." She said as they found the road and started walking once more. "I'm so freakin' hungry... We could have planned our food and this walk a little bit better, I suppose." A thought occurred to her as they walked and she looked at Katsu, "Wait... Katsu... In the sewers... You only used earth and fire bending..." She noted, furrowing her brow, "Have you tried air or water yet... at all?" It still baffled her that he could even think of having the power over all four and not at least have a grasp on all four.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha just listened to her two other companions as they decided the right route to take. Feeling a bit uncomfortable with all the zig zags swirling around the map, the brunette took to gathering her things up and placing them neatly in her backpack. She walked back over when it sounded like the two had settled on things and clasped her hands behind her back, "So, have we decided how we are doing things?" she asked, remembering she overheard something about their own boat...how were they going to buy their own boat? Weren't they expensive? She giggled at Siku when the other girl mentioned food and how she was going to gorge when she was in sight of some; their food supply wasn't much since they had decided to pack light and with the older girl talking about food, made her tummy grumble in agreement. Asha held her stomach in slight embarrassment and laughed a little, "Sorry, guys. Guess I am hungry, too!" The brunette looked over at Siku when she mentioned to Katsu that she had only seen him use Earth and Fire bending. She blinked when Siku asked the Avatar if he even knew how to use Water or Air. That would make sense as to why he hadn't used either or...but maybe he just didn't like them as much as earth and fire. Either way, his answer was sure to startle the both of them.</s>	<\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Whichever way they decided to travel it was going to take some time, Katsu knew that much. They had a destination, getting there was another matter entirely; shame he didn't have something like a flying bison, they could make the trip in no time at all. Koinu couldn't even carry him, let alone the three of them, so riding an animal was out of the question. The fact they were going to have to rely on public transit, a boat of all things, hardly thrilled him. What Siku said about it made sense, that being in a crowd might help obscure them. Yet the opposite might be true too, they could stand out in a crowd like a sore thumb. Not only that, but being in a mass of people it would be almost impossible to tell who might mean them harm; if they chose the sneakier route, then anyone they came across would more likely than not be against them. "However we do it, we should do it soon. Nothing worse than sitting around while someone's searching for you," Katsu said aloud, frowning as he rose to his feet, "So we'll head to Gung-Li, and worry about getting to Iwa when we get there." If he'd learned anything in life, it was to be flexible. Even the best laid plans could be ruined by just one instance, so better to prepare to change than to stick to some routine. Improvising was something he was particularly good at, yet goodness knows if the same might be said for Siku or Asha. Giving Koinu's head a gentle rubbing, the Avatar began following alongside the Water Bender, smirking somewhat amused when she brought up food. "You'd never survive in the kind of life I've lived, you're too spoiled," Katsu teased, placing a hand on his stomach, "I can go for a while without eating, I guess it pays to be poor sometimes." Not that he was particularly poor now, but he had been for a while. He would be fine without food, but Katsu did worry about Koinu. Still being a pup he really should eat regularly, and without any food really packed for travel, there wasn't much for his furry friend. Worst case he supposed he could go and hunt something, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done so. Glancing over to Siku when she started to question him, the Avatar's cheeks flushed slightly at what she had asked, looking away abashed and clearing his throat. "Well... Uh... No... Not really," he admitted, scratching at his nose casually with his index finger, "Never really had a chance to learn, or a teacher. Most of what I know now is self-taught too." He didn't really bend all that often, there was typically no reason to do so. It wouldn't be totally unfair to say he was out of practice, not that he'd ever admit such a thing. "But hey, I can get on just fine without those two! I mean there's no big apocalyptic event going on, or some war threatening the world, it's just me running from some oppressive jerks. I don't see a reason to need all four elements for that," Katsu continued, grinning as he reached over and put an arm around both Siku's and Asha's shoulders, "That's what I've got you two for, right? My water princess and my little air nomad, you can make up for what I didn't learn." More than anything he just really had no desire to learn. Learning another element was difficult, that went without saying, and also immensely time consuming. It could take up to a few weeks to even grasp the basics, depending on his teacher, and longer still to have some semblance of a mastery. Much as he'd like to think they could teach him, Katsu had serious doubts about his companions being good teachers.</s>
<\|description\|>Katsu Takumi Age: 18 Gender: Male Nationality/Birthplace: Fire Nation, Khimori Village Current Residence: Republic City, Panther Lily Residential District Appearance: Occupation: Thief, Avatar Elemental Affinity: Fire Theme: Thief - Imagine Dragons History: Katsu's birth presented a bit of a conundrum for the Order of the White Lotus; an Avatar born in an era of peace wasn't needed quite as much as before. What should they do then? Take him from his home? Or leave him be and let him grow up in a normal life. It was a hard decision, but a choice needed to be made and ultimately a compromise was reached. Katsu would indeed be trained, but in the comfort of his own home village rather than being whisked away. His parents liked the idea, and initially Katsu had no problems with the arrangement. As he got older however he began to have quite a different opinion on the matter. How was he supposed to keep his identity as the Avatar a secret when these strange men followed him everywhere? His family wasn't well off and yet he had escorts, was waited on like nobility and provided for whatever he needed. Any other child may have been enamored with the treatment and yet Katsu came to resent it immensely. He had no autonomy like this, and it was near impossible to get away to have some time on his own. Pretty quickly being in the comfort of his own village meant little, it was every bit a prison as moving away would have been. The only solution in his mind then was to leave, abandon the Lotus' training and his parents in favor of a freer lifestyle, a lifestyle he would find in Republic City. It was an ideal plan on paper, but upon arriving in Republic City it became quickly apparent he hadn't thought things through entirely. Here he was, hundreds of miles from home, with hardly a coin to his name and nowhere to stay. What little money he'd saved up over the years had near all been spent on the boat ticket, so now Katsu found himself in a dilemma. He unsuccessfully tried getting jobs here and there but was turned down constantly, and returning home was not an option. At the age of 13 he settled on doing the only thing he could in order to survive: theft. Republic City certainly had its fair share of criminals, so he would only be one amongst the crowd. Or he might have been if he didn't have something of a superiority complex. He was going to be a thief, but he wanted to be the thief. He would join whatever group he could find and work his way up, and from there he'd be somebody. He'd live life how he wanted, do what he wanted, and get what he wanted without the meddling of the Order of the White Lotus. Much as he might have resented the White Lotus he had to be grateful for all the training they had given him. With both bending and martial training of the highest caliber he was an exceptional fighter, a fact that helped him climb the ranks of the gang he eventually joined. Nimble, strong and a capable bender he ascended to the second hand of the gang within two years, and not long thereafter he succeeded the previous leader. Granted… The gang had all of twenty members, many around his own age, but he still managed to succeed them all. Renaming the gang the Khimori Bandits after his hometown, Katsu began a life of "luxury". The Khimori Bandits amassed a fair fortune in a matter of a year, and yet Katsu kept very little of the coin for himself. It was never the money he was after, he'd argue, but the thrill and delight that came along with the act of theft. Even now he remains one of the poorer members of his gang in spite of being the leader, and he tends to carry out as many jobs as his best associates.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Whichever way they decided to travel it was going to take some time, Katsu knew that much. They had a destination, getting there was another matter entirely; shame he didn't have something like a flying bison, they could make the trip in no time at all. Koinu couldn't even carry him, let alone the three of them, so riding an animal was out of the question. The fact they were going to have to rely on public transit, a boat of all things, hardly thrilled him. What Siku said about it made sense, that being in a crowd might help obscure them. Yet the opposite might be true too, they could stand out in a crowd like a sore thumb. Not only that, but being in a mass of people it would be almost impossible to tell who might mean them harm; if they chose the sneakier route, then anyone they came across would more likely than not be against them. "However we do it, we should do it soon. Nothing worse than sitting around while someone's searching for you," Katsu said aloud, frowning as he rose to his feet, "So we'll head to Gung-Li, and worry about getting to Iwa when we get there." If he'd learned anything in life, it was to be flexible. Even the best laid plans could be ruined by just one instance, so better to prepare to change than to stick to some routine. Improvising was something he was particularly good at, yet goodness knows if the same might be said for Siku or Asha. Giving Koinu's head a gentle rubbing, the Avatar began following alongside the Water Bender, smirking somewhat amused when she brought up food. "You'd never survive in the kind of life I've lived, you're too spoiled," Katsu teased, placing a hand on his stomach, "I can go for a while without eating, I guess it pays to be poor sometimes." Not that he was particularly poor now, but he had been for a while. He would be fine without food, but Katsu did worry about Koinu. Still being a pup he really should eat regularly, and without any food really packed for travel, there wasn't much for his furry friend. Worst case he supposed he could go and hunt something, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done so. Glancing over to Siku when she started to question him, the Avatar's cheeks flushed slightly at what she had asked, looking away abashed and clearing his throat. "Well... Uh... No... Not really," he admitted, scratching at his nose casually with his index finger, "Never really had a chance to learn, or a teacher. Most of what I know now is self-taught too." He didn't really bend all that often, there was typically no reason to do so. It wouldn't be totally unfair to say he was out of practice, not that he'd ever admit such a thing. "But hey, I can get on just fine without those two! I mean there's no big apocalyptic event going on, or some war threatening the world, it's just me running from some oppressive jerks. I don't see a reason to need all four elements for that," Katsu continued, grinning as he reached over and put an arm around both Siku's and Asha's shoulders, "That's what I've got you two for, right? My water princess and my little air nomad, you can make up for what I didn't learn." More than anything he just really had no desire to learn. Learning another element was difficult, that went without saying, and also immensely time consuming. It could take up to a few weeks to even grasp the basics, depending on his teacher, and longer still to have some semblance of a mastery. Much as he'd like to think they could teach him, Katsu had serious doubts about his companions being good teachers.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku's face twisted into one of disgust and mockery as she mimicked Katsu, "You'd never survive the life I lived... I'm the Avatar and a scrappy vagabond! Nobody's had a life as tough as mine!" She laughed, grinning at herself before involuntarily releasing a single snort. Her hand instantly covered her mouth as her face turned beet red. "Shut up, I can live without food for a bit... But in case you don't remember, a certain Avatar made us run out of a restaurant in the middle of a meal," She muttered, crossing her arms. What she didn't expect was his legitimate answer to her question. She was only teasing... he really hadn't even tried, or successfully attempted, the other two elements? The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she felt his arm come in contact with her shoulder. Her lip curled in contempt as he continued to blather away. Her mind echoed back to her the words 'water princess' as soon as he said it. Water princess... Water princess... Her brow furrowed gradually... Princess. The girl crouched quickly, ducking under the Avatar's arm, before taking one decisive step forward and placing her foot into the back of his knee. The soft scraping of metal against sheath sounded as she pulled her blade a mere two inches from its home without drawing it. "You wanna find a better way to phrase that..? Stick possession in front of a reference to me ever again and I'll carry you back to Republic City on a platter myself," She offered, leaning forward with a small growl in her voice. She paused for a moment, just long enough to ensure he wouldn't be able to answer before she pressed her weapon back into the sheath. Siku stepped around him and kept walking as though she hadn't just falsely threatened his life... again. One hand rested cautiously on the hilt of her dao. "Hm... If I have the cycle correct, Asha, he'll need air bending once he actually learns fire... Maybe you can show him the basics, at least. Of course... to do that, he'd actually have to be a skilled firebender..." She shook her head, "So maybe it'd be better not to clear your calender just yet. "It's sad really... What kind of Avatar doesn't at least try on their own..? I understand not mastering or even caring to master the elements... but to completely pretend like two of them aren't in your repertoire... Pfft, I'd say that makes it sound like you're more afraid of failure than you are death."</s> <\|message\|>Asha The small brown haired girl hummed to herself as the other two in her group conversed. Asha's mind was somewhere else completely, as she wondered about what all they might see during their travels. She had been born and raised in Republic City and even then she hadn't seen much of it. This whole traveling and adventuring the world was an exciting new prospect for her and that was all that was going on in her mind, before she felt a hand around her shoulder which caused her to jump. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink when she had seen just who it was who had their arm around her shoulder; Asha giggled softly and nodded at Katsu's words, him saying she was his little air nomad...she sort of missed the other part of the conversation, though. It was then that Asha realized that the avatar had said something that ticked off her water bending friend and she just watched with amusement at how easily Siku threatened Katsu's life yet again over something she was assuming was petty. Still though, it was funny to see how the two interacted and despite how much they fought, how close they seemed. The brunette smiled at the others before turning her attention back towards the road they were traveling, hoping to watch out for anything suspicious. Since the Avatar was wanted and now on the run, one could never be too cautious. "Hm?" Asha turned her attention once again towards her comrades, more directly to Siku, "Oh, yeah, I think that is how it goes. So, whenever you want to learn some air bending, lemme know!" the girl said with zeal, forming a fist with one hand and throwing it in the air. "It really is a fun element..." Asha trailed off, not knowing whether or not Katsu was ready to even attempt air bending. Since Katsu had taken more of a liking towards fire (obviously) and earth, she feared that the boy would have a very troubling time with the other two elements.</s>	<\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu bit his tongue and refrained from snapping at Siku, not at all appreciating her taunting behavior. His life hadn't been easy, not that he expected her to know, and the fact she was joking about it annoyed him to no small end. Did she know what it was like to not eat for days on end? To sleep on a bench in the park in the pouring rain? He doubted it, yet he wasn't going to sit here, get on a box and cry his troubles out to the world; she could go on thinking he was just complaining, he didn't really care enough to correct her. All of that was behind him anyways, and even on the run now his life was better than it had been. Rolling his eyes at the complaint about the restaurant, Katsu smirked slightly amused and gave a dismissive shrug, just to egg on Siku. "Food sucked anyways, too overpriced if you ask me," he responded calmly, looking away as though he were disinterested. Heh, two could play at that game, he'd rile her up just as she had him. When asked about whether he'd practiced other elements or not he answered honestly, a bit ashamed to say he hadn't yet seeing no reason to hide it. There was no need for him to, it wasn't like there was some great war or anything going on; aside from his problems with the Lotus defectors the world was in a relative time of peace, there was next to no reason for an Avatar to even exist. Seriously, if he only learned fire and nothing else then he should be perfectly fine! Heh, water princess, he figured that was a pretty good one. Obviously he didn't mean it and made it in jest, but given Siku's sometimes haughty nature it fit. Chuckling to himself at her expense, Katsu gasped when he suddenly felt his support leave him, and soon was knocked to his knees with a rather angry Water Bender looming over him. Blinking just once when she began threatening him he glanced at her dao silently, doubtful she had any real intention of using it but not wanting to test his luck. Watching as she retracted the weapon and left him be, the Avatar breathed a sigh of relief before climbing back to his feet. "Jeez Siku, someone sleep on the wrong side of the ground last night?" he joked, rubbing at his neck before grinning at her cheekily, "You're kinda hot when you're mad though, anyone ever tell you that?" He really didn't know better it seemed, or maybe he was calling her bluff with her weapon being drawn, who knows. "You said it, I don't care to master them. Why should I when I can use two already?" Katsu asked in turn, placing his hands into his coat pockets as he strode along. At least Asha was plenty supportive and not at all being a pain in the neck, unlike some women of the group. Seriously, two days thus far and Siku had already threatened him twice, what gives? If she was going to draw her weapon on him every time they spoke then he'd just leave her be, see if she preferred that! She could have a pet rock if that was better for her, then he'd not be at risk of getting shanked for speaking.</s>
<\|description\|>Katsu Takumi Age: 18 Gender: Male Nationality/Birthplace: Fire Nation, Khimori Village Current Residence: Republic City, Panther Lily Residential District Appearance: Occupation: Thief, Avatar Elemental Affinity: Fire Theme: Thief - Imagine Dragons History: Katsu's birth presented a bit of a conundrum for the Order of the White Lotus; an Avatar born in an era of peace wasn't needed quite as much as before. What should they do then? Take him from his home? Or leave him be and let him grow up in a normal life. It was a hard decision, but a choice needed to be made and ultimately a compromise was reached. Katsu would indeed be trained, but in the comfort of his own home village rather than being whisked away. His parents liked the idea, and initially Katsu had no problems with the arrangement. As he got older however he began to have quite a different opinion on the matter. How was he supposed to keep his identity as the Avatar a secret when these strange men followed him everywhere? His family wasn't well off and yet he had escorts, was waited on like nobility and provided for whatever he needed. Any other child may have been enamored with the treatment and yet Katsu came to resent it immensely. He had no autonomy like this, and it was near impossible to get away to have some time on his own. Pretty quickly being in the comfort of his own village meant little, it was every bit a prison as moving away would have been. The only solution in his mind then was to leave, abandon the Lotus' training and his parents in favor of a freer lifestyle, a lifestyle he would find in Republic City. It was an ideal plan on paper, but upon arriving in Republic City it became quickly apparent he hadn't thought things through entirely. Here he was, hundreds of miles from home, with hardly a coin to his name and nowhere to stay. What little money he'd saved up over the years had near all been spent on the boat ticket, so now Katsu found himself in a dilemma. He unsuccessfully tried getting jobs here and there but was turned down constantly, and returning home was not an option. At the age of 13 he settled on doing the only thing he could in order to survive: theft. Republic City certainly had its fair share of criminals, so he would only be one amongst the crowd. Or he might have been if he didn't have something of a superiority complex. He was going to be a thief, but he wanted to be the thief. He would join whatever group he could find and work his way up, and from there he'd be somebody. He'd live life how he wanted, do what he wanted, and get what he wanted without the meddling of the Order of the White Lotus. Much as he might have resented the White Lotus he had to be grateful for all the training they had given him. With both bending and martial training of the highest caliber he was an exceptional fighter, a fact that helped him climb the ranks of the gang he eventually joined. Nimble, strong and a capable bender he ascended to the second hand of the gang within two years, and not long thereafter he succeeded the previous leader. Granted… The gang had all of twenty members, many around his own age, but he still managed to succeed them all. Renaming the gang the Khimori Bandits after his hometown, Katsu began a life of "luxury". The Khimori Bandits amassed a fair fortune in a matter of a year, and yet Katsu kept very little of the coin for himself. It was never the money he was after, he'd argue, but the thrill and delight that came along with the act of theft. Even now he remains one of the poorer members of his gang in spite of being the leader, and he tends to carry out as many jobs as his best associates.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku's knuckles turned bone-white as her nails dug into the flesh of her palm. He was insufferable and how she managed to get stuck with him was beyond her. She and Asha were in the wrong place at the wrong time, that was all there was. Now her whole family was left behind and she had no idea when she'd see them again. Her little sister would have to be escorted to school and spend her days under watch until all of this was cleared up... The hot, salty particles of water gently slid down her cheeks before she knew it. At this point, she wasn't even listening to Katsu's incessant blathering; she was only trying to prevent the tremors from overtaking her body as she walked point, her back to both of her compatriots. She crossed her arms and let out a sigh as the weight of danger she had put her own family into came down on her. She had to blame Katsu, but where would that get any of them? Getting angry with the already hard-headed Avatar could only exacerbate the situation. He was sorry enough as it was, the last thing she needed was The Bridge groveling at her feet... She smirked through her tears at the thought. That idiot. The girl cleared her throat and used her hand to "itch" her eye and, without turning around, responded with a roll of her eyes, "Fine then. Don't learn them. You'd probably just waste all of the water anyway, then what would I have to bend?" She taunted. It took the remainder of the day, but finally they arrived in Gung-Li. Siku used her hand as a visor, the sun was just about set, but the sliver that was still on the horizon decided that her eyes were a fine target. The small coastal town was quiet, as she imagined it often was, and many of the shops were already closed and turning in for the night. It was so different from Republic City and even from the North Pole... She'd never had time or reason to visit the smaller tribes up north, the ones that lived peaceful, nomadic lives of simple tasks like hunting, fishing, and sleeping around fires. Father always said it was too uncivilized a life, but Siku had always wanted to see what it was like. Now it was a life she had no choice in. Her eyes scanned the different wooden buildings; they were all so quaint, they looked like homes, not houses. Like livelihoods rather than franchises. Some people were carrying baskets of food home and even a few children went running by, obviously chasing each other. Siku smiled a little bit - what would her life have been like here, had she been raised in a small Earth nation home with no ridiculous customs or courtesies? Then again, she loved being a water bender and she used to love being an Ice Wolf. Oh well, life goes on. She placed her hands on her hips, "Ugh... I'm taking a guess that the transit is closed, so let's go find a place to eat dinner and sleep then we'll get moving in the morning, yeah?" They wandered the streets for a few minutes, looking for a sign mentioning restaurant or inn of any kind, but it was slim pickings. The town likely got very few visitors, as it wasn't a major harbor, and she was beginning to grow more sure that "chartering" anything to Iwa was going to be more of a hassle than they bargained for. The girl looked around and bit her lip in thought. Each moment that passed it seemed less people were outside, but god dammit to ask for directions would feel so foreign. She never needed directions... Then, she heard it. Likely, Koinu would have heard it first, but it still wouldn't take long for them all to. It was a soft sobbing sound coming from just around the corner a couple of roads ahead... It sounded like a child - either lost or in some kind of distress.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha watched the two interact with one another, her heart picking up pace when she thought that her two companions were going to get into a fight. She hated fighting between two friends and was hoping that neither Katsu or Siku was going to instigate one, or give one another the cold shoulder. It seemed that just as quickly as they had spat out their arguments, did they quiet down and forget the whole ordeal. The young brunette shook her head to herself and walked alongside Katsu, seeing as Siku was on point. Katsu and Siku had such strong personalities that they clashed, but she was sure when the time called for it, they would be there for each other. They finally found Gung-Li and the air bender was happy that they have reached their destination for the day. "Ah...Yes! You're so right, let's find some food and then make sleepy," Asha replied, putting her two cents in. She covered her mouth with one of her hands, her tiredness showing through. While it would be great to get some food, it seemed that many of the restaurants and businesses were closing for the night, which made sense in a small village. "Hm...we should probably hurry," she added, looking at Katsu and then Siku for direction; she wasn't quite sure what to do and was very unused to doing things all on her own. It made her feel extremely young and inexperienced, but that was just what she was...she hoped she would still be able to contribute and help her friends through this. Just as they were looking for someplace that was still open, they heard the sobbing of a young child just a few roads down. Asha glanced up at her friends, wondering if they were thinking what she was thinking: they should see what's wrong.</s>	<\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "What, can't pull moisture from the air? Any half decent Water Bender can manage that," Katsu shot back, sticking his tongue out childishly even if Siku couldn't see him. Tch, maybe he would learn them now just to spite her, wouldn't that be fun? He'd be better than she was and then he could rub it in her face, that alone made it worth putting in the effort. Seriously though could Siku just come off of her high horse for one moment and learn to take a joke? It's not like he was being lecherous and grabbing her or anything, he'd made a comment in jest and got a sword to the neck as a result, talk about overreacting. Maybe he'd just be better off talking with Asha from hereon out, worst she could do was blow some wind and ruffle his hair. Gung-Li was a beautiful place to live, Katsu surmised as much just from his first glance alone. Despite being a resident of Republic City for many years now he vastly preferred rural spaces like this, where everyone knew one another and got on well. It was reminiscent of his own home actually, a thought which gave the Avatar a slight pang in his chest at considering. Someday he would have to return home, even if unannounced, just to see how his parents were doing; would they be happy to see him? Angry? Disappointed? It would be a very uneasy meeting to be sure and there would be dozens of questions to be answered, yet he felt he needed that peace of mind at some point. For now though this was good enough to act as a stand-in, however temporary it might be. After being in the city for so long he'd forgotten how warm a small town was, and Katsu almost wanted to suggest they spend the night, leave in the morning instead. Or maybe even tomorrow night, just to have some more time here. "Sure thing, I could use a good meal right about now," Katsu said with a grin, glancing down as Koinu poked his head up through the neck of his shirt, "So can my little buddy, we'll get you a big steak! Siku's treat!" Heh, if it was for him she'd sooner skewer him with that dao than feed him, but surely she wasn't going to refuse his pet? Smirking smugly at the Water Bender he followed along as they descended into the town, being taken in by the sights and sounds of a bustling little village; vendors peddling their wares in the final moments of business, families running to and fro to get home or to fetch dinner, children enjoying the weaning sunlight. He'd love to be able to just live like this again, not have to worry about any Avatar crap or any of that nonsense. Maybe later he'd sneak off just to walk around a little, enjoy himself some. "There is nothing around here! Even my home town had some stuff worth seeing," Katsu voiced aloud, unknowingly speaking to Siku's woes as they wandered about. Not a single inn yet, and no large charter ships like those in Republic City for transit. At best they could probably get a fisherman to take them across, though that was asking an awful lot for such a small vessel. If they could just get lucky enough and find a decent craft then they could somehow pay for it, yet so far there was no obvious signs of anything they could use. Sighing to himself he wondered it they should consider traveling further inland, maybe they could find a larger town and go from there. That might be a decent plan, but it would have to wait. A distressing sound grabbed the group's attention just then, the sound of a child crying, and it simply could not be ignored. Were it an adult or even someone their age he might turn a blind eye, but Katsu didn't have it in him to ignore some kid. Frowning uncertainly he started walking towards the source of the crying, taking cautious glances down each street they passed as if paranoid something more might be going on. "Hey kid...? What's wrong, why you crying?"</s>
<\|description\|>Siku Tsukiko Age: 17 Gender: Female Element: Water Birthplace: Northern Water Tribe Current Residence: Republic City Occupation: Pro-bender ("The Ice Wolves") Appearance: Child Grown History: Siku grew up in the Northern Water Tribe, spending her first ten years of life in the icy habitats of the distant North. Her family lived quite well-off, as her father was the chief's cousin, thus providing an environment for young Siku to thrive easily. From a young age, she showed a capacity for water bending and a curiosity beyond even the other children in the tribe. She was always exercising her abilities, absolutely fascinated by the way water reacted to even her very presence. Having acquired the ability to bend from her father, the man was the first to jump on a chance to train his only daughter. He was one of few water benders who wielded a weapon from time to time to accompany his art. Much to his chagrin, Siku had grown rather attached to their television on certain nights of the week. It was like pulling her out of a coma when her eyes glued to that screen to watch the pro-benders of Republic City, champions of their craft, dueling. The girl wanted nothing more than to see one match, in person, and learn to diversify her own talents, no matter how small their manifestation still was at the time. After months of begging, pleading, groveling, and extra chores, her parents gave in to her incessant requesting and took her to the arena in the city. Hoping to satisfy her, they left within just a few days and spent a week in the city, leaving her in awe of everything from the cars to the music to the three matches they attended. The plan backfired quite noticeably because within only a year or two the chief offered her father the recently opened position of Ambassador for the North Pole and when Siku heard… well, there was no shutting her up. Her bags were packed before the decision was made and by the time she was ten, they were unlocking the doors to their new, and admittedly quite lavish, house in the center of the city. It had a yard and a garden, granted due to her father's position. They had not purchased it, but rather it was owned by the Northern Water Tribe. Siku's mother had always stayed at home, maintaining the house and caring for Siku and their new two year-old daughter Sesi. Siku started going to school in the city and her father continued their training sessions, waiting until she was old enough before starting to teach her how to use a dao, just as he incorporated one into his own training. They began with wood, and by the time she was finishing school, she could flourish the blade as though it were naught but air. She acquired her spot with the Ice Wolves amateur pro-bending team after their water bender took a nasty fall off the platform, forgetting to catch himself properly in the water below. He was only temporarily out of commission, but he decided to leave pro-bending behind after the injury. Siku leapt at the opportunity, despite how crunched for time she already was, proving herself to be a worthwhile gamble. Somehow, with a packed schedule, she managed to give herself at least a little bit of time each week to stroll the streets of Republic City and clear her mind or spend recreational time with her friends. Name: Hiresh Sudhir Age: 19 Gender: Male Element: Earth (Affinity for Metal) Birthplace: Zaofu, Home of the Metal Clan Current Residence: Republic City Occupation: Metal Corps Officer Appearance: History: Hiresh was born and raised in the city of Zaofu of the Earth Kingdom. He was a natural earth and metal bender, though he displayed little talent in much else, he was content with his bending prowess. By the time he was sixteen, he knew he wanted to join the Metal Corps in Republic City. On recommendation of many of the city's guardsmen, he was accepted into the academy, where he trained rigorously until he was finally a full-fledged officer. He was assigned to duty as one of the Tsukiko family's guard and escort to start with a basic job. It was the Northern Water Tribe's ambassador and his family, the job was plenty important, he told himself. He spent so little time hunting Triple-Threat members and actually doing good, however, that he sometimes felt underappreciated in the force. His superior officers have been promising him for months now that they would post him elsewhere as soon as they could, but he has yet to see any kind of paperwork pushed for it. Guard duty be damned, he joined to be an officer, not a security guard. Was it just because he had a generally protective attitude? Rather than being outspoken for justice in particular? !!! WARNING: Early Pages Spoilers !!! Name: Grand Lotus Hideki Yakedo Gender: Male Age: 54 Element: Fire Appearance: Background: Grand Lotus Yakedo is the head of the White Lotus organization. He was a part of the group from a very young age; his father was an agent who gave his life in the line of duty for the previous Avatar from the Earth Kingdom. Having grown up in the society made becoming an official member rather easy. Of course, he set his goals much higher. While he loved the group, he saw countless flaws with how institutionalized it was; the White Lotus was an "official" faction nowadays, but he knew that in history they were once a secret society which protected the balance of the world alongside the Avatar, they weren't guards for the Avatar. Hideki did not make it his life's goal to become the leader of the Lotus, he wanted to change it - to get it back to its roots before somebody turned its tides against their charge. The Avatar should be in charge of their own training, watched over and supervised by the sages and elders of each kingdom. No government, no politics, and no full-time protection. The Avatars of old were so great because of the trials and tribulations they faced in their travels - an Avatar couldn't be trained, they had to be grown. Now, his worst nightmare has come to pass: even as he tries to pull the White Lotus out of the Avatar's life (hence why Katsu was able to avoid them for so long), there were double agents and infiltrators in his midst who meant to bring the boy harm.</s> <\|message\|>Asha The small brown haired girl hummed to herself as the other two in her group conversed. Asha's mind was somewhere else completely, as she wondered about what all they might see during their travels. She had been born and raised in Republic City and even then she hadn't seen much of it. This whole traveling and adventuring the world was an exciting new prospect for her and that was all that was going on in her mind, before she felt a hand around her shoulder which caused her to jump. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink when she had seen just who it was who had their arm around her shoulder; Asha giggled softly and nodded at Katsu's words, him saying she was his little air nomad...she sort of missed the other part of the conversation, though. It was then that Asha realized that the avatar had said something that ticked off her water bending friend and she just watched with amusement at how easily Siku threatened Katsu's life yet again over something she was assuming was petty. Still though, it was funny to see how the two interacted and despite how much they fought, how close they seemed. The brunette smiled at the others before turning her attention back towards the road they were traveling, hoping to watch out for anything suspicious. Since the Avatar was wanted and now on the run, one could never be too cautious. "Hm?" Asha turned her attention once again towards her comrades, more directly to Siku, "Oh, yeah, I think that is how it goes. So, whenever you want to learn some air bending, lemme know!" the girl said with zeal, forming a fist with one hand and throwing it in the air. "It really is a fun element..." Asha trailed off, not knowing whether or not Katsu was ready to even attempt air bending. Since Katsu had taken more of a liking towards fire (obviously) and earth, she feared that the boy would have a very troubling time with the other two elements.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu bit his tongue and refrained from snapping at Siku, not at all appreciating her taunting behavior. His life hadn't been easy, not that he expected her to know, and the fact she was joking about it annoyed him to no small end. Did she know what it was like to not eat for days on end? To sleep on a bench in the park in the pouring rain? He doubted it, yet he wasn't going to sit here, get on a box and cry his troubles out to the world; she could go on thinking he was just complaining, he didn't really care enough to correct her. All of that was behind him anyways, and even on the run now his life was better than it had been. Rolling his eyes at the complaint about the restaurant, Katsu smirked slightly amused and gave a dismissive shrug, just to egg on Siku. "Food sucked anyways, too overpriced if you ask me," he responded calmly, looking away as though he were disinterested. Heh, two could play at that game, he'd rile her up just as she had him. When asked about whether he'd practiced other elements or not he answered honestly, a bit ashamed to say he hadn't yet seeing no reason to hide it. There was no need for him to, it wasn't like there was some great war or anything going on; aside from his problems with the Lotus defectors the world was in a relative time of peace, there was next to no reason for an Avatar to even exist. Seriously, if he only learned fire and nothing else then he should be perfectly fine! Heh, water princess, he figured that was a pretty good one. Obviously he didn't mean it and made it in jest, but given Siku's sometimes haughty nature it fit. Chuckling to himself at her expense, Katsu gasped when he suddenly felt his support leave him, and soon was knocked to his knees with a rather angry Water Bender looming over him. Blinking just once when she began threatening him he glanced at her dao silently, doubtful she had any real intention of using it but not wanting to test his luck. Watching as she retracted the weapon and left him be, the Avatar breathed a sigh of relief before climbing back to his feet. "Jeez Siku, someone sleep on the wrong side of the ground last night?" he joked, rubbing at his neck before grinning at her cheekily, "You're kinda hot when you're mad though, anyone ever tell you that?" He really didn't know better it seemed, or maybe he was calling her bluff with her weapon being drawn, who knows. "You said it, I don't care to master them. Why should I when I can use two already?" Katsu asked in turn, placing his hands into his coat pockets as he strode along. At least Asha was plenty supportive and not at all being a pain in the neck, unlike some women of the group. Seriously, two days thus far and Siku had already threatened him twice, what gives? If she was going to draw her weapon on him every time they spoke then he'd just leave her be, see if she preferred that! She could have a pet rock if that was better for her, then he'd not be at risk of getting shanked for speaking.</s>	<\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku's knuckles turned bone-white as her nails dug into the flesh of her palm. He was insufferable and how she managed to get stuck with him was beyond her. She and Asha were in the wrong place at the wrong time, that was all there was. Now her whole family was left behind and she had no idea when she'd see them again. Her little sister would have to be escorted to school and spend her days under watch until all of this was cleared up... The hot, salty particles of water gently slid down her cheeks before she knew it. At this point, she wasn't even listening to Katsu's incessant blathering; she was only trying to prevent the tremors from overtaking her body as she walked point, her back to both of her compatriots. She crossed her arms and let out a sigh as the weight of danger she had put her own family into came down on her. She had to blame Katsu, but where would that get any of them? Getting angry with the already hard-headed Avatar could only exacerbate the situation. He was sorry enough as it was, the last thing she needed was The Bridge groveling at her feet... She smirked through her tears at the thought. That idiot. The girl cleared her throat and used her hand to "itch" her eye and, without turning around, responded with a roll of her eyes, "Fine then. Don't learn them. You'd probably just waste all of the water anyway, then what would I have to bend?" She taunted. It took the remainder of the day, but finally they arrived in Gung-Li. Siku used her hand as a visor, the sun was just about set, but the sliver that was still on the horizon decided that her eyes were a fine target. The small coastal town was quiet, as she imagined it often was, and many of the shops were already closed and turning in for the night. It was so different from Republic City and even from the North Pole... She'd never had time or reason to visit the smaller tribes up north, the ones that lived peaceful, nomadic lives of simple tasks like hunting, fishing, and sleeping around fires. Father always said it was too uncivilized a life, but Siku had always wanted to see what it was like. Now it was a life she had no choice in. Her eyes scanned the different wooden buildings; they were all so quaint, they looked like homes, not houses. Like livelihoods rather than franchises. Some people were carrying baskets of food home and even a few children went running by, obviously chasing each other. Siku smiled a little bit - what would her life have been like here, had she been raised in a small Earth nation home with no ridiculous customs or courtesies? Then again, she loved being a water bender and she used to love being an Ice Wolf. Oh well, life goes on. She placed her hands on her hips, "Ugh... I'm taking a guess that the transit is closed, so let's go find a place to eat dinner and sleep then we'll get moving in the morning, yeah?" They wandered the streets for a few minutes, looking for a sign mentioning restaurant or inn of any kind, but it was slim pickings. The town likely got very few visitors, as it wasn't a major harbor, and she was beginning to grow more sure that "chartering" anything to Iwa was going to be more of a hassle than they bargained for. The girl looked around and bit her lip in thought. Each moment that passed it seemed less people were outside, but god dammit to ask for directions would feel so foreign. She never needed directions... Then, she heard it. Likely, Koinu would have heard it first, but it still wouldn't take long for them all to. It was a soft sobbing sound coming from just around the corner a couple of roads ahead... It sounded like a child - either lost or in some kind of distress.</s>
<\|description\|>Siku Tsukiko Age: 17 Gender: Female Element: Water Birthplace: Northern Water Tribe Current Residence: Republic City Occupation: Pro-bender ("The Ice Wolves") Appearance: Child Grown History: Siku grew up in the Northern Water Tribe, spending her first ten years of life in the icy habitats of the distant North. Her family lived quite well-off, as her father was the chief's cousin, thus providing an environment for young Siku to thrive easily. From a young age, she showed a capacity for water bending and a curiosity beyond even the other children in the tribe. She was always exercising her abilities, absolutely fascinated by the way water reacted to even her very presence. Having acquired the ability to bend from her father, the man was the first to jump on a chance to train his only daughter. He was one of few water benders who wielded a weapon from time to time to accompany his art. Much to his chagrin, Siku had grown rather attached to their television on certain nights of the week. It was like pulling her out of a coma when her eyes glued to that screen to watch the pro-benders of Republic City, champions of their craft, dueling. The girl wanted nothing more than to see one match, in person, and learn to diversify her own talents, no matter how small their manifestation still was at the time. After months of begging, pleading, groveling, and extra chores, her parents gave in to her incessant requesting and took her to the arena in the city. Hoping to satisfy her, they left within just a few days and spent a week in the city, leaving her in awe of everything from the cars to the music to the three matches they attended. The plan backfired quite noticeably because within only a year or two the chief offered her father the recently opened position of Ambassador for the North Pole and when Siku heard… well, there was no shutting her up. Her bags were packed before the decision was made and by the time she was ten, they were unlocking the doors to their new, and admittedly quite lavish, house in the center of the city. It had a yard and a garden, granted due to her father's position. They had not purchased it, but rather it was owned by the Northern Water Tribe. Siku's mother had always stayed at home, maintaining the house and caring for Siku and their new two year-old daughter Sesi. Siku started going to school in the city and her father continued their training sessions, waiting until she was old enough before starting to teach her how to use a dao, just as he incorporated one into his own training. They began with wood, and by the time she was finishing school, she could flourish the blade as though it were naught but air. She acquired her spot with the Ice Wolves amateur pro-bending team after their water bender took a nasty fall off the platform, forgetting to catch himself properly in the water below. He was only temporarily out of commission, but he decided to leave pro-bending behind after the injury. Siku leapt at the opportunity, despite how crunched for time she already was, proving herself to be a worthwhile gamble. Somehow, with a packed schedule, she managed to give herself at least a little bit of time each week to stroll the streets of Republic City and clear her mind or spend recreational time with her friends. Name: Hiresh Sudhir Age: 19 Gender: Male Element: Earth (Affinity for Metal) Birthplace: Zaofu, Home of the Metal Clan Current Residence: Republic City Occupation: Metal Corps Officer Appearance: History: Hiresh was born and raised in the city of Zaofu of the Earth Kingdom. He was a natural earth and metal bender, though he displayed little talent in much else, he was content with his bending prowess. By the time he was sixteen, he knew he wanted to join the Metal Corps in Republic City. On recommendation of many of the city's guardsmen, he was accepted into the academy, where he trained rigorously until he was finally a full-fledged officer. He was assigned to duty as one of the Tsukiko family's guard and escort to start with a basic job. It was the Northern Water Tribe's ambassador and his family, the job was plenty important, he told himself. He spent so little time hunting Triple-Threat members and actually doing good, however, that he sometimes felt underappreciated in the force. His superior officers have been promising him for months now that they would post him elsewhere as soon as they could, but he has yet to see any kind of paperwork pushed for it. Guard duty be damned, he joined to be an officer, not a security guard. Was it just because he had a generally protective attitude? Rather than being outspoken for justice in particular? !!! WARNING: Early Pages Spoilers !!! Name: Grand Lotus Hideki Yakedo Gender: Male Age: 54 Element: Fire Appearance: Background: Grand Lotus Yakedo is the head of the White Lotus organization. He was a part of the group from a very young age; his father was an agent who gave his life in the line of duty for the previous Avatar from the Earth Kingdom. Having grown up in the society made becoming an official member rather easy. Of course, he set his goals much higher. While he loved the group, he saw countless flaws with how institutionalized it was; the White Lotus was an "official" faction nowadays, but he knew that in history they were once a secret society which protected the balance of the world alongside the Avatar, they weren't guards for the Avatar. Hideki did not make it his life's goal to become the leader of the Lotus, he wanted to change it - to get it back to its roots before somebody turned its tides against their charge. The Avatar should be in charge of their own training, watched over and supervised by the sages and elders of each kingdom. No government, no politics, and no full-time protection. The Avatars of old were so great because of the trials and tribulations they faced in their travels - an Avatar couldn't be trained, they had to be grown. Now, his worst nightmare has come to pass: even as he tries to pull the White Lotus out of the Avatar's life (hence why Katsu was able to avoid them for so long), there were double agents and infiltrators in his midst who meant to bring the boy harm.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha watched the two interact with one another, her heart picking up pace when she thought that her two companions were going to get into a fight. She hated fighting between two friends and was hoping that neither Katsu or Siku was going to instigate one, or give one another the cold shoulder. It seemed that just as quickly as they had spat out their arguments, did they quiet down and forget the whole ordeal. The young brunette shook her head to herself and walked alongside Katsu, seeing as Siku was on point. Katsu and Siku had such strong personalities that they clashed, but she was sure when the time called for it, they would be there for each other. They finally found Gung-Li and the air bender was happy that they have reached their destination for the day. "Ah...Yes! You're so right, let's find some food and then make sleepy," Asha replied, putting her two cents in. She covered her mouth with one of her hands, her tiredness showing through. While it would be great to get some food, it seemed that many of the restaurants and businesses were closing for the night, which made sense in a small village. "Hm...we should probably hurry," she added, looking at Katsu and then Siku for direction; she wasn't quite sure what to do and was very unused to doing things all on her own. It made her feel extremely young and inexperienced, but that was just what she was...she hoped she would still be able to contribute and help her friends through this. Just as they were looking for someplace that was still open, they heard the sobbing of a young child just a few roads down. Asha glanced up at her friends, wondering if they were thinking what she was thinking: they should see what's wrong.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "What, can't pull moisture from the air? Any half decent Water Bender can manage that," Katsu shot back, sticking his tongue out childishly even if Siku couldn't see him. Tch, maybe he would learn them now just to spite her, wouldn't that be fun? He'd be better than she was and then he could rub it in her face, that alone made it worth putting in the effort. Seriously though could Siku just come off of her high horse for one moment and learn to take a joke? It's not like he was being lecherous and grabbing her or anything, he'd made a comment in jest and got a sword to the neck as a result, talk about overreacting. Maybe he'd just be better off talking with Asha from hereon out, worst she could do was blow some wind and ruffle his hair. Gung-Li was a beautiful place to live, Katsu surmised as much just from his first glance alone. Despite being a resident of Republic City for many years now he vastly preferred rural spaces like this, where everyone knew one another and got on well. It was reminiscent of his own home actually, a thought which gave the Avatar a slight pang in his chest at considering. Someday he would have to return home, even if unannounced, just to see how his parents were doing; would they be happy to see him? Angry? Disappointed? It would be a very uneasy meeting to be sure and there would be dozens of questions to be answered, yet he felt he needed that peace of mind at some point. For now though this was good enough to act as a stand-in, however temporary it might be. After being in the city for so long he'd forgotten how warm a small town was, and Katsu almost wanted to suggest they spend the night, leave in the morning instead. Or maybe even tomorrow night, just to have some more time here. "Sure thing, I could use a good meal right about now," Katsu said with a grin, glancing down as Koinu poked his head up through the neck of his shirt, "So can my little buddy, we'll get you a big steak! Siku's treat!" Heh, if it was for him she'd sooner skewer him with that dao than feed him, but surely she wasn't going to refuse his pet? Smirking smugly at the Water Bender he followed along as they descended into the town, being taken in by the sights and sounds of a bustling little village; vendors peddling their wares in the final moments of business, families running to and fro to get home or to fetch dinner, children enjoying the weaning sunlight. He'd love to be able to just live like this again, not have to worry about any Avatar crap or any of that nonsense. Maybe later he'd sneak off just to walk around a little, enjoy himself some. "There is nothing around here! Even my home town had some stuff worth seeing," Katsu voiced aloud, unknowingly speaking to Siku's woes as they wandered about. Not a single inn yet, and no large charter ships like those in Republic City for transit. At best they could probably get a fisherman to take them across, though that was asking an awful lot for such a small vessel. If they could just get lucky enough and find a decent craft then they could somehow pay for it, yet so far there was no obvious signs of anything they could use. Sighing to himself he wondered it they should consider traveling further inland, maybe they could find a larger town and go from there. That might be a decent plan, but it would have to wait. A distressing sound grabbed the group's attention just then, the sound of a child crying, and it simply could not be ignored. Were it an adult or even someone their age he might turn a blind eye, but Katsu didn't have it in him to ignore some kid. Frowning uncertainly he started walking towards the source of the crying, taking cautious glances down each street they passed as if paranoid something more might be going on. "Hey kid...? What's wrong, why you crying?"</s>	<\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku refused to give him the time of day. He clearly didn't know the first thing about water bending, let alone science. The amount of water in the air was so slight that harnessing it was an ability acquired only by masters and only useful when there were no other options. Katsu was off before she had even heard the child. She furrowed her brow at the sound as it finally reached her - the hell was it? She placed a hand on her sheath and started after the Avatar, hoping to God they weren't already facing a trap in the form of a child. She came to a halt just behind Katsu. A young boy of no more than six rested in the back street, his face buried between his knees. It sounded like he was holding his breath every few moments before it was let out raggedly. He looked up, wiping at his face when he saw Katsu, though his eyes remained bloodshot. "O-oh... Uh... I..." He sputtered, flinching as though each word hurt to say. "M-my dad... he said to run... So I did... There were men... He tried to tell them to leave..." He tucked his face back into his knees, "But... they just came in. I don't know what they want... I think my family's in trouble..." Siku's lip curled back slightly, a gentle scraping sound coming from her sheath as she drew her dao. "Let's get going, then," She said, still wary of a possible trap. She felt paranoid, but it wasn't like she was going to abandon the boy either. In this quiet town, though? Who would be attacking his home? She lowered her voice beside Katsu, "Right behind you." The boy flinched, staring at her sword and starting to crawl away slightly. The intimidating glint of the bright steel was off-putting as the set sun and already-bright moon struck its surface. When he noticed Asha, however, he lightened up, feeling calm when he realized that a young person trusted these two enough. And the white-haired man gave him a sense of security too, though he knew not why. Siku, on the other hand, was giving him chills and he shakily rose to his feet. "This... this way," He said, moving at a brisk walk down the road. He led them out into the open street, down a few roads, and right outside the edge of the town on the coast. The ocean stretched far off into the distance, shimmering under the light of a million stars. Beneath its surface, countless fish of countless varieties swam, blissfully unaware of how easy it could die within the next few minutes. The water lapped hungrily at the shore's edge, never getting any nearer to swallowing it than it was with the previous lick. "It's the one on top of the hill," The boy stated, pointing ahead. It didn't seem like much from the outside, but looks could be deceiving. He took off up the hill for the home, but as he was about to shout, Siku grabbed his arm and put a finger to her lips. "Sh." She hushed, releasing him and bending a stream of water over her left arm as she started up the hill, looking at Katsu before nodding toward the front door. She was going around back. "Asha, up top," She instructed, "See if you can find a way in up there, or come through a window when you hear us going in, alright?" The swordswoman crouched and gave the house a large radius as she moved around the house, coming up to the rear door. For a moment, she debated knocking, but finally decided to just slowly open the door. The little boy stood directly behind Katsu, however, feeling safer with him. Siku crept through the door with her blade at the lead, taking small steps into the first dark room. Her eyes narrowed in the darkness, Where... is everybody?</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Today went the same as any other day as a resident at Air Temple Island. Asha got up, did her morning routine, went to her classes, then after that practiced her air bending; in all honesty the routine was getting a bit boring, especially after years of doing the same thing, day after day. Of course there were other days that weren't so scheduled, but since most of her life was about discipline and respect, there wasn't much to do to ramp up the excitement...Until she turned thirteen. Once at that age, the monks of the Island decided that boys and girls were allowed to go into Republic City to visit and do other activities, but not without a strict curfew. Asha was grateful to be an air bender and really did enjoy it, but getting to go and experience other things off the Island was a real treat; she got to see all sorts of things and all different kinds of people, even if some were sketchy; but hey, that was life right? It was later in the evening now and she was getting ready for her dinner out with a friend in the city, at a nice Fire Nation restaurant. She had never been before and was rather excited about getting to go. She put her hair into her usual hairdo, in low pony tails. As she made her way off of the Island on the boat, she thought about asking the monks of the Island to extend her curfew, so that she could experience more of the night life that Republic City had to offer. Nothing too extreme of course, but just to walk around during the night seemed fun. Once she got off of the boat (she could have glided but it would have been a bit more tiring) she immediately began her trek to the district the restaurant was in. She knew the name of it, thankfully, and was going to meet her friend there. The brunette looked around as she walked, taking in the sights the city had to offer; it never seemed to get old as the city was constantly changing as well as it's residents. Asha spotted the restaurants glowing sign and smiled happily and quickly walked over towards the door and stood near it, waiting. She looked up from the ground when she heard a loud thud, as if someone had hit the hard concrete, and spotted her friend. "Siku!" she exclaimed, running over towards her and the boys who she seemed to be acquainted with. The older boy looked familiar, but sadly she couldn't remember his name; the boy on the ground however she had never met in her life. "Uh...is everything okay?" Asha asked, looking up at Siku and the older boy, glancing between the two. She glanced down at the boy on the ground and cocked her head to the side. "Are you hurt?" she then asked him, bending down to help him up.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu was feeling pretty darn good about today's job, having gotten away from the officers easily and now being on his way to pawn off his haul. Of all the things he'd ever taken a badge was a bit on the stranger side, if only because it was so oddly specific. He didn't know who was buying it or why, nor did he particularly care. Alfonso found him clients and he grabbed the goods, it was a nice little arrangement that saw everyone taken care of and, more importantly, gave him something to do. Smiling proudly as he stuck the badge back into his picket he began a jog back to his hideout, in no particular rush to get there. Maybe he was being a little overconfident in that regard, as his attire stuck out in a crowd; a brown, short sleeved jacket with golden cuffs on the arms and a high collar, a pair of gloves of a similar color scheme, a set of pants which fell just to his shins and a pair of black sandals. Coupled with a bag on his waist that was filled with tools of the trade and he wasn't exactly making any efforts to conceal his identity, and why should he? If anyone tried stopping him he'd get away again, he always did. Well, someone had in fact managed to stop him, but not in the sense he was thinking of. Rounding a corner and being in a bit of a daydream he hadn't noticed a pair coming out of a building, tripping over something and getting a good smack to the back to boot. Letting out a surprised yelp Katsu fell forward, rolling awkwardly right into a mailbox and wincing as his head audibly bounced off of the metal. What in the world had he just run into? Wincing as his hands shot up to his head he turned around annoyed, glaring up at the pair he'd run across. "Hey, watch where you're going you-" he began, shutting up immediately recognizing who it was. "Heh... H-Hey Siku, long time no see! Me? Oh I'm just... Getting some exercise in, that's all! Gotta stay in shape, you know?" Laughing uneasily he rubbed the back of his neck, wishing that for once Siku would be daft enough to take his lame excuse and just let it go. Well she didn't criticize him for it this time, but only because Hiresh had that front covered. Glancing over at the metal-bender his expression changed, frowning as he crossed his arms stubbornly and turned his head away. "Get off your high horse, Hiresh, I've done nothing wrong. Like I said, I'm out for a jog, that's all." What a pain in the ass cops could be, always harassing him like this. Okay, so maybe he had technically done something illegal just now, but even when he was just out and about they still bothered him! Shifting to get up from the ground Katsu froze when the sound of metal hitting the ground confused him, turning his head to see the badge had fallen out of his pocket. Staring at it dumbfounded for a moment he glanced back at the others, a sheepish grin appearing on his face before he hurried and stuck it back in his bag. "Oh that? It's just a toy, you see. Yeah, a replica. I got a job to uh... Get this kid a toy badge, so they can play. See the kid's sick and all so his folks are busy caring for him and can't get him the toy, so I was asked..." Oh jeez, he just couldn't win today could he? Now someone else was coming over to the group, but at least it was someone he didn't recognize. Kind of cute actually, though his hopes sort of deflated when he heard her calling for Siku. Great... She knows her! Evidently however she didn't know him, which could play to his advantage if he was careful. Watching as she came over and offered him a hand he lowered his head to hide a grin, pretending to dust himself off. "Oh I'm fine, thanks. I just tripped is all, and these two were making sure I'm alright," Katsu explained, smiling charmingly as he took Asha's hand and got to his feet. Hm, a little young maybe, definitely younger than any of them. Would it be safe trying to charm her with Siku standing right there? If he could get in good with the girl then he'd have a cover, this could work to his advantage. Reaching out he took one of Asha's hands in his, bowing slightly to her before giving a playful wink. "But I should ask how are you, my charming beauty? My day just became a whole lot better once you graced us with your presence. What's your name?"</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku beamed at the smaller girl headed their way, "Asha! Glad you could make it, punctual as always," She pointed out pleasantly, patting the girl's head before scowling back down at Katsu. She released the girl and smacked the back of his head, leaning forward to glare closely at him, "Don't even try to play it smooth you antagonizing dolt. Get off the ground, dust yourself off, we're going to eat. You damn well better be hungry," she warned him before softening her gaze and looking to Hiresh, "Is there a problem with that?" "Many..." The guard pointed out with more than a little irritation, "I saw that badge - you try anything, kid, you're dead. And I'll be confiscating that right now for inspection. Hand it over," He said without joking, his palm reaching out for the badge. Siku rolled her eyes, "You're not working right now, Hiresh. You're with us, c'mon," She said, pulling the boys along to the restaurant, "The food here is simply divine." Katsu could escape the police, but she'd be damned if he were going to get away from them. The four were lead into a very busy, but clearly expensive dining hall which would make both of the boys feel painfully underdressed. Namely because neither was actually invited. The lady at the podium was dressed in fiery orange and red, greeting them with a warm smile. "Reservations?" She asked, looking to her list as she waited for a name. "Tsukiko. And I know it says two on there, but we each got a plus one, sorry for not calling ahead, can I reserve a four-top?" The water bender asked curiously, looking up to the surprisingly tall hostess with pleading eyes. However, the woman didn't even look at her. "T-tsukiko, right," she started, scrolling down the list as if she didn't know the exact details behind the name already. "You wouldn't happen to be the ambassador's daughter, would you?" The woman asked, clearly nervous. "Yeah, papa's always working, so he's not here tonight. This is just me and my friends." It was now that Siku noticed the woman's slightly tanned skin and she stifled a small giggle - a Water Tribe woman working in a Fire Nation restaurant in Republic City. This place was full of anomalies. "Well, I'm more than happy to find you a larger table," The woman replied, shifting some things around in her list, giving it another look, and finally nodding approvingly. "Perfect! You're all fixed up, follow me." The quartet was led to a round booth in a private corner of the restaurant. They wouldn't feel excluded from the floor and it would be easy for a waitress to see them, but it was certainly more secluded. "Thank you, ma'am," Siku chirped, sliding into the comfy padded bench to the middle, followed by Hiresh. She rolled her eyes as they all took a seat and were passed menus. "Doesn't it get a little... I don't know, awkward? How just your name gets you anything you want?" Hiresh asked finally, his eyes not leaving his menu. "Huh?" Siku asked, put off by the question as she rubbed the back of her neck. "N-not really... I mean, it's not like I'm always using it to get ahead, right? It's just my name. What people do with that is up to them, not me. I like to think that being nice to them makes them nice back. A charming smile goes a long way, 'Reshy," She teased, poking his side. He snorted with a frown, "I think there's more privilege there than you realize, Miss Tsukiko." The girl shook her head and looked to Asha, puffing out her chest and mocking him with lip-syncing and crossed eyes for a moment before scanning her menu again. "Let's see here... Ooh, I know what I'm getting," She said, folding up her menu and setting it down. She'd eaten here several times, so it was really just a decision between a couple of items. To Katsu, it was quite clear that Hiresh was going out of his way to watch him over the edge of his menu as he picked his food, the glare almost palpable between them.</s>	<\|message\|>Asha When Asha walked over she smiled a bit shyly when Siku patted her head, then when she went to help the boy up from the ground, Siku smacked him on the back of the head, which made her eyes widen. Did he really deserve that? Woah, city life was tough if this was a typical night out! She smiled apologetically at the boy who had just gotten smacked as they walked inside. The boy seemed very charming, if him using his 'smooth moves' on her was anything to go by. She blushed a little, which she hid behind her hand, covering it up with a small giggle. She then noticed that the boy who had a little squabble with Siku was now joining them for dinner. Asha didn't mind, but she did not know this boy and was inclined to at least get to know his name, for informational purposes, of course. When they were seated with a four person table instead of two, Asha was forced to sit next to the stranger, which made her back stiffen in anxiety. How was she supposed to act, now? A cute boy was sitting right beside her and she had never had lessons on how to deal with this kind of situation. Play it cool? Was that what all the other kids said at the Island? Yeah...that was right, just play it cool! "So, what is your name? I don't think I got it?" She asked the boy who was getting stared down by the other man who was currently sitting next to Siku. Ah, Hiresh was his name. She would definitely have to remember his name as well. The brunette smiled at Siku when she said she knew exactly what she was getting. "I have no clue what I am getting...is there anything that is vegetarian?" she asked her water bending friend. She would know what was on the menu, the other two she wasn't quite sure; she assumed they were in the same boat as her when it came to knowing this restaurant's delicacies. Asha glanced over her companions at the table to steal a quick view of everyone else at the restaurant. Wow, so many people! They were all dressed up so nicely, which made the brunette feel a bit under dressed...she was in a pair of tan shorts and a simple orange top. If they were to come here again, she would have to remember dress up a bit more.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled a little over at Siku when she said there were plenty of dishes to accommodate for vegetarians; it was nice that the restaurant took those who did not eat meat into consideration. She wouldn't have made a big deal out of it or anything, she would have just munched on some bread, but still, she was really looking forward to trying something on the extravagant menu. She turned her attention again to the boy, who she learned was named Katsu, and giggled a little when Siku said her name for her. Siku didn't seem very approving of how Katsu was talking to her, but she didn't mind, it was interesting to see how everyone interacted differently towards one another. Asha looked into Katsu's eyes and blushed a little, "Nice to meet you, Katsu." Asha briefly wondered if anyone found it odd that she didn't carry a last name. Some air benders who lived a more modern life style had one, but since she was taught in the ways of the older teachings, she did not have one. It was always sort of funny to be introduced to someone new and always have them ask for her full name, not realizing that she had honestly just given all of it. Siku had seemed to notice her fidgeting and her face turned a bit red again in embarrassment. "Thanks, I appreciate the offer," she said with a small smile. She did feel very under dressed in this establishment, but tried not to let it get to her so much. Like Siku said, most people understood a traditional air bender way. Finally she found something on the menu she was excited to try, and noticed the server was already at their table, waiting to take their orders. She told the server what she would like politely and then waited for the rest to order, wanting to get back to talking to everyone; it was so much fun to be able to chat with other people. Of course she loved her family and friends back at the Island, but it was always refreshing to get to meet someone new and get to know their life story.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu was trying really hard to be civil here, but Siku wasn't making it easy for him. He would hardly go into a fit of rage or anything when provoked, but while trying to put on a front to trick Asha he couldn't be saying anything off color. So long as he behaved the right way and said the right things the Air bender ought to have no reason to suspect anything of him, and already he could see he was having an effect on her. "Hey, I am clean and proper. The only bit of dirt on me is when I ran into Hiresh," the thief pointed out, smirking as he glanced across the table at the officer, "Sorry for that, by the way. I know neither of us have apologized for the accident but I figured I'd take the first step." Heh, and paint himself in a better light by seeming the bigger man while he was at it. Their server had been awfully prompt in retrieving their order, much to Katsu's delight. While he might not care terribly much for luxuries there was always time for food, and it made little difference to him whether it was five-star dining or a little sandwich shop on the corner, food was food. Of course the food here was less liable to make you sick, and you knew where the meats came from, but he couldn't see himself coming here often. The whole place just stunk of snobby people, like everyone here had something to prove. Another reason he rather disliked the rich, even with all they had they still felt a need to act like they needed more, or deserved more. A little humility wouldn't kill them, though then again considering how hard it was for some to get it perhaps it would. Just as swiftly as their server had seen to them did their food arrive, and loathe as he was to admit it the food looked very good. Probably cost a small fortune for every bite, but then when you weren't paying for it caring was well beyond the thief. Taste wise... Eh, honestly it was alright. Katsu had eaten better food before and at less reputable places, here it just seemed like you were in part paying for the name and all of the fancy surroundings. Nonetheless he cleaned his plate, having to very closely mind his otherwise voracious eating behaviors in front of Asha. Normally he'd go to his food like a wild animal to its first meal in a month, it was just how he learned to eat. When you sometimes had to run from wherever you were you learned to do things quick, and inhaling half a pound of food in about a minute just so happened to be one of those things. Thankfully though he managed to draw it out, still finishing before anyone else but doing so in an orderly fashion. By the time everyone had finished he sat lazily in his chair, a smile on his face and hands folded over his now full stomach. "Wow... Thanks for that Siku, it was great!" Katsu said, grinning as he looked across at the Water Bender. He'd not expected to be treated to a meal, in fact he was still a bit confused as to why he had been brought along at all. It would have been just as easy for Siku to send him off and explain things to Asha, he was certain that's what she would have done. So why take him along? Inevitably the Fire Bender's mind only settled on one possibility, squirming slightly in his seat as he hid a knowing smile behind his hand, coughing to mask it. She's totally into me... She just can't admit it! he thought smugly, glancing over at Hiresh. Tough luck for him, the officer probably had a thing for Siku. She was pretty, sure enough, and the fact that she had a bit of money didn't hurt either. Were it only the three of them here he might well flirt with Siku just for kicks, see how far he could take it in a public place before she snapped or attacked him for it. But he wasn't looking to cause a scene, and besides, there was Asha to see to. Belching quietly into his arm the Fire Bender turned to his side, smiling sweetly as he reached over and placed a hand on Asha's. "So... You're an Air Bender, that's really interesting. I've never met an Air Bender before, certainly not one as pretty as you are," he said, giving her hand a pat before folding both of his own on top of the table. "Tell me a bit about yourself, hm? I hear the Air Temple is supposed to be a really nice place. Lots of discipline, but really nice. Are you from there, or did you move there?" He couldn't quite care much really, but if it helped earn this girl's favor then hey, he'd ask about her dang pet Platypus dog or whatever she might have. Giving Asha a moment to gather her thoughts Katsu glanced back over at his gracious host, winking mischievously as he did so. In a way he was saying 'Go ahead, do something, make a scene.'</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko "That little runt over there?" A young man only a table or two away asked. "There's no way it's him..." "Shut up. Look, I know you're new, but try to be professional. We just watch," Their voices were rather low, but the older one seemed to be a bit agitated with his 'friend.' His voice returned to normal, "So how's your wife?" He asked with a laugh, "Still nagging you about taking care of the laundry this week?" The younger of the two seemed a bit confused before realizing his position, "Well, yeah," He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That honeymoon phase never lasts as long as you want it to, eh?" "Never!" He replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I got away without doing it this time, though. We have our days..." The conversation faded into the background as the waitress came back to Siku & co.'s table. The girl seemed slightly nervous as she placed the tray on a stand and began to set the dishes down at the table, naming each one as she passed it to their recipient. Siku, however, had heard the conversation nearby - she often heard other people talking about her with the assumption that she wasn't listening. It ended with some hurt feelings sometimes, when she'd hear her friends the moment she was gone, but it was something you learned to deal with when others were so jealous. Honestly, she didn't care until their conversation suddenly shifted... That was strange. "Hiresh," She started, looking over, "Keep your eyes up..." She was a little bit nervous, sure, but it wasn't like anybody would try anything out here, in front of a bunch of people. She'd been in similar situations before; her family had money, it wasn't really avoidable when she lived such a high profile lifestyle. She didn't have her waterskin with her... or her dao, she realized. Of course, she didn't carry it with her into public often, but she was allowed to wear it for ceremonies and in formal attire. Most people thought it was just a decoration, but she treasured it beyond what was likely considered 'normal.' The metal bender looked around, suddenly more alert as he tried to pick up suspicious conversation around them. Everybody seemed normal, but the air did feel a bit more tense when one paid close attention to it. Siku looked to Katsu as he reached for Asha's hand and sighed, she'd slap him if she wasn't more occupied otherwise. The tables around them began to shift and their waitress - in fact, most of the staff - was nowhere to be found. The pairs and groups around them started to rise and brush themselves off professionally, every door suddenly had somebody standing by it. Some of them had waterskins, others just looked ready for... something, it was hard to say. Siku looked to others at the table, "Hiresh, we gotta get out of here..." "The doors are blocked, Siku... If we make a scene now, they'll know we know, just eat." He ordered, leaning over his food, "So, Katsu, what do you do for a livi-" Four men stood in front of their table as the leader, the older man from a couple of tables away cleared his throat. Siku leapt to her feet despite the small space between her and the table, shocking most of the people around them as she pushed it forward to the men and it fell to the floor on its side. An aquarium nearby burst as she pulled the water toward herself and she blasted one of them in a surprisingly short moment. It was the youngest, newest guy who was thrown across the room into another booth. "Get the hell away from me you creeps!" She ordered, readying her next attack as the floor in front of Hiresh cracked and a small chunk of earth rose from the floor. "Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down!" The man exclaimed, putting his hands up and starting to laugh. "You okay over there, Hansa? Ha, rookies..." "Urgh... That chick packs a punch, man..." "Shut up and get on your feet." The older man turned to look at Siku, "My apologies, Ms. Tsukiko, we're not here for you though." The girl seemed honestly shocked, "W-what?" Hiresh snickered slightly. "We're from the White Lotus - some of the newer members that just joined in the last few years... We're here for Katsu," He explained, turning to look at the boy, "We were hired after you left... You need to come back - you've spent enough time out here goofing off." Siku furrowed her brow and looked over at her 'friend' ... acquaintance? Person she bumped into? She'd known Katsu for a couple of years - her parents didn't know she'd hung out with him; they'd probably have a hippo cow if they knew she had a friend from that circle. But now... what was the White Lotus doing here for him? Suddenly, her attack maneuver turned to him and she readied it, "What haven't you told me?" Hiresh was up for no joking, however, as the earth shifted and it moved to 'rock' Katsu's feet to the floor, if he didn't move first.</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha was really enjoying herself as she sat and ate a meal with her friends. Although she didn't know Katsu well enough yet, she figured if Siku was friends with him then it was alright for her to be his friend as well. The food came just as quick as it was ordered and she was honestly very surprised at the swiftness the cooks and servers managed everything. The brunette seen that Siku seemed rather preoccupied, her face having an interesting expression on it, meaning she was concentrating on something that wasn't in her direct presence; people at another table, perhaps? She looked beside them at the other tables and seen some older men who seemed to be glancing in their direction every so often. Asha didn't take this to be a threat at all, since Siku was a very rich and well-known person. Katsu asked her some questions and she smiled politely. Blushing when the boy put his hand on one of hers she laughed a little and shrugged. "Oh, it's not really anything too exciting..." Asha began, but was cut off when the men who Siku had been focusing on came closer, causing Siku to attack one of them. She blinked at how fast Siku had reacted and almost squeaked at the show of violence; it wasn't THAT violent, but when you live on an island where people find peace and harmony the only way to live, it is quite a shock. Asha felt very much like a bystander, unsure of whether or not to do anything, but thankfully the strangers put up their white flags as soon as Siku had attacked one of them, and said they were actually there for Katsu. Her eyebrows raised and her heart was pounding in her chest. What were they wanting him for? White Lotus? That sounded awfully familiar. Asha watched as the men talked to the boy about goofing off and the like and cocked her head to the side; this was a lot of excitement just for an evening out for dinner. Siku had turned onto Katsu then, as well as Hiresh, and she stood up. "Hey wait, why are you guys on the offensive towards Katsu? The White Lotus are here for him...I think that means that...he is..." her eyes widened when she had finally realized just why the White Lotus would be after Katsu.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi The meal had been pretty good, now all that was left to do was seduce Asha a bit more. It was probably some awful sin or something to put the works on an innocent temple girl like this, but Katsu really couldn't care less about that. He just needed a little insurance when around Siku, and what better way than to pull the wool over her friend's eyes? The only downside to this that he could imagine was if the girl really took to him, then she might turn up places and put him in really odd situations. Eh, he'd worry about that later though, one thing at a time. Questioning her innocently enough he gave a false smile as she spoke, wondering whether she actually even did anything out there or not; the response would have to wait, as it happened they had some visitors. Katsu had noticed it earlier as well, but he was more than used to being eyeballed by people by now. Cops, he assumed, probably looking for him over his theft not an hour ago. A bit odd they wouldn't be just coming for him here and now, though maybe they just didn't want to cause a scene. Heh, well that was fine then, if he just made a break for it then they'd have to chase, and he could easily escape as he always did. Curiously enough it looked like he wasn't the only one who caught wind of something amiss either, both Siku and Hiresh looked to be on alert. In no uncertain terms one of the men finally approached, and shockingly it wasn't him who reacted first, but the spoiled little Water tribe girl. Watching as she tossed the table then subsequently smacked the guy with water Katsu had to bite his tongue, trying not to burst out laughing at her reaction. Though he had begun to snicker at the scene unfolding before him it hardly lasted. Upon hearing the men identify themselves Katsu's whole demeanor changed, the smile wiping clean from his face as he looked down at the floor in disbelief. The White Lotus, all the way here in Republic City? Well that wasn't too surprising, he knew they operated here, but how? He had been so careful, never leaving a trail or anything and yet somehow they'd cornered him. Damn it, they were insane if they thought he was going back, back to all that training and mundane ritual. He hadn't run all the way here just to return to that boring life, he'd sooner die than do such a thing. Hearing Siku questioning him Katsu glanced up, eying her steadily as he remained silent. So she was going to help them now too, huh? Damn shame, he sort of liked her up until this point. He didn't want to hurt her or anyone here for that matter, but if push came to shove he'd do what he had to in order to escape. Smiling tightly as he shook his head he held up his hands innocently, letting out a faint chuckle. "Siku... Listen..." Before he got another word out Hiresh was making his move, attempting to pin him where he stood. Having none of it Katsu quickly pushed his chair back, knocking it and himself into one of the White Lotus members. Reaching back behind him he grabbed the man's shirt, flipping him over and onto his back before getting out of the chair, grabbing it and blocking a coil of wire with it. They had a metal bender with them, how annoying! Though maybe not... Fire melted metal. Smirking as he tugged on the chain he channeled a bit of energy to his palms, and with a sudden flash the chair lit up, the flames dancing down the length of the wire and forcing the man to sever it. Tossing the burning chair aside he grinned, darting back for the rear door through the kitchen. All around them people were becoming panicked, guests who were still there screaming and making a mad dash for the main exit. Tough luck everyone, come back some other time. Pushing the swinging doors open Katsu quickly stopped, turning around and kicking one to smack one of the White Lotus in the face and knock him away. Then, grabbing one of the tables he pulled it over, placing it before the doors and pushing past the confused kitchen staff as he raced through the room. To his dismay a pair of men came in through the only exit there, neither looking willing to budge for him. Seeing no other option he gathered fire in his hands, punching at them and sending flames in their direction. One was an Earth bender, and readily raised a slab of the floor to block the attacks. No sooner had he lowered it though was Katsu on them, ready to fight his way through. One of the men was much older than he was, with white hair and a long beard that looked deliciously susceptible to catching alight, and the other was maybe a few years his senior. Experienced yet frail and strong yet undisciplined, he had this in the bag, Ducking under one set of grabbing arms he pushed the younger man against the wall, leaning back to avoid a punch from the old man. Smirking smugly he grabbed his arm, pulling him forward and punching him hard in the gut. Katsu derived absolutely no pleasure from fighting, but between going back and doing this there was only one clear option. With the man winded just from one blow he swept his feet out from under him, quickly turning on the younger man and delivering a round house kick to his jaw, knocking him out. Hey, if you were going to sign up for this job you had better be ready for anything, including that. With his only opposition sprawled on the floor he jumped over them, pushing through the back door and into the rear alleyway. Now then... Where did he go from here? There were a few options that he could think of; the fire escape could be taken to the roof, though he loathed to have to get into a spot up there where he might be stuck; the alleys should be fairly safe yet there was no guarantee they didn't have a perimeter, so what was left? Looking around he spotted a manhole cover, immediately racing over to it and grabbing hold of the edge, and with a grunt of effort he managed to lift it off and move it aside. A few more White Lotus men were coming out to the street, but by the time they had gotten there he was already going down the ladder, having slipped the cover back over the manhole. So long as no one saw him do that he ought to be in the clear.</s> <\|message\|>Hiresh Sudhir "Oh, hell no!" The water bender exclaimed as Katsu pulled an escape maneuver from nowhere. He was actually pretty good, though his bending was sub-par. The form was all off and his execution was rough while his close-quarters fighting was far more impressive. Siku felt a hand wrap around her bicep and begin to pull her away. "Hands off, Hiresh!" She snapped, ripping away from him and using the small bit of water to splash his face as she took off after Katsu. Slipping between a few White Lotus members who were scrambling to regain their wits, she blew threw the kitchen doors. She made it just in time to see him fleeing another scene of groaning Lotus members. "Geeze, you guys must be new! Can't fight worth a damn," She muttered. "Well he'd recognize us if we weren't!" They argued, but she wasn't even listening. A grin spread across her lips as her friend took to the sewer and she followed closely behind. She came right up to the edge of it and, instead of even thinking of trying to lift it off, she let her bending do the work. Katsu was quite likely to notice the flow of the water as she drew it from the sewer and used it to raise the heavy cover before she herself dropped in. With a loud CLANG! the metal plate dropped back into place and before even dismounting the later, Siku had it frozen to the ground. Hiresh wouldn't be able to lift it and they'd only be able to get in if one of the water benders could tell how she sealed it. Asha could certainly find some way in here. Not that they'd be hidden long... As he feet touched the ground, she looked up one direction and down the other for Katsu, her voice bouncing so heavily off the walls that it shook even the rats to their very mangy core. "Katsu, get over here, NOW!" She heard his footsteps, took stock of direction, and chased after the sound. Spotting him just ahead, a wave of sewer water rose and aimed to tackle him into the wall, her arm sweeping out along her side with incredible precision. Honestly, she cringed at the thought of being doused in the water. This was his fault. "Don't tell me to listen, you little scumbag!" ----- Hiresh blinked as she took off, a bit shocked at her adamant resolve to get away from him. Was he really so bad? He looked to Asha with a small smirk, "So much for a nice dinner out, huh?" Just as he was about to chase after Siku, the older White Lotus member who had first confronted Katsu was thrown into the far wall by a rogue air current. "You old bastard, you can't even do your own job. Bunch of good this lot is, you guys can't even bring your own charge back to your 'super secret compound.'" Hansa snorted, clearly recovered from any move he'd been thrown. More than half of the other 'new' White Lotus members turned on the others, catching them by surprise with their own attacks of varying elements. Hansa grinned to the small airbender in the hall, "See? You don't have to be a goody-goody to airbend," He taunted as the restaurant erupted with elements blasting into one another and the warriors of the room. By now the entire clientele had made it the hell out of there, but Hiresh felt a need to do something. Siku would be fine and chasing her at this point would be pointless. "Hey, kid, get outta here, the Air Temple would find a way to have my badge if they knew I didn't try to get you out. Unless you think you can handle yourself here." His lips curled up slightly into a smirk, clearly excited to finally be able to do his job as a pair of cables blasted out from behind him and whipped the nearest aggressor directly in the chest, leaving a bright pink lash that would slowly turn red. Hiresh didn't care as much for apprehension as the others of the force - he wasn't murderous, but there was a certain fun to a fight that didn't require him 'tying up' his cables, as it were.</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Things happened so fast after the little encounter with the group of suspicious looking men coming to their table. She was surprised to see the White Lotus there, addressing Katsu. What could they have wanted with him? Was he really a criminal of some sort? Sure, he did look like he was someone liable to make a few illegal actions here and there, but he didn't seem bad conscious wise. For a split second, Katsu and Siku were standing right where they had been sitting, the next moment, they were gone, running off towards the kitchen, Katsu no doubt looking for an escape route. She was left staring blankly at the dust they left; it was just her and Hiresh and she was honestly a bit apprehensive on what was about to happen next. Some of these men seemed mean-spirited and she didn't trust all of them...especially when the air bender used his bending to hurt another person. The brunette took a small step back, uncertain on what to do. Hiresh joked about how their dinner had turned into a sour evening, and despite her fear, a small smile appeared on her lips at his attempt to make the situation a little lighter. "No, don't worry about me, I can't leave someone who is in need of assistance!" Asha told Hiresh, getting into an air bending stance that was typical of most air benders; the older man probably knew what she had up her sleeve, but damn it, she was going to try her hardest to help Hiresh out. "Come at me!" The brunette shouted, the adrenaline in her veins making her feel weird and a bit eccentric. A man, despite her young age, decided to give it a go and attack her, which she easily dodged and threw the man into the restaurant's wall with air so forceful it caused the wall to crack. Asha squeaked a bit at how hard she had hit the man with her attack and pressed her hands close to her chest. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" She said, but gasped when she seen another man coming at her with an attack that she knew she couldn't dodge.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Hiresh Sudhir "What am I doing?!" Her face turned red with sincere agitation, "I cannot believe you think you have the right to ask me what I'm doing! I'm not the one running from the White Lotus!" For every fireball coming her way, the girl effortlessly countered with an aqueous torrent of her own, causing the elements to dissipate mid-air. It simply left the sewers smelling more... sewer-y. She wasn't even running at this point; his focus was on that ladder and he was a fool for even thinking it. The moment he was on the third rung, Siku rotated a full three-hundred and sixty degrees, another simple blast of water following her movements aimed square for the space between his shoulder blades. "You're not going anywhere until you explain yourself," She spat venomously, "Where do you even think you're going? Do you know how long they've been around? Probably ages. Do you think you ever really left their sight? They're highly trained, professional protectors of the Avatar... idiot," her stride didn't break as she walked down the 'hallway' of the underground sewers. "Like you can run anywhere that they don't have eyes watching for you." She was starting to relax, rolling her eyes now, she was more than willing to help him to his feet if he wasn't going to bolt off again. "Look, I'm not trying to turn you over, Katsu, I just wanna know what the hell is going on. Why would the Lotus be chasing you?" Clearly, the truth hadn't quite clicked to her. In fact, it was obvious she was doing everything she could to reject the truth. Simply put: Katsu could not be the Avatar. He must have stolen something from the Lotus; there could be no other explanation. ----- Hiresh reeled back, a hand on his nose, "You ass!" He shouted, blood dying the skin of his palm quickly. "Ugh, disgusting..." Spitting on the floor, the metalbender regrouped and stepped forward, back into the fight with the up-close airbender. It was a pretty new experience for him, seeing as more often than not the Air Benders kept to their home lifestyle. There were many who didn't, they just weren't very common. What in the hell was happening here? Hiresh made contact with the man's solar plexus, doubling him over, before executing a well-practiced downward bow. His attacker was on the floor, unconscious, in the next moment. Who did he hear apologizing..? Oh, dammit! He stomped his foot just in time to bring a slab of rock up in front of Asha, causing a blast of fire to ricochet into the wall. It dropped to the floor and Hiresh took two rapid steps forward, launching both of his cables from his sides into the aggressor, binding him rather than striking this time. "Leave your work at home, she said... Don't bring your uniform, she said..." He grumbled in agitation, "I didn't even bring my radio... stupid!"</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "And I can't believe you think you have anything to do with this!" Katsu shouted back, growing a bit agitated as he threw a hand aside dismissively, "Stay out of my business, will you?" Seriously, what was she getting mad at him for? This had been his life for as long as he'd been away, so to him this was nothing new. It just seemed like whatever he did was wrong in Siku's eyes though, which begged the question of why in the heck she had to show up everywhere. It was like fate was being cruel to him by forcing the two of them to be around one another! Damn it, if she just stayed back in the restaurant then he would be long gone by now, but no, she just had to be persistent. In a bit of a fit Katsu struck out with his firebending, something he rarely did when fighting someone; fire was very dangerous, that went without saying, and most of those he dealt with were not benders. Even the police he generally tried to limit his bending, worried that he might cause some serious damage if it got out of hand. It wasn't going to stop Siku and he knew that, but all he needed was a bit more space to make a break for it. Could she keep up with him if he ran? He doubted it, he spent plenty of time slipping around the city and was awfully practiced in making quick escapes. With a flurry of blasts he made a bolt for one of the nearby ladders, hoping the fire would buy him enough time to scramble up and away. Unfortunately, it didn't, and he'd not even get halfway up before he'd come crashing back down. Katsu felt something powerful strike him right in the back, gasping as the force smacked him into the ladder, his head hitting one of the rungs and making him lose his grip as he fell back down onto his feet. A bit winded from the blast he slunk down to a sitting position, soaked and sore as he stared up at Siku. What an annoying girl, just what was she trying to accomplish by doing this? Did she want some reward for turning him in, was that it? She already had it all, what the hell more could she need? Or did she just genuinely dislike him so much that she was going to jump at the first chance to do him in? Hearing her berating him now made his insides boil, having to look away as he worried that he might lash out. "Just shut up already..." the firebender hissed, clenching his hands into fists as he turned his eyes onto the ground, refusing to look at Siku. "Of course I know who they are, I know more than you do. Look at how I live, you think I'm not familiar with them?" There was more to it than that though, he had intimate experiences with the White Lotus that no one else in the world did. Hearing Siku speaking to him as though he was clueless really pissed him off, she had no idea. Did people think the Avatar got a cushy life? That because you were chosen you had the White Lotus provide and wait on you constantly? They did to a point, but there was also the training. Hard, grueling, unforgiving training. That aside some members resented their service to the Avatar, and he'd more than had his fair share of attacks and problems with some people. This life he led now, being a thief, at least now he was happy. She wasn't going to turn him in? Seriously? Then why chase him all the way down here? If she wanted to know she could have asked them, or found him when all of this blew over. No, instead she had to mess it all up, get in his way and potentially cost him his freedom. And for what? Curiosity? Katsu was glad to know what little his personal wants was worth to Siku, that she would put him in such a bad position just to learn what was going on. Clenching his teeth angrily he forced a bitter smirk, a shadow obscuring his eyes as he lifted a hand and wiped his face clean of some water. "You want to know why they're after me...? You did all of this just to know why?" Katsu asked, finally glancing up with venom in his gaze as he looked at Siku disdainfully. "Because they want to drag me away. Because they want to force me into a life I don't want to live, to do things I don't want to do. I'm happy here Siku, living how I live. I like the people that I work with and I enjoy what I do for a living. If they catch me then all of that goes away, everything I've done over the last few years means nothing. So do you get it yet? Do you know why they're after me?" Shaking his head angrily Katsu climbed to his feet, taking a step towards Siku as he pointed to himself, "It's because I am the Avatar!"</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko The girl paused, visibly flinching at his exclamation. A few awkward moments of silence passed before she snickered. A hand instantly shot to her mouth as the giggle grew to a laugh and she shook her head. "Oh, no, don't... Katsu, that's... Heh... That's not funny," She said, still trying to fight the laughter. "Seriously..." However, his expression didn't change. Oh, god, he wasn't being serious, was he? Did he really think he was the Avatar? Was that why the Lotus was here? She calmed down and shook her head again, "Really? If you're the Avatar why didn't you fight with anything but fire? You could have easily overpowered me. An Avatar would have better bending form than that too, I would hope. Plus, you've been here for years now... I mean, I know you've been here since at least shortly after I got here, maybe longer, I just know we met around then. So how could you be the Avatar? That would mean you 'escaped' the Lotus like they were some kind of... prison guard. Plus, you're a thief! Why wouldn't you want to be out learning anything new? That'd be lazy and dumb," She said blankly, shrugging her shoulders. "Do you know how much fun that would be? There's so much, and an Avatar can learn all the elements - anything. Even you aren't that stupid," The girl explained, crossing her arms with a smug grin. "To answer your first question - yeah. To know why. I love why, thank you very much." She met his gaze... Why did he look so agitated? "You know as well as I do how bad you are at lying - you couldn't pull this one off in a million years. I'm sure you barely convinced Asha that badge is a toy; nobody else bought it. Now c'mon, what're they doing coming aft-" "THERE HE IS!" Three men had come running down into the sewers after them, and none of them looked like the nice White Lotus fellows from upstairs. A small block of wall blasted from beside one of them as set his feet and launched it down the corridor as the one directly beside him picked up the pace, readying a punch as a small flame was ready just in front of his fist, prepared to launch. The third man was on the other side of the water way - he was likely the one that made it possible to get down here. It was a bit obvious as he targeted Siku herself, creating a small flurry of sewer-made ice spikes, launched promptly for her. Sure that Katsu was reacting as quickly as she was, the girl sidestepped. However, one small miscalculation caused her to slip off the edge and into the water between the walkways. Resurfacing quickly, she spit out a mouthful of water and shook her head. "Oh my fucking god, what the hell?! Ew, it was in my mouth... Ew, ew...." She cried out, making a small spinning motion to lift and hop out of the canal onto the side of the hall with the opposite water bender. Her face was more determined than her whining had made it seem as the man across from her readied another attack.</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha almost felt the brutal heat of fire, if it weren't for Hiresh and his quick reflexes. She sighed in relief when the older boy threw up some earth to protect her from the flames. "Thank you so much, Hiresh! I would have been a melted human being!" she exclaimed, her heart fluttering faster than it had ever ran before. The brunette heard Hiresh talking to himself after that little rescue and decided to try and finish off the mean fire bender that tried to cinder off her existence. "Take that!" she yelled, throwing a whirlwind of air towards the man, picking him up off the floor and twirling him through the air, dizzying him; he didn't get up after that. "And stay down, butthole," she murmured before looking over at Hiresh, who had seemingly taken care of the others. "I believe that Siku chased after Katsu, following him into the sewers. Don't ask how I know that...I just...can feel them," Asha said, a little bewildered at her own knowledge. It was true that some air benders were capable of spiritual projection...but Asha honestly didn't think that she would ever be someone who would be able to do such an ability. She motioned for Hiresh to follow her lead, down into the nasty sewers in pursuit of his charge. "I think they went down this way," Asha added, following the path that she felt knew to be correct. Sooner than later, they began to hear sounds of people yelling and then sounds of water splashing, indicating a fight. "It's them!"</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha This was just supposed to be a fun dinner evening out with a friend and now it had turned into a very weird chase after a young boy whom she didn't even fully know yet. Asha almost felt like this was way too much excitement for someone who had lived a life more or less in solitude. Although the young brunette wasn't quite sure how she could feel where the two they were looking for were at, but Hiresh decided to believe in her, so they went towards the entrance of the sewers. Apparently this was the right way, since when Hiresh attempted to take off the manhole cover, he discovered it was frozen tight; Asha had a pretty darn good guess of who was responsible for that, and her suspicions were correct when Hiresh muttered Siku's name in irritation. She waited patiently while the older of the two pried open the cover, allowing her to jump down first. It was an extremely easy task for her, but she waited for Hiresh to slide down the latter so that they could continue their search together. Finally, they found two forms in the sewer, along with a few unconscious bodies. Asha sighed in relief at the sight of both of her friends (yeah she more or less decided that Katsu was a friend) and ran up to them, the sewage water sticking to her shoes. "Oh thank goodness, you guys are okay!" she exclaimed, almost wanting to give Siku a hug, but was afraid that it wasn't the time for such affections. After seeing that the two were more or less alright, she glanced down at the men who were laying in the nasty water, watching as Hiresh cuffed them up. She had some guesses as to why these men were after Katsu, but didn't want to assume anything before hearing from the boy first. Well, it appeared that Siku was willing to tell them just what was going on, as she had exclaimed that Katsu was the Avatar. Asha cocked her head to the side, staring at the boy with calculating eyes. It was odd that she had not heard of who exactly was the Avatar, seeing as there was always one around. Asha was honestly a bit surprised when Hiresh turned into super cop mode, wanting to get Katsu to safety as soon as possible. She smiled at the older boy with respect, seeing as how he could put aside his own dislikes when it came to someone's well being. "We could always go to Air Temple Island...no one really patrols that area and not many people can come and go as they please. Well, not without the whole island knowing," She said, the smile still on her face. She knew the other air benders on the island would welcome the Avatar. "I can glide there, but there is a ferry waiting for me to get back. Captain Jin won't leave until I show up...So what do you guys say?" She supposed right now she was grateful to have people looking after her to get back to the island safely...this way everyone could get onto the island without so much as anyone batting an eye; Gliding and carrying one person at a time would look a bit suspicious and weird.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi The combination of Siku messing up his escape, these creeps attacking him and being covered in sewage had Katsu all kinds of agitated right now. All he had wanted to do was go home after today, sell his latest steal and have some dinner with the guys. Instead he was down here in the sewers, crawling around like a rat and fighting with the White Lotus. Honestly, he'd just as soon have taken off if he wasn't sure they would attack Siku too, damn him for having a conscience. The fight between himself and the cronies of the White Lotus didn't last long, and within moments all three men were laying out unconscious from their duel; Katsu reeked of sewage, was hungry still, and now he had a bumbling Water Bender to contend with as well. "Oh, NOW you believe me?" Katsu asked, his annoyance plain in his tone as he looked at Siku, "Yeah, I Earth Bended, and I'm a Fire Bender. Come on Siku, you're smart, what does that mean, hm?" He'd only just made the big reveal moments before, now it kind of felt lackluster. He couldn't even enjoy having shown the girl up either, he was much too annoyed to. Glancing down at himself he scowled, giving his arms and legs a shake fruitlessly to try and get some of the nasty water off. Damn Water Benders, he'd never had a pleasant interaction with them; back when he was training they were always his least favorite, always soaking him and ruining his clothes! "Hey, how's about you make it up to me and dry me off? I'm kind of dripping who knows what over here." Just when things seemed to be calming down some another pair of people decided to joint he party. Katsu very nearly got ready to begin fighting again until he saw who it was, both relieved and annoyed at who he saw. Asha was fine, though he really wished she didn't see him down here, covered in someone else's filth. Having that annoying cop down here though was really just another thorn in his side, he was sure Hiresh wouldn't make this any easier. Sure enough the Metal Bender began questioning him about what went on. I don't have to tell him anything... Just lie, say we were attacked and leave it at that, he told himself, forcing a smile as he got ready to start lying to Hiresh's face. Before he could even get a word out edgewise though Siku started up again, telling the others exactly what he'd wanted to keep from them. "Siku! Really?!" "You might as well go plaster that on a billboard at this point! Or better yet, go ahead and tell your father so the whole world can find out! Hell, we can even go get one of those megaphones, get in the back of a car and go around Republic City screaming 'Hey look, we found the Avatar! Anyone who wants to capture him or kill him come over here!' Jeez!" He just couldn't win today could he? Just one thing after another, and all he'd done was steal a stinking little badge. Seriously, was this all karma for that little theft? Out of annoyance he dug into his pocket and removed said item, reeling back and giving it a toss into the sewers, hearing it clunk off the wall before dropping into the water. "Oh what, you're going to help me now, chief?" Katsu asked incredulously, "Come on, you hate me, why should I expect help from you? Just because I'm the Avatar suddenly I'm not such a bad guy, is that it?" This was exactly why he avoided people finding out, he hated this! He just wanted to be Katsu the thief, not Katsu the runaway Avatar. In the middle of all the discussion he had kind of forgotten that Asha was present, looking over at the Air Bender surprised when she spoke out. "Air Temple Island? You mean where you guys live as monks or whatever? No way, not happening," Katsu replied, shaking his head, "I'm going back to my hideout, relaxing and waiting for this mess to blow over. You all can go home too, do whatever, just... Don't go telling people who I am, got it?" Giving himself one last shake the thief groaned in annoyance, turning and trying to leave. Now he didn't even have his loot for the day, having thrown it in his fit. They didn't exactly need the money anyways, but it felt like a big waste to just throw it away like that.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku crossed her arms, "Make it up to yourself, ass. I've known you for years!" She exclaimed, "You think I'd go tell my dad on you? Please, I could have had the Avatar as my friend all this time - could've taught you waterbending myself!" She pointed out in agitation, "But no, that ship sailed! Goodbye, best teacher ever. Hello pain-in-the-ass-friend-you-like-to-lie-to-about-your-entire-life-as-she-knows-it!" The girl took a deep inhale, clearly running out of breath mid-sentence. As she spoke and the next plan was discussed, the girl lifted an orb of water from the sewer line and it began to bubble in the air, giving off a lot of wretched smelling steam. However, it quickly turned to a perfect, clear complexion and formed into a long, curved shape before flashing to ice in the form of a blade which she artfully caught and hooked through the belt of her dress. It didn't look quite so ceremonious as her real one, but it would hold up well and, as she had no waterskin, made a nice substitute for carrying the water. She turned to Katsu, "You're not going anywhere without guard. How do you know who you can trust apart from the ones that fought with you - whose lives you already put in danger, I might add, without them even knowing who you were." Her arms crossed once more in irritation as she stared daggers at him. She brushed a hand through her hair, fruitlessly shaking it out. Still damp... Ironic how water could make life so much harder than it needed to be, but so much easier. While Siku was making her blade, Hiresh shook his head at Katsu, "You're a VIP now, at least... while Siku vouches for who you are." The metal bender clearly didn't like it any more than Katsu did, "No, it doesn't make you some perfect guy. It makes you some dude who needs to be protected while he's still a little pipsqueak weakling who can bend on what looked like barely a beginner's level up in the restaurant... So yes, I'm going to work toward helping you, but no, I don't like it. You don't want my help? Too bad, it's my job. You don't want to go to the station? Fine, I can't make you anyway, but until this is sorted out, you're life is my responsibility, Avatar Katsu," He almost physically shuddered at the boy's new title, "I don't work for you, I'm just here to make sure nobody gets the better of you." The man didn't care about the badge that was thrown away anymore either. "You want to risk going back to your hideout? Fine, but I'm going too," He said with absolute certainty. Siku looked at the small airbender and nodded, "She's not wrong, that'd be a pretty good place to go... Or just outside the city... I don't see how going to a hideout of thieves is going to be a very good idea..." She shrugged and stared at him, "Wherever you wanna go, Bridge Boy." Finally, she turned to her shorter friend with a look of concern, "Asha, are you sure you're okay? Can't believe this night turned into such a disaster..."</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha just listened to everyone else after her suggestion of going to Air Temple Island. It was predictable that Katsu was not thrilled with the idea, but what better place to be than out of the city's limits? Well, she knew that Air Temple Island was technically still in Republic City, but it was cut off from everyone else, making it a nice secluded spot. Siku seemed to like her idea of going to her home and she was happy that her friend put such trust in her. Sure, they knew each other for quite a while, but they never really got to become really close friends; this made it feel like their relationship was beginning to become more of a real one, which made the brunette pleased. "I am not trying to control your life, Katsu...I am just worried about you. Can you really trust anyone in the city anymore?" she asked, wondering just how many people underground were already aware of Katsu's title in just the short amount of time it was revealed. No doubt the word was spreading from how many people were in the restaurant, and the obviousness of the White Lotus gang. The brunette raised an eyebrow at Hiresh, amused by how much of a trooper he was being at wanting to protect the Avatar, as it was his duty. She was impressed as much as she was amused. Siku and Hiresh were good people, and she was glad to have met them. Asha was startled out of her thoughts when she heard Siku address her concern. "Oh! Yeah, I'm fine...thanks for asking. Just never had so much excitement in my life, and only in one day." The girl smiled and clasped her hands behind her back, waiting for the three of them to make their decision on what to do; if one thing seemed clear, it was that they were going to be a group for a little while.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha giggled a little when Siku had asked if there was a bath or something that she could use; they all could use some soaking after being in the sewers for such a long time. "Sure, there is one in the hut, just let me go and start a fire outside, it will warm the water up." Asha smiled as she went to go to the door to go out back and start the flames, but was interrupted by three knocks on the door and the sound of a man, asking for Katsu. The brunette cocked her head to the side and quickly turned around and looked at everyone else. How did someone know they were here? Were they that noisy coming down here? Asha was at a loss for words, as she didn't want to tell the man no, Katsu wasn't here if it was someone who Katsu held in high regards...she was just downright confused. "How did anyone know we were here? Ugh...did Bo tell them?" Asha smacked a hand against her forehead and puffed her cheeks out in irritation; if something seemed suspicious at all, of course there would be someone to snitch. Bo wasn't a bad person by any means...so someone must have asked him for information...someone must have known that they were coming over here in the first place. "I'm sorry, Katsu," She whispered before standing back from the door to let Katsu make his decision on whether or not to take the old man up on his offer. She briefly wondered what this Yakedo man looked like, but was also scared that this man was going to force Katsu to do something he didn't want to.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu could see what the Water Bender was trying to do for him, he wasn't blind, but no words were going to cheer him up right now. Whether he went back to his home in Republic City wasn't the question, it was whether he ever could have a peace of mind again. He'd thought perhaps foolishly that he was free from the White Lotus, free from their prying eyes, yet evidently they'd known he was there all along. What had they seen? How much of his life had been observed? Feeling uncomfortable he crossed his arms tighter, grabbing at his biceps as he looked out over the water somberly. "That's just the thing though, I hid. All I can do is run and hide..." Katsu responded, sighing as his eyes drooped half-closed, "Adaptable or not, it takes time, Siku, and time may not be a luxury I have if they're after me..." The clock was ticking to get as far from the White Lotus as he could, and he doubted that just being out on the island was going to be enough. How long until they made it out here, he wondered. Minutes? Hours? The discomfort of being hunted made him terribly anxious and paranoid. --- The girls could go bathe first, Katsu was in no particular hurry. At current he was simply sitting along the wall of the hut, legs crossed and away from everyone else. Only Koinu kept him company for the time being, curled up in his lap and occasionally lapping at his master's hand or nuzzling against him to try and cheer him up. He felt even worse than he already did upsetting his pet, if such a thing were possible, but he couldn't do much to lift his mood. What a lousy day this had turned out to be, and he'd barely gotten to say farewell to his gang either; a few members he wouldn't miss too much, but most of them were quite close, like family, and it hurt to have to vanish for an indefinite amount of time without saying goodbye. He didn't know who was going to run things in his absence, but he knew he couldn't worry about that now, it was well out of his hands. Katsu's eyes had begun to grow somewhat heavy from exhaustion when he heard Koinu yelp in alert, lifting his head and frowning disconcertingly. Was the White Lotus here already? Damn it all, they had only been here for about half an hour, how had they been tracked so quickly? Holding his pet against his chest protectively he rose to his feet, eying the door uneasily as he pepped himself up just enough to fight. Expecting the door to simply be blown down he frowned when someone instead knocked, eyebrows raising hearing the voice on the other side. Master Yakedo? But how? When? Of course the old man somehow found him, he should know better than to think he could escape Yakedo. While he held no personal grudge against his former teacher he felt wary due to his association, and therein of itself was enough reason to not respond at first. Looking over at Asha when she apologized he shook his head, a hard line forming on his lips as he slowly approached the door. "Don't be... Not your fault." There was probably no helping this confrontation, and it was best that he just go along with it if they really were here for him. These three were already in the thick of it, he couldn't well get into a brawl and start destroying things to save his own skin, not on the island. Pausing at the door briefly he psyched himself up for potentially being taken away, inhaling deeply before finally reaching out and opening the door. Katsu expected an entourage of White Lotus, yet to his surprise only Master Yakedo stood there. A bit baffled by this he stepped out of the hut, looking around curiously as Koinu seemed to be sniffing the air for the same purpose. When neither could find anyone else he relaxed, if only slightly, looking back to the old man warily. "Okay, I'm coming, but you had better not let your goons attack them, wherever they are. They have nothing to do with this." He felt crappy enough already, no reason to get someone else hurt because of him.</s> <\|message\|>Grand Lotus Hideki Yakedo Siku smiled brightly, "Thank you, Asha," She said, leaving the room to prepare for the bath. Closing the door to the bathroom behind her, she shed her clothing and folded it neatly, setting it aside. It was unlikely that she would ever really get that smell out of them... A shame too, she really liked them. The girl looked around the room and found a towel, wrapping it around herself as she gave Asha and the water a few minutes to start heating before reaching out and dipping a toe in. "Gah!" She exclaimed, keeping her voice low despite the shock. It was so cold - maybe Asha forgot or it was taking longer than usual. Siku hated to be impatient, but she really hated the feeling that those sewers gave her, so she took a deep breath and brought her hands together and low before swinging them out wide and up to her sides, releasing the breath. The water hissed as steam filled the room. A bit more motion and the steam thickened to a fog-like mist clouding the entire bath. Of course, that was only the surface of the water; the bender had to spend at least another minute focused on the entire bath to get it heated. This wasn't like firebending - water could be cooled in an instant, but heating it took time and concentration. Finally, she felt comfortable enough to set the towel aside and lower herself gently into the bath, letting out a long sigh of relief as the water gradually engulfed her entire frame. She tipped her head back and gently submerged the rest of her body, spending a moment under the surface to ensure that her face and hair were soaked properly. This was paradise - she was so content that she hadn't even heard the knock at the door at the front of the shack. ----- Hiresh stared daggers into the door as Katsu answered it, but the face on the other side was an unfamiliar one to him. The White Lotus might be an official organization, but that didn't mean they broadcast all of their information to everybody. The earthbender only relaxed when Katsu displayed at least a modicum of trust for the man. Yakedo... Where had he heard that name before..? Hideki, on the other hand, watched Katsu's apprehensive approach, allowing the boy all the time he needed. Of course, he lowered himself to a knee and offered his hand to Koinu, giving the small Sabre Fox a chance to recognize his scent. When Katsu finally agreed to join him, Yakedo smiled and gave him a small bow, "Thank you. I promise no harm will come to your friends here. I only know of your arrival because... Well, secrets of the trade." The Lotus teased, though it was hardly a secret... Obviously, somebody on the island had told him. Nobody would be caught being the one who didn't inform the Grand Lotus on any news they had. Once he and Katsu were taking their stroll, leaving the shack behind them, Hideki took a few moments to collect his thoughts before looking down to his young trainee. "You left without finishing your training with me," He observed rhetorically. "Was my teaching style not to your liking?" The discussion was more of a pleasantry, but one that he wished to have nonetheless. "I know I'm a bit stern, but firebending is an art that we cannot take lightly..." ----- Again, Hiresh let out a slightly irritated sigh, watching as the door shut. If that guy took off with Katsu, he could kiss being a cop goodbye... Forever. Looking over to Asha, he shrugged, clearing his throat a bit awkwardly. "So... Airbending..." He observed with a nod, "Cool..." There was a brief, but incredibly awkward pause which followed as he scratched his neck, "You can handle yourself in a fight, I noticed. How far along are you in your training, then?"</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha watched the whole scene unfold between Katsu and his Grand Lotus guy and shifted her weight from foot to foot, an unconscious fidget she did when she was uncomfortable. Koinu seemed a bit uncomfortable as well, but also knew who this man was and wasn't immediately trying to bite the older man, so she figured it was okay for Katsu to be alone with the guy...even if she didn't want him to. She straightened up when she remembered that she had forgotten to heat up the water for Siku. "Ah! Be right back!" She yelled, before running outside the back of the hut, fixing the fire wood and lighting it up, watching as the flames slowly caught onto the wood. She sighed a sigh of relief and silently apologized to Siku for the wait, not knowing that the water bender had already heated up the water for herself. Just as she was going back into the house another thing sparked her memory and she quickly ran into another room, sifting through some drawers. "Aha!" the brunette exclaimed to herself when she found some clothes for Siku to wear; they weren't anything fancy, but it was enough to be considered clothes. She seen Hiresh look a bit uncomfortable as she ran through the hut on her many missions...She was about to open the door to the bathroom when Hiresh began to try and talk to her. This distracted the young girl and she simply set the clothes in front of the door on the outside, not realizing that she hadn't said a word to Siku about it. She walked back out into the main room and couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her lips. "Thanks, your metal bending is pretty awesome, too," she replied, sitting down on a cushion on the floor to continue the conversation. "I don't know how different it is for other forms of bending, but air benders start out learning their craft at a really early age...so I guess I am proficient at air bending? What about you, Hiresh? How far along in your training are you?" the brunette watched as the older boy seemed a bit awkward at trying to keep conversation.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled when she noticed how enthused Hiresh was as he talked about earth bending; he really seemed to love the craft and wanted to become one of the best. She didn't know Hiresh all that well and was happy that she was getting to know him better, even in the face of future danger. "Wow...yeah, I am grateful to have been able to train at an early age. The sooner the better, right?" the brunette said with a small giggle. "The Sudhirs, huh? I will keep that in mind if I go...but I hope we can all go together sometime," Asha replied. She had a strange sense that they were going to be together for quite a while, but didn't want to just out and say that. She didn't want to worry Hiresh over those kinds of things that she only had a 'feeling' over. These feelings were sometimes right, but the future always had a chance to change, so she mostly kept those thoughts to herself. She supposed air benders could have spiritual connections that ran a bit deeper than other benders, but she didn't want to be too confident in that type of thinking; it could be dangerously miscalculated. Asha heard Siku come out of the bathroom and thank her, for which she smiled a huge smile and clapped her hands together. "Of course, Siku! Sorry for starting the fire outside so late, someone kind of came for Katsu..." she said, her smile faltering a bit. She wasn't sure if this man was out to harm him or not, but judging by the way that both Katsu and Koinu perceived the man, she felt that he was harmless, at least for now. "They went out for a walk on the shore," She added, not sure what else to say, since she didn't know the man personally. She just hoped that Siku wouldn't go out and follow them; she was worried too, but she knew that Katsu needed time alone with the man, to talk things out.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "As if I had a choice on that, all of my teachers there were awful," Katsu remarked, frowning as he looked out towards the waterfront, "They were impatient, like they expected me to pick it up right away just because I was the Avatar. Fire Bending is easy, Earth bending I've been practicing, but even then it hasn't been much. So yeah, I'm my own teacher." He still really didn't understand the finer points of Earth Bending at all, and he likely wouldn't until he got a proper teacher; Republic City probably had a whole slew of potential masters for him, but with the recent events driving him from his home he couldn't well go seek them out now. Hearing Yakedo make an apology for everything that had happened, the thief showed little interest at first, perking up only when he mentioned his resignation from his position. "What...? You're disbanding? But then... What's going to happen to the organization? And what do you mean it's two separate things? Just what's going on?" This was all horribly confusing, there was the overwhelming notion something bigger was happening and it was frustrating that he didn't know what it was. Furrowing his brow as he folded his arms he tried to think of the fights today, trying to pick out anything that might support what his former master was saying. Sure, he'd dealt with some lousy White Lotus members before, but they'd never tried to borderline kill him. Was it really possible that their organization was so corrupted? And why target him like that, what were they after? None of this made any sense, his head was beginning to ache simply under the pressure of trying to understand it all. Unnerving as everything else already was, what Yakedo had to add to it made Katsu feel a hundred times worse. Hearing that his friends couldn't stay at their homes either made his heart sink, his breath catching in his throat as he stared down at the sand at his feet. So not only could he not go home, but now neither could they? Sure, maybe he wasn't exactly close with any of them, but he knew how lousy it was to not be able to go home and would never wish that on anyone else. What was he to tell them then? 'Hey, sorry you got mixed up with me but you're not allowed home anymore! Also your family might be in danger!' Great way to thank the people who had helped you escape capture today, there was no easy way for him to tell them this. "Great... So I ruined Siku and Asha's lives then, all because of being the damn Avatar..." Katsu said, his tone thick with disdain as he clenched his hands into fists, "See? Every time word gets out what I am, something bad happens. I had to leave home the first time, now other people are paying for it too. This is why I shouldn't be the Avatar, this is why I can't be the Avatar. The world doesn't need one, and all I've done so far is cause trouble for everyone." Tch, just a suggestion, sure. Siku and Asha could be dragged off and interrogated, maybe worse if they stayed, like hell it was just a suggestion. How awful he felt for uprooting their lives like this... Yakedo was telling him everything he knew already too, just how much he owed to the others for making it out today. Sure, he could fight off a few members on his own, but goodness knows how many there had been and how well trained they were; chances were more likely than not that he would have been beaten and taken away were it not for their intervention, and for what? He was just a thief up until earlier, a common criminal and a punk who stole because he thought it was fun, so why did they stick their necks out for him? He didn't deserve that, and after forcing them to leave their lives behind he definitely didn't deserve it now. With an unbearable weight setting upon him, Katsu slowly sat down in the sand, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them as he stared out at the ocean for a silent moment. "It's all my fault... They're going to have to run away because of me, they don't deserve that..." Hiresh could stay, but he was likely going to be in danger now because of his involvement. What if something happened to him? Katsu knew nothing of the people that were after him nor how strong they might be, but there was a very frightening and real possibility someone may be killed to get to him. The thought of anyone having to suffer for him to remain free was a gut-wrenching thought. "Wait! My parents!" the Avatar exclaimed, getting to his feet abruptly and looking at Yakedo frightfully, "What about them, are they okay?! Have these people done anything to them?!" No no no, they had to be okay! But they had tracked him all the way here, tried to capture him in broad daylight, so what stopped these people from going after his family? Trembling slightly he felt tears threatening the corners of his eyes, reaching out and grabbing his master's shirt, "Please tell me they're okay..."</s> <\|message\|>Grand Lotus Hideki Yakedo "Disbanding? Not so much. They're likely going to move on without me. It's my hope they won't look at this as abandonment and more as a professional accident. I've been getting the feeling my Grand Masters don't want me in charge anymore either... Rather than wait for the coup, I'm getting ahead of it." Hideki nodded solemnly and watched Katsu over, "Katsu, I can't say enough how sorry I am for all you went through - that I couldn't be there for every minute of your training or oversee how they all treated you. I wanted you to have the organic life, so I made sure they didn't catch you when I knew you were planning to leave... But like I said, the White Lotus is about the preservation of balance... and years ago, somebody decided that the only way to do that was to become your caretakers and trainers... I can't see how that's possibly the right route. The Avatar has always found their own path, and I want you to do the same, Katsu." Yakedo placed a hand on Katsu's shoulder as he lamented for the events of the day and shook his head. "Listen to me and listen good... You have no control over these things. And no Avatar would be where they got to alone. Nobody ever has - not truly. Asha and Siku will be more than fine... They may have difficulty adjusting at first, but Siku is both an amazing probender and a powerful young woman. And air benders begin their training young - Asha may be far from a master, but she's certainly a very talented young girl. She's also reaching an age where it will be left to her whether she wishes to remain at the island, go at her own in the world, or move to one of the temples to continue her training... Or any of those. She's adventurous at heart - some of the elders here on the island think that the world's a bit small for her," The Grand Lotus smiled warmly, "They will be okay... I really have a confession to make." He sighed and met the Avatar's gaze seriously, "I know Siku's father. When he told me how excited Siku was to be here in Republic City, I put in the recommendation for his spot on the council. I'll admit, I didn't think Siku would even come to know you at all... But I'm glad she does - I'll speak with her father myself. In fact, I'll be with you tonight, to help you gather her and Asha's things. You don't have to leave today, like I said, but they need to be ready." Katsu's thoughts moved on their own rather quickly and Hideki cleared his throat, "No, hush, Katsu... Your family is fine. They're taken care of, they never lived in the compound nor did they need protection from my guards. They've their own in the Fire Nation and there is little they could offer to this other group... whoever they are. They worry about you, yes, but they're likely less aware then these renegades do." It didn't seem to take long, but the two had returned to the small shack sometime during their walk and Yakedo sighed quietly. "Do you want to speak with them, Katsu, or do you want me to?" ----- Hiresh rotated a couple of stones hovering over his hands, calming him down. The Avatar... This delinquent was the Avatar... It was crazy. He nodded to Asha, "Yeah, I don't get much time off on the force, but if you're ever going out that way, I'll see if I'm off, maybe I'll see you guys there. You airbenders travel a lot, right? So I'm sure you'll get to see it. Wonderful place." Siku then came out of the bathroom and Hiresh looked over to her, "Yeah, he went with a... Yakedo," He said, recalling the name before straightening up. "Yakedo! He's the Grand Lotus. God, I was trying to figure out where I'd heard that before... He leads the entire... thing, the Lotus. God... Stupid..." ---- Siku nodded to Asha's explanation, "Wait, wait... Yakedo? Hideki Yakedo?" She perked up with a bright smile, "Uncle Yakedo? He's one of papa's friends - I used to see him all the time when I was little, but he's been really busy lately..." She nodded, "Good - I'm glad he was here. If anyone knows what to do, it'll be him. He'll get the whole thing figured out."</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled over at Hiresh and shrugged, "Most air benders do, but I am not of that age right now. The elders like us to wait until we are a certain age so that we have all the basic training down. They don't want really young kids flying around..." she replied with a small giggle. She could understand why the elders didn't want young children running around out on their own, but it was kind of nice to be able to adventure out alone at times. "Yeah that would be awesome! We could all go together and have fun," The brunette said in response to Hiresh. He seemed to really love his job but it appeared that maybe he did want a little time off to go and do as he wished. Asha frowned at the thought that people were so tied down to their jobs. She remembered hearing about the past and how most people traveled around the world, their job unable to tie them down. Maybe she only liked the thought of travel because she was an air bender. Asha looked up at Siku and cocked her head to the side. Uncle Yakedo? So she knew that man. "I hope he will help Katsu find out what to do from here on out," she said with a nod of her head. She obviously didn't know Katsu very well, but could tell that he was a nice person and only wanted to live life how he wished. She moved her gaze over at the door as she heard mumbling of voices and footsteps from outside the hut. "Oh! They must be back."</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled over at Hiresh and shrugged, "Most air benders do, but I am not of that age right now. The elders like us to wait until we are a certain age so that we have all the basic training down. They don't want really young kids flying around..." she replied with a small giggle. She could understand why the elders didn't want young children running around out on their own, but it was kind of nice to be able to adventure out alone at times. "Yeah that would be awesome! We could all go together and have fun," The brunette said in response to Hiresh. He seemed to really love his job but it appeared that maybe he did want a little time off to go and do as he wished. Asha frowned at the thought that people were so tied down to their jobs. She remembered hearing about the past and how most people traveled around the world, their job unable to tie them down. Maybe she only liked the thought of travel because she was an air bender. Asha looked up at Siku and cocked her head to the side. Uncle Yakedo? So she knew that man. "I hope he will help Katsu find out what to do from here on out," she said with a nod of her head. She obviously didn't know Katsu very well, but could tell that he was a nice person and only wanted to live life how he wished. She moved her gaze over at the door as she heard mumbling of voices and footsteps from outside the hut. "Oh! They must be back."</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "Heh... And here I was thinking I finally got away from it all... I was never free, was I?" Katsu asked bitterly, giving a short, curt laugh before looking away. "It's not like I have a choice in the matter do I? My own route was going to be to live how I wanted, but obviously that's not going to happen anymore. Fine... If I have to do this then I'll get it over with." At the very least he supposed he'd do his training if he must, but after that it was back to doing what he pleased. Just because he was the Avatar didn't mean he'd be behaving like a saint, not so long as he wanted to have fun and live as a thief. No doubt there would be complications in the days to come, but he did really hope he could return to that life, or at the very least something similar to it. Being consoled and told his friends should be able to handle this did little to alleviate his stress; handle it or not the fact remained the same, their lives were going to change drastically because of him. Maybe he just didn't want to deal with the guilt, but he'd prefer to go this alone than drag anyone else along with him. Talent meant jack all when you had no desire to train, he was a testament to that much. How much motivation might the others have, he wondered, once they were made to leave their homes and follow him wherever he went? That was a lousy part of it too, they basically were going to end up shadowing him, whether any of them liked it or not. "They could stay and train... Then they could protect themselves," Katsu suggested lamely, knowing even as he spoke his words were moot. The members of the White Lotus, or what formerly was the White Lotus anyways weren't pushovers; the men they had fought today must be out of practice or something, he certainly didn't think he was capable enough to take on a handful that easily. The mention of family brought a horrid realization to the Avatar: what had become of his own family? Neither of his parents had any part in this, yet if these people were after him it was only natural they may go through his mom and dad. Fearing for their lives he nearly had an episode when addressing Yakedo about it, feeling a proverbial weight lifted from his shoulders when he was reassured they were okay. Releasing the old man's shirt he nodded his head slowly, managing a faint smile as he closed his eyes, "Good... Good... I'm glad to hear that..." In the state he was in Katsu loathed to face the others, but knowing they had to be informed and given the news he couldn't well put it off. Following alongside Yakedo they made way back to the hut, pausing outside the door and looking at the handle somberly. "No, let me do it. It's my fault they're in this situation, it's only right I'm the one to tell them." Taking a deep breath Katsu opened up the door slowly, partly hoping that everyone might be asleep and he could put it off. When he stepped inside however he saw all three of them sitting there, feeling himself becoming uneasy again as they all looked at him. Sending one brief glance back at Yakedo he swallowed nervously, closing the door behind himself and forcing a smile as he stood along the wall. "Hey... So uh, about today..." he began, having to avert his gaze as he rubbed at his neck, struggling to find the words to break it to them. "Those people that attacked us, they're dangerous, and they uh... Might try coming after you, which means people might get hurt. So uh... Oh jeez..." Shaking his head disdainfully the Fire Bender let out a deep sigh, rubbing at his head before glancing between Siku and Asha respectively. "You two have to leave home and come with me! I don't even know where we'll go, but we can't stay here. Hiresh is safe, but we can't live in or near Republic city, at least for a while. I'm so sorry things worked out this way," he added, bowing down as he'd been taught as a young boy, holding the pose as he felt his eyes sting slightly again, "You can even just leave me after we get away, that's fine. I just can't let either of you stay here and be hurt because of me, so we have to leave tomorrow."</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku nodded enthusiastically, "He will. He's brilliant," She said without a modicum of doubt. The door opened and she beamed at a man she'd known most of her childhood, giving a wave. "Uncle Yakedo, how are you?" She asked. The man gave her a somber smile and replied with a wave, but gave no more. He was going to respect Katsu's wish and allow the boy to speak. Once he'd said his piece, Siku snorted slightly, a grin on her face. "Yeah, right, and as it turns out, there are two Avatars. I'm the other one," She said, waving her hand and looking to the Grand Lotus. "Hideki has a plan to get this all straightened out, Katsu. No worries," She reassured him, shaking her head, "Besides, you're the Avatar. People can't really run you out of town, can they? They'd sooner move the whole town than you." Her eyes caught the look of sympathy coming to her from Hideki and she furrowed her brow... He shook his head. "N-no... Uncle Yakedo, we've... We've guards and officers and all sorts of things at that house - nobody would think of coming after us..." She couldn't help but blurt the first things that came to her mind, "What kind of danger could I possibly be in?! Or Asha, for that matter? We were just witnesses! We didn't even know he was the Avatar!" She stamped her foot to the ground aggressively, "Send them here, after me, I'll tell them myself. I'm not afraid of those... Bullies." That was... the dumbest choice of word she thought she'd ever made. Hideki's face became serious as he stared her down, "That's the understatement of the century, Siku. You're not staying here and you're not staying at home. I'll help you guys get back to your house to get some things and talk to your family, but you're not going to stay in Republic City. Not when nobody even knows who the enemy is. Hell, apparently they've been under me for years and I didn't notice it. So no, I'll not let you be subject to this place. At least if you leave, they won't have any clue how to find you. Here, they can easily surround you and ambush like in the restaurant. Nobody knew anything was going on until you were all attacked - they could do that again, with more people... stronger fighters. They'll learn from these mistakes and not make them again," He explained flatly. "This is not up for debate, do you understand?" Siku's gaze remained defiant as she squared off with the man... "Ugh! Fine." She looked at Katsu and saw the desperation on his face. It was his fault, she knew that, and he knew that. Pointing it out now would only make things worse. So what did she do? She lied, "Stop apologizing. It's not your fault, it's theirs, whoever these people are. The world just forgot how stupid it is to piss off the Avatar... And they certainly don't realize how stupid it is to piss me off." She took a breath, sighed, looked to Hideki once more and nodded, "Fine. I need to grab some things from home too, then." Hideki hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck, "It might be better if I go alone and get them, I know what you're looking for..." "No. I'm not disappearing without a trace." Siku glanced to the side, "Sesi wouldn't forgive me if I did, anyway..." ----- Hiresh remained a silent observer through the exchange. He didn't even know that Hideki was close to their family, but something caught him off in Katsu's explanation. "Wait, wait... what do you mean 'Hiresh will be safe?'" He asked after Siku's exchange with Yakedo. "So it's too dangerous for a talented bender and swordswoman of high esteem, but for a single cop living on his own, it's fine? Look, I don't want to leave either, but... Why am I allowed to stay?" The Lotus nodded, "You're correct. Under normal circumstances, I'd probably have you leave as well. However, I have no doubt the chief will want you helping the force get to the bottom of this, at least here in Republic City, to stop anything like it from happening again. My recommendation carries quite a bit of weight, I'm sure you're not long for guard duty either way." He then turned to Asha, "Are you okay with this? I'm sure we could speak to the other elders of the island... And even if you're not a master, I'm sure at the very least, Katsu could learn the fundamentals of air bending from you. Nomadic at heart; from the sounds of it, you've been itching to leave for a while anyway, right? What better way than with the Avatar?" Asha's youth made her both the biggest liability and the probably the easiest to convince that this was fine. Not to mention, folks of the Air Nation who were part of any monastery didn't usually have too many problems leaving home and making a brand new one. However, she was young, which meant she might just be as hard-headed as Siku. Katsu had to be ready to deal with either of them, at least until they separated. If they did. The Lotus looked to all of the people in the room... Children, all of them, even Hiresh in his eyes. "I promise, as soon as we can, I'll find each of you and personally see to it that you're safely returned home. And yes, Siku, we'll go and get your things... Soon. Once everybody's ready to go - we're not coming back here, so... Asha, gather anything you want to pack."</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha watched as Mr. Yakedo and Katsu came through the door; Katsu looked rather unsettled as did the older man, but not as much as the boy. She cocked her head to the side in curiosity, wondering just what had transpired between the two as they took a walk. Her gaze flickered between all of the people in the room as they talked, things becoming more and more clear with each word. "So wait...those guys think of Siku and us as accomplices? Yeah...I suppose that makes sense," the brunette said with a small shrug, getting up from her seated position and dusting herself off. So they weren't allowed to be in Republic City anymore because of some Grand Lotus members who turned bad? She sighed to herself before looking at the others and putting her hands behind her back. Her gaze settled on Hiresh, who seemed a bit put off by being left behind in the city; she certainly hoped he would be able to join them sometime in their travels. "I'm fine with leaving. Air benders are taught to leave worldly possessions behind and be free," Asha replied with a small smile. She tried to live by those teachings, but there was one possession that she just couldn't possibly leave behind: A plush Catowl stuffed animal. It was her most prized possession and she wouldn't leave without it. She looked over at Katsu and smiled at him, hoping to convey that she was honestly fine with what was happening. Life was constant, so that meant things were subject to change.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha's facial expression turned into one of sympathy as she seen how Siku was taking the whole situation; she could certainly understand why the older girl wouldn't want to leave, this was her home...and home was a hard place to leave. When she heard they were most likely going to go to one of the Fire Nation's Islands, she was pretty excited. This would be her first time ever leaving Republic City and despite the people after them she was eager to see the world. "Okay, just let me go and get some things really quick," The brunette mumbled before side-stepping Yakedo and Katsu on her way out to get her possessions. She quickly formed an air ball and rode it to her room, gathering a small bookbag and shoving a few clothes, extra hair ties, and of course her cat owl. She also grabbed a small amount of money that she had accumulated from her jobs of babysitting; it wasn't much, but it should be enough for food and the like. After she had packed up her things, she quickly explained the situation to her family and friends who were all awake and said her goodbyes. They were reluctant to let her go, but understood that this was what she needed to do. Asha gave them all bear hugs and waved behind her as they made their way back to the ferry to go to their next destination, which was Siku's house. ---- Siku's sister, Sesi, was not taking the information and situation well...at all. Asha cringed a bit at that look that Sesi was giving her older sister. Man, Sesi could be scary when she wanted to be, she had babysitted her a few times before, and while Asha really liked the little girl, she could be a handful at times. They all waited for Siku to gather her things and say her goodbyes, Asha standing a little awkwardly with her hands behind her back. She took a glance over at Hiresh and quirked her lips to the side; she really wished he could come along too...Hiresh was a strong warrior and would be a benefit to everyone's well being on their travels. That and Asha just liked the guy, he was nice. Once Siku was all set they all said goodbye and left the house, soon to be saying goodbye to Hiresh. "Bye, Hiresh. I'm sure our paths will cross again soon," the brunette said with a small smile before reaching out to give him a hug. She did it quickly, hoping that he didn't dislike her affections too much. Now they were on the road, the three of them, all unsure of what exactly was to come in the future. Asha smiled and laughed a little at Siku's comment. "I have you here to look out for me, of course!" she replied as she came to walk in between them; this adventure was going to hard, but Asha felt that she was right where she was supposed to be.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu really hadn't wanted to go to Siku's home, hating to face her family after what was happening with her. As if he hadn't felt guilty enough to begin with it was almost smothering once there, the Avatar trying to keep to the back of the group while they waited. Being in the same room as Siku's father was terribly awkward, as every time he looked up he swore he caught the man staring at him; did he know what he truly was? Yakedo may have filled in the man without his knowing, which given that Katsu was taking his daughter away it was only fair, in a way. Just another person to know the truth about him, and another to potentially get in trouble because of it. The Wait for Siku to get back was a rather long and uncomfortable one, and when she finally came back downstairs he almost let out an audible sigh of relief. Now hopefully they could get moving, he didn't want to stay here much longer and be scrutinized. So it seemed they would be heading to the Fire Nation after all, and a place Katsu knew no less. He'd only been to Iwa all of twice before in his lifetime, yet each visit had been pleasant enough; cherry blossoms, fields and a large set of mountains obscuring the northern shore were what he could remember the most, and of course the relatively friendly locals. It would be interesting going back to his home nation after so long, and Katsu couldn't help but wonder if word might have spread about him since then. So long as everyone just knew he had run away and not the reasons surrounding it then he'd be fine, otherwise they couldn't stay in Iwa for very long either. After some brief farewells they were back out on the road, the three of them carrying meager belongings to help them on their journey. The entire way to the edge of the city Katsu couldn't look anyone in the eye, a crushing feeling of guilt threatening to make him break any second. Siku wasn't fooling anyone when she said she was okay with this, and Asha probably would be more upset when the gravity of the situation finally hit her; there was no telling how long they might be gone for: Months? Years? Either way it seemed like a long time to have to leave home, something he knew from experience. Everyone he'd formed a band with since arriving in Republic City were now a memory, it was the second time he had to leave a family behind. Just how many times was this going to happen because he was the Avatar? Why did being what he was have to bring so much misery with it? Katsu gave Republic City one final glance back when they stopped on the western edge of the city. The sun was just beginning to rise, giving the cityscape an unmistakably beautiful gleam, the rays basking over everything in a soft glow. Almost poetic, in a way, to see the sun rising when they were to begin their journey; when he had left home all those years ago it had just been rising as well, and in some way it made this feel oddly familiar. Smiling somberly he turned to Yakedo when addressed, giving a small nod of his head in reply. Of course he would watch out for them, it was his fault they were even in this situation. While it may be true he didn't have mastery of bending yet he could still most certainly fight, and he'd protect both of them from any dangers they might face. "You could have bought us a car, you know..." Katsu offered weakly, slumping slightly when Siku poked fun at him. The only alternative they had was Koinu, albeit his companion was barely up to his knee, hardly something the three of them could ride on. Sure walking was bound to take a while, but they didn't exactly have much choice for the time being. Narrowing his eyes when Siku laid on the hurt and added "doofus" into the mix he let out a sigh, his face reddening in embarrassment before sniffing indignantly. "This doofus protected you in the sewers, you know, so watch it Siku," he retorted, managing a small smile. Something slowly dawned on him then too, something he didn't know how he'd failed to realize before. Glancing at an elongated item hanging at her hip. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was, especially considering she hadn't made any conscious effort whatsoever to hide the thing. Blinking owlishly as he stared at the dao for a moment he slowly looked up at Siku, frowning before pointing to the weapon. "Why the heck did ya bring that thing along with you?" he shouted, shaking his head in disbelief, "Since when do you use a sword? We aren't killing people you know, so why are you taking that?" He was somewhat back his regular self, now truly baffled why they had something as lethal as a dao in their midst. "I don't kill people Siku, I knock them out. We have no reason to need a sword! But now people are going to get the wrong idea and we'll probably scare someone away, sheesh!"</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko "Protected..?" She scoffed, her mouth hanging off. "I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, thank you. If anything, I'm coming along to protect you," Her observation was met with a remark about her sword. "That goes to show you just how much Mr. Avatar here knows about swordplay. I'm not a killer, Katsu, and I don't use my dao that way. But what if we were attacked by people with weapons? If they get too close, it's nice to have an alternative. Not to mention, it'll only scare away the kind of people we don't want around anyway." The small group was off and heading on down the road. Going by foot was not something a lot of people did anymore, but it wasn't entirely unheard of either. Lots of people traveled traditionally if only for the pilgrimage nowadays. Leaving at this strange hour, with only the sleep from the night before, the three were already rubbing their eyes and yawning after only a few minutes. Siku sighed, "How far do you think we should go before setting up camp?" She asked, adjusting the pack on her shoulders and yawning for what felt like the millionth time. The sun was already moving up and Siku was just glad that they were westbound, keeping it out of their eyes. "We could take a quick four-hour nap up here, the road had enough little twists in it that I can only see a couple of the tops of buildings... We could get past the treeline here and set up camp, sleep for a couple of hours, and then get back on the move for a while until we can get a good rest. We can take a look at the map I brought too, figure out where we want to stop for the night... Plan it all out, so we can relax for a minute." There was little enthusiasm left in the group as they stepped from the road and pushed past the trees, moving deeper into the woods for a few minutes. She dropped her pack to the ground and rolled out the bedroll from it. She didn't pack a tent, but she didn't see any need for one, at least not yet. "Alright, here's as good as anywhere else, right? Night... Morning... Whatever," She mumbled, sitting on the bedroll and laying back. She placed her sheath and sword by her side and put the pillow over her eyes. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. She hadn't had much rest at all since waking up the day before. Between practice and dinner and then... everything between, she was exhausted. A few hours later, the watch on her wrist began to beep and she rubbed her eyes. "Ugh... Please, just six more hours..." She mumbled, sitting up and looking at the time. Yup, they had to wake up now. She groggily reached for her bag and pulled out a map, "Hey, wake up you two," She ordered, clearing her throat and still trying to wake up fully. "Alright... Alright, c'mon over, let's look at this." The girl ushered the other two toward her and pointed to Republic City on the map, "So, we started here and left... West, right? yeah," She decided having to think for a moment to recall the day so far. "So... If we spend a few more hours walking, we can probably make it... Hm... It might be night time, but we could get to Gung-Li... And then either see if there's any kind of ride to Iwa from there. Or get a little boat and get ourselves there... It's open water, so we'll have to be careful if we don't charter it. Gung-Li might have something, but going farther would yield better results for options, I think..."</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled as she listened to the other two in her group bicker playfully back and forth about Siku's choice in taking her weapon with her. Although Asha didn't agree with violence, she knew there were times when it was needed, and if someone decided to attack them with steel, well, they had something for that. "Sounds fine with me, we can stop where you said," The brunette said, agreeing with Siku's choice for a camping site for a few hours. It was relatively out of the way of the road so that people couldn't easily spot them, but close enough that they wouldn't be too far away from the road. Once they were all settled, Asha took a small blanket out of her backpack and settled it over herself. Using her backpack as a pillow, she laid her head down and wished the two a good morning, or whatever time of day it was. Siku woke up first it seemed as she was trying to talk them awake. Asha rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms, trying to get her body to become more responsive to being awake. She crawled over to where Siku was with the map and tried to follow along with what Siku was saying, but she was a bit confused by it all; if there was one thing Asha was bad at, it was navigation. "I will trust in whatever direction you guys want to go in...I'm not so great with maps," the girl replied, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. She went back over to her things and packed them back up to get back on the road. Asha was fine with walking places, it let someone really take in their environment.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko "Well," Siku started, pointing to a small island off the Fire Nation. "This is Iwa here and Gung-Li is... Here," She moved her finger to a peninsula where the city was marked, about a few miles from where they were now. "It's not exactly on the coast closest to the Fire Nation, but it's on the Eastern front of this peninsula here, so they might have some way to get there. However, it might be faster to find something to get us closer to the south-western border and cross there..." She mused, scrutinizing the map. "We'll have to see what options we've got when we get there and decide then." She looked at Katsu when he mentioned getting on their way privately and she nodded, "On the other hand, if we go like that, then there's a more specific trail to follow. If we take a public route with lots of people, at least there will be witnesses and other people there to follow us in case something goes wrong. It'd be harder to track names, at least." The girl made sure she had all of her equipment before rolling the map up again and rising to her feet. "Alright, well... I guess we won't know until we get there, at least, yeah? So let's move." Siku shouldered her pack and rubbed her eyes again. Four hours was not enough, no, but hopefully it would last her through the night. They needed food even more, though. "When we get there, I'm gonna eat... and eat... and eat..." She said as they found the road and started walking once more. "I'm so freakin' hungry... We could have planned our food and this walk a little bit better, I suppose." A thought occurred to her as they walked and she looked at Katsu, "Wait... Katsu... In the sewers... You only used earth and fire bending..." She noted, furrowing her brow, "Have you tried air or water yet... at all?" It still baffled her that he could even think of having the power over all four and not at least have a grasp on all four.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha just listened to her two other companions as they decided the right route to take. Feeling a bit uncomfortable with all the zig zags swirling around the map, the brunette took to gathering her things up and placing them neatly in her backpack. She walked back over when it sounded like the two had settled on things and clasped her hands behind her back, "So, have we decided how we are doing things?" she asked, remembering she overheard something about their own boat...how were they going to buy their own boat? Weren't they expensive? She giggled at Siku when the other girl mentioned food and how she was going to gorge when she was in sight of some; their food supply wasn't much since they had decided to pack light and with the older girl talking about food, made her tummy grumble in agreement. Asha held her stomach in slight embarrassment and laughed a little, "Sorry, guys. Guess I am hungry, too!" The brunette looked over at Siku when she mentioned to Katsu that she had only seen him use Earth and Fire bending. She blinked when Siku asked the Avatar if he even knew how to use Water or Air. That would make sense as to why he hadn't used either or...but maybe he just didn't like them as much as earth and fire. Either way, his answer was sure to startle the both of them.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Whichever way they decided to travel it was going to take some time, Katsu knew that much. They had a destination, getting there was another matter entirely; shame he didn't have something like a flying bison, they could make the trip in no time at all. Koinu couldn't even carry him, let alone the three of them, so riding an animal was out of the question. The fact they were going to have to rely on public transit, a boat of all things, hardly thrilled him. What Siku said about it made sense, that being in a crowd might help obscure them. Yet the opposite might be true too, they could stand out in a crowd like a sore thumb. Not only that, but being in a mass of people it would be almost impossible to tell who might mean them harm; if they chose the sneakier route, then anyone they came across would more likely than not be against them. "However we do it, we should do it soon. Nothing worse than sitting around while someone's searching for you," Katsu said aloud, frowning as he rose to his feet, "So we'll head to Gung-Li, and worry about getting to Iwa when we get there." If he'd learned anything in life, it was to be flexible. Even the best laid plans could be ruined by just one instance, so better to prepare to change than to stick to some routine. Improvising was something he was particularly good at, yet goodness knows if the same might be said for Siku or Asha. Giving Koinu's head a gentle rubbing, the Avatar began following alongside the Water Bender, smirking somewhat amused when she brought up food. "You'd never survive in the kind of life I've lived, you're too spoiled," Katsu teased, placing a hand on his stomach, "I can go for a while without eating, I guess it pays to be poor sometimes." Not that he was particularly poor now, but he had been for a while. He would be fine without food, but Katsu did worry about Koinu. Still being a pup he really should eat regularly, and without any food really packed for travel, there wasn't much for his furry friend. Worst case he supposed he could go and hunt something, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done so. Glancing over to Siku when she started to question him, the Avatar's cheeks flushed slightly at what she had asked, looking away abashed and clearing his throat. "Well... Uh... No... Not really," he admitted, scratching at his nose casually with his index finger, "Never really had a chance to learn, or a teacher. Most of what I know now is self-taught too." He didn't really bend all that often, there was typically no reason to do so. It wouldn't be totally unfair to say he was out of practice, not that he'd ever admit such a thing. "But hey, I can get on just fine without those two! I mean there's no big apocalyptic event going on, or some war threatening the world, it's just me running from some oppressive jerks. I don't see a reason to need all four elements for that," Katsu continued, grinning as he reached over and put an arm around both Siku's and Asha's shoulders, "That's what I've got you two for, right? My water princess and my little air nomad, you can make up for what I didn't learn." More than anything he just really had no desire to learn. Learning another element was difficult, that went without saying, and also immensely time consuming. It could take up to a few weeks to even grasp the basics, depending on his teacher, and longer still to have some semblance of a mastery. Much as he'd like to think they could teach him, Katsu had serious doubts about his companions being good teachers.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku's face twisted into one of disgust and mockery as she mimicked Katsu, "You'd never survive the life I lived... I'm the Avatar and a scrappy vagabond! Nobody's had a life as tough as mine!" She laughed, grinning at herself before involuntarily releasing a single snort. Her hand instantly covered her mouth as her face turned beet red. "Shut up, I can live without food for a bit... But in case you don't remember, a certain Avatar made us run out of a restaurant in the middle of a meal," She muttered, crossing her arms. What she didn't expect was his legitimate answer to her question. She was only teasing... he really hadn't even tried, or successfully attempted, the other two elements? The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she felt his arm come in contact with her shoulder. Her lip curled in contempt as he continued to blather away. Her mind echoed back to her the words 'water princess' as soon as he said it. Water princess... Water princess... Her brow furrowed gradually... Princess. The girl crouched quickly, ducking under the Avatar's arm, before taking one decisive step forward and placing her foot into the back of his knee. The soft scraping of metal against sheath sounded as she pulled her blade a mere two inches from its home without drawing it. "You wanna find a better way to phrase that..? Stick possession in front of a reference to me ever again and I'll carry you back to Republic City on a platter myself," She offered, leaning forward with a small growl in her voice. She paused for a moment, just long enough to ensure he wouldn't be able to answer before she pressed her weapon back into the sheath. Siku stepped around him and kept walking as though she hadn't just falsely threatened his life... again. One hand rested cautiously on the hilt of her dao. "Hm... If I have the cycle correct, Asha, he'll need air bending once he actually learns fire... Maybe you can show him the basics, at least. Of course... to do that, he'd actually have to be a skilled firebender..." She shook her head, "So maybe it'd be better not to clear your calender just yet. "It's sad really... What kind of Avatar doesn't at least try on their own..? I understand not mastering or even caring to master the elements... but to completely pretend like two of them aren't in your repertoire... Pfft, I'd say that makes it sound like you're more afraid of failure than you are death."</s>	<\|message\|>Asha The small brown haired girl hummed to herself as the other two in her group conversed. Asha's mind was somewhere else completely, as she wondered about what all they might see during their travels. She had been born and raised in Republic City and even then she hadn't seen much of it. This whole traveling and adventuring the world was an exciting new prospect for her and that was all that was going on in her mind, before she felt a hand around her shoulder which caused her to jump. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink when she had seen just who it was who had their arm around her shoulder; Asha giggled softly and nodded at Katsu's words, him saying she was his little air nomad...she sort of missed the other part of the conversation, though. It was then that Asha realized that the avatar had said something that ticked off her water bending friend and she just watched with amusement at how easily Siku threatened Katsu's life yet again over something she was assuming was petty. Still though, it was funny to see how the two interacted and despite how much they fought, how close they seemed. The brunette smiled at the others before turning her attention back towards the road they were traveling, hoping to watch out for anything suspicious. Since the Avatar was wanted and now on the run, one could never be too cautious. "Hm?" Asha turned her attention once again towards her comrades, more directly to Siku, "Oh, yeah, I think that is how it goes. So, whenever you want to learn some air bending, lemme know!" the girl said with zeal, forming a fist with one hand and throwing it in the air. "It really is a fun element..." Asha trailed off, not knowing whether or not Katsu was ready to even attempt air bending. Since Katsu had taken more of a liking towards fire (obviously) and earth, she feared that the boy would have a very troubling time with the other two elements.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku's face twisted into one of disgust and mockery as she mimicked Katsu, "You'd never survive the life I lived... I'm the Avatar and a scrappy vagabond! Nobody's had a life as tough as mine!" She laughed, grinning at herself before involuntarily releasing a single snort. Her hand instantly covered her mouth as her face turned beet red. "Shut up, I can live without food for a bit... But in case you don't remember, a certain Avatar made us run out of a restaurant in the middle of a meal," She muttered, crossing her arms. What she didn't expect was his legitimate answer to her question. She was only teasing... he really hadn't even tried, or successfully attempted, the other two elements? The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she felt his arm come in contact with her shoulder. Her lip curled in contempt as he continued to blather away. Her mind echoed back to her the words 'water princess' as soon as he said it. Water princess... Water princess... Her brow furrowed gradually... Princess. The girl crouched quickly, ducking under the Avatar's arm, before taking one decisive step forward and placing her foot into the back of his knee. The soft scraping of metal against sheath sounded as she pulled her blade a mere two inches from its home without drawing it. "You wanna find a better way to phrase that..? Stick possession in front of a reference to me ever again and I'll carry you back to Republic City on a platter myself," She offered, leaning forward with a small growl in her voice. She paused for a moment, just long enough to ensure he wouldn't be able to answer before she pressed her weapon back into the sheath. Siku stepped around him and kept walking as though she hadn't just falsely threatened his life... again. One hand rested cautiously on the hilt of her dao. "Hm... If I have the cycle correct, Asha, he'll need air bending once he actually learns fire... Maybe you can show him the basics, at least. Of course... to do that, he'd actually have to be a skilled firebender..." She shook her head, "So maybe it'd be better not to clear your calender just yet. "It's sad really... What kind of Avatar doesn't at least try on their own..? I understand not mastering or even caring to master the elements... but to completely pretend like two of them aren't in your repertoire... Pfft, I'd say that makes it sound like you're more afraid of failure than you are death."</s> <\|message\|>Asha The small brown haired girl hummed to herself as the other two in her group conversed. Asha's mind was somewhere else completely, as she wondered about what all they might see during their travels. She had been born and raised in Republic City and even then she hadn't seen much of it. This whole traveling and adventuring the world was an exciting new prospect for her and that was all that was going on in her mind, before she felt a hand around her shoulder which caused her to jump. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink when she had seen just who it was who had their arm around her shoulder; Asha giggled softly and nodded at Katsu's words, him saying she was his little air nomad...she sort of missed the other part of the conversation, though. It was then that Asha realized that the avatar had said something that ticked off her water bending friend and she just watched with amusement at how easily Siku threatened Katsu's life yet again over something she was assuming was petty. Still though, it was funny to see how the two interacted and despite how much they fought, how close they seemed. The brunette smiled at the others before turning her attention back towards the road they were traveling, hoping to watch out for anything suspicious. Since the Avatar was wanted and now on the run, one could never be too cautious. "Hm?" Asha turned her attention once again towards her comrades, more directly to Siku, "Oh, yeah, I think that is how it goes. So, whenever you want to learn some air bending, lemme know!" the girl said with zeal, forming a fist with one hand and throwing it in the air. "It really is a fun element..." Asha trailed off, not knowing whether or not Katsu was ready to even attempt air bending. Since Katsu had taken more of a liking towards fire (obviously) and earth, she feared that the boy would have a very troubling time with the other two elements.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu bit his tongue and refrained from snapping at Siku, not at all appreciating her taunting behavior. His life hadn't been easy, not that he expected her to know, and the fact she was joking about it annoyed him to no small end. Did she know what it was like to not eat for days on end? To sleep on a bench in the park in the pouring rain? He doubted it, yet he wasn't going to sit here, get on a box and cry his troubles out to the world; she could go on thinking he was just complaining, he didn't really care enough to correct her. All of that was behind him anyways, and even on the run now his life was better than it had been. Rolling his eyes at the complaint about the restaurant, Katsu smirked slightly amused and gave a dismissive shrug, just to egg on Siku. "Food sucked anyways, too overpriced if you ask me," he responded calmly, looking away as though he were disinterested. Heh, two could play at that game, he'd rile her up just as she had him. When asked about whether he'd practiced other elements or not he answered honestly, a bit ashamed to say he hadn't yet seeing no reason to hide it. There was no need for him to, it wasn't like there was some great war or anything going on; aside from his problems with the Lotus defectors the world was in a relative time of peace, there was next to no reason for an Avatar to even exist. Seriously, if he only learned fire and nothing else then he should be perfectly fine! Heh, water princess, he figured that was a pretty good one. Obviously he didn't mean it and made it in jest, but given Siku's sometimes haughty nature it fit. Chuckling to himself at her expense, Katsu gasped when he suddenly felt his support leave him, and soon was knocked to his knees with a rather angry Water Bender looming over him. Blinking just once when she began threatening him he glanced at her dao silently, doubtful she had any real intention of using it but not wanting to test his luck. Watching as she retracted the weapon and left him be, the Avatar breathed a sigh of relief before climbing back to his feet. "Jeez Siku, someone sleep on the wrong side of the ground last night?" he joked, rubbing at his neck before grinning at her cheekily, "You're kinda hot when you're mad though, anyone ever tell you that?" He really didn't know better it seemed, or maybe he was calling her bluff with her weapon being drawn, who knows. "You said it, I don't care to master them. Why should I when I can use two already?" Katsu asked in turn, placing his hands into his coat pockets as he strode along. At least Asha was plenty supportive and not at all being a pain in the neck, unlike some women of the group. Seriously, two days thus far and Siku had already threatened him twice, what gives? If she was going to draw her weapon on him every time they spoke then he'd just leave her be, see if she preferred that! She could have a pet rock if that was better for her, then he'd not be at risk of getting shanked for speaking.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku's knuckles turned bone-white as her nails dug into the flesh of her palm. He was insufferable and how she managed to get stuck with him was beyond her. She and Asha were in the wrong place at the wrong time, that was all there was. Now her whole family was left behind and she had no idea when she'd see them again. Her little sister would have to be escorted to school and spend her days under watch until all of this was cleared up... The hot, salty particles of water gently slid down her cheeks before she knew it. At this point, she wasn't even listening to Katsu's incessant blathering; she was only trying to prevent the tremors from overtaking her body as she walked point, her back to both of her compatriots. She crossed her arms and let out a sigh as the weight of danger she had put her own family into came down on her. She had to blame Katsu, but where would that get any of them? Getting angry with the already hard-headed Avatar could only exacerbate the situation. He was sorry enough as it was, the last thing she needed was The Bridge groveling at her feet... She smirked through her tears at the thought. That idiot. The girl cleared her throat and used her hand to "itch" her eye and, without turning around, responded with a roll of her eyes, "Fine then. Don't learn them. You'd probably just waste all of the water anyway, then what would I have to bend?" She taunted. It took the remainder of the day, but finally they arrived in Gung-Li. Siku used her hand as a visor, the sun was just about set, but the sliver that was still on the horizon decided that her eyes were a fine target. The small coastal town was quiet, as she imagined it often was, and many of the shops were already closed and turning in for the night. It was so different from Republic City and even from the North Pole... She'd never had time or reason to visit the smaller tribes up north, the ones that lived peaceful, nomadic lives of simple tasks like hunting, fishing, and sleeping around fires. Father always said it was too uncivilized a life, but Siku had always wanted to see what it was like. Now it was a life she had no choice in. Her eyes scanned the different wooden buildings; they were all so quaint, they looked like homes, not houses. Like livelihoods rather than franchises. Some people were carrying baskets of food home and even a few children went running by, obviously chasing each other. Siku smiled a little bit - what would her life have been like here, had she been raised in a small Earth nation home with no ridiculous customs or courtesies? Then again, she loved being a water bender and she used to love being an Ice Wolf. Oh well, life goes on. She placed her hands on her hips, "Ugh... I'm taking a guess that the transit is closed, so let's go find a place to eat dinner and sleep then we'll get moving in the morning, yeah?" They wandered the streets for a few minutes, looking for a sign mentioning restaurant or inn of any kind, but it was slim pickings. The town likely got very few visitors, as it wasn't a major harbor, and she was beginning to grow more sure that "chartering" anything to Iwa was going to be more of a hassle than they bargained for. The girl looked around and bit her lip in thought. Each moment that passed it seemed less people were outside, but god dammit to ask for directions would feel so foreign. She never needed directions... Then, she heard it. Likely, Koinu would have heard it first, but it still wouldn't take long for them all to. It was a soft sobbing sound coming from just around the corner a couple of roads ahead... It sounded like a child - either lost or in some kind of distress.</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha watched the two interact with one another, her heart picking up pace when she thought that her two companions were going to get into a fight. She hated fighting between two friends and was hoping that neither Katsu or Siku was going to instigate one, or give one another the cold shoulder. It seemed that just as quickly as they had spat out their arguments, did they quiet down and forget the whole ordeal. The young brunette shook her head to herself and walked alongside Katsu, seeing as Siku was on point. Katsu and Siku had such strong personalities that they clashed, but she was sure when the time called for it, they would be there for each other. They finally found Gung-Li and the air bender was happy that they have reached their destination for the day. "Ah...Yes! You're so right, let's find some food and then make sleepy," Asha replied, putting her two cents in. She covered her mouth with one of her hands, her tiredness showing through. While it would be great to get some food, it seemed that many of the restaurants and businesses were closing for the night, which made sense in a small village. "Hm...we should probably hurry," she added, looking at Katsu and then Siku for direction; she wasn't quite sure what to do and was very unused to doing things all on her own. It made her feel extremely young and inexperienced, but that was just what she was...she hoped she would still be able to contribute and help her friends through this. Just as they were looking for someplace that was still open, they heard the sobbing of a young child just a few roads down. Asha glanced up at her friends, wondering if they were thinking what she was thinking: they should see what's wrong.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled at the sisters. They got along so well, it was nice to see. Not too many siblings get along that well from what she observed on Air temple island. Fighting seemed natural for siblings...but she couldn't say from experience. The brunette focused her attention on Siku who had just greeted her. "Hey!" She said cheerfully, looking over at Sesi who looked a bit disappointed at the fact that she would be stuck at home; or so she thought. Just then, Siku whipped out three box seat tickets to the match today, and Sesi was ecstatic. Asha glanced down at the tickets, then back up at Siku with a huge smile. She was surprised but at the same time, she knew the other girl to be a bit rebellious at times. Sesi was still excited, bouncing up and down and begging Asha to go. "Yeah, definitely! Let's get going~!" The air bender said with a giggle, taking Sesi's hand as the group made their way to the arena. This was going to be a fun day; it wasn't often that Asha got to go to pro-bending matches and since Siku was participating in this one it made it all the more interesting. They made it to their seats up top and Asha gazed out from the balcony, admiring the view. She'd love to be able to glide around in here! Getting a huge head start from the height would be amazing; Asha felt a jolt of adrenaline rush through her as she thought about it. She sat down next to Sesi on the other side from Hiresh, so that the young girl was in the middle. Asha raised her eyebrows together in amusement when Hiresh ordered a beverage that wasn't non-alcoholic. Soon, the matches were about to begin so everyone got settled in for the games. The brunette wondered when the Ice Wolves would be playing and was a bit ansty, but she managed to enjoy the other teams. For a brief moment she gazed up along the rafters high above the arena, and thought she had seen something akin to a figure. Asha blinked, focusing her sight on that same area. "Huh..." she muttered to herself. It looked an awful lot like the figure of a person. Asha brushed it off completely when she heard Siku's team was up next, and all three of them were solely focused on the arena. It was an intense match and the air bender had clasped her hands together in anticipation, wondering just how this match would end. Unfortunately, the Ice Wolves ended up losing, but it was still a great match. She turned her head to look at Hiresh, who had mentioned something about cheating. Asha quirked her lips to the side in thought; that fire bender did seem like he held that one attack a bit too long. The trio made their way to meet Siku, who had just gotten out of the changing room. Asha smiled at her and nodded. "It was great, I enjoyed watching you play." She knew Siku had to be a bit disappointed at losing, but she had a strong will. She'd come back next year tougher than ever. "Thank you so much for bringing us today," Asha added and bowed politely to Siku. The tickets couldn't have been cheap, but even if the girl had gotten them for free since she is apart of the tournament, she still gave one of those to her. She was grateful and honored to be thought of in such a way.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Well that was... Disappointing. Katsu had figured Siku was a sure win and yet somehow she'd managed to blow it. He placed the blame on the shoulders of her teammates though, they were definitely dragging her down. He'd even tried to influence the match a bit by bending the discs and even that hadn't been enough to help them. Clearly her team had been outclassed from the start but he'd hoped to get a big better of a show from her. Ah well, good thing he hadn't paid for tickets! With the match over and the teams retreating to their locker rooms Katsu decided he should go and meet Siku once she was out, if only to tease her a little. She would probably have his spine if she could after last night but they were in public, and while being out in the open was risky due to his... Extra-curricular activities it also meant she wouldn't attack him. Hopefully. He really didn't feel like fighting right now, he was hungry! Scaling down a nearby service ladder Katsu waited until most of the crowd was in the hallway before exiting the maintenance tunnel, using the swathes of people for cover from the security posted around the building. Sneaking past these idiots was child's play and with no trouble he was in the arena itself, scanning the few lingering audience members for traces of Siku and her little gang. It wasn't too hard to spot her thanks to that idiot Hiresh, even out of uniform the guy looked like he had a stick up his ass. Seriously did he have to follow her everywhere she went? What was going to the bathroom like for them? Getting closer to them he noticed there was a young girl with them too, Cecily or something like that, Siku's younger sister. The other girl he didn't recognize at all but she was kind of cute, that was a win in his book! "Well if it isn't the champions! Oh wait..." Katsu chuckled as he stopped a few feet away for his own safety, grinning as he held his hands up, "You lost, so sorry about that. But hey you gave it your best right! Maybe you just needed a lucky charm today." He accentuated the 'lucky charm' with a wink and he was certain Siku knew exactly what he was implying. Was she wearing them today? He hoped not because otherwise he wasn't going to be able to steal them. Not easily anyways. Since half of the group didn't quite know him Katsu felt certain he could act without impunity, and with dear little sister present and a friend he was positive Siku wouldn't lash out at him. Nope, she'd be the preppy, well-behaved little daughter she was supposed to be. "Really though tough break Siku, those guys were a joke! You should have beat them hands down. I mean did you see the Earth Bender's form? And the Fire Bender couldn't light a match if he tried, plus I'm pretty sure some of the crap he was pulling was illegal." As if he knew whether it was or not, the only rule Katsu was even positive of was no killing each other. And hell he'd seen some matches where even that was nearly breached, some Pro Benders could be real assholes! "Who is this young lady by the way? I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of meeting you before," Katsu said with a sweet smile as he reached out and took Asha's hand, "What's your name, my beauty? And why are you only now falling into my life?" Heh, Siku was going to absolutely murder him later but he just wanted to get under her skin right now. Payback for last night.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko "You're welcome, Asha. I felt better having a few watchers in the stands," Siku responded with a smile. "I don't think we would've done so well if we didn't have so much support. We're ashooin' for a spot in the qualifiers next year." The girl was rather optimistic about their chances, but they were definitely a good team. Like nails on a chalkboard, Siku heard a voice coming from nearby, causing her to physically cringe. The previous night came rushing back and her fist clenched tightly by her side as he began to ramble on and she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or sincere. What did he mean by 'lucky charm,' anyway? If he was talking about what she thought he was talking about... Ooh, her face burned softly with redness, but upon remembering the presence of her friend and sister, she just let out a slow, deep breath. "To be fair, Katsu... I don't know where you were sitting or how well you could see, but you wouldn't be able to tell that from so far away. They were good, don't try to patronize me just because you don't know a talented bender when you see one," Siku snapped, crossing her arms over her chest with a sneer. It was now that Sesi looked up at her and frowned. "Siku, that's not nice... He was just trying to make you feel better," The small girl, who was almost a carbon copy of her older sister, "You shouldn't be so mean!" Siku was visibly shocked by her younger sister, at a loss for words for a moment. "Yeah, but... Sesi, you do- He's so... It's not what y-..." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before shaking her head, "You're right, Sesi... I'll be kinder," The girl finally ceded and gave her little sister a smile, still glancing at Katsu with a scowl afterward. "Watch yourself," she warned as he tried hitting on her younger friend. Hiresh clearly looked irritated by Katsu's appearance. The boy had been a thorn in his side for a while and the force struggled to catch him concretely on anything illegal. He sighed, "What's your game, Katsu? What're you doing here?" He asked, trying to take the boy's attention away from the young airbender. As he tried to divert Katsu, the young man also began working on herding his small flock back to the house they had come from. However, something caused the hairs on the back of his neck to prickle. Something was wrong. Hiresh furrowed his brow, "C'mon, let's just go... something feels off." As he looked around, he felt a few pairs of eyes on all of them - standing in the crowd of moving people, by the entrance to the arena... Some seemed to be alone and others still were in pairs or threes. Why did they keep glancing this way?</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha couldn't control the small giggle that escaped her lips when this boy (who obviously knew Siku) took her hand in his. He was an interesting fellow, to say the least. His eyes held this sort of fire within them, dangerous yet strangely comforting. The brunette smiled politely at the boy before letting their hands fall back to their sides, "My name's Asha, it's nice to meet you." She would have inquired about his name as well, but Siku didn't appreciate his presence and with her growing frustration had called him by his name, effectively giving Asha the information. Katsu appeared to be irritating Siku on purpose, a sort of playful flirting, perhaps? It was pretty entertaining to observe. Asha had a small feeling that the boy had only focused on her to get on Siku's nerve, but it felt nice to have the water bender try to 'protect' her from this guy; it felt like having an older sister. Hiresh even joined in the conversation, trying to derail whatever tactic Katsu was trying to use to get what he wanted. Asha had a pleasant smile on her face before the earth bender's expression turned a bit more serious, and her's followed suit. The air bender was now hyper sensitive to her surroundings, looking and feeling for any sort of hidden danger. She wasn't exactly trained for this sort of thing, but she was going to try her hardest to protect her friends from any danger...Even the new guy. Asha tightened her hold on her glider, trying to scope out the area without looking too obvious. She slowly reached out for Sesi's hand, grabbing it and giving it a small squeeze. The brunette wanted to bring comfort to the young girl, but also make sure it wasn't easy for Sesi to get lost...or if someone tried to grab her. Asha was still her baby sitter after all, so it was her duty to make sure she got home safe!</s>
<\|description\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV Appearance: Poor thing Ranger Color: Pink Age: 31 (chronologically) 20 (biologically) Bio: Alexis joined Time Guardian Academy when he was eighteen; he worked for the R&D for numerous years. One day an experiment went horribly wrong there was an explosion. He was bathed in all sorts of chemicals. When he woke up in a hospital he was no longer male and somehow regressed in age, with his natural hair color becoming pink. For the last four years he has worked tirelessly to find a way to restore his natural gender and hair color. He also had a team put on the age regression properties of his accident that would be secret to eternal life. Other: Is extremely weirded out by her current appearance. Appearance: Sexy Ranger Color: Quantum Name: 3rn Kh1l Age: 250 Bio: Four hundred years before 3rn's birth her species was enslaved and their planet destroyed. The species was separated all over the galaxy. 3rn was born to a slave master who was cruel. He would routinely beat and kill his slaves most slaves didn't live long enough to reach adulthood. 3rn however was able to gain his favor by becoming absolutely indispensable. She ratted out her fellow slaves; she threw herself into her work becoming the best worker possible. One day her master came under attack by pirates, she saved his life. He raised her from common slave to his personal guard. As his personal guard she had free reign of the place, she used that access to covertly sabotage everything. Her plan would undoubtedly lead to the deaths of slaves but they were acceptable losses in her mind. It took a decade but she was able finally to free all the slaves that remained. She killed him with her bare hands. She took his ship and used it to ferry the former slaves where ever they wanted to go. After unloading the last slave she travelled the galaxy for a decade, eventually landing stopping on Earth. She joined the Time Guardian Academy. Other: Took a vow of celibacy.</s> <\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV 3rn was in her room, she preferred to avoid people as much as possible. Inevitably some idiot would refer to her as an Elf, whatever that was. She was on probation for punching the last idiot who did that. To pass time she usually read about Earth or worked out. Today she was doing her usual exercise routine while she listened to recordings that taught Spanish. Alexis had her face buried into a microscope while writting notes on a tablet. John one of the lab technicians was supposed to be busy but he spent most of the time staring at Alexis. Alexis recieved a call from one of the members from the team working on the age regression, so she clicked a device imbedded in her head. "Cornwright. ...... Then order more. ..... Then be more careful. ........ No he can't test it on himself. .......... Then tell the drunk to go home and never come back. ......... " Alexis hanged up & rolled her eyes. "Imbeciles. John get me some more samples." John wasn't paying attention. Alexis turned around. "John what did I tell you the last time you were caught staring at my ass?" John mumbled an apology. Alexis grabbed his arm and injected him with a drug cocktail. "You will not be attracted to anyone until I give you the antidote. Now get back to work creep."</s> <\|message\|>Abagan Abagan was in the Legends Archives looking at the display for the Space Rangers. He was specifically interested in the Battlizer Gauntlet and couldn't believe no one was researching it, it was after all the source of a major power up. "Oh well, must be a reason for it." After a couple of minutes he left the museum and headed back for his room. Once he got there he started practicing his telekinesis using a fake Chrono Saber, since he believed it might give him an edge in battle. Without touching the fake weapon, he lifted it from the floor and made a couple of thrusts with it. It's movements were a lot sloppier than if he just did it by hand, but with the element of surprise on his side Abagan thought that this skill might still make a difference in combat.</s> <\|message\|>Crono Somewhere between time and space Crono drifts as he awaits his the first of his solider to awake from their timeless sleep. He stares into a time rift created by a machine he build searching for the perfect time to strike and rewrite history to his vision. As an alarm sounds he turned to see which one has finally awaken. "hmmm, its Bakki. An excellent choice to do and do my bidding." Crono walked over to the capsule and opened it with a push of a button. Smoke exited the capsule and Bakki was awoken. "Master Crono, how long as it been?" he asked still stiff but starting to get mobility again. "Too long, but it is time to put the plan into action. I am sending you to the year 1993 Go to the moon and look for the Evil there her name is Rita Repulsa, Help her crush the rangers there and rewrite that power rangers history, use these crono shards, enhance the monsters there." Bakki bowed, "yes lord Crono." Bakki turned towards the time rift and jumped threw. "Now it Begins." Crono said. 1993 Rita stormed around her castle, "NO! My Green ranger spell was broken! Goldar! I need a monster to crush those rangers! I need someone evil someone- Whats going on?" The castle started to shake and before Rita eyes the time rift opened. She stared at that it would be, was it Zedd? A wave of fear washed over her but soon turned to relief when it was Bakki who stepped threw. Rita blinked and rubbed her eyes. "Who or what are you?" She asked. "Goldar did you summon him?" Goldar drew his sword Bakki didn't even flinch. He walked towards Rita and she took a step back, Goldar went after him, "Step away from her!" He attacked and Bakki deflected it with his own sword, Goldar stumbled backwards, "What power," Bakki turned back to Rita and took a knee. "I am Bakki, I serve a God. He has sent me here to aid you in your conquest to take over this planet. I present you with this gift. These Are Crono shards. Embed them into a monster of your choosing and after a while the it will activate and it will gain power boost." Rita looked at him, "Who is this god you speak of?" Bakki looked up, "Master Crono, of course." She looked at Goldar, then back to Bakki. "Well if he can help me destroy the rangers then we shall use one of these shards. Goldar, A monster!" She give a shard to Goldar, he bowed and left. After a while he arrived at Finster lab. "Finster, Rita requires a monster and use this!" He gives the shard to him, Finster looks at it, "where did you get this? I can sense an power within it." Goldar replied, "We have a new ally and he brought goodies. Now HURRY UP!" Finster turnes, "I know just the monster to use it in, spit flower. lets see when we cook the clay with this crystal." He places the clay inside the Monster-Matic and after a while Spit flower is born. "I can't wait to see what the crystal does. lets go to Rita." Arriving at Rita Finster see's Bakki standing there looking at the earth. He then greets Rita, "Here is the Monster you requested, with the crystal inside him," Bakki turned to look. Rita looked him over. "GO DESTROY THE RANGERS!" Bakki walked up to spit flower. "Gather energy, the crystal will do the rest." Spit flower jumped up and down with excitement and was sent to earth. On earth he caused lots of problems eating flower and throwing out this chomper sucking up energy from anything he saw. In the command center "AY-yi-yi-yi-yi! Zordon what s that!" Zordon just looked, "I don't know Alpha but we need to summon the rangers stop that monsters Attack. After losing her Green Ranger who knows what she could be up to." No to long after the ranger was assembled. Jason, Zack, Tommy, Billy, Trini, and Kimberly. They all looked on at the monster, nodding to each other Jason yelled, "ITS MORPHING TIME!" One by one they called out their zords power. On the battle field "Dragon Zord, Mastodon, Pterodactyl, Triceratops, Sabertooth Tiger, Tyrannosaurus," The Ranger flipped into action doing battle with Spit flower. As a matter of fact they were winning. As Rita looked at Bakki, "whats happening? Why is Spit flower losing? You said he would be powerful." Bakki looked on, "it is almost awaken. give it a moment." The Ranger combined their weapons, and fired a beam at spit flower and it hit dead on target. Spit flower stumbled and fell back. The Ranger celebrated but that was cut short as Bakki entered the battle field and sent an energy wave towards the ranger knocking them all down except Tommy. "Who are you?" Tommy asked. Bakki didn't even answer he looked down to Spit flower, "How long are you gonna play dead?" Soon after spite flower body started to change, his body got covered in leaves and they soon fell off to reveled. "I am Gaeriel, Spit Flowers next form." Bakki looked at him, "Not enough power, but should be enough to defeat them. Defeat them and I will give you more power." Bakki turned and disappeared. Gaeriel bowed then turned to the Rangers. Please, when ever your ready." Tommy looked on, "We defeated you once we can do it again, Right guys." The Rangers stood and in unison said, "RIGHT!" Back at time for control As alarm went off, Jen rose to her feet and ran towards the window. "Finally, Assemble the time force Rangers!"</s> <\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV "This can't be good. Don't know when I will see you again, just in case I'll give you the antidote to the drug cocktail from before." Alexis injected the antidote but she mixed it wrong. Instead of returning John's attraction to women, it permanently altered his brain chemistry and made him attracted to men. Alexis rushed off to see what Jen wanted. 3rn dropped everything literally, the weights she was lifting left a dent and cracks radiating outward. 3rn didn't even bother to close the door to her quarters. She had nothing of value worth stealing plus everything in there was provided by her employers. She had no emotional need to gather stuff. 3rn arrived momentarily before Alexis.</s> <\|message\|>Abagan Just as Abagan was done practicing his telekinesis, his Chrono Morpher began flashing. Knowing what that meant he immediately left for the Command Center, leaving his replica Chrono Saber on the table. Despite his hurrying he quickly found that he was beaten there there by the Pink and Quantum Rangers, however since he wasn't last he didn't really care. "Timeforce Blue Ranger, reporting for duty."</s> <\|message\|>Recca Walker Recca was inside the Legend archive when lights started flashing. He already knew what it meant. He ran out heading to the command center. When he arrived three rangers were there already, 3rn, Alexis and Abagan. He wondered where the other three were. As Jen entered the command center he stood next to her and yelled out "Attention," He and everyone inside snapped in it. Jen looked around and "At ease," Jen said. "Finally, he has shown himself." Jen looked around at the three rangers. "Sadly the other three rangers are not fit for duty. But never the less you have to do and stop him. It will be difficult but i have faith in you all." Jen walked over to a huge screen and pressed a button. And the year 1993 popped up. "1993 Angle grove, He has chosen this time to show up. The ranger of that time faces an power they can't defeat alone. not even Zordon had the power to stop it. That is why you four will go back and stop them." Recca looked around, "Commander there is only three rangers," She looked over to him, "You will be joining them in the fight." Recca eyes almost teared up, "I'm going to be a Time force ranger?" Jen walked over to a silver case and grabbed it, "Not exactly," She walked up to him and opened it. He looked down confused. "This is an S.P.D morpher," Jen grabbed and gave it to him. "This belonged to Chief Anubis. The reason why you can't be a time ranger is because when the Morpher is activated; it imprints with the user's DNA. Your DNA is ever changing because of the genetic engineering to your body. Its forever rewriting your Genetic code. Use this power to aid them." Recca nodded, Jen then turned to the other three. "Now the four of you had to the Time shifter and prepare. Once we send you back you will be stuck there until who ever is causing the disruption is defeated and captured. Once they are captured the disruption should stop, if you need your zord for back up as can send them but they will have a tether on this time and will be pulled back if the time limit is reached. Until we figure out a more stable solution to making a two way time hole this is out only option. Keep in contact with us, we will do what we can from this end." Recca walked over next to Alexis and stood next to her. "Rangers, move out!" Recca snapped a salute and said "Right!" He then turned and Ran to the room next to the commander center that lead to the Time shifter. The room was huge and all white. And in the center stood a huge portal gate. Scientist from the R&D department was being lead by Trip as he gave the Recca a credit card, "This will work in that time era. Use this for logging and food. Good luck." Recca nodded and looked at the others. The gate roared to life and a blue like fluid shot out of it before going back inside. Recca looked on, kinda scared cause he didn't know what would happen. He looked back to see his mother there. She nodded, he tuned back and ran threw. It all happen instantaneous but to those who go threw it seem like 10second of the craziest thing you would ever experience. The color of light was almost disorienting. When he reached the other side he felt sick like he wanted to throw up. But that feeling quickly as he can hear the sound of battle not to far away. He looked around to see if the other had came threw yet and he didn't see anyone. He waited a moment then he saw a shimmer of light. Who was coming threw after him he wondered?</s>	<\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV Alexis had a crush on Jen, she became visibly uneasy being next to her. She rushed through the time portal as soon as possible. 3rn didn't hurry off to the time portal. She stopped by a reflective surface and covered her ears with her hair. When some random technician looked at her disapprovingly, she gave him a piece of her mind. The random technician became so scared he pissed his pants. 3rn was pleased. She ran through the time portal. Alexis was disorientated from the trip through the time portal, she ended up puking. 3rn felt buzzed by the trip, it felt like her skin was being stimulated by the universe itself.</s>
<\|description\|>Abagan Appearance: Ranger Color: Blue Age: 20 Bio: Abagan was born on Ko-49 a relatively newly colonized planet. For the most part his life was uneventful until his eighteenth birthday when he went to Earth to join Time Guardian Academy, hoping to follow in the footsteps of his childhood hero Andros the Red Space Ranger. For that goal he had been training his basic combat skills, focusing mainly on sword fighting. He also studied past ranger teams and their battles. When he arrived on Earth and joined the Academy he proved to be average at everything much to his dismay, as he hoped to show off at least a little bit. However while Abagan didn't excel at anything he didn't have anything he was terrible at either. Other: Coming from one of the KO colonies, he possesses minor telekinetic abilities.</s> <\|message\|>Abagan "If you don't me saying so, why don't we ask the rangers of this time for help? On that note I also think we should tell them what's broadly going on, if we can without changing too much." Abagan suggested after demorphing. It seemed after all that they would be working together for a while, and this way both teams benefited from it.</s> <\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV "We can't trust that one." 3rn said pointing to Tommy with her sword. Alexis knew what 3rn was referring to, his involvement in the creation of evil that threatened Reefside and his participation in the creation of Fossilador a monster capable of taking over a person's mind and that was when he was supposed to be a good guy. "I have to agree with her. His soul is tainted beyond redemption."</s> <\|message\|>Recca Walker Recca walked over to 3rn and Alexis, "Now now, what ever happened in history is suppose to happen. Remember Tommy is known to be the greatest ranger in history." He said in a soft voice. Recca looked over to Abagan, "I understand what you are saying, but we need to find our contact here first before we involve them in anymore stuff. So far nothing has changed cause spit fire was still beat by them." Hoping 3rn would lower her weapon even, but Recca was kinda puzzled by her action when she used him as a spring board to attack even tho she say she cant trust him. Women he figured. Recca turned to the rangers, "Well I suppose its time we introduced ourselves p... whats going on?" Recca had that feeling of teleportation from when they went threw the time shifter. And the same feeling over came the others as well. After a few seconds they all suddenly appeared in the command center, "Ai ay ay Zordon, They are Rangers. Looks they entered the command center." Alpha said, when Recca regained his composure he looked up at the huge floating head. "So, your Zordon." He said staring at him. He looked back to see if the others were ok.</s> <\|message\|>Abagan Abagan looked around the Command Center slightly impressed by the for the time advanced technology, but down right amazed by the historical value of the place where the first Power Rangers were born. "Wow" After a few seconds he regained himself though and quickly turned to face Zordon trying not to show how exited he was about all this. When he noticed how disrespectful Recca was, he was shocked, but of course didn't say or do anything at all since the Shadow Ranger was his superior officer.</s> <\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV 3rn was barely holding back her rage. "I will not tolerate the presence your species." 3rn said pointing to Zordon. She walked out of the building. Outside 3rn called for the TF Eagle and sped off. She wanted as much distance as possible from a member of the species that enslaved hers. Alexis wasn't really paying attention to anyone else she was studying Alpha. "You really should have been made with combat in mind. You know just in case Jason and the others can't get here in time or are busy in combat."</s> <\|message\|>Recca Walker Recca was not to surprised by the outburst of 3rn, apparently she was upset, but he was not to sure what that had to do with him. As she stormed out Recca continued to speak with him. "Don't worry about her, I will speak with her later." Recca looked at Zordon, "I have brought you here to talk. I am aware that you are not from this time, and there's another who has showed himself, he calls himself Bakki." Recca perked up at the name. He knew who he was, and how dangerous he was. Maybe he is who they need to get rid or to get back to their time. Things just got that much more complicated. "Bakki is here? This is bad, very bad. Bakki is one of the lieutenants for Chrono. If he is here he must be working with Rita, making her monster stronger then what they should be. I am sure it has something to do with that crystal we found on Spit Flower. After we removed it he seemed to have no memory. It's strange very strange." Recca walked around the room for a second, he pulled out his communicator and called back to HQ and he relayed the message back to them and was given more instructions. "Understood," Recca turned to Alexis and Abagan. "We are to work very limited with the Rangers here, we don't want to change to much of history. Also I have been told of a contact in the city we are suppose to meet with. But first we have to track down 3rn and see whats up with her." Recca turned to Zordon, "Please contact us before your rangers if anything comes up. Lets us try to take care of it first and if we need back up we will ask for help." "Very well, may the power protect you all." Recca looked at the other and walked out of the building. Once outside he looked around and sighed. "Alexis you know 3rn well right? you have any idea where she would go in this time?"</s> <\|message\|>Victoria Jung Jen was sitting at her desk when when Trip walked in, "Jen we have found a contact for the rangers. Do you remember Victoria Jung?" Jen sat there for a moment, and thought long and hard. "She is the one of the many we recruited for the Time Watch missions right?" Trip walked over and gave her some paper work, Jen shifted threw them and came across that she and Recca was an item at one point. "Are you saying we should have them make contact with her?" Trip took a seat, "I think a familiar face would be good for him and for her. Don't you think?" Jen nodded, she pulled out her communicator and called into the past. "TFP sub hub, Striker speaking." A voice came threw on the other line. "This is TF Commander, I need to speak with Victoria Jung asap." "Right away ma'am." The soldier turned, "You," he pointed to someone, "Go find Private Jung." Victoria looked around the room that she was sitting at, eating herself a ham and cheese sandwhich, well basically it was the lunch room. It was break time for the people who worked in the Time Watch missions. As soon as the girl was going to get a bite of her sandwhich, a soldier came up to her, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her into a room. This soldier told the Jung that she had a private call from the future. Whoever it was had to be important. "Next time.. be polite and speak to me, don't just grab me like if I am some rag doll or something." Victoria rolled her eyes heading to the room where she was going to communicate with the Commander. As soon as she got there, she was speaking to the future. "Commander." Victoria spoke professionally, wondering what this was all about. "Greeting Private, How are thing going over there in the year 1993... actually don't even reply to that. We have a group of agents back in that time and need your assistance. We need you to give them money and set them up with a place to stay either on base or somewhere close. And I am sure one of them will be very happy to see you. I could say more but why ruin the surprise." Victoria could not see but Jen had a huge smile on her face. "Either way, here is the comms contact information. We are counting on you." Jen out, and she hung up the phone before she could even get a reply in. Jen looked at Trip and he shook his head, "You loved that didn't you?" He asked, Jen smiled. Victoria just stared at the screen wondering what was the commander talking about. She couldn't see the girl but it seemed that she was up to something. But sadly, Victoria cannot question her so she just nodded her head and as soon as her lips opened up to reply back, the call was ended. "O...kay..." she sighed turning around remembering she has to call her contact now, wondering who it was. Victoria sighed grabbing the communicator and typing in the information, it was ringing. Who would it be? Did she know this person? Perhaps. Outside Zordons commander center Recca communicator was ringing, TFP showed up. "This must be our contact." He activated the video link, not looking at the camera yet looking at the rest of the team, "This is Recca walker, Shadow Ranger with Time Force Control. Are you our..." Suddenly he stopped talking finally looking at the screen. He was taken back for a moment. He could not believe who he was looking at. "W-w-...." He started to studder finding it hard to put the words together. He took a short moment to regain himself then spoke again. "Victoria Jung." The communicator kept ringing for a few seconds before hearing the voice of a very manly man. The voice was familiar, though the call was actually changed into a video type. Victoria looked at it, there seeing Recca, her eyes widened quickly covering the camera as she looked around the room she was in. Cursing to herself quietly. "D-Damn...I-It's him..." she stuttered a bit before taking her hands off the camera and acting professional. "...Recca Walker. Huh, glad to see you again..." Victoria tried so hard not to blush but she didn't so she spoke calmly once again. "Uhh, what's going on?" Recca looked so freaking sexy though! That chocolate skin that she loved so much, it was sad that they had to break up. "Good to see you as well," He replied. "You know just working out and shooting and stabbing bad guys," he said trying to be cool. He cleared his throat. "We need to meet. Can you give us the location of the base. The team and I will be there soon. We need to track down one of us... can you help with that? She left on a Time Flyer. Maybe you can track her?" He asked. Victoria giggled, he did look muscular he seemed to have been working out a lot! And his sense of humor never changed~ That was such a good thing that he hasn't changed. "I see you been working out, heh.." she said blushing a bit, day dreaming of his muscles being wrapped around her but she quickly snapped back to reality. "Okay! I am sending the coordinates to here now, see you in a bit.~ And yes.. I can help track her, don't worry.. leave it all to me, heh." Victoria blushed before closing the call, hanging up, she couldn't see him no more or else she would want to ask him more questions about his life AND the girl was already blushing. Though, maybe Recca has moved on..? They haven't seen each other in a while, it would be understandable. If he did.</s> <\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV "I know 3rn better than most but I still know next to nothing about her. She is extremely guarded. I have seen famous fortresses with weaker walls than her. I do know that she had a troubled past, she was enslaved for a long time, forced to betray & kill her own people on numerous occasions just to survive. I also know she went on a rampage, killed her owner. I also suspect a lot more happened than she is willing to divulge. Knowing her temper, I suspect a very large number of people died. If she recruited others into her cause and if they died she would blame herself regardless if she was actually responsible. I also suspect from micro expressions when she references her people that she is an outcast among them, even after saving all those that survived enslavement. She hates herself for what she did. I suspect her hatred for the green one is because she sees herself in him, though she does have plenty of valid points. As for her hatred of the big head, my best guess is that he reminds her of those that enslaved her and her people."</s> <\|message\|>Abagan Abagan couldn't believe 3rn's outburst nor the fact that she ran off. In fact part of him wanted to chase after her and tell her what he thought about her doing that, but he was still on duty and was more professional than that.That didn't mean he wasn't disappointed when Recca said their contact with the other rangers would be limited, he also took the chance to look around the Command center some more while Recca was talking with HQ and their current contract. Upon hearing about 3rn's past Abagan felt sorry for her. "I just hope she doesn't hate all aliens or that could prove problematic later on, seeing as technically I am one." After that he decided to do something he might not get another chance to do, he turned to the older team of Rangers to ask all six of them one single question. "Can I have your autograph?"</s> <\|message\|>Recca Walker Recca listen to what Alexis had to say about 3rn, "Well it seems we will have to split up. She has no Idea Bakki. She shouldn't have ran off like that. Regardless of her reasons, each and everyone one of us signed up for this job, we are professionals. There will be times when we don't want to work with or even associate with someone we despise but for the good of the entire world, sometime we have to make sacrifices." Recca punched in a code and a Delta Cruiser and two vector cycles came threw and stopped not far from them. "Looks like we are going to have to split up. I will go meet with Victoria our contact, you two start searching for 3rn. Once I reach the base I'll see if they made any progress on finding the TF eagle. All I can hope for is that she is safe." Recca Jumped into the Delta Cruiser, "If by chance you all find her before we can locate her, here are the coordinates to the base. You guys will be on your own for a while until i get to the base. The interference is blocking a lot of communications. Be careful Rangers, and Good luck." Recca sped off north.</s> <\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV 3rn was somewhere over the ocean. She decided to go for a swim. She programmed the TF Eagle to fly an erratic path all over the globe. Then she jumped off and dived into the ocean. She demorphed. She swam deep in the ocean. During her swam she noticed a shark approaching. She stopped swimming and let it close in on her. She pulled a knife from the waistband of her pants. She allowed the shark to approach with in arm's reach, she was posed to strike at it's most vulnerable point. The shark didn't attack, she kept swimming.</s>	<\|message\|>Abagan Before any of the original Rangers could reply Abagan got his orders to look for 3rn. "Looks like that is gonna have to wait" After he got on his cycle, he turned to Alexis. "You know the best, so got any idea where she might be?" He honestly didn't expect too much out of it, but it was still better then randomly driving around Angel Grove.</s>
<\|description\|>Ella Reynolds Age 17 Photo This is her normal look without heavy makeup. Her hair is naturally pitch black and cut short like in the 1st picture. She normally wears heavy eyeliner and nothing else. She loves to be unique, so she tends to be creative with her style. Sometimes she will wear various color and style wigs, or have stands of her natural hair dyed different colors. She likes to wear dark colors for the most part. Background She has recently enrolled in a boarding school. Her parents thought it would be a good idea for her to change her scenery, even though they live an hour away from the boarding school, Ella will be living in the dorms there, instead of commuting. The reason they suddenly decided to change her schools in the last year is because of all the backlash she got at her last school when it got out that she was a lesbian. Her parents are very supportive of this fact and want to do what they can to make the rest of her high school life go as smoothly as possible.</s> <\|message\|>Ella Reynolds Ella waited for her classmates to pass her in the hallway, before secretly making her way to the old abandoned janitor's closet she had cleaned up in the beginning of the school year when she found it on accident. It was a good place for her to hide out during lunch and breaks; the door was even lockable from the inside. It felt like it had been made just for her. She placed her lunch on the card table that had already been in the room and looked around at the posters, and magazine articles she had taped to the walls. Ella couldn't help sighing as she thought about being caught someday and being forced to eat lunch with all the other students. Though until then, she was going to get the most out of her safe haven. It was just that she was a new student who had been enrolled in the last month of school last year. Now she was in the 12th grade and nobody seemed to know she was alive. They never talked to her, or made any indication that she even existed. She prided herself on being different and unique. Ella never wanted to look the same as someone else. At the moment, her fascination was with the Gothic Style and nobody at this school wore as much black as she did. While she did not label herself as a goth, people at her boarding school already put her in that category. It was a stereotype she should have expected. Ella wore mostly dark clothing, her favorite being black and dark blue. She had naturally black hair that was styled in a cute bob around her head, with the ends on each side being slightly longer than the rest of her hair. Though she liked to wear different color wigs and extensions, depending on her mood, she at the moment had her hair dyed with a couple red streaks. It was a natural dye and would wash out after a few washes. She hated putting anything in her hair that would damage it. With her back to the door, she leaned her forehead against the coolness of the wall. It was two months into twelfth grade and still nobody had made any effort to get to know her. Even the teachers seemed to snub her. Ella was smart, though they never called on her to answer questions. Her papers always came back with A's, but nobody had ever praised her for her hard work. She glanced over at her lunch. It was a sandwich and some grapes. She picked at it, eating a few grapes and a bite of the sandwich, but she had lost her appetite. In know it is pathetic, but is it so much to ask for one person to be nice to me. It's like I have the plague. She rolled her eyes and sighed again. But I am not going to change who I am for this school. Mom and dad already went through so much trouble to get me here and finding a school with a lax dress code, so I can be myself. The warning bell rang, making her jump out of her thoughts. She grabbed her trash and left the closet quickly, before anyone noticed her. Maybe I will have some luck with my new roommate. I can't believe they are making me move already. Her last roommate had put up with her for the month last year and the two months this year, but was rather stuck up and complained to the staff about wanting a single room. Ella got kicked out and was waiting to hear where she would be moving to. She was supposed to know by the end of her classes. It's two months into the school year. I wonder how many students need roommates. Most of them have been here since the beginning... Whoever it was, she hoped they wouldn't give her trouble.</s> <\|message\|>Reviera Adimari Reviera sat outside in the courtyard. Her earphones sat snuggly in her ears as she listened to music. Sunglasses covered her eyes as she read underneath the sun. American History. She never really cared too much for it, but there some pretty interesting moments. While she could do away with the colonization of America, she enjoyed the romantic feel of the wild west and the grittiness of the Civil War. Other than that, the rest of her textbook was a snooze fest. She wasn't interested in history. What was the point in learning something she had no ambition in pursuing? It was her free period - a luxury that seniors got. She had been at the boarding school for as long as she could remember. Freshman year to be exact. At first, she wasn't sure how she'd like it. Being away from home wasn't as exciting as she thought it'd be. Going to an all female school didn't make things easier either. However, as she got through the transition, she made friends and even made a name for herself. Swimming. It was the reason why she picked this place over the others. Unlike the other boarding schools she looked at, this institution supported their athletes as avidly as they did for academic perfection. It was the prestigious school for athletics and academics. Body and mind she supposed. While she had to work hard, it all paid off as a large 'C' was embroidered on her team warm-up jacket. There were three captains. She was one of them out of the twenty varsity girls. As Reviera flipped the page, she heard the bell ring as she ignored it while the younger years moved about their business. Admittedly, she was going to miss this place when she was gone. The courtyard. The facilities. The teachers. Everything. This was her home, and she dreaded the day when all of this would be over. Feeling a shadow cast over her, Reviera looked up. She smiled. "Hey Sam!" The blonde smiled at her as she sat her things down and settled on the grass. "Thought I'd find you here. Last year. You excited?" Reviera nodded as she marked her page and scooted the heavy tome away. "Totally," she said. "Trying for that conference record. Get that, and you're guaranteed an All-American!" "You're fast. You'll get it," Sam said. "Oh, by the way. What happened with Kerry?" Reviera frowned as she remembered the whole debacle. Due to an emergency - something about her family - Kerry had to take the year off and leave. She didn't really tell Reviera why she had to go, which miffed the swimmer slightly. They were friends. Roomies for the last two years. To have her just walk out without a word was ... rude. Now, some stranger - a transfer - was taking her spot. Reviera heard the talk on the grounds; and if they were true, her new roommate was a total weirdo. Maybe she could ask for a transfer if things didn't work out? Maybe a single if she had too. "She just left," Reviera said with a shrug. "Hasn't been answering my texts either. She just disappeared. Literally." "Sucks girl. Heard about your new assignment. Good luck." "Wow, thanks. Great. Now I can't think. I guess I'll have to get things moved." Packing her things, Reviera stood up as she brushed off some of the grass from her white shorts. "See you at practice Sam!" "See ya Revy!" Walking towards the dormitories, Reviera's thoughts centered around her new roommate and the season. Anxious didn't even come close to describing what she was feeling. --- Sitting in her room, Reviera had moved everything to her side. While her roommates stuff was settled, she had yet to decorate things. Sitting on her bed, Reviera had opened yet another book - this one for fun. Her life wasn't all sports and fame now. When she had the time, she was quite the bookworm. Dabbling in fantasy to contemporary, she liked to think she had diverse tastes when it came to literature. Stealing a glance at the clock, class should've gotten out for the day as she waited in silence. Even if her new roommate was some weirdo, a good impression could make this less awkward than it needed to be. Humming to herself, she sat there waiting reading about dragons. God, she loved the creatures. Childish she knew, but if people didn't like it, they could simply mind their business. She did her own thing regardless of what others thought. Always had and always will.</s>	<\|message\|>Ella Reynolds I can't believe I ran into Bonnie Beningsworth, the head cheerleader and she asked me to sit with her. They must want something from me. At least she told her friends I was cool. Ella inwardly grinned at the memory. This is Ella. She's cool. Those words played through Ella's head as she sat next to Bonnie and her two perfect blonde friends. Their names are also just as perfect and cute as Bonnie's name. Ashley and Melodi, spelled with an "I" they told her. "Hiya," one of them said. Ella couldn't remember who was who. They looked so much alike that they could very well be twins and most likely were. "So I haven't seen you around before?" She popped her cotton candy bubble gum with a loud smack. It was the most annoying sound Ella had ever heard. "Yeah, are you new?" The other one asked. She was also chewing gum that smelled of watermelon. They were not afraid to get right up in people's faces when they talked, making the popping and smells even more annoying. Ella might have been a lesbian and these girls might be very attractive and popular, but there was only so much one girl could handle. Trying not to show her annoyance, she smiled, while brushing some hair out of her eyes. "I guess you could say that. I started at the end of last year." Of course popular people like Ashley and Melodi, with an "I", wouldn't notice her. Bonnie placed a perfectly manicured hand on Ella's arm. "She's totally creative. Her style is a little different from ours, but she's got guts." Ella blushed, wondering why Bonnie was saying things like that after only just meeting. "Creative?" Ashley said, clicking her tongue against her teeth. Ella decided this one was Ashley and the other Melodi. The one she decided was Ashley had short, curled blonde hair and the one who was Melodi had very long; stick straight blonde hair, just like Bonnie did. "Then you can join the decoration committee for the school dance." What? Me on the school dance committee? I have never even gone to a dance before! How can they have a dance with no boys, not that I care? I guess there must be an all boy's school local to us... "We need more people with imagination. Nobody has any good ideas anymore." Melodi pouted. "Seriously? Why would you want me to help?" "You might have fun," Bonnie said, her eyes lighting up at the idea. "Look at the way you dress and the things you do to your hair." Bonnie smirked. "I bet you even draw." So the cat is out of the bag, they want me to do some dirty work for them... "How in the world can you possibly know I'm an artist?" Ella felt a little stunned. She did pride herself in her artwork, whether it was a drawing, painting or a written story. Bonnie leaned closer to Ella and grabbed across her to where Ella's notebook for English class set. She pointed a long, slender finger at the cover a couple times, while looking up at Ella and smiling. "You can't exactly buy this notebook in the store. I mean the cover doodles don't come on it." It was true that Ella's notebook was covered in doodles, from the likeness of her mother, to pictures of roses and crosses, to flowers and music notes. Melodi and Ashley leaned over and also looked at the notebook, wrinkling their noses at some of the doodles, because they were too dark for their taste, but they were well drawn all the same. "Fine, I doodle. Still doesn't mean I'm as good as Picasso." "Who?" The twins asked. Ella and Bonnie raised their eyebrows and then started to laugh, making the twins pout more than was necessary. --- When the last class of the day let out, Ella excused herself from the cheerleaders. People called her weird, well cheerleaders were the weirdest of the bunch. If she heard one more bubble popping, she was going to go crazy. She walked out the classroom and made her way out the building. She already had her new room assignment and was curious about who her roommate would be. "North dorm...hmmm..." Ella walked the short distance, past the courtyard and down the sidewalk, taking a turn to go toward the dorm. When she got to the door, she hesitated. Should she knock? Deciding it was silly to knock, she tried the doorknob. It opened. She walked in and looked around, finding the only person sitting and reading a book. She's a reader, that's 1 point for her already. Hmm, she's cute. Ella made sure her hair wasn't messy, running her fingers through the short black locks. She looked down at her outfit, wondering what the girl would think of her. Today she wore a short black lacy skirt, with black knee high tights and black wedge pumps. Her top was a front laced corset. It left her arms and shoulders completely bare, also showing off her figure. She subconsciously waited for the girl to look up and see her, knowing how much she hated when people interrupted her when she was reading. Corset top and skirt like this.</s>
<\|description\|>Ella Reynolds Age 17 Photo This is her normal look without heavy makeup. Her hair is naturally pitch black and cut short like in the 1st picture. She normally wears heavy eyeliner and nothing else. She loves to be unique, so she tends to be creative with her style. Sometimes she will wear various color and style wigs, or have stands of her natural hair dyed different colors. She likes to wear dark colors for the most part. Background She has recently enrolled in a boarding school. Her parents thought it would be a good idea for her to change her scenery, even though they live an hour away from the boarding school, Ella will be living in the dorms there, instead of commuting. The reason they suddenly decided to change her schools in the last year is because of all the backlash she got at her last school when it got out that she was a lesbian. Her parents are very supportive of this fact and want to do what they can to make the rest of her high school life go as smoothly as possible.</s> <\|message\|>Ella Reynolds I can't believe I ran into Bonnie Beningsworth, the head cheerleader and she asked me to sit with her. They must want something from me. At least she told her friends I was cool. Ella inwardly grinned at the memory. This is Ella. She's cool. Those words played through Ella's head as she sat next to Bonnie and her two perfect blonde friends. Their names are also just as perfect and cute as Bonnie's name. Ashley and Melodi, spelled with an "I" they told her. "Hiya," one of them said. Ella couldn't remember who was who. They looked so much alike that they could very well be twins and most likely were. "So I haven't seen you around before?" She popped her cotton candy bubble gum with a loud smack. It was the most annoying sound Ella had ever heard. "Yeah, are you new?" The other one asked. She was also chewing gum that smelled of watermelon. They were not afraid to get right up in people's faces when they talked, making the popping and smells even more annoying. Ella might have been a lesbian and these girls might be very attractive and popular, but there was only so much one girl could handle. Trying not to show her annoyance, she smiled, while brushing some hair out of her eyes. "I guess you could say that. I started at the end of last year." Of course popular people like Ashley and Melodi, with an "I", wouldn't notice her. Bonnie placed a perfectly manicured hand on Ella's arm. "She's totally creative. Her style is a little different from ours, but she's got guts." Ella blushed, wondering why Bonnie was saying things like that after only just meeting. "Creative?" Ashley said, clicking her tongue against her teeth. Ella decided this one was Ashley and the other Melodi. The one she decided was Ashley had short, curled blonde hair and the one who was Melodi had very long; stick straight blonde hair, just like Bonnie did. "Then you can join the decoration committee for the school dance." What? Me on the school dance committee? I have never even gone to a dance before! How can they have a dance with no boys, not that I care? I guess there must be an all boy's school local to us... "We need more people with imagination. Nobody has any good ideas anymore." Melodi pouted. "Seriously? Why would you want me to help?" "You might have fun," Bonnie said, her eyes lighting up at the idea. "Look at the way you dress and the things you do to your hair." Bonnie smirked. "I bet you even draw." So the cat is out of the bag, they want me to do some dirty work for them... "How in the world can you possibly know I'm an artist?" Ella felt a little stunned. She did pride herself in her artwork, whether it was a drawing, painting or a written story. Bonnie leaned closer to Ella and grabbed across her to where Ella's notebook for English class set. She pointed a long, slender finger at the cover a couple times, while looking up at Ella and smiling. "You can't exactly buy this notebook in the store. I mean the cover doodles don't come on it." It was true that Ella's notebook was covered in doodles, from the likeness of her mother, to pictures of roses and crosses, to flowers and music notes. Melodi and Ashley leaned over and also looked at the notebook, wrinkling their noses at some of the doodles, because they were too dark for their taste, but they were well drawn all the same. "Fine, I doodle. Still doesn't mean I'm as good as Picasso." "Who?" The twins asked. Ella and Bonnie raised their eyebrows and then started to laugh, making the twins pout more than was necessary. --- When the last class of the day let out, Ella excused herself from the cheerleaders. People called her weird, well cheerleaders were the weirdest of the bunch. If she heard one more bubble popping, she was going to go crazy. She walked out the classroom and made her way out the building. She already had her new room assignment and was curious about who her roommate would be. "North dorm...hmmm..." Ella walked the short distance, past the courtyard and down the sidewalk, taking a turn to go toward the dorm. When she got to the door, she hesitated. Should she knock? Deciding it was silly to knock, she tried the doorknob. It opened. She walked in and looked around, finding the only person sitting and reading a book. She's a reader, that's 1 point for her already. Hmm, she's cute. Ella made sure her hair wasn't messy, running her fingers through the short black locks. She looked down at her outfit, wondering what the girl would think of her. Today she wore a short black lacy skirt, with black knee high tights and black wedge pumps. Her top was a front laced corset. It left her arms and shoulders completely bare, also showing off her figure. She subconsciously waited for the girl to look up and see her, knowing how much she hated when people interrupted her when she was reading. Corset top and skirt like this.</s> <\|message\|>Reviera Adimari "No way!" Reviera flipped the book on its back. Why did the mentor have to die? Granted, she thought Halther was a grouch, but he was as close to a badass as any book character could get. He'd practically lost his whole entire family during the Dragon Wars. It wasn't fair. The main protagonist - some pompous little jerk - should've died instead. Reviera had half a mind to write a letter to the author, but she knew it'd never reach the woman. Reaching for the book yet again, she turned the page and continued to read on. The protagonist better get his act together she thought to herself. Engrossed in the plot, Reviera didn't hear the door turn as she flipped another page. It was only when she heard walking against the carpeted room did she look up. Her friends were right. The girl was absolute weird. However, not in the bad way. She was guilty of this too, but the normal dress etiquette was conservative upper class. There wasn't a dress code or anything, but it was a unspoken expectation of sorts. Reviera didn't really know how to explain it better than that. The girl's outfit left very little to the imagination, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Though she had a thing for sporty girls, her roommate wasn't that bad at all. Things could've been worse. Finding her bookmark, Reviera broke away from her rather deep staring as she closed the book. Hopping off the bed, she brushed her shorts as she walked towards the girl. "No need to be quiet silly," she said as she stood in front of her. Offering her a smile, Reviera placed her hands on her hips. "So you're taking Kerry's spot, huh? Swell. Suppose we should break the ice. I'm Reviera." Locking eyes with the girl, the make up pronounced her roommates eyes. It was kind of breath taking. "Need help setting up?" she asked. "Your side of the room is still a bit ... barren."</s> <\|message\|>Ella Reynolds Ella smiled, feeling overwhelmingly better when the girl turned out to be decent. She had been so scared that this would turn into another Holly moment. Holly had been her last roommate and the one who threw a fit and got her kicked out. She hated how some perfect, rich snobs always seemed to get what they wanted. Ella's parents were well off, but she never acted like she ruled the world. Her mother was a lawyer and her father was a doctor. They were workaholics, but they had a good family dynamic. "Sorry, I was only quiet because I saw you were reading. Some people will start wars if you interrupt." She smiled, though it turned into a small smirk. "I am one of those people. Reading is..." She trailed off, blushing, the crimson color a huge contrast to her naturally pale skin. "I'm rambling, aren't I?" She heard the rest of the girl's question and nodded. "Yep, I guess so. My last roommate didn't agree with sharing her breathing space with someone who dressed outside the cookie cutter standard this school seems to have." Her eyes widened, because that sounded a little harsh. She shook her head. "I mean no offense, not that you are one of them." She gave the girl an open up and down look. Reviera had style, maybe not as extreme as Ella, but she still seemed like an individual. Being cute did not hurt, either. "Oh sure, thanks. All my boxes are packed and waiting to be carried from my old dorm." She looked down at the black and pink Hello Kitty watch she was wearing. It was going on 3pm and Holly was most likely already out with her older boyfriend. The boyfriend Ella had to hear about 24/7. That is all the girl ever wanted to talk about. "It's not a long walk from here, so shouldn't take more than a few trips. Are you sure you don't mind?"</s> <\|message\|>Reviera Adimari "Start wars? Oh lord," Reviera said as she tried not to laugh. "I know whatcha' mean though. The last thing I need is some chick being obnoxious while I finish the chapter. But, still, I don't mind." Noticing the girl blush, Reviera rose an eyebrow. Was she that shy? Reaching over, Reviera patted her shoulder. "I'm one of the few people on this campus that doesn't mind. Trust me when I say, some of the other girls ramble about less exciting things." Reviera almost couldn't contain her laughter. She knew the unspoken dress etiquette, and she tried to add her little twist on things. Going to a school with scions from old money - she was somewhat on that band wagon - could be taxing at times. "No offense taken. I'll admit though, your style is really ... unique? Not a bad thing, we need more personalities here other than conservatively dressed," Reviera said as she winked, "Variety never kills. That's a lot of make up though. Does it take forever to do? I've only ever used eyeliner and mascara, but that's on the days I have time. Foundation never really sticks on for me. People have told me I don't need it though. So, never really explored cosmetics as much." Watching the girl look at her watch, Reviera remembered she didn't have all day either. She'd probably have to skip out to practice then come back and help. Couldn't be late not. "I don't mind at all! Been thinking of how to kill the time before practice. Oh! Speaking of that, I hope you're okay with the smell of chlorine? I swim, and it's a smell I've gotten used to but others don't really care for it. If you really do mind, I'll try to use the extra shampoo. But no promises." Walking over to her table, Reviera picked up her phone and keys and walked back. "I think I can help with one round. Ready? Oh, before we get moving, what's your name? It's better than me saying 'miss' or 'girl' right?"</s>	<\|message\|>Ella Reynolds "My makeup?" Ella put a hand on her cheek and thought for a moment, before shaking her head. "It doesn't take me long, but when I first started, I looked like a racoon, I assure you. It takes practice. I could do your makeup for you, if you want, of course I will keep in mind your style." She grinned teasingly. "I won't turn you into another me..." Unless you want, because you would look hot in a corset... Ella finished in her head, turning away from the girl and inwardly rolling her eyes at herself. She turned back toward Reviera when she heard the girl mention practice. Ella tried not to show her disdain. Was this girl another cheerleader? She sure did not look like she was, but looks could be wrong. Her expression brightened when she learned the other only meant swimming. Ella shook her head and smiled. "Of course not, no problem. If you don't mind my differences, I am not going to complain about something as silly as chlorine smells." She waved her hand. "I'm sure I can handle it." She was relived when she saw Reviera had a car. Ella had one, but it had been left back at home. Her parents saw no use for it on campus when it was not that big of a town and she could take a taxi if she needed to go off campus. "One round, great!" She blushed. "Oh, right. I'm Ella. It's very nice to meet you."</s>
<\|description\|>Reviera Adimari Nickname: Revy or Viera Age: 17 Sport: Swimming Appearance: This is close to her natural skin tone except for the minimal amount of eye liner she applies to her face. Being in a water sport, she doesn't really fuss to much about make up. She either wears her hair down or in a pony tail. She tries to do more complicated designs, but she hardly has the patience for it. Background: Riviera's parents enrolled her into the boarding school since freshman year. Selecting it because of her passion for sports, they offered the most comprehensive program in academics and athletics. The young woman has big ambitions, so they wanted to support her as much as possible. Riviera comes from a well off family, so financial aspects aren't too much of their concern. The one thing they don't know is their daughter's inclination to her sex. While Riviera won't advertise it, it may explain her aversion to finding a boyfriend.</s> <\|message\|>Reviera Adimari Reviera sat outside in the courtyard. Her earphones sat snuggly in her ears as she listened to music. Sunglasses covered her eyes as she read underneath the sun. American History. She never really cared too much for it, but there some pretty interesting moments. While she could do away with the colonization of America, she enjoyed the romantic feel of the wild west and the grittiness of the Civil War. Other than that, the rest of her textbook was a snooze fest. She wasn't interested in history. What was the point in learning something she had no ambition in pursuing? It was her free period - a luxury that seniors got. She had been at the boarding school for as long as she could remember. Freshman year to be exact. At first, she wasn't sure how she'd like it. Being away from home wasn't as exciting as she thought it'd be. Going to an all female school didn't make things easier either. However, as she got through the transition, she made friends and even made a name for herself. Swimming. It was the reason why she picked this place over the others. Unlike the other boarding schools she looked at, this institution supported their athletes as avidly as they did for academic perfection. It was the prestigious school for athletics and academics. Body and mind she supposed. While she had to work hard, it all paid off as a large 'C' was embroidered on her team warm-up jacket. There were three captains. She was one of them out of the twenty varsity girls. As Reviera flipped the page, she heard the bell ring as she ignored it while the younger years moved about their business. Admittedly, she was going to miss this place when she was gone. The courtyard. The facilities. The teachers. Everything. This was her home, and she dreaded the day when all of this would be over. Feeling a shadow cast over her, Reviera looked up. She smiled. "Hey Sam!" The blonde smiled at her as she sat her things down and settled on the grass. "Thought I'd find you here. Last year. You excited?" Reviera nodded as she marked her page and scooted the heavy tome away. "Totally," she said. "Trying for that conference record. Get that, and you're guaranteed an All-American!" "You're fast. You'll get it," Sam said. "Oh, by the way. What happened with Kerry?" Reviera frowned as she remembered the whole debacle. Due to an emergency - something about her family - Kerry had to take the year off and leave. She didn't really tell Reviera why she had to go, which miffed the swimmer slightly. They were friends. Roomies for the last two years. To have her just walk out without a word was ... rude. Now, some stranger - a transfer - was taking her spot. Reviera heard the talk on the grounds; and if they were true, her new roommate was a total weirdo. Maybe she could ask for a transfer if things didn't work out? Maybe a single if she had too. "She just left," Reviera said with a shrug. "Hasn't been answering my texts either. She just disappeared. Literally." "Sucks girl. Heard about your new assignment. Good luck." "Wow, thanks. Great. Now I can't think. I guess I'll have to get things moved." Packing her things, Reviera stood up as she brushed off some of the grass from her white shorts. "See you at practice Sam!" "See ya Revy!" Walking towards the dormitories, Reviera's thoughts centered around her new roommate and the season. Anxious didn't even come close to describing what she was feeling. --- Sitting in her room, Reviera had moved everything to her side. While her roommates stuff was settled, she had yet to decorate things. Sitting on her bed, Reviera had opened yet another book - this one for fun. Her life wasn't all sports and fame now. When she had the time, she was quite the bookworm. Dabbling in fantasy to contemporary, she liked to think she had diverse tastes when it came to literature. Stealing a glance at the clock, class should've gotten out for the day as she waited in silence. Even if her new roommate was some weirdo, a good impression could make this less awkward than it needed to be. Humming to herself, she sat there waiting reading about dragons. God, she loved the creatures. Childish she knew, but if people didn't like it, they could simply mind their business. She did her own thing regardless of what others thought. Always had and always will.</s> <\|message\|>Ella Reynolds I can't believe I ran into Bonnie Beningsworth, the head cheerleader and she asked me to sit with her. They must want something from me. At least she told her friends I was cool. Ella inwardly grinned at the memory. This is Ella. She's cool. Those words played through Ella's head as she sat next to Bonnie and her two perfect blonde friends. Their names are also just as perfect and cute as Bonnie's name. Ashley and Melodi, spelled with an "I" they told her. "Hiya," one of them said. Ella couldn't remember who was who. They looked so much alike that they could very well be twins and most likely were. "So I haven't seen you around before?" She popped her cotton candy bubble gum with a loud smack. It was the most annoying sound Ella had ever heard. "Yeah, are you new?" The other one asked. She was also chewing gum that smelled of watermelon. They were not afraid to get right up in people's faces when they talked, making the popping and smells even more annoying. Ella might have been a lesbian and these girls might be very attractive and popular, but there was only so much one girl could handle. Trying not to show her annoyance, she smiled, while brushing some hair out of her eyes. "I guess you could say that. I started at the end of last year." Of course popular people like Ashley and Melodi, with an "I", wouldn't notice her. Bonnie placed a perfectly manicured hand on Ella's arm. "She's totally creative. Her style is a little different from ours, but she's got guts." Ella blushed, wondering why Bonnie was saying things like that after only just meeting. "Creative?" Ashley said, clicking her tongue against her teeth. Ella decided this one was Ashley and the other Melodi. The one she decided was Ashley had short, curled blonde hair and the one who was Melodi had very long; stick straight blonde hair, just like Bonnie did. "Then you can join the decoration committee for the school dance." What? Me on the school dance committee? I have never even gone to a dance before! How can they have a dance with no boys, not that I care? I guess there must be an all boy's school local to us... "We need more people with imagination. Nobody has any good ideas anymore." Melodi pouted. "Seriously? Why would you want me to help?" "You might have fun," Bonnie said, her eyes lighting up at the idea. "Look at the way you dress and the things you do to your hair." Bonnie smirked. "I bet you even draw." So the cat is out of the bag, they want me to do some dirty work for them... "How in the world can you possibly know I'm an artist?" Ella felt a little stunned. She did pride herself in her artwork, whether it was a drawing, painting or a written story. Bonnie leaned closer to Ella and grabbed across her to where Ella's notebook for English class set. She pointed a long, slender finger at the cover a couple times, while looking up at Ella and smiling. "You can't exactly buy this notebook in the store. I mean the cover doodles don't come on it." It was true that Ella's notebook was covered in doodles, from the likeness of her mother, to pictures of roses and crosses, to flowers and music notes. Melodi and Ashley leaned over and also looked at the notebook, wrinkling their noses at some of the doodles, because they were too dark for their taste, but they were well drawn all the same. "Fine, I doodle. Still doesn't mean I'm as good as Picasso." "Who?" The twins asked. Ella and Bonnie raised their eyebrows and then started to laugh, making the twins pout more than was necessary. --- When the last class of the day let out, Ella excused herself from the cheerleaders. People called her weird, well cheerleaders were the weirdest of the bunch. If she heard one more bubble popping, she was going to go crazy. She walked out the classroom and made her way out the building. She already had her new room assignment and was curious about who her roommate would be. "North dorm...hmmm..." Ella walked the short distance, past the courtyard and down the sidewalk, taking a turn to go toward the dorm. When she got to the door, she hesitated. Should she knock? Deciding it was silly to knock, she tried the doorknob. It opened. She walked in and looked around, finding the only person sitting and reading a book. She's a reader, that's 1 point for her already. Hmm, she's cute. Ella made sure her hair wasn't messy, running her fingers through the short black locks. She looked down at her outfit, wondering what the girl would think of her. Today she wore a short black lacy skirt, with black knee high tights and black wedge pumps. Her top was a front laced corset. It left her arms and shoulders completely bare, also showing off her figure. She subconsciously waited for the girl to look up and see her, knowing how much she hated when people interrupted her when she was reading. Corset top and skirt like this.</s>	<\|message\|>Reviera Adimari "No way!" Reviera flipped the book on its back. Why did the mentor have to die? Granted, she thought Halther was a grouch, but he was as close to a badass as any book character could get. He'd practically lost his whole entire family during the Dragon Wars. It wasn't fair. The main protagonist - some pompous little jerk - should've died instead. Reviera had half a mind to write a letter to the author, but she knew it'd never reach the woman. Reaching for the book yet again, she turned the page and continued to read on. The protagonist better get his act together she thought to herself. Engrossed in the plot, Reviera didn't hear the door turn as she flipped another page. It was only when she heard walking against the carpeted room did she look up. Her friends were right. The girl was absolute weird. However, not in the bad way. She was guilty of this too, but the normal dress etiquette was conservative upper class. There wasn't a dress code or anything, but it was a unspoken expectation of sorts. Reviera didn't really know how to explain it better than that. The girl's outfit left very little to the imagination, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Though she had a thing for sporty girls, her roommate wasn't that bad at all. Things could've been worse. Finding her bookmark, Reviera broke away from her rather deep staring as she closed the book. Hopping off the bed, she brushed her shorts as she walked towards the girl. "No need to be quiet silly," she said as she stood in front of her. Offering her a smile, Reviera placed her hands on her hips. "So you're taking Kerry's spot, huh? Swell. Suppose we should break the ice. I'm Reviera." Locking eyes with the girl, the make up pronounced her roommates eyes. It was kind of breath taking. "Need help setting up?" she asked. "Your side of the room is still a bit ... barren."</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) A month has passed ever since the quest of the hero, Noboyuki, and the princess, Rena, started. Going from town to town, solving people's problems as it is the duty of the hero and collecting money and whatnot, the both await for Noboyuki's sacred power to finally arrive to him, as it was predicted by the ancient legend of the hero back in the kingdom. Still, and while he has been getting by with just physical abilities and the use of his sword, it proves to become harder and harder as they encounter different and larger enemies. Stopping in a little town between their travels to take a rest, Noboyuki sighs heavily, after going into a library to confirm some of the lore of the world he finds himself into. Former salaryman and graduate from a prestigious school in Tokyo, Noboyuki never actually did expect to be suddenly transported away. Yes, sure, it might seem like a pretty good adventure for any 16 year old in the middle of his youth, but for someone who has actually already gone past his prime and lived a boring, grey life in the suburbs with a boring job... Well, this quest to eliminate the demon lord wasn't actually all that exciting, in fact, it seemed like quite a pain, and his companion was pleasant to look at and nothing more. She had her moments when she was cute, but, well.... Noboyuki took one of the books and tried to read through it, but... "No use, huh?" He put the book right back into the shelf he took it from. The spoken language was the same, but the written? Heck, he didn't have an idea of what the hell it said. It all seemed like scribbles to him. He could always go to Rena and ask for her help, but whether she'd help him or not was an entirely different matter. He was in a little library of the quiet and peaceful town that had yet to be tarnished by the power of the Demon King Lucifer. Having been informed just the bare minimum, Noboyuki only knew that he had to slay such a being, but no more than that. Seemingly, his sacred power would open a path, but he didn't have a damn of that. He calmly walked out of the library with a hand in both of his jacket's pockets. Now, where was Rena? As much as he would have like to leave her somewhere else, he really couldn't. It'd mean dead for him, without her divine protection.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena thanked the elder as she stepped into the sun, beyond the thatched roof home. He'd been very helpful the information on demon movements throughout the region was surprisingly in depth, from the sounds of it they shouldn't have any troubles moving ahead, its always nice when fortune smiles. The royal girl clutched the album traverler's cloak tightly, despite what one may think with her status as a princess through and through, she was also much more pragmatic for quite frankly traveling by foot was no time to wear dresses. Besides she herself was a seasoned traveler anyway, in the past she spent years in other courts across the kingdom, and then a few located in nearby foreign allies. Of course none of that came easily, attempting to convince her father to allow such things certainly took some time. In the end Rena was thankful for the experience, and looking back those exact experiences were paying off. The last month was not easy for sure, maybe within the first week money ran out, although not to her surprise, honestly there wasn't much to give at all. This forced them, or really rather Noboyuki, to take on odd jobs for merger earnings. Sure there was the satisfaction of assisting the people, they needed the help without a doubt, Rena just hasn't expressed as much to the hero. While considering Noboyuki, he had actually proven to be resourceful, and apparently well educated ignoring his obvious ignorance of her world. What's more the hero had proven to be quite skilled as a swordsman, not everyone could take on a demon especially alone in his case. In reality Rena didn't mind the man at all, in fact she had a deep respect for him, as for saying as much that was far out of the deal. Noboyuki was still a commoner, even with his position as the hero of prophecy... she still had social norms to adhere to. They agreed on staying in the sleepy hamlet for at least a day, even if Rena in truth wanted to pass the opportunity up, mainly out of concern for whatever damage the Demon King may cause if they delay too long, she couldn't ignore the need for a proper rest. As a bonus due to their importance, the elder gave them free lodgings at the only taven for miles around, the owner wasn't too happy but ultimately overruled. First things first, Rena had to find her hero, he did say that he wanted to vist the local libary, a rare occurrence really, she doubted he managed to glean anything from the trip unfortunately his lacking the ability to read her language was well too known. When she approached the tiny stone building, Rena caught sight of Noboyuki, good looked as if he wrapped up whatever business he tried to take care of. "Finally, hope you're done wasting our time by looking at books, you know you can't understand them anyway, right?" She spoke with authority fitting for royal blood, "While you were struggling to grasp basic writings, I had a talk with the elder. Good news is he agrees to house us for a day, food and shelter of course."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) And there she was... her royal highness. She didn't seem to know the meaning of the word 'nice', and Noboyuki was sure most of her body was composed of pure, pure disdain for him. If she had even a shred of respect for him, well, he couldn't sense as it was. He was either too dense to feel her respect or it was truly inexistant. Noboyuki was sure it was the latter, at the very least, he knew he wasn't dense... probably. "Yes, I know that. I just wanted to see if there was something around a library that wasn't actually written with the feet of someone who actually thought they could write. My, my, doesn't anyone here know how to use the alphabet? It's way simpler than those crappy drawings in everything. And I say that as a Japanese man, our writing is kinda like that but with different drawings." Noboyuki sighed once again. Anyway, who the hell came up with so many different languages in the first place? At the very least, Rena was good enough as to secure them a dry and comfortable place to spend the night. Trying his very best, Noboyuki put on a smile on his face. "Great! It seems you don't only dally around while I try to make any sense of what you call writing here. Let's go right now, I'm a bit tired and my shoulders are soo stiff." He moved his head around, and it cracked a bit. A good idea came to his mind, looking at Rena with a bit of a perverted look in his eyes. "Why don't you give me a massage, Rena? I'm pretty sure that if I got a massage like that, I'd sleep like a baby tonight." He said happily. He liked to joke around like that, even though he didn't always come out with the upper hand after making a bad taste joke like that, neither when he was overly sarcastic. Well, it was just the wat the world had made him. For someone of his frame and look (he wore glasses), the only thing he could do about others was outwit them when they were way bigger than him. At the very least, this world had given him some kind of super boost to his strength, making him able to go against huge monsters all by himself, and using knowledge he got in his own world, handling a sword was really right up his alley. It was when he wielded his sword that he truly felt like a 'hero'. Regardless of Rena's response, no matter what kind of comeback she had for him, Noboyuki would make his way to the inn. If anything was true, is that he was really tired. And some guy told him that if he slayed a nocturnal monster for him, he'd give him a lot of money, so he wanted to rest up and go for it later. Extra money never hurt, and maybe he could buy something for Rena. She wasn't all that bad once you get used to her. If you ever do.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- "No." A flat retort from the girl. Deserving of respect or not Noboyuki had his faults, mainly his tendency to be "witty" and somewhat perverse... could be worse. Rena had gotten used to his strange mannerisms, and really his blatant lack of respect, which wasn't uncalled for honestly considering her own treatment, she was by no means a hypocrite in that sense. If anything else the hero was just a foreigner if one were to ignore his actual orgins, Rena spent enough time with other cultures that getting used to the unusual whims of her partner did not take long. The most she knew of Noboyuki was he came from "Japan" yet he'd never talked much of it, which was a shame since she loved hearing about far off lands. On that specific day Rena wasn't too talkative and followed silently behind the otherworldly companion. While she didn't admit it, she was in truth fairly fatigued it had been far too long since they've been able to find a proper bed. Rena imagined the brief silence from her wouldn't go unwelcomed... as much as she disliked being unpleasant, she couldn't take any risk showing favor, already she could hear the gossip weaving throughout the courts the very last thing she ever wanted to do was fuel those whispers. A crowned heir traveling alone with a holy hero of the same age at that left a lot in the way of rumors, in uh less savory ways. As the hamlet wasn't the largest of settlements the duo found their way to the taven relatively quickly. It was a simple establishment, respectable in both look and service yet nothing more than that, not like the owner had much competition. Without a word Rena delt with the said owner, a gruff man like most taven owners strangely enough, out of earshot from Noboyuki she negotiated for their room. Not long after they were standing in a single small space, clearly a very plain room which was fine for Rena, wouldn't have been fair to expect more. There were two separate beds, each one on opposing walls. Before the hero was able to make a move Rena had already claimed the left most one, she flopped down on the mattress cloak trailing behind her trajectory, fluttering like a cloth butterfly. "Haven't seen a real bed for so long..." Yay for actual beds.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Well... Not what he expected. Rena seemed to be a bit too tired today for his jokes. Noboyuki seemed a bit annoyed that she felt like that, but nevertheless, he'd leave her alone for the time being. He better than anyone knew just how much people hated being pushed around when they didn't feel all that well. So, he just walked to the hamlet alongside her, just as silent as she was. At the very least, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. They walked all the way there and Rena, being a little too secretive, talked to the owner. Well, now what the hell should he do now that Rena started flirting with the elderly owner of the inn? He leant against a wall, waiting for the next thing to happen while he waited for Rena. Still, it sure was nice to finally have some kind of actual place to stay in, unlike most of the times that they camped outside. Being a hero had its perks, every now and then. For instance, if he were to go to a bar and say he was the hero, a lot, and he meant, A LOT, of women would start swarming him. Whether they searched for political power, money, or simply liked a man with status, didn't matter. At the very least, it made Noboyuki feel relieved. Maybe he'd do it again one of these days. Not today, though. He was just as tired, and he needed some rest before the monster hunt for the night. Finally, Rena came out and they went to their room. It always disappointed Noboyuki immensely that there were two beds in the room, though. "Hey, Renaaa...." He protested, much like a child. "How much did this cost? I bet getting a double room was expensive. Why not have a single room so we can cuddle closely together?" Even though he said so, he was already making his way to the bed. "But, not that it matters anymore. You should also get some rest, we are busy during the night." He said, and didn't realize until later that what he said could be badly misunderstood. But he didn't care anymore. The fluffiness of an actual bed swallowed him whole and his eyes became heavier by the minute. Soon enough, he was asleep. Well, if the princess had something to thank Noboyuki for was his lack of snores during night time.</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- "The elder sent word of our arrival beforehand, two of us means two beds and before you ask I know this as the owner told me." Rena responded with her typical attitude, and she was ignoring his obvious, prevented comments on purpose, not at at willing to acknowledge them. Minutes of total silence passed before she decided to roll over trying to figure out why she was being ignored. She was more than ready to reprimand the disrespectful hero, already a notable scowl occupying her features, that is until the realization dawned upon her. The man must have been exhausted to have fallen asleep so quickly, instead the scowl feel away to a neutral, but soft expression. "Good, get some sleep. You have to work hard tonight, like always." Rena spoke quietly, perhaps not on purpose, maybe just so she wouldn't wake him up. Noboyuki needed to rest for some time, well the both of them really, but he's the one who fights not her. Rena slipped out of her cloak and hung it on the end of her bed, underneath was her normal clothing (What you see in her picture, minus the crown.) Pretty soon the princess herself fell asleep. Hours later Reba woke up, if one were to guess about an hour before midnight. She had a dreamless sleep, that said she was not the type of person who dreams often anyway. A momentary look revealed that Noboyuki hasn't awaken yet, great meant she could prepare for their trip without distraction. At the far end of the room the owner, or whoever may have worked at the taven, left them dinner on a plain desk present in the room. Beef stew, still warm, and a wedge of barley bread. Rena put her share to the side, she could eat it while working, as for the hero's bowl, well that was placed on the side table beside his bed. Rena found their bags and started to unload some of their contents onto the desk, these were bunches of papers and books. Seeing as Noboyuki couldn't read, she handled all the written work, she felt it was fair. Rena looked at various maps of the surrounding areas, earlier she got the details on the night job so with a stick of charcoal she marked where they should search first. It was a system of way points with a designated allocation of time in one area to comb before moving on. The plan was to follow this strategy until they come across the beast, or until dawn. Out in the field Rena's job was to keep them on track, being the guide of course. As a side note this style of planning was developed by the Eskar military, quite frankly had also shown to be effective during recon by scouts, so of course Rena payed attention to this much to their benefit. She continued to work diligently unaware as to wether or not Noboyuki had awoken yet.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Between dreams, Noboyuki was sure he heard something from Rena, but he was way too tired to be able to think about it anymore. Even so, he felt like making snarky retort like, 'damn, why don't people in this world tease us a bit more...' or something like that. Not that he wanted to be teased, but in animes back in his world, well, it was a common development having to sleep in the same bed with the firl you were in a quest in. Well, not that it mattered anymore. He went to sleep without a worry in the world. When Noboyuki woke up, it was already midnight, about half an hour after Rena herself, and he could hear her scribbling something. Well, she did have to do everything related to writing, since Noboyuki was about as useless as a rock when it came to that. It wasn't that he was an idiot, he liked to think he was quite a genius when it came to anything but writing the blighted alphabet of this world was just torture for him. He brought himself up, despite his body begging to be let to rest just another hour. He yawned, scratched his head and then stretched out a bit, before sitting on the bed's side. Well, he had just slept a bit, but he had certainly dreamed about things. Things from his world, how boring it all seemed, and how tedious his parents were to try and order him around. Yeah... it felt better being here, some times. He stood up and looked at Rena. Well, it wouldn't be nice to interrupt her when she seemed so concentrated in her work. Besides, eh felt like he needed a bath, real bad. He was kind of sweaty after the nap, not to mention that they hadn't been in a real inn for a while now. A bathtub that needed to be filled with buckets seemed like a better idea than to continue on like that. Some habits died hard, and his habit of bathing everyday would take the longest to die. It was a good thing in his world where just about everywhere had enough water to bath yourself, but here, where a lot of the country was woods and whatnot? Heck, he didn't even remember the feeling of water in his skin when he took a relaxing bath. He just hoped bathing wasn't a luxury only reserved for royalty like Rena. "Good morning, night might be better, but anyhow." Noboyuki simply said, in a bit of a low voice. Whether Rena took notice of him or not, well, it might be better if she didn't. Having to explain himself as to why he wanted a bath would just make him some more of a wuss than he seemed already just by the look and entire aura he gave. He stepped out of the room and went to where the owner was, asking for a bath. Of course, there was one in their room, but it seemed as if they had gave an open air bath a try. It was already filled and ready for use. Well, he'd be damned. He immedietly requested that one. Definitely having a bath like that would make wonders for him, even if he sounded like an old man. Settling down in the spacious bath, he let himself relax and letting out a relieved sigh as he felt the water by his chest. "Now, only if Rena-tan would come and wash my back, I could certainly die happily." He still felt hungry, though, and he was sure that he saw some food by his side when he woke up, but hadn't been smart enough to eat it first.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena barely registered Noboyuki getting up, too entrenched in her work to really notice anything but paperwork. It wasn't until later she happened to notice the empty bed, funny thing is he left the stew alone possible missed it or some other reason. Whatever, instead of concerning herself in something trivial, she got right back to planning, he'll probably eat later, hopefully. Rena found a star chart, fairly crude in reality, but accurate enough to use for broad navigation of course only useful at night. A few foot notes later, she was confident that they'll won't get lost long as nothing goes wrong. She still had no idea where the hero went off to, maybe to get some fresh air. Rena knew they had little bit more time until they set out, the creature is practicular for what times it ventures out. During her talks with the owner earlier she requested for a bath, the taven had one so taking advantage of such a thing wasn't about to be passed up. She whistled an improvised melody while outside of the bathroom, her clothes folded neatly by the door. A bath was one of those small luxuries Rena learned to forget since they've started to journey. She thought she heard some water splashing, it didn't make sense but in the end she opted to forget it. The next series of events were in a blur if Rena were ever to recall them, the best summary could be said to be "awkward", because she found where Noboyuki went. Nothing happened as Rena stood there, trying not to make the situation worse, just how did this happen? Did he tell her about a bath? If he did was it her fault? A high amount of self control and solid composure went into standing her ground, even with the view the known-to-be-prevented hero had. Hiding biological responses was something she couldn't do as a slowly her face turned red. Eventually Rena took the one action she could think of, and that was to turn around a leave. Finally out of sight, she for a lack of a better word, facepalmed. What just happened?</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Well... Noboyuki sure got a good show while in his bath. The only bad thing? That the princess probably saw things she shouldn't see. He was just as shocked as her, but he didn't have any time to try and stop his natural body reactions. And by that, he meant those a man has that will probably ashame him in society. Whether she saw or not was irrelevant right now. He was planning on relaxing while he was there, but any kind of relaxing he could've had was destroyed by the sudden arrival of Rena. He didn't even feel comfortable there anymore. Maybe the guy thought they had that kind of relationship and said that on purpose? Maybe he thought they'd ahppily share a bath like lovers? Well, damn, what an open minded geezer he was then. Or at the very least, a really malicious geezer. that got his kicks out of seeing people miserable. Not that he was miserable right now, mind you, in fact, he was quite satisfied with the turn of events. He quikcly gathered his things, put some pants on and left the bath, seeing Rena on his way out. He didn't even saw her, and merely continued on his way. "The bath is now all yours, Rena. Have fun." He said, jokingly while he walked away, before stopping and looking back at her with a lecherous smile in his face. "Also, thanks for the treat. I'll be dreamming some real good things tonight thanks to you." He said and gave her a thumbs up, before walking away towards their room. Well, he might as well get something to eat, whatever that thing left aside his bed was would make do for now. He hurried back to their room and started on eating the stew left beside his bed. He needed the energy anyways. He still wondered what kind of creature he'd be facing today, he only got that it was nocturnal from the guy that gave him the, 'quest', to call it something. It felt more and more like an RPG world the more he thought about it. He finished off the stew and quickly got dressed up and ready for action with his sword hanging around his waist. He then went out of the room and decided to wait for Rena in the lobby. Or he could go peek on her right now that she was taking her bath, probably. Decisions, decisions... He knew the sacred power would come in handy right about now.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- She so wanted to punch the arrogance out of him, so badly. Not that was an option, like at all, she had a feeling it was either her own fault... or maybe a certain gruff man whom they recently met, the audacity. The point is, she was the one who walked in and so the blame had to go to herself, it was only fair that way, at least that's what she thought. Even then Rena couldn't pass up the bath, despite the water being used, the thought of Noboyuki's... uh uncovered body once touching the exact same water was not comforting. She thanked her luck that it was an isolated incidence, not even in her worse nightmares could Rena imagine what sort of rumors would've been born from all this. The bath was anything but relaxing as she wanted, still she attempted to ignore the images floating in her mind, they're both adults meaning they were more than capable of moving on, Rena just couldn't ignore the initial shock that remained. Soon enough she was done and dressed, when she returned to their room it seemed that Noboyuki already gathered his equipment, plus he clearly ate the beef stew was probably cooled off by the time he gotten around to eating it. Rena donned her cloak, grabbed small a book that held all her field notes, and the map she prepared for the mission. In the dark it'll be harder to read any of it, with luck the moon would provide enough light anyway. They couldn't waste anymore time, if they were unable to find and slay the beast that very night they wouldn't be able to try again for a full day, a day that she felt couldn't be spared. Noboyuki was ready to move out it looked like as he waited in the main hall, Rena had already placed the bath event towards the very back regions of her memory, they had a job to do they had to remain on task. She marched up to the man, bringing forth the level of authority that came naturally to her. "If you're about done loitering about, we have to start the hunt right now. I don't need to tell how much of pain it'll be if the beast is not dead by dawn, we do not have to time to try again." Rena rolled out the map on a nearby table, pointing to it. "This is the nearby woods where the creature is commonly reported, hope I don't need to tell you that much. I tried to make it simple for you, these circles here are the search zones, we spend the appropriate amount of time before continuing onto the the next area, and so forth." Rena let out an exasperated sigh, "We're burning too much time, don't fall behind." With that the nightly hunt was on.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) She seemed all ready to go as well. Though she still wore that dress on her that seemed to be uncomfortable to no end. 'Well, to each their own, I guess...' He thought. Well, it seemed like some kind of damn important royal dress, but Noboyuki wasn't one to nitpick. Even less when her role in the whole adventure was protecting him and not getting any of the actual action. Even he would feel frustrated, but since he wasn't a woman, he couldn't look fabulous while he waited. He let out a giggle at the thought of that, and made it sound a bit as if he were mocking her. He cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm done loitering. The hunt can start whenever." He flashed a confident smile at her. He rested his hand on his sword's hilt and approached the table to see what his little strategist had planned out for the day, err, night. He merely nodded and said 'hm' while she gave out instructions. It still hurt his pride that she thought he couldn't understand more than just simple figures in the map. He was pretty intelligent, it was just the fact that he couldn't read that stopped him from showing that was the case. No, well, that isn't something someone intelligent would say, would it? Anyhow, back to the problem at hand.... "I see, I see. This beast won't last any longer. Not as long as the reknown hero Noboyuki has something to say about it!" Noboyuki said, pounding his chest with pride. It was the least he could do to show that he wasn't actually scared of whatever the hell it was. Noboyuki followed after Rena, increasing his pace to be walking right beside her. "As long as her highness does her part, I'm pretty sure we can get this over with before dawn." He said. It was going to be an easy hunt, something told him that. At the very least, it seemed to be his heroic power, or instinct, that made him think that. He started feeling like a hero for the very first time since he arrived there. Soon enough, the woods were in sight, and as soon as they went into them, Noboyuki took his sword out of its sheath and appeared to be ready for battle. "Be sure to stay behind me, princess. I don't want anyone getting on my bottom just cause you got slightly hurt." Noboyuki put himself in front of her while he walked towards the place she had told him about. He just hoped the first thing they'd see was the monster they had to eliminate. Going back to sleep was first priority.</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Well, this is a surprise." Noboyuki started, with a bit of a grin in his face. He never dropped his guard, though, and was ready for anything that might leap at them any second now. That didn't take away any of his sarcastic demeanor, though. "You are actually worried about me. It's nice for a change." Noboyuki finished with another big smile on his face. As if to demonstrate his prowess, he started rolling his sword around with a lot of ease in his hand. "There's no need for sacred power when you have cool skills like this. I've always been more of a DPS kind of guy rather than a mage." He said, talking in video game terms of his own world. Still, he soon noticed that Rena might not know what the hell he is talking about if he talks like that. They were terms only natural for him, since he liked to play games from time to time. "Ah, sorry. What I was trying to say I am not the kind to rely on powers like those. The support you give me is just magnificent." Noboyuki said to her, with a wink. While he was fooling around, though, they had already arrived to the desifnated spot before they even knew. Or at the very least, really near to one of those spots. It was something gigantic, that was walking on all four of its legs, wait, no, its steps said that it had more than just four legs, maybe six? It seemed just like something straight out of hell. It was a bit more of a surprise than what he initially thought it'd be. For something roaming the woods, it just seemed too feral and aggressive, aside from scary. "R-Rena, what is that? Is it even from around here?" Noboyuki readied his sword. While his initial appearance threw him off a bit, he was now ready to go at it. The fact that it may be a demon was still there, and that meant that it had some connection to their overall quest. "It doesn't even seem like an animal." Still, whatever the thing was, it was already on the offense. It slashed at Noboyuki and he barely deflected its sharp claws with his sword, sending it back a few steps. Its four arms spelled problems for Noboyuki, not to mention the tail. He wasn't as confident as before, and that last hit seemed to be more to test him rather than actually fighting him.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- None of this looked good for them, Rena didn't freeze up exactly although she felt somewhat numb. This... thing looked nothing like the description, still now she thought about it the pay was almost too good to be true. "I... don't know its nothing out of the demonology manuals I've studied." She threw her bag on the ground, already shifting through the many papers within. "Alright, listen me I need time to figure what this beast is, just do what you can and don't get reckless..." The last word trailed off, she caught herself before saying anything else. Rena struck a touch, here was hoping the extra light wouldn't attract the wrath of that abomination. She started with history texts, demons haven't plagued the earth for too long really, perhaps only appearing just before she was born. Even then these books had to be the most accurate as they were recorded by actual scholars. She quickly flipped through the yellow parchment, whatever it was the damned thing had to be notable somewhere, that is assuming any information was present in the first place. Five minutes later she slammed the book shut in frustration. During that time Rena tried to block out the sounds of conflict as Noboyuki tangled with the walking nightmare... alone. Rena knew the hero couldn't die, that wasn't her main concern. Despite being technically immortal he could still be critically wounded, or crippled, losing a limb was not out of the picture. What if he were to sustain a serious head wound? What kind of life would he even live at that point? Rena breathed deeply, losing her clam would be very deferential, well that was putting it lightly. Next set to search through, local legends she had bought and collected over time. Not nearly as reliable but should be more relevant. About halfway through Rena landed on a particular page, the top of which had the words Joungha the Corpse Taker. She read over the entry, the description of its subject matched the monster before them word to word. Her heart sank, this was bad, more than bad they were way out of their league. "Noboyuki, uh..." Rena couldn't stomp down the sheer panic creeping into her voice, "We are in huge trouble, this is not a demon... no its something more than only a demon."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Take your time!" Noboyuki jumped to the side, barely dodging the thing's claws directed at his face. He hadn't been injured in battle as far as they had come, there was never a thing like this around that actually seemed like a real problem before, so he just supposed the rest would be as easy. Grind some levels, get to the boss with a few more on you than you should and kick his ass. Of course, neither life nor games could be as easy. As he thought that, a double attack from the monster with two of its arms was deflected by Noboyuki's blade, making some sparks come out. It seemed the thing's claws were as sharp as metal, enough as to make friction. Yeah, life had things like this, while a game auto-adjusted the level of the last boss to your current leve. "Not fair, I tell you. Well, what can you do about it?" Noboyuki smiled, even if his smile was a lot smaller this time. The fact that the thing hadn't moved at all while they were battling and was just attacking when Noboyuki came near to it made him think it was certainly strange. Neither had it used all of its arms, he was using two, three at max, or its tail. It seemed to be more intelligent than he thought. And that head... it creeped him out of his mind. If he didn't think hard about his next move... And that was when the thing finally moved and dashed against him. A flurry of attacks fell upon Noboyuki as it used all four of its arms to ravage him. It was a relentless flurry of attacks. Noboyuki barely managed to avoid any kind of fatal damage, but he still had scratches all over him. Like that, Noboyuki would have been ready for a counterattack, had it not been that the beast took his head with its tail and lifted him. It was applying a lot of pressure and Noboyuki felt the claws it had stabbing his neck and the back of his head. "You....!" Feeling a bit more enraged now, Noboyuki stabbed his sword on its tail. Of course, it didn't go through its hide quite as planned, but it still stinged enough for it to let go of him. Noboyuki fell to the ground and coughed a bit, before squinting his eyes to look at the beast. "Then, what is it!? It doesn't seem like an angel to me!" He was pissed and was shouting now, but soon stood up and regained his composure. Well, damn, the fight didn't seem to be going well.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena was truly beginning to become fearful, Noboyuki wasn't looking good, still early in the battle and he was covered in scratches, nothing serious, she uttered a small prayer for their good fortunes, so far that is. "It is not an angel, we are facing Joungha the Corpse Taker, it used to be worshiped by the tribal people who used to reside near here. Joungha is not a common demon, he is a forgotten deity... a malicious one." Rena tugged on Noboyuki's arm, trying to pull him to eye level, she wanted to fully covey the dire situation they were in through the solem gaze in her own eyes. "You cannot fight this alone, especially without your divine powers, the better part of valor is knowing when to run. No amount of gold is worth this." Rena prayed beyond all hope that Noboyuki will listen to her wisdom, although he had been known to be stubborn, and there was their crafted relationship to consider as well...</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "If I were some kind of big shot hero like those you often see in animes, I'd refuse to back down." Noboyuki said, and quickly turned around, averting from Rena's gaze and barely deflecting another attack of Joungha. A god, huh? Well, that was troublesome. What kind of f'd up group would worship that, though? "But I have some more common sense than those guys. Any amount of hard work and guts won't get us out of this." Noboyuki jumped back, putting some distance between the two of them. "We'll run on my signal... 1...2...3, GO!" He shouted, turned around and started running full speed. He'd have taken the princess' hand, weren't it for the fact that he knew she was quite capable of running away by herself. Still, as he was running away, he felt something taking his leg and cutting off a big part of his ankle. It would be impossible for him to cure instantly, and maybe the fact that he was dragged back to where the beast was had deactivated the protection of Rena. He DID drag him around a good bit, after all. His tail was way larger than what one would think. Trapping Noboyuki under its body and roaring at him, Noboyuki somehow taught it was it for him. But there was no way he could let the princess get involved. Joungha approached him and opened what seemed to be its mouth. Noboyuki felt scared, but more than anything, he was angry. There was no way he would let it end like this. "Bastaaaard!" With his sword, he slashed right at its face, but before he could get to it, Joungha put its hand on the way. However, and somewhat miraculously, Noboyuki cut through its hand and it fell to the ground. It didn't wail, neither did it let out a loud voice of pain, but it merely looked at its hand, or where it used to be. It was surprised, at the very least, Noboyuki noted that. It was his chance. He slipped out of below it and ran away to the hamlet yet again. He'd be able to talk things with Rena after that.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Thank the Gods Noboyuki actually had the sense to run, Rena was worried she would've had to do something stupid and drastic to hold the hero back. She waited for his signal when to run, able to trust his judgement, after all he was the one who handled combat. She was ahead of the man as they fled from the scene, an after thought was what if Joungha decided to chase after then, he probably wouldn't have a hard time running them down. Whatever that didn't matter, she kept up her mad sprint through the thick underbrush, the rough growth tried its best to halt her progress but she didn't have any of that. Finally she stopped at the edge of the woods, the soft glow of the hamlet just on the horizon. Joungha was a being of darkness, even the simple candlelight would be more than enough to chase the god away. Rena turned to face Noboyuki... problem was that the man turned out to be missing. It was then she outwardly started to openly panic, somehow he must've gotten trapped by something, maybe even Joungha managed to capture him. The worse part is since he gotten separated from her... oh he was vulnerable without her protection. The thought drove Rena deeper into her panic, she paced back and forth anxiously debating on what she should do. She perked up at a distance roar, it had be that cursed creature, what did that roar mean? Could've meant nothing, or maybe frustration, or maybe even in victory. Rena stood in place, seemingly paralyzed, no, he wasn't dead. It would take a lot more to end Noboyuki's life, not with his spirit. She finally absolved to take some kind of action, the heir crouched down in order to grasp a branch, undoubtedly useless against Joungha, but it was something in her hand. Before Rena was about to rush back for her partner, there was nearby rustling before long the silhouette of a man appeared from beyond the forest, it took her a moment to register who it was, Noboyuki! "You're alive! Oh thanks the fortunes above, you're still alive!" Rena broke out into a laughter, of course one of relief, but also to discharge the large amount of nervousness that built up. "I..I lost you, I knew you didn't have your protection, and with Joungha out there I just assumed the worse. I'm relived, you didn't die." She fully knew her act was gone, she never expressed herself truthfully like this before, yet that didn't matter. Rena softly whispered at the end, being barely audible, "I wouldn't know what to do if you died...</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki was glad to hear Rena so earnestly worried about him, but, honestly, there was no time to be doing that. God only knows, pun intended, what that Joungha might try now that he sliced up his hand. Noboyuki didn't stop running even for a second and took Rena's hand and brought her with him inside the hamlet. "Doesn't matter right now! RUN!" It was just an instant action he pulled there, he didn't even really think about it. After a while from running while dragging Rena around with him, they finally arrived to the hamlet. The owner seemed worried, but Noboyuki just told him to back away as soon as he approached them. Now, being able to catch his breath, Noboyuki crawled to the nearest sofa he could sit on and then let himself just... relax there... The tension and adrenaline suddenly left all of his body and he became truly relaxed now. Seemingly, Jonghua didn't follow them there. He hoped, at the very least. "It's good that you were worried about me. Makes me feel-!" And now, without the tension and adrenaline from before, his foot finally started hurting as it should. "Craaaaap! Ow.... This hurts... like hell..." It was truly something, just how much it hurt. He didn't let even a tear escape his eyes, though. He hurried to take his pants off his wound. It was really fugly, definitely so. The whole back of his feet aside from his talon had been cut off. The claws of that thing weren't anything to toy with. He was surprised at how he could even run here. "Don't look, Rena." He said, covering his wound with his hand. "Go get some bandages. And maybe some alcohol."</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Hell.... I'm so sorry about this. If I had been faster, you wouldn't need to be looking at this. And I wouldn't need to be suffering like this. Dammit!" Noboyuki seemed to truly regret this turn of events. Well, there was nothing else he could do now but clench his teeth. The pain was just horrible and he could barely think about anything else but his slashed off leg. "Ugh.... This is why I can't be a hero... I get too damn conceited and this ends up happening. If we are slowed down for even a month, I'll consider us lucky." He started cursing and spouting curse words below his breath, as not to offend Rena. He took the alcohol the owner handed them and gulped it down in one shot. "Bring me another one. I need to numb my senses as much as I can." He said to the owner, who quickly complied and brought even more alcohol for him. He continued drinking until he felt he was enoughly drunk to not feel the pain of his wound. Still, that also made hima bit loose mouthed. "I'm... so sorry, Rena. That I had to drag you into this idiocy. It's all my fault. This wound and this nigh impossible quest. I bet you are right now regretting ever setting off with a loser of a hero. You'd be way more comfortable back in your castle." He said. It seemed to be his time of self pity, but at the very least, he wasn't wailing with pain.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- A drunk man certainly has loose lips, and all the more honest. Rena concentrated on her care, the owner gave her a tub of fresh water and more cloth. At the moment she was cleaning the wound mainly to get a better look at the damage, unseen problems could always go untreated due to severe obstruction by blood. Noboyuki looked to be drunk enough for her to start picking out the bone. Eskar, while being one of the most advanced civilizations in that world, they were still way behind the standards Noboyuki was used to. At the very least, medical advancement had an emphasis on battlefield medicine, obviously brought about by the war with the demons, as well as with other human kingdoms even. Rena carefully used a primitive pair of tweezers, cast iron without the precision of machined steel. The bone clattered on the floor, one due to the lack of tables, and two the concept of replacing the pieces back to the proper place, didn't exist. She, needless to say, was covered in blood splatterings, Rena didn't express any complaints anyway. "You know... I'm a traveler, I never told you that, well don't think I've had. As a traveler I love learning by worldly experience, and well... as far as journeys go, I have never regretted this one even once." Of course Rena knew what she was saying, and how a sudden shift from her normal demeanor would confuse the poor guy, that is if he weren't boozed out of his mind. "Don't beat yourself up, it was a chance encounter with Jonghua, and chance gets the best of all, it is not your fault."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The pain, though it did not completely fade, it had seriously weakened. He could feel the tweezers going into his meat and taking out bone fragments. It would have been much worse had it been not for the alcohol, as stupifying as it may have been. Still, Rena seemed to be getting just as sincere with him. Strange to see that, given how she always was. But Noboyuki was in no state to be making his usual sarastic remarks. Instead, he started tearing up. For the record, Noboyuki had never been good at holding his alcohol, even when in his world. People liked inviting him over for some drinks merely because it was funny seeing him so drunk that he could barely walk, or talk at that matter. Luckily, he wasn't so drunk that his words got confusing. "R-Rena..." He made the tears creeping up in his eyes go back a bit forcefully. He wasn't about to show Rena something that pathetic. "Ya know... I was a salaryman back in that world I was in. Before coming to this one, my life was inevitably grey. Nothing happened and nothing would have happened ever. I still don't know why the hell I was sent here, maybe I don't even care anymore. I don't know for real what the hell I am supposed to do, neither am I really sure that I am actually a hero. I was but a loser in the real world. I don't think I have the right of being called a hero now. A hero without power or anything else." While he was really sentimental now, there was one thing for sure. "I don't regret meeting you, Rena. Even if you are sometimes cheeky and unpredictable, I'm still very much grateful to destiny for letting me have the chance to meet you." He knew he was rambling. He just covered his eyes with his hand. He felt like falling asleep anytime now, even though he was still in pain from his foot. "Rena... finish this up anytime now. I'm done ashaming myself." Well, at the very least he knew that he was ashaming himself.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He had his own inner demons, made sense though, he was human with his own fears, well mostly human with a hidden cashe of holy might. Perhaps for the first time since she's met him, Noboyuki wasn't being himself none of that sarcasm and lack of urgency, in all honesty he was more like a mortality wounded warrior saying his final words. Rena would've believed just that if she didn't know better, he'll not die of course, being that he was back under her divine protection. "You're acting like a dying knight, but remember you're going to live beyond a ghost of a doubt. After all you're under my holy shield again." She comforted, with a never before seen smile, sure barely counted as such, but it was there. "Besides, I'm always here, and I know even if you were not immortal that it'll take much to end you. Now hold still, I'm going to start wrapping your foot." Half of her tags were bloodied already, but she still had enough to do the job. Rena worked quietly while dressing the gaping hole, she had to layer the cloth multiple times in order to absorb the blood. There were no stitches, the practice itself was uncommon, and it didn't matter anyway as Rena didn't have the skills to probably apply them, still with luck that wouldn't be needed. Finally that job was done, her quality of care wasn't too poor, about average at least the bandages wouldn't unravel at the slightest of movements. Rena kept applying pressure, the faster the bleeding stops the better, even if the wound was taken care of, Noboyuki had to still be losing blood.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Don't be like that. I'm pouring my heart out here, ya know?" The drunk hero said. Well, it seemed she was just about done with his patching up. Still, he sure missed the stitches that would have been normally applied to him back in his own world. But wait, stitches? With just two pieces of meat that had become his foot now? Nah, didn't seem at all good. In fact, it sounded more hurtful than good. Maybe he'd stay with his two pieces of foot undefinitely. "That holy shield of yours sure is handy at times like this. Wonder if it'll help me heal faster. It'd be fantastic if that did happen. Or maybe my holy powers will just now activate with the alcohol and I'll wake up with super cool powers." Noboyuki laughed at his own joke for a bit, until the pain started growing. Most definitely the effect of the alcohol was disappearing. In other words, he was becoming sober once again. Well, he should, at the very least, take full advantage of his improvised sedative method wile it still lasted. With wobbly legs, he stood up, even though his foot stinged like crazy. "Then, I'm going back to our room. Passing out in the main lobby would be just awful. And don't worry, they say that the devil looks after their own, so I'm pretty sure I've still got some ways until people get to see me die." Noboyuki said, with a confident smile. It was certainly something a hero should not be saying, given that the demon was his enemy, but no matter. He made his way towards their room, clearly supporting himself more on his good leg rather than on the one that he had just hurt. Not before long, he had already arrived. He practically passed out in front of the bed and fell towards it. He was tired, hurt and drunk. It was a definitely terrible combination. Something told him his dreams might be filled with nightmares.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Well that was somewhat of a relief, Noboyuki seemed closer to his old self again, the alcohol must've passed through his system, which was off considering how quickly he sobered up, she did not expect him to be walking around that soon as well. Guess people from his world are more resilient, not everyone can walk with am their Achilles Tendon almost torn. Rena thanked the owner for all his help, even offered some kind of reward, although the owner refused stating that helping the saviors of the kingdom was enough. Perks of being heroes and royalty once again. Even then Rena stayed behind to clean the mess, and herself to the best of her ability, which wasn't too difficult seeing as the blood was still relatively fresh having no time to dry. Soon enough she was able to return to their room, Noboyuki was asleep, amazing really that even in pain he could find peace like that, not that she'd mind, actually it made things a whole lot easier she almost thought they might've needed to find some sleep aid or painkiller first. Instead of going to sleep herself, Rena pulled up the desk's chair, after what they've been through there was no time to sleep. She had to document what they found out about Joungha through their brief encounter, that knowledge if there might save someone's life one day. She also wanted to continue doing some research, from local lore she only learned so much, there had to be more somewhere else. About an hour a half later, Rena about fell asleep on the wooden table, fatigue got the better of her. Across the surface of the desk, illustrations, notes, books, scrolls, basically all the materials they had on hand, and her own, were there. Guess in the morning depending on what happens, Rena would get back to work.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The next day came, and with the rising sun, Noboyuki slowly regained consciousness. He expected a horrible hangover, but, shocking enough, he didn't have a hangover of any kind. Maybe it was because of Rena's holy shield? Regardless of what the hell it was, Noboyuki felt even... fresh, as if he had taken a bath of some kind, a hot, relaxing bath. He went to the side of the bed and sit there, scratching his head a bit. He took his glasses off, since he had forgotten about it the last night, and put them in the night table beside his bed. It was pretty blurry. Well, what did he expect? To be suddenly clear like in Spiderman or something? He wasn't a super human, even if the fate of the world said he had to be one. He took a cloth out of his breast pocket and cleaned his glasses, before putting them on again. "Ah, just like the change from ol' SD to HD." He then moved his neck around, making it crack a bit, before putting his hand on it. It seemed to have hurt, that last thing he did. "Ugh, my neck should have twisted after I passed out in the bed or something. Too bad there isn't any kind of muscle relaxing cream in this world. I could use it right now." Well, he just had to put up with it. He stood up from the bed, and even felt like dropping to his knees out of sheer pain from his wound, however, it was more of a reflex than actual pain. It probably was the effect of Rena's holy shield, though. ...Speaking of the pampered princess, though.... He turned to see the desk, and found her collapsed there. Well, sleeping, but collapsed seemed more of an accurate description for her current state. He decided to get near to and try to wake her up. However, when he arrived to where she was, he found her sleeping so peacefully and soundly that he just couldn't bring himself to wake her up. He merely smiled as he looked at the beautiful girl in front of him sleeping. "Sleep well, sleeping beauty. Man, that was cheesy..." He said, before turning and leaving the room. Then again, he might not be able to walk all that well wiht the wound he had on his foot. He took his sword and started using it as a cane to help him walk. He would get a bath and perhaps order some breakfast. Maybe also try his hand at bargaining with the owner, given that they might need to stay there for a while longer than initially expected. It seemed like a busy day for Rena, regardless. He wasn't a politician or anything of the like like her, so maybe it was really the best option to leave everything to her. Well.... he would only take a bath, for the time being. Maybe also think of some way to compensate Rena for everything she does. Would she know of the concept of a date?</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena woke up, and not in graceful way, mainly by choking on her own saliva as people sometimes do when sleeping. She coughed heavily trying to discharge the unwelcome substance trapped in her throat, in her fit a bundle of pages was thrown off of the desk... that day didn't start all that great. While muttering to herself, something about gag reflexes or whatnot, she had to take perhaps five minutes to finally reorganize the local workspace. When done Rena found Noboyuki to be missing from his bed, knowing better this time she just assumed him to be in the bath, just to be safe, hate to have a repeat of yesterday. Breakfast sounded good to the rudely awaken princess, rather than asking for food to be brought up she opted to eat in the main hall, maybe have a chance to listen to gossip, and more importantly to take the chance to properly thank the owner, as well as figure out how they're going to arrange for more days because clearly they will not be leaving for a while. Rena tossed her rather dirty fancy dress on her own bed, after their previous adventures it was quite covered in dirt, instead she wore spare clothing, a rather plain white cotton dress but really comfortable. Down in the hall, Rena right away found the owner to thank him for all the help he had provided, thing is after bringing up that they'll have to stay for much longer than expected, the owner simply swiped the idea aside knowing full well that Noboyuki could not travel, especially when he was wounded while in service to the hamlet from hunting that cursed god. At the most he'll be able to afford to feed and house them for a month, after that there wouldn't be much else unless he wanted to go bankrupt, still Rena was thankful for his compassion. She sat at a table with a small breakfast of oatmeal, fresh cheese, and a tankard of diluted ale, so far the news going around was nothing of note, just talks about weather really after last night however, Rena didn't mind the peace, not at all.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) After a relaxing bath, Noboyuki came out and thanked the owner, and also the heavens for having such a convenient thing in there, and that it was just like those of Japan was also a huge advantage for him. It made him feel at home, one way or the other. After getting dressed up and everything else, he went back to the dining hall. He hoped to find Rena there, but if he didn't, well, he'd just have breakfast without her. Noboyuki, though, was just dressed with a shirt and a pair of pants, without the usual jacket he wore on him. It just seemed a bit too stuffy now to wear and made him feel uncomfortable. After arriving to the dining hall, he spotted Rena rather quickly, even though she wasn't wearing her usual fancy dress. Well, it wasn't a surprise, probably it got ragged and dirty yesterday during their escape. He decided to not even comment about it and just sit in front of her, to take his own breakfast. He had already asked someone to bring his food there, so they brought it little after he sat down. He started on eating it slowly, it was the same meal Rena was eating too, so he decided to take it a bit slowly. After a while of being in silence, Noboyuki finally let out a sigh and looked at Rena. "Good morning. Sleep well? I hope I didn't do anything in my sleep to wake you up." Of course, he was uncertain of whether or not he had sleep talked, screamed or groaned in pain last night. His dreams were fairly normal as well, so he didn't think he had any kind of reason to start screaming during the night, but one never knew. "Also, your power is a life saver. I'm guessing I would be screaming with pain if it weren't for your incredible holy shield thingy." He wasn't sure of whether or not it really had the power to do that, but he just assumed.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- More news here and there, again nothing too special fairly mundane overall. Interesting part is even if Joungha had made a very recent appearance, as in the night before, no one seemed to even acknowledge the being's presence. She was were, the creature was anything but subtle, the villages back in the hamlet should've heard his roars, Rena knew she did at the very least. There wasn't much to go on so she decided to forget the thought, perhaps there was an unspoken rule about never mentioning the god. She leaned back in the solid oak chair, nothing gained from a little eavesdropping it seemed. Suddenly there be Noboyuki, right out of the blue without warning or a greeting first before he sat down. Heartbeats later, a server brought him breakfast, funny thing was the meal was the exact same as her own, must've been the standard fare that morning. Rena was conflicted about how she should act, for the majority of their journey she had of course remained standoffish to the hero, as she wanted of course, but last night she broke that mean streak, the worse part is she wasn't too sure how much of the night Noboyuki actually remembered through the drunkenness and pain. For the second time that day she almost choked on something liquid, while taking a drink of ale, the hero talked and for some reason this threw her off big time. As luck had it she managed to resist going into another coughing fit by sheer willpower Rena fought against the urge to hack and wheeze in order to deal with the misplaced ale. She did listen intently to what Noboyuki had to say, maybe looking a bit more interested than she had in the past, her companion seemed to be fairing well all together yet that didn't fool her into believing him to be alright, there was still the issue of his injured foot. He did mention how he thought that her holy shield was helping to deal with the pain, although the shield was only deigned for its one specific purpose and shouldn't do any more than that, but still anything could be possible in the realm of the divine. "I slept well, maybe a bit restless considering I didn't find a proper bed in time, but well enough nonetheless." Rena looked off to the side as if thinking, which she was, "Interesting you bring up the shield as such, its power is not meant to treat pain as you know, but I suppose that anything could be possible, perhaps a side effect? Speaking about your pain... uh, how is your foot? I hope I managed to treat it correctly, medicine is not something I studied much... I possibly fear that I did something wrong."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) When she started coughing and suffocating on whatever she was eating, Noboyuki couldn't help but feel a bit worried. He'd had stood up to check on her, but given how his foot was, it wasn't something he wanted to do right now. Yes, the pain may be gone, but one never knew. The thing was a bit too exposed for it to be safe to be moving aorund without a worry in the world. He thought it'd be better for him not to stand up, Rena wouldn't kick the bucket just because of that. "H-Hey, don't go choking on me right now. We are still only halfway to wherever that guy is, ya know?" After she finally stopped coughing, Noboyuki let out a relieved sigh. "Oi, oi, the one that was about to be a goner is me, not you. Don't start choking over nothing, will you? You surprised even me." He said. Well, after that, Noboyuki felt relieved that he didn't wake up Rena at all, but when she let the bomb drop on him, Noboyuki almost felt like spitting out the juice he was drinking. He held off that urge and gulped it down with a lot of effort and even if a bit of exaggeration. "WHAT. THE. HELL! You don't try and fix up some guy when you know next to nothing about medicine!" While he was a bit mad, he was still grateful. As far as he knew, his foot was better, but that might as well be an effect of the girl's holy shield. "Ya know, let's just... let's just leave that aside for now. My foot is fine enough for me to walk, at the very least. See, let's go away from that. What would you like to do today?I've got an idea, if you don't mind hearing it. Do you know what a date is?" Nobyuki said, with a happy expression on his face.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Well wasn't that a least bit rude to say, going about as if she was some clueless girl without a sliver an idea how to wrap simple cloth around someone's foot... did she say that? Rena was obviously somewhat concerned for how Noboyuki healed over the night, and it was very possible that she could've tripped up somewhere when managing his wounds, as she was inexperienced in medical practices, not a complete idiot in any way. Rena glared at Noboyuki as she silently fumed over her thoughts, probably wouldn've have been best to say anything, despite how she wanted to verbally tear into the loose lipped hero, and that time those were her true feelings, none of that aloof act she had been maintaining. Then at the mention of a "date" her scowl turned into a look of confusion, not that she didn't know what a date was, Eskar was a civilized kingdom after all so the concept of courting someone wasn't usual and even expected, at least among the nobility. Now the question was why did Noboyuki want to date her? Was he joking? Rena thought she knew the man well enough to at least get a feeling about his true intentions, and well he looked earnest, strange as it might be. For a brief moment Rena almost panicked at the idea of him being romantically interested in her, which was the absolute opposite of what she desired, still before her shock could really show she decided it might be best to query a bit further, Noboyuki's definition of a date could be vastly different from her own, with his being from another world of course. "I... know what a date is yes. Its quite common for a man to court a woman as such in Eskar, I'll say that much, also I'm assuming a 'date' is the same from both our worlds... so." Rena stared into Noboyuki's eyes with conviction, "What is your reasoning behind asking for a date, hmm?"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki should have expected this. It seems Rena took it as him wanting to get closer to her, in a romantic way. Well, it was funny in its own way. Noboyuki let out a snicker at the sight of her, being a little flustered, even if it was over her usual demeanor. Noboyuki supported his head on his hand with a confident smile on. He seemed to be mocking her, in one way, but he was actually just interested in her vision of a date. "Coutship, huh? Back where I come from, it isn't uncommon for a man and a woman to go on one with those intentions. Though, you can also have one just as friends." Noboyuki explained, while moving his finger with his other hand. "In other words, miss princess, I just want to relax for a bit. It'd be nice to get acquainted with the town too." Noboyuki suddenly lost all of his spunk and looked a bit sadder. "After all, we are stuck in here for a while." Noboyuki felt ashamed of himself. He was supposedly the hero of legends and he was done in by a forgotten God. How pathetic was that? Jonghua or not, Noboyuki made it one of his goals to finish the thing once he was able. It was more of a grudge rather than actual worry for the village, though. He shook his head, before looking at Rena once again with his spunk restored and his confident smile again in his face. "Besides, wouldn't it be good for you too to get acquainted with people over here? Ya know, representing your father and whatnot? Loyal subordinates come from a friendly relationship with them, I hear."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- What he said did take sense, at least his last statement having a good personal relationship with common folk was never a bad proposition. Problem was it was hardly pragmatic, no human ruler could ever effectively do such a thing, the feudal system was in a place for a reason, a commoner reports to the mayor or elder, who reports the to local lord, who reports to the local duke, and so forth. Really a king was only expected to deal with twenty some odd direct vassals. Noboyuki probably didn't understand this system, again remembering he's not of her world, Rena decided that saying anything wasn't worth the effort. Plus after some consideration it was decided that she was overthinking the topic. Rena sat in silence only staring down Noboyuki, in all consideration she couldn't figure out why he wanted to go on this date. Now she had to admit there wasn't really a problem if it was only out of friendship, and certainly Noboyuki was considered to be a friend. In the end Rena conjectured that maybe something like his version of a date wouldn't be all that bad. "I suppose I see what you mean... maybe spending some time exploring this hamlet would not be a waste." In one movement Rena stood from her spot, determined to take part in this foreigner's brand of dating. "I hope your foot wouldn't be a problem if we walk about, right?" Now she couldn't help but not to look concerned, after all Noboyuki had only a night to heal, still the man should know his own limits.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki smiled, a bit arrogantly, if anything else, when Rena agreed to go on a date with her. If he ever went back to his world, he would be able to brag about this to his friends, if he ever went back, that is. After all, it isn't everyday that you get a date with a princess of a great kingdom like that. Well, should they get on with it? He had just finished his breakfast too. Noboyuki stood up as well, not before cleaning his mouth carefully with the handkerchief he kept inside his breast pocket. It was only bits and crumbs of bread, so it wouldn't get so dirty, otherwise, he wouldn't use it so lightly. It was one of his favorite things, after all. Made him seem classy. "Then, shall we get going?" Noboyuki simply said, while looking at the girl with a big smile. And then, she seemed to get worried about his foot. Well, it had hurt at first, but it was nothing right now. "Now, don't look so down like that. It makes me feel bad for my foot again. Anyhow, don't worry. Your shield is keeping anything bad at bay, I'm sure of it." Noboyuki said, before making his way towards the exit of the restaurant, before turning his head around at the girl with a smile. "You aren't going to just stand there and wait, right? Let's go. We'll worry about things once they happen, so let's just enjoy ourselves for now."</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki smiled, a bit arrogantly, if anything else, when Rena agreed to go on a date with her. If he ever went back to his world, he would be able to brag about this to his friends, if he ever went back, that is. After all, it isn't everyday that you get a date with a princess of a great kingdom like that. Well, should they get on with it? He had just finished his breakfast too. Noboyuki stood up as well, not before cleaning his mouth carefully with the handkerchief he kept inside his breast pocket. It was only bits and crumbs of bread, so it wouldn't get so dirty, otherwise, he wouldn't use it so lightly. It was one of his favorite things, after all. Made him seem classy. "Then, shall we get going?" Noboyuki simply said, while looking at the girl with a big smile. And then, she seemed to get worried about his foot. Well, it had hurt at first, but it was nothing right now. "Now, don't look so down like that. It makes me feel bad for my foot again. Anyhow, don't worry. Your shield is keeping anything bad at bay, I'm sure of it." Noboyuki said, before making his way towards the exit of the restaurant, before turning his head around at the girl with a smile. "You aren't going to just stand there and wait, right? Let's go. We'll worry about things once they happen, so let's just enjoy ourselves for now."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- His words were actually comforting, as it really did put here more at ease about Noboyuki's injury. The hero could be putting on brave front for all she knew, at least his strength was admirable. Rena didn't hold back a sigh, "You are a grown man of course, but... if you fall in the streets due to your wound, you will have to drag yourself home." She then turned on her heel to start leaving the hall and off to the outside world. All the same though, despite her words Rena was somewhat more soften spoken, and in other subtle ways more gentle, not even in ways she realized herself. The pair were walking just out of the taven, that is assuming Noboyuki decided to follow her lead, not that Rena would've expected him to run off to who knows where. That day was fair, clear skies without a wisp of a cloud. There was only a slight breeze hanging in the air, just enough to ruffle Rena's hair as it fluttered in time with each minute gust. Now that she wasn't rushing around, like before, Rena this time around took in the surroundings. Nearby fields were bountiful with heavy, golden grain, fortunately for the people the harvest was promised to be grand this year, in fact laborers were already beginning inital preparations for the scheduled week of harvest itself. It was now that Rena thought about how they really had been traveling for an entire month, when they started these very fields must've been only half its current height. Late autumn had arrived. The girl walk alongside her companion quietly, it was far from an awkward one, at least the way Rena perceived it, but just a simple calm, she didn't dare to ruin it. Now after say five minutes of continued silence, the princess looked up Noboyuki, "Its peaceful isn't it? Hard to believe this is almost the same place we encountered that momster... but I like it, this current calmness that is."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) As expected the princess took the lead and guided him through the town. It was a beautiful sight, and it made Noboyuki feel.... odd, to be honest. It wasn't nostalgy, because in the city he used to live before there wasn't anything quite like that. In fact, it was a rare sight. It was, yes, refreshing, it was refreshing. For a change of pace, nature was good. Noboyuki went on with the silence Rena didn't dare temper with. Noboyuki smiled with a lazy smile that was already an habit of his while he was in his own world. Speaking of changes of pace, this was a change of pace in his current lifestyle. A relaxing stroll through town, different to their everyday battles. When Rena finally spoke off, Noboyuki turned to see her with the same lazy smile still in his face. "Yeah, hardly seems like there was a monster that horrible before. God or not, I still find it hard to believe people actually worshipped that thing." Noboyuki said. Well, this was just about the right time for a smoke. He hadn't been smoking lately because he didn't have that many cigarettes in the first place. He had to make them last, otherwise he'd be stranded in that world without any way to entertain himself. Of course, also because it wasn't that healthy to be smoking like a damn chimney. He also had his very own, specially made lighter. A metal, shiny lighter of silver color with the kanjis for his name engraved on it. He searched through his breast pocket until he produced a single white cigarette and put it in his mouth, before lighting it and take a good smoke out of it. After that, he let the smoke come out of his mind with a relaxed sigh. It wasn't his favorite kind of thing to do, but damn, did it relax him like no other thing. "Do you smoke, Rena? Wait, do you even have cigarettes here?" He asked, curious of whether or not he'd be able to get more of them in that world. Still, he planned to guard those he was carrying with him with his life. It was his favorite brand, after all.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena coughed of the stench of the buring tobacco, not that she knew what it was seeing as the plant was not native to Eskar, or maybe even to that world. Whatever a... cigarette was it smelt like disease to her, really begging the question why Noboyuki would ever think of placing it in his month in the first place. The girl just marked this as another outlandish element from the hero's true home. "cough cough ...I don't know what a cigarette is but that smell alone makes me question you and your people. Ugh." Rena fell silent again, however after not too long she continued, the time just seemed right to ask something she had being dying to know for long while. "So, Noboyuki you... don't talk about your home that often, well really at all. Also..." Rena stopped mid sentence unsure if it was within her rights to ask, "...What about yourself? I'll admit even though we're a month along I don't know you. What I mean is every man has a history, even then you are still a blank book to myself." Rena looked thoughtful as she spoke her thoughts, staring at Noboyuki with curious eyes, obviously not exactly in line with her established character. "We have a long road ahead of us, and is there anything wrong with wanting us to finally start learning about each other?"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Since it seemed that Rena wasn't accustomed to the smell of the cigarette (as expected, and unfortunately, they didn't have cigarettes there), and also seemed to not like it, as expected of non-smokers, he quickly took another taste of his cigarette, quickly burning it out, but not quite quick enough to finish it, Noboyuki then went on to put it out in the sole of his shoe, out of respect of the people and things around him. He also put the remaining of it inside his breast pocket. He had at least the decency of not littering anywhere he was. "Haha, I wonder the same actually. It is just a bad habit I picked up in high school and haven't been able to get rid off. Maybe I don't want either, even though it is known to cause a lot of diseases. It.... relaxes me when I am stressed out." Noboyuki smiled at her. Well, wasn't this a surprise. He even told her so. "My, what a surprise. I never would have expected the princess of a grandiose fantasy world to be interested in my own." He laughed, a bit more hearty than the other times he had actually laughed while on this world. It made him feel relaxed, somehow. Was it the cigarette or was it the company? "Well, what can you say? My world is definitely a lot more advanced than yours. We've got a lot of technology. Maybe it is to make up for our lack of magic. Japan, from where I come from, is known for a lot of things, traditions and whatnot, technology, etcetera, etcetera. IT mostly known because of the anime we broadcast though. People from all around the world like to watch it. It is.... well, I think the best way to explain it is, several drawings in a sequence that make it seem as if it were moving... or something like that. Anyhow, it would be a lot to explain, electricity, tv's, circuits, computers, etcetera, etcetera...." Now that he thought about it, it really was complex, though it didn't appear to him that way because he had become used to them. He decided on a quick change of subject. "And about me? Well, I was a normal guy, normal as normal comes. I went to high school, finished college and then got a stable, boring job in a big company as a mere salaryman. I make enough for a living and to give me some luxuries every now and then, but other than that, my job isn't, well, you could call it, fullfilling. It was a boring everyday, definitely so. The most I could do was play something in a console to pretend my life hadn't become the cliche that is often seen in movies and whatnot. And then, I was plunged into this world. Well, at least here I have a purpose." Noboyuki finished with a smile. I felt somewhat good to be needed, even if he had to risk his life. "What about you, miss princess? Any interesting stories you can tell me about?" Though not as direct, Noboyuki was also fairly interested on what Rena had to say and what her life was like before all of this.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Noboyuki was a foreigner beyond a doubt, it wasn't so much as what he talked about, but the way he talked. To put in a way, the man would be in huge trouble in they were in a court proper for he didn't make out to be the best of diplomats. "You know, you would've angered many nobles with the way you talk, it is never wise for one to directly compare his own nation to another's, its how feuds start." Rena glared her usual glare at the man, but this time it didn't last when she started laughing lightly, a barely audible one, but still there. "Luckily you're only talking to me, so no true offense." He gave a lot of information, much more than she ever expected, though she was happy the hero was willing to share about himself just from her asking. Now she didn't understand a scrap of what he said, seeing as he used words and concepts not of her own world, but it was a good step up anyway. When he asked her to share of her history, Rena wasn't surpised since the question was fully expected. After a pause just to gather her thoughts, she jumped right in. "Where to start... I traveled a lot. Not as a wanderer of course, that would be stupid for someone such as myself. No I have spent the majority of my life in many other courts rather than my father's in the capital province. Now most of them are within the kingdom itself still, so the expectations were the same, perhaps variations depending on the liege in question." "Oh now foreign courts are a whole new beast, sometimes the difference between cultures is so vast, but the experience is worthwhile, especially learning to tolerate other peoples. I don't know how it is in your world, but here conflict is founded on such petty issues out of misunderstandings, despite the current age of the Demon King. My father, you know the king of Eskar, is known to be one of the most peaceful rulers in recent history, skilled diplomat with the military might and authority to back his claims. I plan on continuing what he started, using words to maintain good relations with our neighbors. Although... as for warfare, and well with the looming threat of the demons... I have doubts..." Rena trailed off, more lost in thought than ever. Soon after she shook her head as if pushing her own thoughts away. "Enough of my ramblings, the focus should be on what we are doing now, and not so far in the future." Rena looked back to Noboyuki, "You've told me about your home, but what else is going on in your world... I wonder with a much more advanced society as you say, do your people face the same problems as mine?"</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) It seemed the girl liked to mind her matters even while speaking unofficially to a companion. Noboyuki couldn't help but laught at that fact. "You should've heard me speaking with my boss then. I couldn't speak so casually or even treat him as a friend, in all honesty, he got pissed the moment I did so. Then again, he was a sourpuss and I am not exactly a 'by the book' kind of guy." For the first time, though, he thought that Rena was actually enjoying herself, and it made him happy as well. She seemed to even crave for knowledge. It was good to see that, even if it was in another world. Noboyuki simply nodded in acknowledgement as he heard Rena speak about herself. It was truly something how a princess was allowed to wander like that. Though he had already experienced her hardheadness first hand, so he could make out how that conversation with her father went. "Ha, in my world, every country is so different from the other. You would hardly be able to communicate between each other if the guys hadn't decided on a common language with which they could speak between each other. Still, I don't know how the big shots think, though. I am but another guy in the whole system." Noboyuki shrugged. He was always under the impression that, maybe, a monarchy wasn't so bad after all, despite what had happened in the past. "And our problems? Pfft, they are a lot bigger than yours, let me assure you." Noboyuki said, dismissing the motion with his hand. "I mean, you guys have it easier than us. I will not say your problems are smaller than ours, cause that'd be a lie. However, we have to deal with a loooot more of things. For example. We are on the verge of destroying ecosystems and what not with all the shit we do." He then noticed he had cursed in front of her. He scratched the back of his head, looking a bit flustered. "Sorry about that. Anyhow, there's still a lot of things. Corrupt politicians, drugs. There's a mythological tale in Japan that says that after a big fight, the Gods Izanami and Izanagi said to each other 'I am going to kill 1,000 men on the surface of earth every day', said Izanami to Izanagi and he answered, 'Then I am going to give birth to 1,500.' Sometimes it actually seems true though." Noboyuki explained to her, and couldn't help but smile sadly. "You guys are better off here, with all the nature there is here, maybe also better without technology and drugs like in my own world."</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Heh." Noboyuki let out when he heard Rena ask him whether or not he hated his own world. "Hey now, I didn't say I hated it. If anything, I thought it was boring, but that didn't really mean that I didn't like the world. I lived in blissful ignorance of all of those facts and, to be honest, it is easier to remember the bad things rather than the good things." Well, after all, it came to mind quicker the bad things about his world rather than the good things. Still, it seemed they had their fair share of problems. "As long as it didn't have anything to do with me, I was happy. Unfortunately, every human contributed to those problems, in one way or the other. Most people are like me, I'm sure. As long as it doesn't affect you, you can ignore it." Noboyuki gazed into the distance, thinking. Yeah, that was pretty much how he was in his own world, if a bit hypocritical. He shook his head. "Well, at the very least, I have a purpose here that I can't turn a blind eye to." Of course, he was talking about the prophecy of the hero. If he was chosen for one thing or the other, then he'd just have to fulfill that purpose and then get back to his own world, back to his dull life. "It's not that I didn't have any loved ones back in my own world, I had my family and a few friends, but, well, no matter what, I always thought my life lacked some thrill, ya know? I think here I've gotten a taste of that. Maybe, when I get back, I can finally settle down once and for all." He lifted an eyebrow when Rena said that about the village, and then took into a light jog. Noboyuki went behind her, though not jogging and merely walking at a bit faster pace. "All right, let's do it. I don't think my food has anything to comply about right now."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- The hamlet deserved to be called such, just a hamlet for good reason. Not only was this settlement's population on the sparse side, there were also a lack of any permanent structures made of real building materials, for most of the people made due in makeshift shacks that were barely held up by scrap wood. Although the idea of such a poor hamlet had been changing for the last decade, with a new trade route running directly through the land the small homestead brought about more in the way of traffic and especially traders who may have sought to offload extra merchandise for a guaranteed profit rather than risking to continue on. On top of that with the recent rise of demon encounters the hamlet eventually became the last bastion of humanity before entering demon infested lands, that is until reaching the next defensive settlement. As Rena and Noboyuki entered the town square it became clear what affect the considerably new found prosperity had, in a circle around the center were newly build stone buildings, and a few others that were still under the hammer. Another thing to note was the many people out and about, while most of them were not real residents, only merchants and other such travelers, the number of bodies added to a joyous atmosphere. All along the roads leading in, shrewd business men had set up stalls to pedal whatever valuable wares they may have had on hand. Rena decided to take a closer look at one of these stalls, this man was dealing in jewelry, while odd that one would sell luxuries out in a backwater settlement, they certainly looked to be of fine quality, necklaces, rings, bracelets, and uncut gems. The girl was honestly tempted to see about taking something with her, but through self discipline she held back. They didn't have the budget to allow for such purchases, now that didn't stop here from touching and examining the jewels. They spent half an hour simply exploring, mostly wandering with no real goal, after all they were taking some leisure time, it was a date. Rena at first was still somewhat tense, but as they continued on she gradually relaxed, and before long one could say she really was having fun. She was much more notably loose, not nearly uptight as normal, and perhaps more able to speak often engaging in small take with lot more frequency than before. Rena didn't talk about anything important other than going into detail into court life, what to say, and what not say, ways to remain diplomatic while dealing with higher society. It was not like she was giving instruction, rather it was more like just idle chatter in a friendly manner, even with a few minor jokes thrown in. Here the princess did stop worrying about keeping appearances, maybe forgetting to keep them, maybe sick of trying to lie, whatever the case is Rena, at least in the moment, enjoyed being able to be pleasant for once.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The little princess seemed a lot more tame and calm than the other days. Maybe it was the whole atmosphere of the little village that just screamed 'calmness'. Noboyuki could appreaciate it too, since his sarcastic comments went in a downward spiral to nothingness. It was nice not having to think on how he could answer people with a witty comment at least for a while. Rena also seemed to be quite interested in the stalls and whatnot. As the man he was, though, Noboyuki stopped in the weapon's shop to look at whatever new things they had. Swords and whatnot. Just then he started thinking, why did he choose a simple short sword in the ened? There were a lot more of weapons aside from that, but he still chose the most generic looking one. Mayeb it was just as per habit of not standing out? Now that he looked at them, there were a lot more weapons that he could use and, while his own wasn't exactly a katana, it was still slightly curved. Maybe he only felt more familiar with those kinds of weapons in general? Japanese blood and whatnot. He asked around for a bit, and was even about to turn to Rena to ask her if he could buy a new weapon. Even so, what he found was the girl gazing at the jewels and then going on with her journey, without buying anything. Well, he had enough money, and he hadn't done anything good for her lately, not to mention that she did cure his foot yesterday.... He approached the salesman and decided to buy one of the jewels she was looking at, to be honest, the cheapest he could find, well, he didn't really buy it because of the price, but because it was also pretty. A sapphire heart, a pink heart that shined brightly. While he said it was cheap, though... "Damn, that hurt my wallet." He looked at the inside of his rather modern looking black and blue wallet. It was now mostly empty with just a bit of this world's currency inside of it. "Critical hit to my exonomy, huh?" He sighed. Well, that girl should really appreciate what he was doing for her. Later on, they were just having bits and bites of small talk. Noboyuki answered Rena's jokes with some of his own, and laughed a bit more heartily than other times. Yeah, it was nice being like that. He felt in high school again, when he had the right to laugh at nothing and just because. As an adult, he didn't have as many opportunities to do so. He also included some of the funny and even outrageous stories of his past that he thought would entertain Rena, of course, taking care not to say any details that would confuse her since her world did not have such things. He told her about the time he mocked a professor behind their back but didn't notice the one in front of him and got suspended, another time when he fell off the stage in a school play and even the time when he laughed so hard that milk came out of his nostrils while drinking in front of his crush at the time. Now, he just had to wait. For a good moment he could give her the collar he had bought for her, and for her not to think he is creepy. It wasn't until later that he questioned why the hell he bought it in the shape of a heart.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- They were out of the market, for the most part while there were a few stalls left Rena left them alone, not as if they had the funds to entertain buying anything extra. Interestingly enough there appeared to small gathering area for discussions, these were more common in major cities and were actual meeting halls rather than the outdoor one present in the hamlet. Rocks and lugs must've been hauled from elsewhere, that didn't seem to matter much since the spot was crowded anyway. Rena pulled Noboyuki towards the meeting place, insisting that they could use information, but really in truth she just wanted to hear some stories. The way it worked at these gathering spots was everyone took part, one person takes a turn to share either a piece of information or a story, in Eskar it was a very social activity, an important one at that. Tales were varied, some were about actual events, very solem, down to earth about the continued invasion of demonic forces. Often times it brought the mood downward, but no one could deny the importance of such news. Others were boasting from hunters, kills of epic proportions, course most knew them to be false but it was all in good fun. One in particular was of Sir Roland quite honestly only children stories about the moral adventures of a fictional knight. Rena while, she didn't say anything, still had a love for these childish tales, despite the fact she long outgrew them. When it was her turn Rena decided to talk about one of the far off realms she visited years ago, Daldrom, a merchant republic more akin to Noboyuki's medieval Italy than a typical kingdom. While she wasn't considered to be a talented storyteller, Rena tried to be animated as possible throwing her arms about when described the vast vineyards to the best of her ability. She went into greater detail about the daily life of the common folk, about the brick homes they lived in, their cultural foods which mostly considered of fish. Then when it came to the court, she tried to paint a clear picture of the soaring palace walls, the well maintained lawn, the sophistication of the artists, the poets, of the best works displayed proudly within that ivory white castle. By the end Rena looked ecstatic, smiling brightly and even laughing occasionally. She turned to Noboyuki, seeing as it was his go, she proceeded to forcefully pull to guy to his feet. "Come on Noboyuki." Rena spoke in a teasing tone, almost singsonging, "I hope you got something good for these folk." She looked upon him practically grinning. This date was great, a single chance to cut loose, at least for a day.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) After that, Rena decided to pull him into a mass of people. He didn't handle crowds well, but it was a small crowd, as per the small town. Being there for a bit wouldn't bring any harm, right? They sat down and started on listening to what the hell this little get-together was about. Apparently, they still prcticed there the oral transmission of stories, unlike his own world where everything could be accessed at any time with the internet. Noboyuki smiled and listened attentively to everything everyone had to say. There were some sad news, there were some grandiose tales of people killing monsters, there was even a story that was certainly completely ficitional, but still sounded so fun and entertaining that everyone listened with a lot of attention, just barely saying anything every once in a while when people were so surprised they couldn't hold it in. Noboyuki laughed under his breath. It was the kind of romance, well, one of the kinds of romance, that men yearned for. At the very least, he was having one of those romances right now wiht his quest to slay the Demon King. Still, whatever everyone said regarding the demon forces advancing made his desire to put an end to this even stronger. It wasn't right, for that demon lord to be taking the peace away from these people. Rena then talked about her own experience. She talked about a kingdom named Daldrom that, to be honest, resembled the Italy in his own world quite a lot. The vineyards, the art, the music and everything else. It reminded him of the renaissance that came about in his own world. It was odd, but he didn't think much about it. There was bound to be some countries that developed more that the others in some areas, after all. Same as what happened to Italy. Maybe it was only the natural course of things and how it went in the end, that some kindoms will finally become greater in some regard than others. Military strength, art, technology. He wondered if there was a Leonardo DaVinvi in this world as well, since he admired him personally. And then, it was his turn to tell a story. "W-Wha? Me too?" Now, they put him in the spot in quite a bad way. If he had known that a turn would come for him, he'd have thought of an story before. Of course, he should have deduced that out of the fact that Rena did tell her own. After a bit of awkward shuffling and thinking for Noboyuki, he finally came up with a great story to tell them. Instead of an story about himself that would probably be boring for them, he decided to tell them about Sir Arthur of the Round Table. A famous knight of British mythology. He thought it was right to tell that kind of thing in this situation. He told them how he got his prized Holy sword Excalibur out of a stone and became kind after that, and how he slayed a dragon too. How he united his knights and how everyone of them was almost as impressive as Arthur himself. After finally finishing the tale he had to tell everyone, Noboyuki sat down, still a bit unsure of whether or not it was liked. He just hoped for the best. He then turned to see Rena and smiled. Everyone seemed a bit too impressed. Maybe he went a bit too far with his story? He did only tell them bit and bites of what he actually knew of the whole story. Not like he was some kind of historian or something like that. Well, it had some of the effect he wished for, since he wanted to give them a real shock with the stories of the King Arthur that had even become part of the anime culture in his world and time. "Well, that was fun. I've never done something like this, not in person at the very least."</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Arthur huh, Noboyuki made this man out be greater than life itself, which had to beg the question if this king ever existed, it all seemed be fictional, as someone who had known an actual king her entire life she know what to really expect. Still as far as stories goes it wasn't the worse, plus Noboyuki had to have some natural talent if this was apparently his first time telling one at a garthering spot. When he sat back down Rena leaned over, "Then you have a knack for this if it were your first story." She flashed a nice smile before returning her attention to the next speaker. By the time everyone started dissolving the gathering it was well into the evening, the sky already streaked with the brilliant orange of sunset. Rena motioned for the hero to follow her, it was about time to return home at the tavern. On their walk back the girl was still in high spirits, the day had gone much, much better than she ever expected when Noboyuki suggested a date out. She didn't regret a moment of it, not at all. While she wasn't talking, Rena was whistling a random tune, nothing in specific just a random collection of notes. Reflecting on the day as a whole, she'd actually learned quite a bit about her partner, in that single day he had revealed so much more than the month they've been on the road. It was good, the first time she felt like they connected. She stopped by a low stone wall, behind it was the sun almost ready to disappear below the horizon, now the sky was in full twilight. Rena instead on moving on like she initially expected to do, she decided that simply watching the beauty of the scene to be too peaceful to pass up. Without turning her head she addressed the hero, "I can say that overall, I don't regret today, far beyond what I expected... what do you think about sunsets? Are they an end or a beginning?"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) As they walked away from the now dispersed group of people, Noboyuki noted Rena being a little more lively than other times. She was even whistling about like anyother girl her age would when she had nothing to worry about. Noboyuki smiled at that. It made him feel like a doting father, in some way. He walked beside her, moving his head at the rhythm of whatever she was singing. It was either a song or something random, Noboyuki opted to think it was the latter since it didn't really resemble anything he had heard from the bards they had encountered before. In any case, it was a sticky tune that may not leave his brain for a while. Even so, he was quiet as a tomb at the time. He had some things in mind, after all. Like, how was he going to give her the pendant he bought for her. He was taken away from his thoughts once Rena spoke up about the sunsets. "Heeeh..." Noboyuki smiled again with the same sarcastic aura he almost always had to him. "It's good that I was able to live up to the expectations of her majesty. Wouldn't have wanted to have my neck cut just because I couldn't take the princess on a decent date." He even motione with his finger going through his throat as he spoke of himself getting beheaded by a thing like that. He then turned to see the sunset. Always a sight to behold, no matter the world. "The end or the beginning, huh? Now, that's a hard one. In a scientifical point of view, I think it is both. No, it is a fact that it is both. What is an end here is a beginning on the other side of the world." Pragmatic as always, after saying that, Noboyuki sighed. "In a more philosophical point of view, though. I've always thought of it as a beginning. There's always the hope of the new day, no matter how bad the past day had been before, you can always make up for it the next day." Noboyuki simply said. Even so, he felt a bit flustered about what he had just said and it even showed in his face as he blushed even a bit under his glasses. He scratched the back of his head with embarassment and fidgeted a bit before finally feeling that it was even a bit too much for even him. "I-I am going back to the inn. See you." He propped his glasses up and turned around. He was about to dash back to the inn, but he remembered about the pendant. He quickly took it out of his pocket and stuffed in Rena's. "This isn't any kind of big deal. Only a present. Don't think much of it." He simply said, before leaving for the inn. He'd just forget about it and welcome Rena as if nothing had happened after that. It was easier that way. He just hoped she wouldn't bring up the matter of why the hell was the pendant shaped like a heart. It was just that there wasn't any other kind like that that was as cheap as that one... --- Three weeks passed and now, Noboyuki was plenty sure that his foot was now cured. He gathered his things and was now ready to leave. They did some jobs around the town too, to get some money for their travels afterwards. He felt they were just about ready to leave and he was now waiting on the lobby of the inn, for Rena to come along. The only thing that bugged him was leaving the thing with the God unsolved. He was a nocturnal hunter and he couldn't hurt them right now, since there were still some rays of light on the floor.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Well wasn't that a mouthful to say? Still there was something endearing about the way he spoke, all in spite of his lack of finesse with words. She thought this in the best possible way, because really he could've gotten to the point with many less words, all the same he had a positive outlook, something that they'll need moving foward. Without warning however, it almost seemed Noboyuki panicked... about something, which right at the time Rena didn't notice, at least until he shoved an object of some kind into her hands, after saying he's going back to the room. It was a present he said, curious she looked down upon the gift, and well was quite frankly surpised. Somehow the hero found a pendant, more like a collar, a sapphire in the shape of a heart, treated on such a way to appear almost pink. The craftsmanship was faulty at best, that said it would've been pricey anyway. Rena stared at the collar, her mind suddenly racing to understand what it meant, this was no small gift in her eyes... no it really meant much more. For maybe five minutes she stood there, seriously contemplating how to react, yet she had nothing, for the time being she held onto it, and nothing more. --- The last three weeks were largely uneventful, and during that time Rena was quiet, not cold like before, she was unsure. After their date neither of them talked about the collar, the gift, it just seemed to be out of bounds somehow. Noboyuki was ready in the lobby while Rena was cleaning out the last of their things, the owner wasn't around, he had to take care of a few errands, so they've already thanked the man earlier. Rena was of course dressed in her traveler's cloak, everything was packed, everything but one specific item. It remained tucked away since that day, she didn't want to look at it, maybe affaid what it symbolized. She wouldn't have thrown it out, or leave it behind, but still... she had no idea what to do with that collar. Rena came ambling down the stairs, not talkative still somber. She walked up to Noboyuki, head down, eyes cast to her feet. She was ready to go, and hoped the hero was able to understand that. One important thing to note, if the light were to hit her just right, one could see a brief glint of pink... around her neck.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki looked at Rena curiously. Yeah, it had been... slightly awkward lately, but why was she so, well, depressed looking right now? Noboyuki had, for the most part, been acting normal in his own regard. He didn't like awkward atmospheres and something that had worked for him for a while now was how he decided to ignore things like those and almost forget about them. Even so, he had the matter still hanging over his head. What could Rena have thought about his present? Even if he didn't really mean what the pendant may have meant in any other situation, he was plenty sure that he harbored no romantic feeling towards the little princess he had met in this world.... probably. As she appraoched him, Noboyuki couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed himself. 'What the hell, Noboyuki? What are you, 16?! You've long since passed that age! You are already a man, so fess up and get on with the show! You both need to be focused on the task at hand. Break time is over.' He thought to himself, trying to give himself a bit of a pep up talk. He cleared his throat to go on with what he needed to say. "Is something the matter, little princess? You are unusually quiet and well behaved. It throws me offa bit, to be honest, not having your harsh words accompanying my journey just doesn't feel right." He said, with his usual sarcastic smile on his face. "We can talk as we make our way out of here, though. We wouldn't want for that thing to show up again if we take too much time. Maybe the next town will be our lucky break and I will finally get those powers you talk so much about." Noboyuki started making his way to the door, ready to leave the twon anytime. He was acting like a hero, for once, at the very least.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- "Yeah, no you're right, let's focus on the road... let me find the map first." Rena purposefully ignored his question, primary since she wasn't all that sure herself. True to her word the girl reached into her cloak, the map was stored in convenient pocket designed to hold such things. She must've been too rushed for whatever reason as the folded up parchment fumbled out of her fingers and on the floor, cursing silently under her breath Rena, still in a hurry, picked the map back up. Her face burned bright red, hoping beyond hope Noboyuki wouldn't say anything, how could this happen to her? She had been in court life for her entire adult existence, talking to powerful people without breaking a sweat, but here in a remote tavern located at a nameless hamlet she was bumbling around... and come to think of it, why did she care what Noboyuki thought at all...? Rena closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to regain her composure, despite the lack of it in the first place, trying to calm her fingers, trying to calm her busy mind. When ready, maybe, she unfolded the map and lied it across the floor, possibly distracting herself by explaining the next stretch of the journey would be enough to help her relax. She launched into a needlessly in-depth summary of the next region up ahead, much more information then needed, and of course a bit quickly. When done she didn't feel better, well maybe glad something that simple still wasn't out of her grasp, but all the same it did little to help steady her nerves. She couldn't look at her partner, for reasons only unknown to herself, no matter how hard she tried keeping eye contact was neigh impossible, it only served to increase the awkward air between them. After tucking the map away in its proper pocket, Rena didn't say anything else, other then perhaps a muttered command to follow, she practically ran out of the lobby, it was starting to get stuffy in there, she didn't like it. Now outside the princess touched her blushed face, it felt better out under the sky, somehow... something was wrong she only wanted to understand why, although she thought of the obvious cause, for whatever reason she did not want to believe it, couldn't be... Rena stood there by the door, fidgeting with her gifted collar.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Yeah.... Rena wasn't herself. Like at all. Being so clumsy as to drop the map like that. She indeed have something in her mind. Noboyuki knew, supposed he knew, what was troubling her. 'I hope I am not right, though....' Noboyuki sighed, and tried his best to focus on what Rena was saying. There was no use over getting worked up on something like that, even if she seemed to be troubled by it, Noboyuki took it upon him to not say anything about it until she wanted to talk about it herself. Noboyuki merely nodded at the explenetions Rena talked about, acknowledging them to their fullest, trying to overwrite the thoughts of him interfering on Rena's train of thought. He would have accomplished it had it been not for the fact that he saw Rena still troubled about the matter. There was nothing he could do about the growing awkwardness between the two of them if she wouldn't, at the very least, look at him. Maybe she did not really trust him enough as a friend to talk about those kinds of things? Maybe she just couldn't look at him anymore like a friend after the unnecessary gift he gave her the other day? Maybe she thought he was a creep now? Damn, there was him again and his habit of overthinking things. It was something that irritated him to no end. After Rena decided to bail on him and run out, Noboyuki merely sighed and followed, though at a more relaxed pace. Walking to where Rena was now waiting, Noboyuki took his sweet time, trying to arrenge some kind of way in which he could chase away the awkward atmosphere between the two. After a while of deliberating over it, he thought he had finally found a satisfying answer. It would involve him lying, quite a bit in fact, but if that took away the awkwardness between the two of them, then that was completely all right. He approached the girl from behind and with his usual way of being incosiderate and just a plain ass, he lightly tapped Rena's back, if a bit forcefu. "Don't overthink it. It doesn't mean what you think it means, I've got completely no interest in you. It was just a present, nothing more. I prefer my girls more.... mature." He simply said, before getting on his way. "C'mon, we don't have time to waste now."</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki knew something about lies, having told them all of his life to cover up for his screw ups and for whatever he didn't want to say, and that something was that lies had one great fault. That you needed to remember each and every one of them to follow up the story later. Noboyuki thought he had all and each of his lies stored away in his memory, but having been caught off guard like that took it away. He couldn't access his lie database after a question that threw him off as badly as that. And now, he was put on the spot right now after she said that he had previously commented on how he liked mature women. That was a big lie if he ever told one. And Rena had to remember precisely that one of the many lies he had told during the trip. Then again, most of those lies were white lies that no one would have thought twice of. Like, I didn't eat your food or, I didn't cut down that mugger. Things like that that did more harm to his own person than to others. "Oh, that was, you see, well, I meant......!" He tried to lie his way out, as he had done several times before. "I-I meant....! Kind of like, mentally? Something like that? I-I dunno...." He was losing his cool again, despite wanting to turn the tables on the girl to stop that. What could he do now? He was making a fool out of himself now. He propped his glasses up and took a deep breath. Yeah, he was just about prepared for any kind of curveball the girl threw at her right now. He was confident of that. It was just a matter of how he could steer the conversation away from that subject. And then, she asked something else that surprised Noboyuki so much that he felt like dropping comically like in an anime character would when asked something ridiculous. 'A-A screwball!?' What the hell, why was Rena being so straightforward all of a sudden!? He had been thrown off his comfort zone in an extreme manner. Now, this truly put him on the spot. His heart was beating at one hundred per hour. He knew what would happen if he answered from the bottom of his heart. He thought he knew what would happen. Previous experiences spoke harder than just imagination. "I.... I know we are friends. At the very least, I know that's what we are right now. I know that I... am happy? Yeah, I'd say I'm happy with how things are right now." At least that came from the bottom of his heart, but what came next didn't. Noboyuki bit his lower lip. Hell, he knew perfectly well what that question meant. He knew why Rena was asking it, and he knew the real answer for that, but... 'You gotta lie all the way, huh? Even if it is only for the sake of status quo..... For not changing things from what they are right now. It would hinder things in the future, and I think both of us cannot afford that. No. It is like it must be. I'm sorry....' After thinking about it for a while, Noboyuki finally came to a conclusion. "And to me, Rena.... To me you are...." With his eyes stuck to the ground, Noboyuki finally swallowed everything up and decided to live up for his lies and go on with that path. He lifted his gaze to look at Rena, a kind, yet apologetic look in his eyes. "My comrade with whom I've been in an adventure with for a while and a precious friend." Having said what he had to say, he was fairly sure that that answer would give a satisfactory conclusion to all of this. Both of them would finally be able to look at each other in the eye, even if right now his heart ached like crazy.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- She studied him long and hard, it was a reasonable answer, and one she truthfully was hoping for... but something was off. His words felted stilted, but natural, it was almost paradoxical. Rena had learned how to read people, it was a common skill in court after all, yet she had never really analyzed Noboyuki. He was only effectively a commoner so she didn't have reason to distrust him at face value. Now however she was starting to think differently... she wasn't sure, if anything he hid it very well, quite honestly on an impressive level. Still he just seemed too off to be truly natural, little too shifty in his gaze, taking a little too long to reach a conclusion. It was nothing big, no obvious giveaways, only smaller signals that at best... could prove something. For both their sakes Rena hopped this was only a false hunch. She simply nodded and looked away, and sighed, "Then that's fine, long as we remain honest with each other I don't see there being any problems." She purposefully put an emphasis on the word honest, maybe he'll pick that up, but she wanted to drop signs that she was beginning to become suspicious. She stood up from her spot around the fire, clearly a bit tired. Her mood had normalized more or less, which was fantastic for here, could be that she only needed a release of emotion, although how long that would be the case remained to be seen. "I'm... sorry for that, I think you should've figured how I have more than a few things on my mind, I just needed some answers, so thank you for telling me the truth, it helps." She could attack him right there, but she was sure that doing so would quite literally cause him to bolt, and well it could've also been uncalled for if he were really being honest. Rena said a quick good night before settling in for sleep, who could imagine what the future may bring?</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) As expected of a politician, she saw right through his lies. But she wasn't sure. If she was, she'd be way more upset. It was in the bag. Noboyuki just had to follow it up now. Lying gave him another huge talent. Being a great actor. He frowned when Rena said that. It was a most natural frown that no one would actually expect for it to be an act. He had regained his cool and was now ready to follow up with his lies. "Well, to be honest, it hurts my feelings that you do not believe what I just told you. Unless you would've preferred for me to lie about it." He said, sounding a bit hostile. Well, that should at least settle down the girl's alarms of whether or not he was telling the truth. She wasn't sure about hence why she said such things before going back to sleep. Noboyuki kept on his frowning face until he saw that Rena was well out of his range of sight. He sighed. "G'night." He shouted at her on her way to sleep, sounding a bit annoyed. Well, now, he should be able to be alone with his thoughts for a while re-organize them in one way or the other. Maybe he would also smoke another cigarette. He walked a bit farther away from their camp for a bit, with only the light of the moon shining upon him and giving him some kind of light. He took out his cigarettes and checked on them to see how fast he was burning through them.... he still had a good 10 cigarettes to smoke, then again, when he arrived, he had about 15. It had been two months already and, to be honest, he was making a good job refraining on them for the most part. But he was burning them out all the more quickly if that was really the case. Lately, and just in these last three weeks, he had already smoked 5 of them, despite putting up with it for the first month. Yeah, Rena's attitude as of late had him a bit worried, no, really worried. And even so, he decided to take a cigarette out and light it. Smoking to calm himself down, just now the thought came to his mind. He had already analyzed it, he was now calm about it. Taking another shot of his cigarette and releasing the smoke into the air, he said the conclusion he had come to, "I am in love with that woman." The mere thought of it made him laugh. How could a man like him fall for a girl like that. He took another smoke out of his cigarette, "She's not cute at all." He said while releasing the smoke inside his mouth. Yeah, there was no doubt about it. Maybe it was just how much time he had spent with her. Or maybe the experiences they had gone through together. It was a phenomenon with some kind of name that he didn't recall right now, but, apparently, having their heartbeats accelerated under a dire situation often had an effect like that. "Damn you, scientists." He quietly cursed. He burnt through his cigarette in a single shot and threw the butt to the floor, before stepping on it. "Let's get some sleep, then." He stretched out, making some of his bones crack. Yeah, it was time to sleep. Something also told him that he'd have some kind of good dream today, in one way or the other.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- It was an open field, nothing of note other than the crimson skies above, streaks of thinned clouds broke the screen of that redish orange. There was a simple sense of peace, simple and pure like that. The air was fresh, clean, a gentle current of wind made the long grasses dance. Over the horizion the setting sun was dipping, out of sight for another night before it'll meet the new day. A distance thundering could be heard, and yet that didn't matter, for it was unrelated to the serenity of that lone field. Almost beyond sight, just almost, stood a set of abandoned banners, their owners were gone leaving those symbols of power behind. That didn't matter. It was a dream.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) It was an enclosed space, a little room. People moved around, but their faces could not be made out. They were all but humanoid sillhouettes. They laughed and talked between each other in unintelligible speeches. Only between them did they knew what the other said. It all seemed unreal, it didn't seem to actually be happening as the onlooker watched. Between the unrecognizable faces, only one had a dsitinguishing feature on him. A pair of squared glasses. It was all apart from the others, as if to seclude itself from the others. It seemed to be.... bored, as it supported its head on one of its round hands. Other sillhouettes approached it, and the bespectacled one turned to them. It seemed happy, but not exactly right. It seemed to be... pretending to be happy. Its face gave it away instantly. That is the only way things can be. Echoed through the dream. Yes, a dream.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- The next day Rena did feel better, lot better then she had felt for the last handful of weeks, it was a liberating to put it in a single word. The night before she did have a strange dream, one she doesn't typically dream so dreaming is rare in of itself, and two it was fairly creepy, not a nightmare, just unsettling. Of course she mentioned nothing of that dream to Noboyuki, a dream is a dream and nothing more. Although one nagging thought remained, how will she confront him about... the potential lying, she still held onto the hope that he was not a lair that it was only born from paranoia on her part. --- Back to the field, although this time it was different, visually everything was the same, but the atmosphere was different. It was no long cheerful, the peace was no longer there, even if it appeared nothing had changed, and yet there was no dread, there was nothing, no feeling. This time the thunder was louder, much louder that it almost seemed to dominate the landscape, however after some time the thunder changed... in a way. Steadily it became not the distinct sound of the heavens clashing, no... it was footsteps, not a single set but thousands, enough to seem like thunder. A realization dawned that these were not just footsteps, but the sound on many boots marching in step, coordinated to stay in perfect timing, it was the sound of an army on the move. They were unseen but easily heard, invisible, yet visible, forces of ghosts. The banners from before were closer... their details more obvious, the cloth was tattered and ripped, burned in other areas, this was true for every single one. Clearly the image of what these banners used to represent were still present, still easily identifiable. The royal seal of the Kingdom of Eskar. (Red background with a yellow four pointed star in the middle.)</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The sun of the morning came again to dawn a new day upon the pair. Noboyuki woke up, feeling a bit groggy. He had a good night's rest, and he felt as if he had seen a pleasant dream, a really calm and clear one, for a change, but it still felt wrong, somehow. He did not say anything about it to Rena, of course, neither did he make any comment about what happened yesterday. If she still had the slight suspicion about his lying, then he needed to play it off as if that was never the case. Soon enough, it'd go away from her mind and completely forget about the incident, as many others did before. But nevermind that, they had to get moving now. --- The same grey scenery, still filled with sillhoutes as the last time. They still moved around and talked between each other as if it was completely natural for them to be doing so. They do seemed to be a little taller, though, than last time that they resembled little children. Mayebe they were now teenagers? They also seemed a little less generic and was easier to tell them apart easier this time. Some of them even had hair now too. They bustled about as last time, and the same one with the glasses on, though still with no other distinguishing features, remained alone. It seemed to take some books out, but only one of them stood out. It's title read House And Philosophy. The little sillhoute put away all the others, while it opened the only remaining book. It read it intently and with great attention... until another sillhoute approached it. This one had long black hair, though. It seemed to be calling out at the bespectacled one, and it turned to the other one quite quickly. A great smile, like no other appeared on its face. It seemed really happy at the arrival of the other sillhoute. They chatted between each other and everything seemed to be fine between them. Is it okay for me to feel like this? It echoed again through the dream.</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki woke up, with some kind of bizarre dream again. As a man that often dreamed about other things, probably dreams more fitting for men like defeating some kind of titan or racing in the streets against your rival, it was one of the few times that Noboyuki had two dreams like that. What was worse, they were a bit too similar for it to be just a coincidence. Even so, as last time, he wasn't able to make heads or tails out of it. It was frustrating, but the man didn't let that show in his face. At least, not in front of Rena. Whenever he had time alone, though, he decided to put his mind to good use and think long and hard about it. Even so, the fact that the dream seemed to be random, and still clearly organized in some way that someone would be able to make sense of it made it all the more confusing for Noboyuki. Maybe, another dream would show up next time he went to sleep. Maybe, it'd also give him some more clues. Maybe, it had something to do with his heroic powers and, to be honest, he felt like a kid in christmas, awaiting for the holy powers to arrive. --- For a change of pace, the sillhoute with glasses now finds itself outside, in a scenery that seems straight out of some kind of artwork. Colorful cherry blossom petals fall down as the bespectacled one waits eagerly for what is to come. It is now characterized by a new feature just added to it, though it is more of a commonplace for a person its age, or should eb, at the very least. With gigantic braces now in its mouth and traces of slight facial hair, it fidgets, it moves around and paces back and forward, seemingly trying to get its mind away of what is to come. Suddenly, it seems to pick up something with its ears and it quickly and eaferly turns around to see just what arrived, with a great smile on its face, or in what should be its face. The sillhoute with black hair appears yet again, though its figure seems a lot more womanly and mature. It is now easy to tell it apart from other sillhoutes as it now resembles a woman even more. It seemed to be quite eager as well, and the glasses of the other one shine on with expectation. However, the expression of the long haired one drops and becomes a frown as soon as it spots the one with glasses. The other one doesn't seem disheartened though. It seems just as eager as before, maybe even more, as it now jumps with expectation. Soon enough, the both of them engage into a conversation, with the one with glasses making exaggerated hand movement and seemingly becoming flustered from time to time, while the other one merely looks down and.... disappointed perhaps? It seems to only nod out of obligation to everything the other says. Finally, after a while, the one with glasses seems even more pumped and finishes its exaggerated hand motions to finally make its point across. And even so, while it seems nervous and happy to finally get it out of its chest, the long haired one simply nods acknowledging it. before looking away from the one with glasses and moving its mouth to say something. Even so, it cannot be heard to anyone but the one with glasses, and when it does, all of its energy seems to leave its body, as well as the color of the scenery. It seems frustrated, but suddenly, an idea seems to pop in its mind. The scenery gains more color, though it isn't as vivid as it was first. It suddenly strikes a pose with its hand on its waist and smirks. It starts talking but, again, none of it is heard. The black haired one, that also seemed to be really sad about the outcome, whatever it was, also recovers its smile, it even starts laughing. The other one seems to have calmed down now that it seems things are all right again. This is the only way to protect what I have, instead of losing it all</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena woke that morning in a thoughtful mood, it was too obvious now that these dreams were connected, that clearly something was weaving them together into... a story, although a story of what she couldn't tell. There were characters, like out of a story book, a boy, had to be a boy, perhaps that was a hunch at best, but Rena thought that made sense. The other was a woman, or would it be a girl to go along with the boy? It felt like a love story, figures... seeing as her own life was beginning to parallel one, speaking about, well when it came to her love life, suppose it could be called that, she still hadn't confronted Noboyuki yet. If she were to guess part of the reason had to be how he seemed to be thinking a lot, though he hid himself well, his actual mood still bled through his shield. Wonder what he could be occupied with... --- Back to the Field again, not the Court. It was not empty like the other two dreams, no a group of figures wandered in the grass, maybe fifty men give or take, like the other Faceless from the Court they did not have their faces, while still having them. Unlike the Court Faceless, the Field faceless did not look like they were well off, if anything they looked tired, weak, perhaps hopeless. Unlike the Court Faceless the Field Faceless, did not dress in bright colors, no they were "armored" but not liked the Executioners. Iron pots that looked like they were hammered down to function as breastplates, ragged leather gloves, torn shirts, they had weapons, but not the shiny halberds, farming tools, the sickle, the scythe, although a select few wielded dull swords, clearly not well maintained. This time the air was tense as the Faceless moved forward towards whatever objective they had in mind, to whatever destiny awaited them. Not Faceless... Freemen... Those bodiless words rang out, yet these Freemen seemed not to hear them, but at that moment, almost like a quick snap, the world pulled into focus. The Freemen then had faces, they looked human as anyone else without that distinct element of unknown that once plagued them, much more was revealed, such as every single one was male, and every single one had a grave expression about him. It was clear they were uncertain, that is all but one Freeman who lead the group. The Fool The Fool waited before the Freemen ordering them to stop the march, he had a speech, although like the Faced One his words were also muffled, yet they were still strong. As he spoke, whatever he had to say, held a positive effect among the Freemen, they nodded at his rhetoric, enveloped into the passion of this man's speech. Before long the Freemen were actually motivated, the Fool fueled this by raising the volume of his voice, pacing before the Freemen, they were now cheering, they looked not happy, but under the fervor produced by the Fool. The Fool lifted his hand into a fist. The Fist of Revolution The Fool looked triumphant. To liberty, my brothers! He spoke. Not the Fool... the Leader The Freemen were stunned, the Leader was stunned... blood dripped from his chest, the scrap breastplate held pitifully against the arrow. The Leader feel to his knees, then forward, where his blood continued to pool before him. Not the Leader... the Deadman. More arrows rained from the sky, thousands, if not millions covered the heavens above, looking like they were vengeful winged demons rather than arrows fired from a man made bow. The Freemen crumpled without resistance, the arrows forced them down, onto the ground, now soaked in red. Not the Freemen... the Deadmen. In the distance, along the horizon far from the Deadmen, stood the silhouettes of Executioners, cold, stoic, and commanding as always. The Deadmen were left behind, the Deadman, almost appeared separated from his brothers, no longer seeming as the leader, but the outcast. The banners had more company, graves, shallow and barely marked by the ever symbolic wooden cross. The Deadmen rested... yet not truly so. The Tyrant of Eskar continued to expand Her dominion.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Yeah.... Even Noboyuki wasn't enough of an idiot to not see that the dreams were connected. They were telling a story. But what kind of story? Maybe the story of the Kingdom of Eskar? If so, why would it start showing now, when they were countless kilometers away from Rena's home kingdom? He recognized the symbol, but, given that he could not read anything in that world, everything else was nothing but a mere guess from Noboyuki's part. It could also be a war, a revolution in another kingdom. Referring to the leader of that same revolution as a tyrant, though.... The name Falkren... Not enough info to go on Thought Noboyuki. He would continue on being pensive that day as well. He did make a mental note to remember that name, though. Falkren. Maybe he'd need to go check with Rena if she knew anything about that. Maybe, going to Rena would be best, but he wanted to wait until he was able to make some sense of what he was seeing. --- The recurrent bespectacled protagonist of the dreams has now become nothing but an espectator in the sidelines. It watches intently and, not exactly eager about what he is watching. Even so, it seems that he is watching the whole thing out of compromise, maybe because it is the one that set it up? It also seems to have grown messy dark blue hair now as well. The scene is focused on him, until it moves into the inside of what seems to be a classroom. The one with long hair is speaking with another sillohoute, one with spiky blonde hair. They are talking for a while, until the long haired one seems to say something that takes its breath away. The spiky haired one looks at it, seemingly surprised, before nodding happily. The one with long hair also seems happy and they hug each other. The bespectacled one seems to be hurt by the whole scene, being able to do nothing but clench its little fists and bite its lip. It seems to shade a tear, before shaking its head and leaving the place. Even if it is a lie, I can live comfortably with it, right? The voice seems to come from the little sillhoutte, as it disappears between the crowds bustling about in what seems to be a hallway. Later on, the one with long hair approaches th bespectacled one, still happy about the outcome from before. Thanks a lot! It couldn't have been possible without you. A female voice echoes. No, it is the least I can do as a friend. A male voice echoes this time. It seems to come from the one with glasses, as it smiles at it. It seems to bid the long haired one farewell and walks the other way, with a sad smile on his face. Yes, in this place there's no place for someone like me. If so, then I just have to change who I am. Become someone I am not, even if it is just to fit in with others. I don't want to be left alone ever again. Never. Time seems to fast forward. The little sillhoute with glasses is now taller, a bit too tall to be honest. It also now sports a pair of blue eyes under his glasses, and can now be identified easily as a male. A male perhaps 16 years old? As any typical teenager, it is now resting in a bed with an uninterested look in his face. It seems to receive a message in a phone, even though the concept is foreign to the people of Eskar. With the same uninterested look, it stands up and leaves the place he was in. Images flash by. The same sillohoute with messy blue hair with other sillohoutes of various sizes and shapes, along with their own distinguishing features, seemingly having fun in various places. It even changes to single shots of it with another woman like sillhoute, a different one every time. But one thing remains in all of the shots. His disappointed expression in each and every one of them. Just what am I doing? Is there any point to this? Aren't I... The other sillhoutes slowly disappear from the image, leaving only the one with glasses in a dark room. The loneliest like this? Even so.... Even so... there's no way I can let the truth be known now. It would be nothing but a fool's errand. This life, it's foundation..... is lies. I am nothing but a liar. And I must stick to that life until the end. Otherwise, I will only end up lying to the only person I don't want to lie to.....</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki thought he had finally pieced the puzzle together. The fact of a revolution that happened, or would happen, was certain. Then there were the things about a tyrant. A female. It was that that made him think that, maybe, the dreams took place in the future. Falkren, the tyrant. If he wasn't mistaken, Rena's last name was that, and as far as he knew, the king (obviously) was a male. Then, were those.... "Dreams of what is to come?" He muttered to himself. "No, that is too far fetched. Rena doesn't have a power to look into the future, as far as I know." Then, what was it? Noboyuki HAD to make sense of it. At the very least, he knew the dreams were connected in one way or the other to Rena. Why? No frigging idea, to be honest, but there was still the fact that Rena had some worries in her pretty little head. "Maybe... Those were dreams of what she fears will happen when she takes on the torch from her father. She fears she'll be a tyrant. Something like that." Noboyuki really needed some more info. His mind wasn't as complex as that, he was sure of it, so he could barely make any sense of it. There might also be the fact that he isn't as smart as he wished to be. That whole day, Noboyuki was absent, thinking only of how he would confront Rena about this. It seemed like some kind of personal matter. To be honest, Noboyuki didn't really heed any of Rena's calls all throughout the day, just trying to make some kind of sense of what had been in his dreams lately. Still, he would have never expected Rena to be the one on the offensive during the night and around the campfire. When she put her arms on his shoulders and talked to him a bit loudly and with a... commanding voice, Noboyuki was taken aback. Really so. How did she even....? He even fell off the cut off log he was sitting in at the time, freeing himself from Rena's hands. "H-How do you-!? I mean, what are you talking about!? That's preposterous! I've never once in my life have lied to someone else! I... I...!" For the first time in his life, Noboyuki was at a loss for words. He had been confronted before by his mother, his father, other people who 'cared' about him, or the false Noboyuki he had created. Even so... how did this girl even know about that!? He started moving back through the floor. He was intimidated by Rena. Somehow, she had become something more scary than any evil god or demon king ever. Something he couldn't just fight with a sword. "I don't know what the fuck you are talking about!" He was angry, somehow. He stood up and turned around, before dashing into the forest. 'What the hell am I doing!? Why am I the one running!? I could've just... I could've just come clear to her! But what if she left me when she discovered I had been lying to her....?' No, for once in his life, he had to be a man and face the consequences of what he had said. He stopped before going deeper into the forest. He was just like some kind of girl running away from what scared him. He just waited there. If Rena came after him, then he'd spill the beans. If she decided to stay in the campsite by herself, then that'd be the end of it.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He ran... damn that was exactly the last thing that she wanted to happen, instinctively she lunged for the routing hero, but only met the dirt, her face skidding along a very short distance along the ground. She swore under her breath as she rose, she scratched herself and even opened a few shallow cuts, little bit of bleeding but obviously not even close to lethal. The leaves rustled, betraying the path that he ran down. Rena, without a second thought, gave chase. Through the foliage that blocked her progress, it was thick here, making Rena seriously question how Noboyuki was able to push through at all, still guess a lesser man would've been stopped, but not him. Why did he take off like that? No... that was a rhetorical question, she knew very well why he ran, but that didn't mean she fully expected him to, what did he think when she finally got down to question him? Noboyuki... had his own problems, deep ones if the dreams were any kind of indicator. Soon she stopped, out of breath, she had not realized how fast she was going, she was only so far into the wilderness, and yet she already had to stop. Rena only took a very short break, the fear of what might happen to her only companion was too great, she couldn't lose him. She chuckled to herself... if she had any doubts about her... love... they were gone now, really why would she go through so much effort for anyone else but him? Ready to go again, but not really, Rena pushed back some bushes, she had to hold a gasp, she had already caught up! Noboyuki was just standing there, this was her chance. Prepared to fight until the end, she rushed out from behind her cover, she didn't trust him enough to not run again, hoping to catch him off guard Rena practically threw herself on him, maybe pinning him down at the legs. It was almost... almost like a hug. She held on, despite her being considerably smaller than the man, she held on like no other, there was zero chance in hell she was going to give up. She realized she got him from the front when looking up at him, it was a blur, but she swore there was shock on his face, she could only wonder what she looked like, all she knew was the burning sensation around her face. Rena dug her hands into him, willing for him to listen to her... he just had to this time. "You need to stop running! From me... from yourself! Hell especially yourself, just enough! Don't you get tired?! Don't you at least trust me to trust in you?! Come on! Let me trust you!"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) After a while, Rena finally found him and, well, he expected her to be careful, even so, he didn't expect for her to do what she did. She threw him down and they both fell to the ground, after the sudden tackle from Rena. Noboyuki was indeed surprised, even more by the words that came out of her mouth. She was right, Noboyuki was just running from himself. He needed to stop, like, right about now. But it still scared him. It scared him out of his mind. What was he now anyway? Was he anything aside from the lies he had been telling up until now? Noboyuki suddenly found himself at a crossroads. He did not know what the hell he was supposed to be in reality. And as he thought about it with Rena on top of him, he knew that he couldn't just take forever like that. His breathing became agitated.Yeah, he needed to just come out and say something. He couldn't help but put a hand on her head. "I am.... I am... Scared.... Damn. That's the truth. I've known it for a while now. But I didn't want to face it. No matter what, I didn't want to. I wanted to protect the same dull life I leaded in my world. I didn't want anything to perturb that peace. And then, I was dragged against my will to this world. I knew nothing of it, neither did the inhabitants of this world knew anything about me. It was perfect. A new start. I may have longed for that for quite a while without even realising it." He starts speaking with his heart, instead of letting his brain devise the perfect route to follow when talking with others. It was high time for him to stop doing so. "And then, in here, I went on lying. With things of less importance at first, until you had to ask me what I thought about you. I told you you were just a dear friend to me... only because I didn't want to lose you! I couldn't stand the mere thought of losing you! If you didn't feel the same way as I... I wouldn't know what to do! I was just so scared of that.... of you not ever wanting to see me again." He felt his eyes watering. Yeah. He was speaking a bit too much from his heart. If he didn't stop anytime now.... "Rena, I...!" No, stop. "I...!" You will be all alone again "I love you!" Get it back. Lie your way out again. You still have time. You can still protect what you have now. You can remain static at this point. "I love you so much! I don't care whether it is just some kind of blessed coincidence or part of some stupid study! I don't care anymore! I just can't keep it anymore in my chest and continue lying to you! I love you, Rena Falkren!" Noboyuki shouted at the top of his lungs. It was done. There was no going back anymore. He could just pray. He couldn't just lie now, like he did long before. A grown woman wouldn't just fall for that. Now he just had to wait. He could talk to her about the dreams after that.... If they ever talked to each other again, that is.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- What? No really what?! Rena almost took a double take, she almost didn't believe him, that at first she couldn't believe that was a honest to God love confession. She laid there, just absolutely lost for anything to say, even her mouth hung there stupidly. This just took a really really unexpected turn, she thought that he would get defensive about his past again, that he would try to deny it again, yet never in her wildest dreams she ever thought he would confess. Her heart was beating so hard and fast, for a brief moment she even thought it might explode, her entire body felt hot, she was an absolute flustering mess at that moment. That was it, she couldn't take it anymore, Rena clutched him even harder then threw her face into his shirt, giving him some kind of tight hug. "I love you too!" she was muffled, hell what if he couldn't hear her? She rose her again to look him directly in the eye, with a clear determination, and spoke those words again. "I-I actually love you too, Noboyuki!" There he couldn't have missed it that time, he knew, she knew. Their love was mutual, it almost had to be offical now. She buried her head into Noboyuki again, this time tears even streaming down her face, she was crying? Such a happy moment that brought tears, such a paradox but she couldn't stop them. Rena continued her tight embrace, almost unable to let go, time passed, maybe five minutes, maybe fifteen minutes, time fell away to her, it felt way too good, to finally become this intimate with someone, it felt like heaven. She loved Noboyuki, her first true partner, they would never ever be able to go back now, they both had knew that, still Rena was perfectly happy with how things turned out, she would never want to go back.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The words that Rena spoke made his heart flutter. Was it real? It wasn't a dream, right? He felt tempted to pinch himself and see if that wasn't a dream but, to be honest, he was scared that it was indeed a dream and that he'd wake up if he did such a thing. He was happy, to be honest. Not only did he let his feelings out in the open, despite his fear for rejection, but Rena felt all the same, and it was a relief that she did, otherwise, in which rock could Noboyuki have hidden under? But that wasn't important right now. Right now.... What should he say? He did just declare his love to the girl that was on top of him, but how could he follow things up in any way? Being all like 'oh, yeah, right', seemed inappropriate, maybe a kiss? Nah, it would seem a bit too sudden in their current position and start of their relationship. Then there was one thing that would show his aggection and not seem as sudden. He put his arms around her and hugged her gently, while smiling to himself. "That's... a relief. I wouldn't have knwon what to do if you turned me down. I'm so happy right now. I promise not to lie to you ever again." He simply said. Haha, just what got into him there? Suddenly, he just couldn't help but remember what he said and blush slightly. That voice in the back of his head too.... it didn't quite seem like his, to be honest, but since it came from his mind, he didn't really pay it any more attention, maybe it was only his imagination. He held her even tighter after building up his confidence to this time confront HER about her own dreams. "So, Rena..... is there anything else that is troubling you? I dunno, maybe in the future or something?" He was fairly sure now. The dreams had something to do with the both of them. Certainly, Rena sure caught up fast to his lies, even though he is an expert liar. Only people who knew him to his very core could tell when he was lying, such as his mother or father. In other words, Rena might have been seeing dreams about him... while he saw dreams about her. He was almost sure. "Or should I say, Falkren the Tyrant? What is it that scares you Rena? Won't you tell me?" As far as he knew, Rena didn't really want to inherit the position from his father. "I'll do everything I can to make sure I protect you, so don't worry about it." He said, even before he got an answer. That's just how he felt about it, and what he would honestly do despite everything.</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- What? No really what?! Rena almost took a double take, she almost didn't believe him, that at first she couldn't believe that was a honest to God love confession. She laid there, just absolutely lost for anything to say, even her mouth hung there stupidly. This just took a really really unexpected turn, she thought that he would get defensive about his past again, that he would try to deny it again, yet never in her wildest dreams she ever thought he would confess. Her heart was beating so hard and fast, for a brief moment she even thought it might explode, her entire body felt hot, she was an absolute flustering mess at that moment. That was it, she couldn't take it anymore, Rena clutched him even harder then threw her face into his shirt, giving him some kind of tight hug. "I love you too!" she was muffled, hell what if he couldn't hear her? She rose her again to look him directly in the eye, with a clear determination, and spoke those words again. "I-I actually love you too, Noboyuki!" There he couldn't have missed it that time, he knew, she knew. Their love was mutual, it almost had to be offical now. She buried her head into Noboyuki again, this time tears even streaming down her face, she was crying? Such a happy moment that brought tears, such a paradox but she couldn't stop them. Rena continued her tight embrace, almost unable to let go, time passed, maybe five minutes, maybe fifteen minutes, time fell away to her, it felt way too good, to finally become this intimate with someone, it felt like heaven. She loved Noboyuki, her first true partner, they would never ever be able to go back now, they both had knew that, still Rena was perfectly happy with how things turned out, she would never want to go back.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The words that Rena spoke made his heart flutter. Was it real? It wasn't a dream, right? He felt tempted to pinch himself and see if that wasn't a dream but, to be honest, he was scared that it was indeed a dream and that he'd wake up if he did such a thing. He was happy, to be honest. Not only did he let his feelings out in the open, despite his fear for rejection, but Rena felt all the same, and it was a relief that she did, otherwise, in which rock could Noboyuki have hidden under? But that wasn't important right now. Right now.... What should he say? He did just declare his love to the girl that was on top of him, but how could he follow things up in any way? Being all like 'oh, yeah, right', seemed inappropriate, maybe a kiss? Nah, it would seem a bit too sudden in their current position and start of their relationship. Then there was one thing that would show his aggection and not seem as sudden. He put his arms around her and hugged her gently, while smiling to himself. "That's... a relief. I wouldn't have knwon what to do if you turned me down. I'm so happy right now. I promise not to lie to you ever again." He simply said. Haha, just what got into him there? Suddenly, he just couldn't help but remember what he said and blush slightly. That voice in the back of his head too.... it didn't quite seem like his, to be honest, but since it came from his mind, he didn't really pay it any more attention, maybe it was only his imagination. He held her even tighter after building up his confidence to this time confront HER about her own dreams. "So, Rena..... is there anything else that is troubling you? I dunno, maybe in the future or something?" He was fairly sure now. The dreams had something to do with the both of them. Certainly, Rena sure caught up fast to his lies, even though he is an expert liar. Only people who knew him to his very core could tell when he was lying, such as his mother or father. In other words, Rena might have been seeing dreams about him... while he saw dreams about her. He was almost sure. "Or should I say, Falkren the Tyrant? What is it that scares you Rena? Won't you tell me?" As far as he knew, Rena didn't really want to inherit the position from his father. "I'll do everything I can to make sure I protect you, so don't worry about it." He said, even before he got an answer. That's just how he felt about it, and what he would honestly do despite everything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Wasn't this something? Rena didn't panic, really coming from a very relaxed state from just laying there, she barely registered his words at first, although it sank in soon enough. She didn't say anything, but she sat up, which was a shame if only they could stay like that for a while longer. She really did feel calm though, in another situation, or with someone else she would've denied anything. Thing was now they finally put everything out there, their love and feelings, she essentially made a pact to always trust him, to trust Noboyuki. Maybe it was foolish to do so already, when their relationship had just started not even an hour ago, but she thought it out long enough beforehand, the time was right. "It is rude to go from our first time cuddling, then into questioning me like this. Guess I did the same, fair is fair, but first let's go back, its chilly out here, can already feel a cold coming on." Rena got up from the ground, of course she stopped to help her partner on his feet, offering her hand. The walk back was uneventful, but happy, at least she was. Although along the way she was still worried about what their going to be talking about, more so she wanted to know what Noboyuki even found out. She still had not pieced together the possibility of him having his own dreams. The couple were back around the fire, it died down some without being cared for, the low lighting set the mood just right. Rena leaned back on her hands, just thinking for the moment, it was so odd to be thinking clearly after hearing, and especially giving love confessions, maybe that was just her, Noboyuki could have been emotional still for all she knew. Now where to start? "... So, you've done some discovery yourself huh..." She spoke slowly, trying to be delicate, "Well to start with how did you figure me out? I don't usually tell you about my worries, I mean those specific troubles really..." Rena sighed, "But yes, I'm just not, uh, just ready for what's next if you understand me..."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki gladly took Rena's hand to help himself up and went on with her back to their camping site. All the way there, though, he was unsure of whether or not he should take the girl's hand. He slowly approached her hand with his own, but is taken aback by any slight movement. After a while of trying and not succeeding, Noboyuki finally gave up on that after they finally got to their encampment, and he heaved a heavy sigh. 'It was the perfect opportunity and yet... I let it slip through my fingers.' Now, seating there, and almost like a reflex, Noboyuki sit beside her, and he almost felt like cuddling with her in that state, but even so, he was feeling a bit bashful right now. So he decided to be a good boy and just keep his hands to himself for now. he listened to what Rena had to say and, as expected, she was getting right to the heart of the matter right now. Well, it was good. Like that, he didn't have any time to think of anything he shouldn't. And that not only applied for bad thoughts of what he could do with Rena now that he knew they loved each other, but also to keep his mind from thinking of a way of lying his way out yet again. He didn't let her see it, but he was actually panicking quite a lot in the inside. 'Screaming on the inside would be quite more accurate right now.' Noboyuki thought to himself a bit. Yeah, he should focus on Rena right now instead of his own problems. As expected, it seemed that she was scared of what was to come, and also, as expected, she asked how come he knew about that. He laughed a bit. "Well, I could ask you the same. It seemed as if you knew of my past before this a bit too well to me. I'm guessing that maybe you had some kind of dream as well. And yes, by that I mean that I know of this because I dreamt about it." Noboyuki turned quite serious, but even so, he put his hand over Rena's shoulders and brought her close to himself. "Well, in any case. I'm pretty sure everything will work out in the end. I'm here with you, so don't worry. Besides, King Noboyuki has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" He joked. In any case, though, there was still the fact that the dreams had been extremely bizarre. "So, what do you think is the reason behind those dreams? They were awfully on spot."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He was already starting to get a little... uh loving? If that's the right word. She was obviously unused to be physically close to someone, course their cuddle from earlier was spontaneous, you know born out of sheer emotion. Here though it was different, it was a conscious decision on his part, she was thinking how this would all work out, where or when does she know when they could be, well lovers? It was then Rena was becoming all too aware of her lack of experience with... everything, no idea how to be in real relationship. Guess at best she'll be able to do is wing it, couldn't be that hard, should be natural right? Just go with what feels right. All the same though she was self-conscious as Noboyuki pulled her in, she didn't fight it though, nothing changed that she liked it anyway since it felt comforting. He talked, he seemed so much more supportive than before, so this was him as an honest man. Finally. She returned a smile, really a smirk, "No... you wouldn't be king, inheritance doesn't work like that, I'm not even sure what you'll be, you know a princess doesn't typically end up with someone from an entirely another dimension." Rena snuggled up against her partner, just felt like the right move at the time. She sighed deeply, she still couldn't believe this happened, it was almost too perfect. "Thank you for being here though, guess you've seen an uglier side of me, I don't want to know what you seen, not yet, couldn't have been pretty. I know what your dreams, or whatever they were, shown me." She played idly with one of the buttons on Noboyuki's jacket, so shiny. He looked to be fine with this, so strange, its gonna take a while to get used to... how causal they were towards each other, just felt too soon, but what did she know? She looked up to him, her head was nestled just in his armpit, she gave another smile, both to stomp down some of her vague doubts, maybe also to help with Noboyuki's as well. "I don't know what those dreams are about, they have to mean something right? Still they've helped us, don't think we would be here right now otherwise, has to be a good thing just because of that." Rena paused for only a moment before continuing, thinking if she needed to say this, it did feel natural though. "I really do love you Noboyuki. I really do..." Those words still made her heart skip a beat, still without fail.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) It was good that Rena followed up with his antics, and even if it was just some small shows of affection Noboyuki still appreciate them quite a lot. "Hehe, you've seen an ugly side of me as well. One I wished people never saw, to be honest. But when it's all done and said, I think that indeed ended up helping us. So, I can't say I really regret you ever seeing them." He smiled at her. The only thing he regretted was having to arrive to the next town in such a short time. He wished they had some more time to be alone like that. He wasn't one to push his luck, but he indeed wanted some alone time with her. He looked back at Rena, staring right into her eyes, and then Rena said those words again. They made his own heart skip a beat, and he even blushed a bit after hearing it. But even so, he didn't look away from her. Those words meant a whole lot to him. The whole mood and atmosphere.... Yeah, something told him that it would be a good time to push his luck right now, even if it was just for a bit. He leaned down and planted a kiss on Rena's lips. Even if it wasn't something really big and just something out of impulse, Noboyuki thought the time was right. "I love you too, Rena." He simply said, with a sincere smile in his face, one he had never shown anyone before. He wished time would just stop. In that simple night that seemed a bit too perfect. They were about to arrive to the next town too. "Can we stay like this for another while? I suddenly don't feel like sleeping at all." He put up now his usual sarcastic smile of always. Even then, though, the night continued on. It would be the next morning anytime soon, even if Noboyuki wished with all of his heart for that not to happen. Even so, he may want to push his luck again and ask her to sleep together, of course, without trying to imply anything else and.... Yeah, he'd better not do that, or he'd get punched.</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena's eyes widened, of course in response to his quick kiss, on the lips none the less. Noboyuki was bold that's for sure, she couldn't tell of that was a good or a bad thing, she knew their relationship wasn't going to be boring at the least. Still Rena was somewhat turned off by the gesture, he was advancing quickly, little too quickly, but she didn't feel pressured, they just started after all. After they parted Rena was blushing, "I-uh, I... that was my first kiss... by the way." Yeah, that's right, there was her first actual kiss ever, wasn't filled the passion she perhaps hoped for... ah well, there will be more in the future. They continued to sit there, she agreed that it was nice, and of course expressed that ending the night would be a shame, a huge one. Rena engaged in small talk, first ever since their date last month, she didn't discuss anything of much importance, this time she went into her own family. King Halthor Falkren 'the Silver-tongued' of Eskar, of course was her father. Rena explained how he earned his name, the Silver-tongued, as she said many times before her father was a great diplomat, diplomacy perhaps being his biggest asset. Hell he'd even taught Rena herself from a young age, that was before she started traveling. Her mother... well died after childbirth which was the prime reason Rena was an only child, King Falkren refused to remarry and so that's what resulted in her becoming the sole heir, no one else was there to take it. Seeing as she never even met her mother, Rena didn't have any regrets, which was the most she ever said about the subject. Turned out the house of Falkren wasn't that big, her only other living relative was an uncle, Duke Gerald Falkren of Thermia, a powerful man who personally oversaw about a third of the kingdom. He was described as being a man with strong features, among them being a groomed beard, a shallow one, and he appeared to be aged, not white with years, but old. He was only just a few years younger than her father after all, she didn't have much else to say about him, other than the man was known to be very kind, making him popular among the people. Before long though Rena ended up passing out, still on Noboyuki's lap, it simply became way too late, plus after the rapid series of events that night it was a wonder how the princess managed to stay awake for as long as she did. She slept peacefully, and without another dream. --- The next morning, or uh maybe only a few hours later really, they were needless to say back on the road, couldn't get caught up in what happened, you know in spite of how much as Rena wanted to relax at that spot more, in fact she had a feeling that Noboyuki thought the same. If she were to guess they had to be only an hour or two away from the next town, a major one if fact as it was a walled city, complete with large buildings including a chapel, and a keep. It was ruled by a lesser Earl, a new one actually since he very recently inherited the title after death of the previous ruler, being the new Earl's great grandfather. Unfortunately that was about the extent of what Rena knew.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Um, well, to be honest.... That was my first as well. I don't have a lot of experience with, well, kisses. Or relationships at that. It always was nothing but pretending, but now.... it feels more real." He said, feeling a bit flustered. It was good to finally hear something about Rena's family. She hadn't talked abotu it in since, well, forever. He answered her own words with some family history of his own. He talked to her about his own family, a mother and a father, as well as a teenager sister. Even then, who he talked the most about was about his sister. They seemed to be in.... fairly abd terms. Noboyuki was strict, almost like a father, and as a teenager, his sister was obviously not always agreeing with him. He also talked about how they got into a lot of fights between each other, but also how they usually supported each other regardless of the situation they may be in. She was the thing closer to a best friend he had, it seemed. Noboyuki also told her about his parents, fo course, saying that his father was fairly similar to him and that his mother was a smaller woman with a somewhat stern face and someone really serious, unlike his father, who is as sarcastic as Noboyuki himself. He talked about how they spent a lot of time in their respective offices working and how he ended up spending more time with his sister. They seemed to be knit pretty close to each other, the way Noboyuki talked, and it also seemed that he wasn't all too fond of his parents, again, by the way he talked about them. Still, there was a little bit of the descriptions of Rena's family that seemed.... awfully familiar. Where had he heard about it before? Yes, he had seen it rather than heard it. A shallow beard, not white with years, but old..... Was it in one of the dreams? Nah, couldn't be. Couldn't be, could it? How did it went again? The Tyrant? He knew he should have wrote down everything as soon as he woke up, why didn't he do it in the end?! Dammit, it was a bit frustrating. But his frustration went away once Rena lost to sleep and fell asleep in his lap. It was good that she wasn't really disgusted with the excuse of a kiss he gave her. He felt it was a good start. He took off his jacket and put it over her as a blanket. It was the best he could do. Now, he should also get some sleep. --- Noboyuki always thought bad of politicians, but he thought that the worst kind of politician was the one that inherited power and was born with it. He most often than not pictured people like that fat and with the attitude of a total despot in all and every way. Then again, Rena seemed to be an exception of that. Even so, it was good to finally be back in town with Rena, they would finally be able to sleep in a decent and actual bed. Now, for starters, what should they do...? Noboyuki thought it would be a good idea to go stroll by the town, however, and rather suddenly, an stranger approached the duo. Hooded and gasping for air, the stranger took off his hood before any questions could be made. "Oh, excuse me. Are you... the group that is travelling to defeat the Demon Lord?" The boy asked. Yes, he was nothing but a boy. If Noboyuki guessed right, he was not older than 16 years old. He merely lifted an eyebrow at the sudden question. He may say something stupid as wanting to join them, so Noboyuki quickly moved to deny the fact that they were indeed that same group. However, the talkative boy in front of them did not allow for an answer coming from Noboyuki. "Because I can totally help you! You see, I have these odd powers that are extra effective on demons! An old man taught me how to use them and I wanted to join you guys when I had the first opportunity!" He seemed a bit too eager, but he hadn't even stated his name. Claiming he was powerful and whatnot... Yeah, Noboyuki didn't trust that at all. It was a bit too anime esque for a boy like that to be some kind of 'chosen' one. Then again, he was completely unaware of the boy's position as the real hero that had been summoned to this world. He decided to just go with it for now. But there were some things that came first before that. "Well, at the very least you could tell us your name, brat. It isn't exactly polite to just come out and start saying things like that without even saying your name, you know? I am Noboyuki." Noboyuki said, trying to keep his cool. He wasn't good with these kinds of people. Cheerful and bright. "A-Ah, yes. My name is Isshiki Ryuma. I, uh, come from a little village in the borders of another big city. We have the custom of putting our given names after our surnames, so feel free to call me Ryuma." The boy with the blonde hair said, smiling from the bottom of his heart. Yeah, he was the kind of honest guy that was always straightforward. Noboyuki didn't really want to deal with him. But anyhow, wasn't his name too... Japanese-ish? Maybe there were people like that in here too, or maybe.... nah, it couldn't be. He was sure it couldn't be. Why would they summon two people into this world from his own? More importantly, why were they both Japanese? Nah, it was too much of a coincidence.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena mostly kept walking with Noboyuki, this happened a lot where random folks wanted to join them for whatever reason, glory, gold, or God there were plenty of motivations. They were back in more populated lands, made sense they would start encountering people like this. Of course they were never brought along especially since this time their hopeful recruit was only barely on the cusp of adulthood, honestly he could've been a liability rather then a truly helpful pair of extra hands. For the moment she allowed her lover to take care of the kid, thus she kept looking foward trying not to acknowledge him. Although that became harder as he kept trying, probably not even a little likely to give up. He kept talking, Rena kept ignoring him, that is until the kid said his name. The surname came first, like Noboyuki's, Ryuma, that of course being this kid's name, claimed that he simply followed that tradition, problem was that was a tradition that didn't exist. Before Noboyuki, she had never ever encountered someone's last name first, it simply does not exist in her world. It even took her a while before she started calling her partner by his proper first name, just assuming that his last name was his first name. Looking back then, it was somewhat embarrassing. Still whatever was happening she had already made the connection, hopefully this was only a case of a overzealous youth attempting to emulate Noboyuki by making up a weird name. Rena gently tapped on Noboyuki's back, "You should learn how to be more diplomatic, now I have a few questions, just give me a moment, okay?" Something was already odd about this kid, really despite just meeting him, he had already proven to be something else. Rena stopped, as so did Noboyuki, hopefully, then of course she faced Ryuma, "If you've been looking for us, then you know I am Rena Falkren. Its good that you've decided to seek us out, shows some spirt however... I'm wondering, what province do you hail from? If you're not from Eskar, then what kingdom?"</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "H-Huh, oh, yes..." Oh... was Rena perhaps pulled in by the boy's aura or something? Was she somehow trying to protect the boy with her comment about him being diplomatic? Noboyuki was needlessly defensive when in front of this boy, and since it was also regarding Rena, well, Noboyuki was being a bit too defensive. He stopped at the same time Rena did, and turned back to look at the boy, but even so, he didn't move from his place. He may have taken the 'just give me a moment' part of what Rena said a bit too seriously too. He posed his sharp eyes over the boy. As a, by now, seasoned warrior, Noboyuki knew he himself had some amount of intimidation skills when facing against the unknown. He glared at the boy sharply and letting quite some killing intent sip out of his body. And then, the boy Ryuma, answered with a sharp galre of his own, as well as letting some of his killing intent become known. Yeah, it was way bigger than Noboyuki's. With his two months of training and battling, he knew when he was overpowered, and he was HUGELY overpowered here, so much he even had to take a step back out of fear. Ryuma was about as intimidating to him as the God they encountered in the forest. He was certainly strong. The boy, hoping Rena didn't catch on on that and looking pretty nervous again, started fidgeting around. "Y-Yes, I hail from, um, whatsitsname...." He mumbled under his breath. "Ah yes, that place! N-Nijiara?" Noboyuki caught up on what he was trying to say almost immedietly, and knew why Rena was suspicious as well. That 'Nijiara' he was talking about sounded an awful lot as how Japan was named in Japanese, Nihon. And since the boy seemed to know he had screwed up as well, he heaved a heavy sigh and, for the lack of a better word, facepalmed. "Ugh, fine! All right, fine! I've also been summoned here from another world! The same that old man came from!" Ryuma merely motioned with his head towards Noboyuki, who passed from scared to angry in an instant. "What do you mean old man brat!" As said before, the boy didn't really strike up Noboyuki as someone he could get along with. "And why the hell are you here too! I should've been the only one summoned here! Do you know what's going on Rena?" Noboyuki lashed out, but as soon as he turned to Rena, he calmed down. "I'm... sorry. I just lost my cool there." Yeah, not the best side of him Rena could be seeing right now. "Just let me in in your adventure! You won't be able to kill the Demon Lord without me! I am kinda, like, the tank and magician companion you get in an RPG, yeah? Just, c'mon! I'm gonna be extra useful! Besides, how can I get a lady like this alone with a creep like you?" The boy said, taking Rena's hand and kissing it. Yes, the worst kind of guy. Hardheaded, stupid and a flirt. Just precious. Noboyuki quickly moved in and made Ryuma let go of Rena's hand. "No touching allowed please." "You jelly boy?" "I'm gonna cut you up, you little....!" He was about to take out his sword, but took a deep breath and calmed down. He should really let Rena handle it. He turned around and decided to wait just behind the two of them to finish up talking.</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- She was surrounded by children... and not just the literal one in front of her. The kid was arrogant, inappropriate, and just overall unpleasant, hell he even attempted to kiss her, granted it was only on the hand... Rena could easily reason why Noboyuki would lose his temper so quickly with Ryuma, she also had to consider their brand new relationship status right? Although that was still no reason for the hero to actually lash out at their rude guest, she'll have to deal with him later. Rena's temperament changed from the gentle expression of their initial encounter, to one of scorn, diplomacy was out of the picture at this point. Even if the boy was only slightly taller than her, Rena mustered her gravest stare, not even Noboyuki had seen it ever before, the kid may be able to intimidate, but she? She had a lifetime of authority to bear down with. "You are stupidly bold, not even that, you are arrogant to such an extreme fault I am already unable to stand your presence. First, you lie about your own home, and that lie was unraveled in the manner of seconds. Second, you insult a dear companion of mine who as stayed loyal to me nearly to the extent of death on multiple occasions, he who has shown true proof of his strength and martial prowess, however you boast without the slightest scrap of real evidence thus far. Third, you dare to mock the idea of chivalry with your woefully horrid attempt at a kiss of my hand, its disgraceful beyond all measure of a knight's code of honor. And last, you make ALL of this seem as if it were a game, that in of itself insults me and every single citizen of my kingdom to the highest degree, this cause is for our future, the future of everyone. You already seem to have thrown that notion away, it is down right disgusting to call you a human being if you are unable to comprehend the serious nature that my home finds itself in." The last word seethed from Rena, she didn't want to do that at first, but now... well now that changed, she meant everything she said, Ryuma had already shown himself to be someone she would be very much unwilling to even think about cooperating with. Now though, she wasn't done, no not yet. Rena turned around to face Noboyuki himself, he had made some mistakes as well. "Then there's you... Noboyuki I expected more from you, much more, did you understand what I meant by 'to be more diplomatic?' The point was to handle this in a civilized manner without breaking out into petty bickering. You allowed this boy to provoke you into arguing with him, you should've shown restraint because you are more than strong enough to do so, I know that for a fact. There is also the subject of you pushing away his kiss, it was uncalled for you to do so, I am able to decline it myself... it shows that you care, and I can appreciate more than perhaps you really know, still it was not the right way to show that you care. You are strong, intelligent, and loyal, these are some of the many, many reasons why I fallen in love with you, so act as the better man in the future, you are very much able to do so." Rena reached forward to pat Noboyuki on the back, she hoped that her eyes alone were able to convey that while he did annoy her, and disappoint her, that she still loved him no matter what. Rena stepped back to allow her reprimanding to sink in, this was the end of their fighting, no more. If either of them were to make another attempt at continuing, she made a mental note to strike down whichever one decided to do so... even Noboyuki, she did not have the patience for this.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The childish part of him that came out just now urged him to mock Ryuma after he was being told off by Rena, and that same childish part of him wanted to say something like 'I didnt do anything bad'. And luckily, his adult side of him was still there and echoing hard through his body. Yes, he wasn't so angry that he would just lash out like a little kid. He had been immature enough already as it was. "Yes... yes, I know that." Noboyuki shook his head, before breaking into a smile. "I will do my best from now on. Sorry, Rena." He simply said in response to Rena telling him off. Yes, it was necessary at times. And even then, after being scolded by Rena, Ryuma didn't seem to show any signs of changing. He merely smirked. "Haha! You say that now, but once you see me in action, you'll be BEGGING to have me in your team! Don't ever understimate me, princess!" He said, still sounding quite cheery despite everything, before he became serious again and looked at Noboyuki first, then at Rena. "And what's this? I didn't know you guys were lovebirds. Saying that so openly with each other.... Ain't you embarrassed or something? There are countless other places to be whispering sweet nothings to each other." He smiled yet again, though this one was a mocking smile. Yes, Noboyuki had to be the better man, more diplomatic in Rena's words. But how could he be more diplomatic right now? Handling this situation with care.... He took Rena's hand and squeezed it a bit, being careful not to hurt her, and then turned his eyes to the boy with blonde hair. Their eyes met, and if it would've been possible, sparks would've come out only because of that. In a way, they were both total opposites to each other. Noboyuki knew that, Ryuma probably didn't. Like that, he decided that the best way to be diplomatic here was to smile at him, even if it was a clearly forced smile, and gulp down every curse words he wanted to spout out at the guy in front of him. "What? you got something to say? Go ahead and say it. Perhaps, you will finally piss me off and we can get on with my crushing of you in front of the princess. You'll lose her respect and love and she'll decide to take me instead of you. We both win. You won't die in upcoming battles and I get to do what I came to do here. What do you think? It's a good deal, right? Your life in exchange of an adventure that just wasn't meant for you." Even while he says so and his words seem to cut deeper than blades as he speaks, he still seems.... worried perhaps? Not something Noboyuki would catch on anytime soon, of course, as his anger just grew by the minute while speaking to the arrogant piece of a brat known as Ryuma. He squeezed Rena's hand even tighter. "Just what I-!" He was about to accept the challenge, but he was reminded of what Rena said. Be more diplomatic. Yeah, the best act of diplomacy he could do was leave everything to Rena. He loosened his grip on Rena's hand after taking a deep breath and calming himself down. He just turned to Rena, seeking for an answer from the girl. "What do you think, Rena? Should we humor him anymore?"</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena after all that Ryuma said, still did nothing but stood there. Her expression hadn't changed as she listen very carefully to each word the boy had to say. Noboyuki was clearly struggling not to lash out once again, at least someone listened to her, but this arrogant youth before her did not get the message, yet she did nothing not yet. Really she was thinking, deep and hard, absorbing every last bit of malice pouring forth from Ryuma, use it as fuel, fuel to strike him down with absolute fury. Least that was the plan. When Noboyuki let go of her hand, Rena had enough... it wasn't going to be pretty. In a few long strides she was right there in the boy's face, even though they had the slight height difference, their eyes still met on the same plane. Then she smiled, it was not a happy one, no it was a fake, insidious grin that was only just hiding her true intent. One that Ryuma wouldn't be able to miss. "And don't you underestimate me, 'hero,' do you really think you are untouchable? Bravado is nothing but a ploy to hide your fear, how pathetic you could really be. Is making enemies of other humans truly for the best? I have heard of your world, oh I have, yes indeed. I know how your society works, and let me confirm here, that here everything is much, much different. I'm going to say that you are human enough to need sleep, food, water, hmm? Do you believe that you could remain awake for every waking hour of the day, looking out for the next murderer who has your head marked for death? Oh but why would anyone be trying to kill you? I hear you asking? Ah good question, very good question. That is because no one takes kindly to filth like yourself, oh yes, this would not be before long in your mission to make as many enemies as possible, for you think that fighting with every single person you meet is somehow a sane idea." Rena started to speak in a lower tone, but was grinning even more. "Do you what to know, what happens when you're left alive? Torture, then death following, maybe, soon after. Maybe you'll be flayed, with a heated serrated knife your flesh would be pealed off, and oh of course you'll still be very well awake, also believe you would not be allowed to lose consciousness, after all it is only rude to 'fall' asleep. THEN, you shall be gutted, your entrails flopping freely from your abdomen, but relax in knowing that there would be extra care in ensuring you wouldn't bleed out, no you should be left alive after all, I think you'd agree. After that you'll be hoisted high up in a iron cage, off of a keep's tower, left to dangle for weeks, least until you finally pass away. High above the earth below, hmm maybe a crow would pay you a visit, I hear they absolutely love intestines." She suddenly pulled the boy down by the hair, she leaned forward towards his ear, and whispered so loudly and harshly Noboyuki was still able to hear. "I will tell you again, don't you fucking underestimate me, you filthy maggot. Are you so stupid, and goddamn blind to not treat others with common sense, do you just downright have shit for brains? I dare you to provoke me just one more time, one more single time and you will wish for death, that is not a if, that is a damned 'when.' " Rena pushed the boy away, she was still smiling, inside she was filled to the brim with fury. One more arrogant comment from this boy would be enough, just enough.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki could feel Rena's anger all the way to where he was, and couldn't help but gulp at the thought of it. He was happy he decided to change into passive mode when he did, otherwise all of that anger would have poured all over him too. But indeed, Rena was something else once she got mad.... Noboyuki made a mental note to himself never to get her mad enough that she'd say things like that to him. Definitely a scary politician, but there's always the possibility that people without that kind of spite in a world like in what she lived could survive. It was a possibility that scared him a bit, and made him worry about her. Ryuma, on the other hand, was feeling.... yes, the correct term for it would be fear. Even the boy had to fulp audibly at the mere thought of it as he heard Rena's words. He had considered the possibility of dead, and that didn't scare him. What scared him was Rena. She was being so direct and somewhat terrifying, not to say anything about the fact that she was smiling all the while as she talked to him. He thought it best to retreat for now. He wouldn't be able to take anything out of the stubborn pair. Both of them were stubborn it seemed. 'Like a match made in heaven.' He thought. "Fine, fine. I'm outta here. I don't want to keep on hearing you both rant of WHY I am not a hero. Just remember. A hero saves everyone, even those who do not wish to be saved." He said, arrogant as always. He turned around and lazily waved at the pair. "See ya later. You can count on that at the very least." The blonde boy disappeared between the masses and was soon invisible to the two. With his departure, Noboyuki let out a relieved sigh. It was about time. It was about damn time. Noboyuki felt a burden go away from his shoulders. He turned to Rena, unsure of how to approach her right now. Well, he'd better just play it off right now and make it as if nothing had ever happened. "Man, that was some rude kid. Maybe even if he did have magic, it just didn't seem the kind of guy that could call himself a hero... Not that I am one to talk of course." There was still some little chance that Rena felt... troubled of what she had just said to the boy, even if it was necessary. Noboyuki, smiling, though still worried, grabbed her hand. "Why don't we continue walking through the city? It should help us get our mind away from that boy."</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) A month has passed ever since the quest of the hero, Noboyuki, and the princess, Rena, started. Going from town to town, solving people's problems as it is the duty of the hero and collecting money and whatnot, the both await for Noboyuki's sacred power to finally arrive to him, as it was predicted by the ancient legend of the hero back in the kingdom. Still, and while he has been getting by with just physical abilities and the use of his sword, it proves to become harder and harder as they encounter different and larger enemies. Stopping in a little town between their travels to take a rest, Noboyuki sighs heavily, after going into a library to confirm some of the lore of the world he finds himself into. Former salaryman and graduate from a prestigious school in Tokyo, Noboyuki never actually did expect to be suddenly transported away. Yes, sure, it might seem like a pretty good adventure for any 16 year old in the middle of his youth, but for someone who has actually already gone past his prime and lived a boring, grey life in the suburbs with a boring job... Well, this quest to eliminate the demon lord wasn't actually all that exciting, in fact, it seemed like quite a pain, and his companion was pleasant to look at and nothing more. She had her moments when she was cute, but, well.... Noboyuki took one of the books and tried to read through it, but... "No use, huh?" He put the book right back into the shelf he took it from. The spoken language was the same, but the written? Heck, he didn't have an idea of what the hell it said. It all seemed like scribbles to him. He could always go to Rena and ask for her help, but whether she'd help him or not was an entirely different matter. He was in a little library of the quiet and peaceful town that had yet to be tarnished by the power of the Demon King Lucifer. Having been informed just the bare minimum, Noboyuki only knew that he had to slay such a being, but no more than that. Seemingly, his sacred power would open a path, but he didn't have a damn of that. He calmly walked out of the library with a hand in both of his jacket's pockets. Now, where was Rena? As much as he would have like to leave her somewhere else, he really couldn't. It'd mean dead for him, without her divine protection.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena thanked the elder as she stepped into the sun, beyond the thatched roof home. He'd been very helpful the information on demon movements throughout the region was surprisingly in depth, from the sounds of it they shouldn't have any troubles moving ahead, its always nice when fortune smiles. The royal girl clutched the album traverler's cloak tightly, despite what one may think with her status as a princess through and through, she was also much more pragmatic for quite frankly traveling by foot was no time to wear dresses. Besides she herself was a seasoned traveler anyway, in the past she spent years in other courts across the kingdom, and then a few located in nearby foreign allies. Of course none of that came easily, attempting to convince her father to allow such things certainly took some time. In the end Rena was thankful for the experience, and looking back those exact experiences were paying off. The last month was not easy for sure, maybe within the first week money ran out, although not to her surprise, honestly there wasn't much to give at all. This forced them, or really rather Noboyuki, to take on odd jobs for merger earnings. Sure there was the satisfaction of assisting the people, they needed the help without a doubt, Rena just hasn't expressed as much to the hero. While considering Noboyuki, he had actually proven to be resourceful, and apparently well educated ignoring his obvious ignorance of her world. What's more the hero had proven to be quite skilled as a swordsman, not everyone could take on a demon especially alone in his case. In reality Rena didn't mind the man at all, in fact she had a deep respect for him, as for saying as much that was far out of the deal. Noboyuki was still a commoner, even with his position as the hero of prophecy... she still had social norms to adhere to. They agreed on staying in the sleepy hamlet for at least a day, even if Rena in truth wanted to pass the opportunity up, mainly out of concern for whatever damage the Demon King may cause if they delay too long, she couldn't ignore the need for a proper rest. As a bonus due to their importance, the elder gave them free lodgings at the only taven for miles around, the owner wasn't too happy but ultimately overruled. First things first, Rena had to find her hero, he did say that he wanted to vist the local libary, a rare occurrence really, she doubted he managed to glean anything from the trip unfortunately his lacking the ability to read her language was well too known. When she approached the tiny stone building, Rena caught sight of Noboyuki, good looked as if he wrapped up whatever business he tried to take care of. "Finally, hope you're done wasting our time by looking at books, you know you can't understand them anyway, right?" She spoke with authority fitting for royal blood, "While you were struggling to grasp basic writings, I had a talk with the elder. Good news is he agrees to house us for a day, food and shelter of course."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) And there she was... her royal highness. She didn't seem to know the meaning of the word 'nice', and Noboyuki was sure most of her body was composed of pure, pure disdain for him. If she had even a shred of respect for him, well, he couldn't sense as it was. He was either too dense to feel her respect or it was truly inexistant. Noboyuki was sure it was the latter, at the very least, he knew he wasn't dense... probably. "Yes, I know that. I just wanted to see if there was something around a library that wasn't actually written with the feet of someone who actually thought they could write. My, my, doesn't anyone here know how to use the alphabet? It's way simpler than those crappy drawings in everything. And I say that as a Japanese man, our writing is kinda like that but with different drawings." Noboyuki sighed once again. Anyway, who the hell came up with so many different languages in the first place? At the very least, Rena was good enough as to secure them a dry and comfortable place to spend the night. Trying his very best, Noboyuki put on a smile on his face. "Great! It seems you don't only dally around while I try to make any sense of what you call writing here. Let's go right now, I'm a bit tired and my shoulders are soo stiff." He moved his head around, and it cracked a bit. A good idea came to his mind, looking at Rena with a bit of a perverted look in his eyes. "Why don't you give me a massage, Rena? I'm pretty sure that if I got a massage like that, I'd sleep like a baby tonight." He said happily. He liked to joke around like that, even though he didn't always come out with the upper hand after making a bad taste joke like that, neither when he was overly sarcastic. Well, it was just the wat the world had made him. For someone of his frame and look (he wore glasses), the only thing he could do about others was outwit them when they were way bigger than him. At the very least, this world had given him some kind of super boost to his strength, making him able to go against huge monsters all by himself, and using knowledge he got in his own world, handling a sword was really right up his alley. It was when he wielded his sword that he truly felt like a 'hero'. Regardless of Rena's response, no matter what kind of comeback she had for him, Noboyuki would make his way to the inn. If anything was true, is that he was really tired. And some guy told him that if he slayed a nocturnal monster for him, he'd give him a lot of money, so he wanted to rest up and go for it later. Extra money never hurt, and maybe he could buy something for Rena. She wasn't all that bad once you get used to her. If you ever do.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- "No." A flat retort from the girl. Deserving of respect or not Noboyuki had his faults, mainly his tendency to be "witty" and somewhat perverse... could be worse. Rena had gotten used to his strange mannerisms, and really his blatant lack of respect, which wasn't uncalled for honestly considering her own treatment, she was by no means a hypocrite in that sense. If anything else the hero was just a foreigner if one were to ignore his actual orgins, Rena spent enough time with other cultures that getting used to the unusual whims of her partner did not take long. The most she knew of Noboyuki was he came from "Japan" yet he'd never talked much of it, which was a shame since she loved hearing about far off lands. On that specific day Rena wasn't too talkative and followed silently behind the otherworldly companion. While she didn't admit it, she was in truth fairly fatigued it had been far too long since they've been able to find a proper bed. Rena imagined the brief silence from her wouldn't go unwelcomed... as much as she disliked being unpleasant, she couldn't take any risk showing favor, already she could hear the gossip weaving throughout the courts the very last thing she ever wanted to do was fuel those whispers. A crowned heir traveling alone with a holy hero of the same age at that left a lot in the way of rumors, in uh less savory ways. As the hamlet wasn't the largest of settlements the duo found their way to the taven relatively quickly. It was a simple establishment, respectable in both look and service yet nothing more than that, not like the owner had much competition. Without a word Rena delt with the said owner, a gruff man like most taven owners strangely enough, out of earshot from Noboyuki she negotiated for their room. Not long after they were standing in a single small space, clearly a very plain room which was fine for Rena, wouldn't have been fair to expect more. There were two separate beds, each one on opposing walls. Before the hero was able to make a move Rena had already claimed the left most one, she flopped down on the mattress cloak trailing behind her trajectory, fluttering like a cloth butterfly. "Haven't seen a real bed for so long..." Yay for actual beds.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Well... Not what he expected. Rena seemed to be a bit too tired today for his jokes. Noboyuki seemed a bit annoyed that she felt like that, but nevertheless, he'd leave her alone for the time being. He better than anyone knew just how much people hated being pushed around when they didn't feel all that well. So, he just walked to the hamlet alongside her, just as silent as she was. At the very least, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. They walked all the way there and Rena, being a little too secretive, talked to the owner. Well, now what the hell should he do now that Rena started flirting with the elderly owner of the inn? He leant against a wall, waiting for the next thing to happen while he waited for Rena. Still, it sure was nice to finally have some kind of actual place to stay in, unlike most of the times that they camped outside. Being a hero had its perks, every now and then. For instance, if he were to go to a bar and say he was the hero, a lot, and he meant, A LOT, of women would start swarming him. Whether they searched for political power, money, or simply liked a man with status, didn't matter. At the very least, it made Noboyuki feel relieved. Maybe he'd do it again one of these days. Not today, though. He was just as tired, and he needed some rest before the monster hunt for the night. Finally, Rena came out and they went to their room. It always disappointed Noboyuki immensely that there were two beds in the room, though. "Hey, Renaaa...." He protested, much like a child. "How much did this cost? I bet getting a double room was expensive. Why not have a single room so we can cuddle closely together?" Even though he said so, he was already making his way to the bed. "But, not that it matters anymore. You should also get some rest, we are busy during the night." He said, and didn't realize until later that what he said could be badly misunderstood. But he didn't care anymore. The fluffiness of an actual bed swallowed him whole and his eyes became heavier by the minute. Soon enough, he was asleep. Well, if the princess had something to thank Noboyuki for was his lack of snores during night time.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- "The elder sent word of our arrival beforehand, two of us means two beds and before you ask I know this as the owner told me." Rena responded with her typical attitude, and she was ignoring his obvious, prevented comments on purpose, not at at willing to acknowledge them. Minutes of total silence passed before she decided to roll over trying to figure out why she was being ignored. She was more than ready to reprimand the disrespectful hero, already a notable scowl occupying her features, that is until the realization dawned upon her. The man must have been exhausted to have fallen asleep so quickly, instead the scowl feel away to a neutral, but soft expression. "Good, get some sleep. You have to work hard tonight, like always." Rena spoke quietly, perhaps not on purpose, maybe just so she wouldn't wake him up. Noboyuki needed to rest for some time, well the both of them really, but he's the one who fights not her. Rena slipped out of her cloak and hung it on the end of her bed, underneath was her normal clothing (What you see in her picture, minus the crown.) Pretty soon the princess herself fell asleep. Hours later Reba woke up, if one were to guess about an hour before midnight. She had a dreamless sleep, that said she was not the type of person who dreams often anyway. A momentary look revealed that Noboyuki hasn't awaken yet, great meant she could prepare for their trip without distraction. At the far end of the room the owner, or whoever may have worked at the taven, left them dinner on a plain desk present in the room. Beef stew, still warm, and a wedge of barley bread. Rena put her share to the side, she could eat it while working, as for the hero's bowl, well that was placed on the side table beside his bed. Rena found their bags and started to unload some of their contents onto the desk, these were bunches of papers and books. Seeing as Noboyuki couldn't read, she handled all the written work, she felt it was fair. Rena looked at various maps of the surrounding areas, earlier she got the details on the night job so with a stick of charcoal she marked where they should search first. It was a system of way points with a designated allocation of time in one area to comb before moving on. The plan was to follow this strategy until they come across the beast, or until dawn. Out in the field Rena's job was to keep them on track, being the guide of course. As a side note this style of planning was developed by the Eskar military, quite frankly had also shown to be effective during recon by scouts, so of course Rena payed attention to this much to their benefit. She continued to work diligently unaware as to wether or not Noboyuki had awoken yet.</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena barely registered Noboyuki getting up, too entrenched in her work to really notice anything but paperwork. It wasn't until later she happened to notice the empty bed, funny thing is he left the stew alone possible missed it or some other reason. Whatever, instead of concerning herself in something trivial, she got right back to planning, he'll probably eat later, hopefully. Rena found a star chart, fairly crude in reality, but accurate enough to use for broad navigation of course only useful at night. A few foot notes later, she was confident that they'll won't get lost long as nothing goes wrong. She still had no idea where the hero went off to, maybe to get some fresh air. Rena knew they had little bit more time until they set out, the creature is practicular for what times it ventures out. During her talks with the owner earlier she requested for a bath, the taven had one so taking advantage of such a thing wasn't about to be passed up. She whistled an improvised melody while outside of the bathroom, her clothes folded neatly by the door. A bath was one of those small luxuries Rena learned to forget since they've started to journey. She thought she heard some water splashing, it didn't make sense but in the end she opted to forget it. The next series of events were in a blur if Rena were ever to recall them, the best summary could be said to be "awkward", because she found where Noboyuki went. Nothing happened as Rena stood there, trying not to make the situation worse, just how did this happen? Did he tell her about a bath? If he did was it her fault? A high amount of self control and solid composure went into standing her ground, even with the view the known-to-be-prevented hero had. Hiding biological responses was something she couldn't do as a slowly her face turned red. Eventually Rena took the one action she could think of, and that was to turn around a leave. Finally out of sight, she for a lack of a better word, facepalmed. What just happened?</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Well... Noboyuki sure got a good show while in his bath. The only bad thing? That the princess probably saw things she shouldn't see. He was just as shocked as her, but he didn't have any time to try and stop his natural body reactions. And by that, he meant those a man has that will probably ashame him in society. Whether she saw or not was irrelevant right now. He was planning on relaxing while he was there, but any kind of relaxing he could've had was destroyed by the sudden arrival of Rena. He didn't even feel comfortable there anymore. Maybe the guy thought they had that kind of relationship and said that on purpose? Maybe he thought they'd ahppily share a bath like lovers? Well, damn, what an open minded geezer he was then. Or at the very least, a really malicious geezer. that got his kicks out of seeing people miserable. Not that he was miserable right now, mind you, in fact, he was quite satisfied with the turn of events. He quikcly gathered his things, put some pants on and left the bath, seeing Rena on his way out. He didn't even saw her, and merely continued on his way. "The bath is now all yours, Rena. Have fun." He said, jokingly while he walked away, before stopping and looking back at her with a lecherous smile in his face. "Also, thanks for the treat. I'll be dreamming some real good things tonight thanks to you." He said and gave her a thumbs up, before walking away towards their room. Well, he might as well get something to eat, whatever that thing left aside his bed was would make do for now. He hurried back to their room and started on eating the stew left beside his bed. He needed the energy anyways. He still wondered what kind of creature he'd be facing today, he only got that it was nocturnal from the guy that gave him the, 'quest', to call it something. It felt more and more like an RPG world the more he thought about it. He finished off the stew and quickly got dressed up and ready for action with his sword hanging around his waist. He then went out of the room and decided to wait for Rena in the lobby. Or he could go peek on her right now that she was taking her bath, probably. Decisions, decisions... He knew the sacred power would come in handy right about now.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- She so wanted to punch the arrogance out of him, so badly. Not that was an option, like at all, she had a feeling it was either her own fault... or maybe a certain gruff man whom they recently met, the audacity. The point is, she was the one who walked in and so the blame had to go to herself, it was only fair that way, at least that's what she thought. Even then Rena couldn't pass up the bath, despite the water being used, the thought of Noboyuki's... uh uncovered body once touching the exact same water was not comforting. She thanked her luck that it was an isolated incidence, not even in her worse nightmares could Rena imagine what sort of rumors would've been born from all this. The bath was anything but relaxing as she wanted, still she attempted to ignore the images floating in her mind, they're both adults meaning they were more than capable of moving on, Rena just couldn't ignore the initial shock that remained. Soon enough she was done and dressed, when she returned to their room it seemed that Noboyuki already gathered his equipment, plus he clearly ate the beef stew was probably cooled off by the time he gotten around to eating it. Rena donned her cloak, grabbed small a book that held all her field notes, and the map she prepared for the mission. In the dark it'll be harder to read any of it, with luck the moon would provide enough light anyway. They couldn't waste anymore time, if they were unable to find and slay the beast that very night they wouldn't be able to try again for a full day, a day that she felt couldn't be spared. Noboyuki was ready to move out it looked like as he waited in the main hall, Rena had already placed the bath event towards the very back regions of her memory, they had a job to do they had to remain on task. She marched up to the man, bringing forth the level of authority that came naturally to her. "If you're about done loitering about, we have to start the hunt right now. I don't need to tell how much of pain it'll be if the beast is not dead by dawn, we do not have to time to try again." Rena rolled out the map on a nearby table, pointing to it. "This is the nearby woods where the creature is commonly reported, hope I don't need to tell you that much. I tried to make it simple for you, these circles here are the search zones, we spend the appropriate amount of time before continuing onto the the next area, and so forth." Rena let out an exasperated sigh, "We're burning too much time, don't fall behind." With that the nightly hunt was on.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) She seemed all ready to go as well. Though she still wore that dress on her that seemed to be uncomfortable to no end. 'Well, to each their own, I guess...' He thought. Well, it seemed like some kind of damn important royal dress, but Noboyuki wasn't one to nitpick. Even less when her role in the whole adventure was protecting him and not getting any of the actual action. Even he would feel frustrated, but since he wasn't a woman, he couldn't look fabulous while he waited. He let out a giggle at the thought of that, and made it sound a bit as if he were mocking her. He cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm done loitering. The hunt can start whenever." He flashed a confident smile at her. He rested his hand on his sword's hilt and approached the table to see what his little strategist had planned out for the day, err, night. He merely nodded and said 'hm' while she gave out instructions. It still hurt his pride that she thought he couldn't understand more than just simple figures in the map. He was pretty intelligent, it was just the fact that he couldn't read that stopped him from showing that was the case. No, well, that isn't something someone intelligent would say, would it? Anyhow, back to the problem at hand.... "I see, I see. This beast won't last any longer. Not as long as the reknown hero Noboyuki has something to say about it!" Noboyuki said, pounding his chest with pride. It was the least he could do to show that he wasn't actually scared of whatever the hell it was. Noboyuki followed after Rena, increasing his pace to be walking right beside her. "As long as her highness does her part, I'm pretty sure we can get this over with before dawn." He said. It was going to be an easy hunt, something told him that. At the very least, it seemed to be his heroic power, or instinct, that made him think that. He started feeling like a hero for the very first time since he arrived there. Soon enough, the woods were in sight, and as soon as they went into them, Noboyuki took his sword out of its sheath and appeared to be ready for battle. "Be sure to stay behind me, princess. I don't want anyone getting on my bottom just cause you got slightly hurt." Noboyuki put himself in front of her while he walked towards the place she had told him about. He just hoped the first thing they'd see was the monster they had to eliminate. Going back to sleep was first priority.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena briefly glared at Noboyuki, "Don't press your luck..." No matter, it did make sense for him to lead on being the one with the sword and whatnot. The small party reached the start of the wilderness stretching beyond the hamlet's borders. Every so often Rena stopped them in order to check their position, she didn't say so but figuring out the land in person is harder than simply reading maps, more so during the dead of night. Fortunately Rena was able to reliably guide the both of them through the dark trees, at least she hoped as much. During one of their stops Rena was uncommonly quiet, she almost looked worried if Noboyuki were able to clearly see her in the darkness. After some time she spoke up. "So, Noboyuki. Have you noticed how these, well monsters we face have been getting stronger? I'm getting worried, that we, or uh honestly more like you wouldn't be able to keep up for much longer. Your powers haven't emerged yet right? I... have to admit, I'm getting worried."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Well, this is a surprise." Noboyuki started, with a bit of a grin in his face. He never dropped his guard, though, and was ready for anything that might leap at them any second now. That didn't take away any of his sarcastic demeanor, though. "You are actually worried about me. It's nice for a change." Noboyuki finished with another big smile on his face. As if to demonstrate his prowess, he started rolling his sword around with a lot of ease in his hand. "There's no need for sacred power when you have cool skills like this. I've always been more of a DPS kind of guy rather than a mage." He said, talking in video game terms of his own world. Still, he soon noticed that Rena might not know what the hell he is talking about if he talks like that. They were terms only natural for him, since he liked to play games from time to time. "Ah, sorry. What I was trying to say I am not the kind to rely on powers like those. The support you give me is just magnificent." Noboyuki said to her, with a wink. While he was fooling around, though, they had already arrived to the desifnated spot before they even knew. Or at the very least, really near to one of those spots. It was something gigantic, that was walking on all four of its legs, wait, no, its steps said that it had more than just four legs, maybe six? It seemed just like something straight out of hell. It was a bit more of a surprise than what he initially thought it'd be. For something roaming the woods, it just seemed too feral and aggressive, aside from scary. "R-Rena, what is that? Is it even from around here?" Noboyuki readied his sword. While his initial appearance threw him off a bit, he was now ready to go at it. The fact that it may be a demon was still there, and that meant that it had some connection to their overall quest. "It doesn't even seem like an animal." Still, whatever the thing was, it was already on the offense. It slashed at Noboyuki and he barely deflected its sharp claws with his sword, sending it back a few steps. Its four arms spelled problems for Noboyuki, not to mention the tail. He wasn't as confident as before, and that last hit seemed to be more to test him rather than actually fighting him.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- None of this looked good for them, Rena didn't freeze up exactly although she felt somewhat numb. This... thing looked nothing like the description, still now she thought about it the pay was almost too good to be true. "I... don't know its nothing out of the demonology manuals I've studied." She threw her bag on the ground, already shifting through the many papers within. "Alright, listen me I need time to figure what this beast is, just do what you can and don't get reckless..." The last word trailed off, she caught herself before saying anything else. Rena struck a touch, here was hoping the extra light wouldn't attract the wrath of that abomination. She started with history texts, demons haven't plagued the earth for too long really, perhaps only appearing just before she was born. Even then these books had to be the most accurate as they were recorded by actual scholars. She quickly flipped through the yellow parchment, whatever it was the damned thing had to be notable somewhere, that is assuming any information was present in the first place. Five minutes later she slammed the book shut in frustration. During that time Rena tried to block out the sounds of conflict as Noboyuki tangled with the walking nightmare... alone. Rena knew the hero couldn't die, that wasn't her main concern. Despite being technically immortal he could still be critically wounded, or crippled, losing a limb was not out of the picture. What if he were to sustain a serious head wound? What kind of life would he even live at that point? Rena breathed deeply, losing her clam would be very deferential, well that was putting it lightly. Next set to search through, local legends she had bought and collected over time. Not nearly as reliable but should be more relevant. About halfway through Rena landed on a particular page, the top of which had the words Joungha the Corpse Taker. She read over the entry, the description of its subject matched the monster before them word to word. Her heart sank, this was bad, more than bad they were way out of their league. "Noboyuki, uh..." Rena couldn't stomp down the sheer panic creeping into her voice, "We are in huge trouble, this is not a demon... no its something more than only a demon."</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He had his own inner demons, made sense though, he was human with his own fears, well mostly human with a hidden cashe of holy might. Perhaps for the first time since she's met him, Noboyuki wasn't being himself none of that sarcasm and lack of urgency, in all honesty he was more like a mortality wounded warrior saying his final words. Rena would've believed just that if she didn't know better, he'll not die of course, being that he was back under her divine protection. "You're acting like a dying knight, but remember you're going to live beyond a ghost of a doubt. After all you're under my holy shield again." She comforted, with a never before seen smile, sure barely counted as such, but it was there. "Besides, I'm always here, and I know even if you were not immortal that it'll take much to end you. Now hold still, I'm going to start wrapping your foot." Half of her tags were bloodied already, but she still had enough to do the job. Rena worked quietly while dressing the gaping hole, she had to layer the cloth multiple times in order to absorb the blood. There were no stitches, the practice itself was uncommon, and it didn't matter anyway as Rena didn't have the skills to probably apply them, still with luck that wouldn't be needed. Finally that job was done, her quality of care wasn't too poor, about average at least the bandages wouldn't unravel at the slightest of movements. Rena kept applying pressure, the faster the bleeding stops the better, even if the wound was taken care of, Noboyuki had to still be losing blood.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Don't be like that. I'm pouring my heart out here, ya know?" The drunk hero said. Well, it seemed she was just about done with his patching up. Still, he sure missed the stitches that would have been normally applied to him back in his own world. But wait, stitches? With just two pieces of meat that had become his foot now? Nah, didn't seem at all good. In fact, it sounded more hurtful than good. Maybe he'd stay with his two pieces of foot undefinitely. "That holy shield of yours sure is handy at times like this. Wonder if it'll help me heal faster. It'd be fantastic if that did happen. Or maybe my holy powers will just now activate with the alcohol and I'll wake up with super cool powers." Noboyuki laughed at his own joke for a bit, until the pain started growing. Most definitely the effect of the alcohol was disappearing. In other words, he was becoming sober once again. Well, he should, at the very least, take full advantage of his improvised sedative method wile it still lasted. With wobbly legs, he stood up, even though his foot stinged like crazy. "Then, I'm going back to our room. Passing out in the main lobby would be just awful. And don't worry, they say that the devil looks after their own, so I'm pretty sure I've still got some ways until people get to see me die." Noboyuki said, with a confident smile. It was certainly something a hero should not be saying, given that the demon was his enemy, but no matter. He made his way towards their room, clearly supporting himself more on his good leg rather than on the one that he had just hurt. Not before long, he had already arrived. He practically passed out in front of the bed and fell towards it. He was tired, hurt and drunk. It was a definitely terrible combination. Something told him his dreams might be filled with nightmares.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Well that was somewhat of a relief, Noboyuki seemed closer to his old self again, the alcohol must've passed through his system, which was off considering how quickly he sobered up, she did not expect him to be walking around that soon as well. Guess people from his world are more resilient, not everyone can walk with am their Achilles Tendon almost torn. Rena thanked the owner for all his help, even offered some kind of reward, although the owner refused stating that helping the saviors of the kingdom was enough. Perks of being heroes and royalty once again. Even then Rena stayed behind to clean the mess, and herself to the best of her ability, which wasn't too difficult seeing as the blood was still relatively fresh having no time to dry. Soon enough she was able to return to their room, Noboyuki was asleep, amazing really that even in pain he could find peace like that, not that she'd mind, actually it made things a whole lot easier she almost thought they might've needed to find some sleep aid or painkiller first. Instead of going to sleep herself, Rena pulled up the desk's chair, after what they've been through there was no time to sleep. She had to document what they found out about Joungha through their brief encounter, that knowledge if there might save someone's life one day. She also wanted to continue doing some research, from local lore she only learned so much, there had to be more somewhere else. About an hour a half later, Rena about fell asleep on the wooden table, fatigue got the better of her. Across the surface of the desk, illustrations, notes, books, scrolls, basically all the materials they had on hand, and her own, were there. Guess in the morning depending on what happens, Rena would get back to work.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The next day came, and with the rising sun, Noboyuki slowly regained consciousness. He expected a horrible hangover, but, shocking enough, he didn't have a hangover of any kind. Maybe it was because of Rena's holy shield? Regardless of what the hell it was, Noboyuki felt even... fresh, as if he had taken a bath of some kind, a hot, relaxing bath. He went to the side of the bed and sit there, scratching his head a bit. He took his glasses off, since he had forgotten about it the last night, and put them in the night table beside his bed. It was pretty blurry. Well, what did he expect? To be suddenly clear like in Spiderman or something? He wasn't a super human, even if the fate of the world said he had to be one. He took a cloth out of his breast pocket and cleaned his glasses, before putting them on again. "Ah, just like the change from ol' SD to HD." He then moved his neck around, making it crack a bit, before putting his hand on it. It seemed to have hurt, that last thing he did. "Ugh, my neck should have twisted after I passed out in the bed or something. Too bad there isn't any kind of muscle relaxing cream in this world. I could use it right now." Well, he just had to put up with it. He stood up from the bed, and even felt like dropping to his knees out of sheer pain from his wound, however, it was more of a reflex than actual pain. It probably was the effect of Rena's holy shield, though. ...Speaking of the pampered princess, though.... He turned to see the desk, and found her collapsed there. Well, sleeping, but collapsed seemed more of an accurate description for her current state. He decided to get near to and try to wake her up. However, when he arrived to where she was, he found her sleeping so peacefully and soundly that he just couldn't bring himself to wake her up. He merely smiled as he looked at the beautiful girl in front of him sleeping. "Sleep well, sleeping beauty. Man, that was cheesy..." He said, before turning and leaving the room. Then again, he might not be able to walk all that well wiht the wound he had on his foot. He took his sword and started using it as a cane to help him walk. He would get a bath and perhaps order some breakfast. Maybe also try his hand at bargaining with the owner, given that they might need to stay there for a while longer than initially expected. It seemed like a busy day for Rena, regardless. He wasn't a politician or anything of the like like her, so maybe it was really the best option to leave everything to her. Well.... he would only take a bath, for the time being. Maybe also think of some way to compensate Rena for everything she does. Would she know of the concept of a date?</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena woke up, and not in graceful way, mainly by choking on her own saliva as people sometimes do when sleeping. She coughed heavily trying to discharge the unwelcome substance trapped in her throat, in her fit a bundle of pages was thrown off of the desk... that day didn't start all that great. While muttering to herself, something about gag reflexes or whatnot, she had to take perhaps five minutes to finally reorganize the local workspace. When done Rena found Noboyuki to be missing from his bed, knowing better this time she just assumed him to be in the bath, just to be safe, hate to have a repeat of yesterday. Breakfast sounded good to the rudely awaken princess, rather than asking for food to be brought up she opted to eat in the main hall, maybe have a chance to listen to gossip, and more importantly to take the chance to properly thank the owner, as well as figure out how they're going to arrange for more days because clearly they will not be leaving for a while. Rena tossed her rather dirty fancy dress on her own bed, after their previous adventures it was quite covered in dirt, instead she wore spare clothing, a rather plain white cotton dress but really comfortable. Down in the hall, Rena right away found the owner to thank him for all the help he had provided, thing is after bringing up that they'll have to stay for much longer than expected, the owner simply swiped the idea aside knowing full well that Noboyuki could not travel, especially when he was wounded while in service to the hamlet from hunting that cursed god. At the most he'll be able to afford to feed and house them for a month, after that there wouldn't be much else unless he wanted to go bankrupt, still Rena was thankful for his compassion. She sat at a table with a small breakfast of oatmeal, fresh cheese, and a tankard of diluted ale, so far the news going around was nothing of note, just talks about weather really after last night however, Rena didn't mind the peace, not at all.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) After a relaxing bath, Noboyuki came out and thanked the owner, and also the heavens for having such a convenient thing in there, and that it was just like those of Japan was also a huge advantage for him. It made him feel at home, one way or the other. After getting dressed up and everything else, he went back to the dining hall. He hoped to find Rena there, but if he didn't, well, he'd just have breakfast without her. Noboyuki, though, was just dressed with a shirt and a pair of pants, without the usual jacket he wore on him. It just seemed a bit too stuffy now to wear and made him feel uncomfortable. After arriving to the dining hall, he spotted Rena rather quickly, even though she wasn't wearing her usual fancy dress. Well, it wasn't a surprise, probably it got ragged and dirty yesterday during their escape. He decided to not even comment about it and just sit in front of her, to take his own breakfast. He had already asked someone to bring his food there, so they brought it little after he sat down. He started on eating it slowly, it was the same meal Rena was eating too, so he decided to take it a bit slowly. After a while of being in silence, Noboyuki finally let out a sigh and looked at Rena. "Good morning. Sleep well? I hope I didn't do anything in my sleep to wake you up." Of course, he was uncertain of whether or not he had sleep talked, screamed or groaned in pain last night. His dreams were fairly normal as well, so he didn't think he had any kind of reason to start screaming during the night, but one never knew. "Also, your power is a life saver. I'm guessing I would be screaming with pain if it weren't for your incredible holy shield thingy." He wasn't sure of whether or not it really had the power to do that, but he just assumed.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- More news here and there, again nothing too special fairly mundane overall. Interesting part is even if Joungha had made a very recent appearance, as in the night before, no one seemed to even acknowledge the being's presence. She was were, the creature was anything but subtle, the villages back in the hamlet should've heard his roars, Rena knew she did at the very least. There wasn't much to go on so she decided to forget the thought, perhaps there was an unspoken rule about never mentioning the god. She leaned back in the solid oak chair, nothing gained from a little eavesdropping it seemed. Suddenly there be Noboyuki, right out of the blue without warning or a greeting first before he sat down. Heartbeats later, a server brought him breakfast, funny thing was the meal was the exact same as her own, must've been the standard fare that morning. Rena was conflicted about how she should act, for the majority of their journey she had of course remained standoffish to the hero, as she wanted of course, but last night she broke that mean streak, the worse part is she wasn't too sure how much of the night Noboyuki actually remembered through the drunkenness and pain. For the second time that day she almost choked on something liquid, while taking a drink of ale, the hero talked and for some reason this threw her off big time. As luck had it she managed to resist going into another coughing fit by sheer willpower Rena fought against the urge to hack and wheeze in order to deal with the misplaced ale. She did listen intently to what Noboyuki had to say, maybe looking a bit more interested than she had in the past, her companion seemed to be fairing well all together yet that didn't fool her into believing him to be alright, there was still the issue of his injured foot. He did mention how he thought that her holy shield was helping to deal with the pain, although the shield was only deigned for its one specific purpose and shouldn't do any more than that, but still anything could be possible in the realm of the divine. "I slept well, maybe a bit restless considering I didn't find a proper bed in time, but well enough nonetheless." Rena looked off to the side as if thinking, which she was, "Interesting you bring up the shield as such, its power is not meant to treat pain as you know, but I suppose that anything could be possible, perhaps a side effect? Speaking about your pain... uh, how is your foot? I hope I managed to treat it correctly, medicine is not something I studied much... I possibly fear that I did something wrong."</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) When she started coughing and suffocating on whatever she was eating, Noboyuki couldn't help but feel a bit worried. He'd had stood up to check on her, but given how his foot was, it wasn't something he wanted to do right now. Yes, the pain may be gone, but one never knew. The thing was a bit too exposed for it to be safe to be moving aorund without a worry in the world. He thought it'd be better for him not to stand up, Rena wouldn't kick the bucket just because of that. "H-Hey, don't go choking on me right now. We are still only halfway to wherever that guy is, ya know?" After she finally stopped coughing, Noboyuki let out a relieved sigh. "Oi, oi, the one that was about to be a goner is me, not you. Don't start choking over nothing, will you? You surprised even me." He said. Well, after that, Noboyuki felt relieved that he didn't wake up Rena at all, but when she let the bomb drop on him, Noboyuki almost felt like spitting out the juice he was drinking. He held off that urge and gulped it down with a lot of effort and even if a bit of exaggeration. "WHAT. THE. HELL! You don't try and fix up some guy when you know next to nothing about medicine!" While he was a bit mad, he was still grateful. As far as he knew, his foot was better, but that might as well be an effect of the girl's holy shield. "Ya know, let's just... let's just leave that aside for now. My foot is fine enough for me to walk, at the very least. See, let's go away from that. What would you like to do today?I've got an idea, if you don't mind hearing it. Do you know what a date is?" Nobyuki said, with a happy expression on his face.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Well wasn't that a least bit rude to say, going about as if she was some clueless girl without a sliver an idea how to wrap simple cloth around someone's foot... did she say that? Rena was obviously somewhat concerned for how Noboyuki healed over the night, and it was very possible that she could've tripped up somewhere when managing his wounds, as she was inexperienced in medical practices, not a complete idiot in any way. Rena glared at Noboyuki as she silently fumed over her thoughts, probably wouldn've have been best to say anything, despite how she wanted to verbally tear into the loose lipped hero, and that time those were her true feelings, none of that aloof act she had been maintaining. Then at the mention of a "date" her scowl turned into a look of confusion, not that she didn't know what a date was, Eskar was a civilized kingdom after all so the concept of courting someone wasn't usual and even expected, at least among the nobility. Now the question was why did Noboyuki want to date her? Was he joking? Rena thought she knew the man well enough to at least get a feeling about his true intentions, and well he looked earnest, strange as it might be. For a brief moment Rena almost panicked at the idea of him being romantically interested in her, which was the absolute opposite of what she desired, still before her shock could really show she decided it might be best to query a bit further, Noboyuki's definition of a date could be vastly different from her own, with his being from another world of course. "I... know what a date is yes. Its quite common for a man to court a woman as such in Eskar, I'll say that much, also I'm assuming a 'date' is the same from both our worlds... so." Rena stared into Noboyuki's eyes with conviction, "What is your reasoning behind asking for a date, hmm?"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki should have expected this. It seems Rena took it as him wanting to get closer to her, in a romantic way. Well, it was funny in its own way. Noboyuki let out a snicker at the sight of her, being a little flustered, even if it was over her usual demeanor. Noboyuki supported his head on his hand with a confident smile on. He seemed to be mocking her, in one way, but he was actually just interested in her vision of a date. "Coutship, huh? Back where I come from, it isn't uncommon for a man and a woman to go on one with those intentions. Though, you can also have one just as friends." Noboyuki explained, while moving his finger with his other hand. "In other words, miss princess, I just want to relax for a bit. It'd be nice to get acquainted with the town too." Noboyuki suddenly lost all of his spunk and looked a bit sadder. "After all, we are stuck in here for a while." Noboyuki felt ashamed of himself. He was supposedly the hero of legends and he was done in by a forgotten God. How pathetic was that? Jonghua or not, Noboyuki made it one of his goals to finish the thing once he was able. It was more of a grudge rather than actual worry for the village, though. He shook his head, before looking at Rena once again with his spunk restored and his confident smile again in his face. "Besides, wouldn't it be good for you too to get acquainted with people over here? Ya know, representing your father and whatnot? Loyal subordinates come from a friendly relationship with them, I hear."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- What he said did take sense, at least his last statement having a good personal relationship with common folk was never a bad proposition. Problem was it was hardly pragmatic, no human ruler could ever effectively do such a thing, the feudal system was in a place for a reason, a commoner reports to the mayor or elder, who reports the to local lord, who reports to the local duke, and so forth. Really a king was only expected to deal with twenty some odd direct vassals. Noboyuki probably didn't understand this system, again remembering he's not of her world, Rena decided that saying anything wasn't worth the effort. Plus after some consideration it was decided that she was overthinking the topic. Rena sat in silence only staring down Noboyuki, in all consideration she couldn't figure out why he wanted to go on this date. Now she had to admit there wasn't really a problem if it was only out of friendship, and certainly Noboyuki was considered to be a friend. In the end Rena conjectured that maybe something like his version of a date wouldn't be all that bad. "I suppose I see what you mean... maybe spending some time exploring this hamlet would not be a waste." In one movement Rena stood from her spot, determined to take part in this foreigner's brand of dating. "I hope your foot wouldn't be a problem if we walk about, right?" Now she couldn't help but not to look concerned, after all Noboyuki had only a night to heal, still the man should know his own limits.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki smiled, a bit arrogantly, if anything else, when Rena agreed to go on a date with her. If he ever went back to his world, he would be able to brag about this to his friends, if he ever went back, that is. After all, it isn't everyday that you get a date with a princess of a great kingdom like that. Well, should they get on with it? He had just finished his breakfast too. Noboyuki stood up as well, not before cleaning his mouth carefully with the handkerchief he kept inside his breast pocket. It was only bits and crumbs of bread, so it wouldn't get so dirty, otherwise, he wouldn't use it so lightly. It was one of his favorite things, after all. Made him seem classy. "Then, shall we get going?" Noboyuki simply said, while looking at the girl with a big smile. And then, she seemed to get worried about his foot. Well, it had hurt at first, but it was nothing right now. "Now, don't look so down like that. It makes me feel bad for my foot again. Anyhow, don't worry. Your shield is keeping anything bad at bay, I'm sure of it." Noboyuki said, before making his way towards the exit of the restaurant, before turning his head around at the girl with a smile. "You aren't going to just stand there and wait, right? Let's go. We'll worry about things once they happen, so let's just enjoy ourselves for now."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- His words were actually comforting, as it really did put here more at ease about Noboyuki's injury. The hero could be putting on brave front for all she knew, at least his strength was admirable. Rena didn't hold back a sigh, "You are a grown man of course, but... if you fall in the streets due to your wound, you will have to drag yourself home." She then turned on her heel to start leaving the hall and off to the outside world. All the same though, despite her words Rena was somewhat more soften spoken, and in other subtle ways more gentle, not even in ways she realized herself. The pair were walking just out of the taven, that is assuming Noboyuki decided to follow her lead, not that Rena would've expected him to run off to who knows where. That day was fair, clear skies without a wisp of a cloud. There was only a slight breeze hanging in the air, just enough to ruffle Rena's hair as it fluttered in time with each minute gust. Now that she wasn't rushing around, like before, Rena this time around took in the surroundings. Nearby fields were bountiful with heavy, golden grain, fortunately for the people the harvest was promised to be grand this year, in fact laborers were already beginning inital preparations for the scheduled week of harvest itself. It was now that Rena thought about how they really had been traveling for an entire month, when they started these very fields must've been only half its current height. Late autumn had arrived. The girl walk alongside her companion quietly, it was far from an awkward one, at least the way Rena perceived it, but just a simple calm, she didn't dare to ruin it. Now after say five minutes of continued silence, the princess looked up Noboyuki, "Its peaceful isn't it? Hard to believe this is almost the same place we encountered that momster... but I like it, this current calmness that is."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) As expected the princess took the lead and guided him through the town. It was a beautiful sight, and it made Noboyuki feel.... odd, to be honest. It wasn't nostalgy, because in the city he used to live before there wasn't anything quite like that. In fact, it was a rare sight. It was, yes, refreshing, it was refreshing. For a change of pace, nature was good. Noboyuki went on with the silence Rena didn't dare temper with. Noboyuki smiled with a lazy smile that was already an habit of his while he was in his own world. Speaking of changes of pace, this was a change of pace in his current lifestyle. A relaxing stroll through town, different to their everyday battles. When Rena finally spoke off, Noboyuki turned to see her with the same lazy smile still in his face. "Yeah, hardly seems like there was a monster that horrible before. God or not, I still find it hard to believe people actually worshipped that thing." Noboyuki said. Well, this was just about the right time for a smoke. He hadn't been smoking lately because he didn't have that many cigarettes in the first place. He had to make them last, otherwise he'd be stranded in that world without any way to entertain himself. Of course, also because it wasn't that healthy to be smoking like a damn chimney. He also had his very own, specially made lighter. A metal, shiny lighter of silver color with the kanjis for his name engraved on it. He searched through his breast pocket until he produced a single white cigarette and put it in his mouth, before lighting it and take a good smoke out of it. After that, he let the smoke come out of his mind with a relaxed sigh. It wasn't his favorite kind of thing to do, but damn, did it relax him like no other thing. "Do you smoke, Rena? Wait, do you even have cigarettes here?" He asked, curious of whether or not he'd be able to get more of them in that world. Still, he planned to guard those he was carrying with him with his life. It was his favorite brand, after all.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena coughed of the stench of the buring tobacco, not that she knew what it was seeing as the plant was not native to Eskar, or maybe even to that world. Whatever a... cigarette was it smelt like disease to her, really begging the question why Noboyuki would ever think of placing it in his month in the first place. The girl just marked this as another outlandish element from the hero's true home. "cough cough ...I don't know what a cigarette is but that smell alone makes me question you and your people. Ugh." Rena fell silent again, however after not too long she continued, the time just seemed right to ask something she had being dying to know for long while. "So, Noboyuki you... don't talk about your home that often, well really at all. Also..." Rena stopped mid sentence unsure if it was within her rights to ask, "...What about yourself? I'll admit even though we're a month along I don't know you. What I mean is every man has a history, even then you are still a blank book to myself." Rena looked thoughtful as she spoke her thoughts, staring at Noboyuki with curious eyes, obviously not exactly in line with her established character. "We have a long road ahead of us, and is there anything wrong with wanting us to finally start learning about each other?"</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Since it seemed that Rena wasn't accustomed to the smell of the cigarette (as expected, and unfortunately, they didn't have cigarettes there), and also seemed to not like it, as expected of non-smokers, he quickly took another taste of his cigarette, quickly burning it out, but not quite quick enough to finish it, Noboyuki then went on to put it out in the sole of his shoe, out of respect of the people and things around him. He also put the remaining of it inside his breast pocket. He had at least the decency of not littering anywhere he was. "Haha, I wonder the same actually. It is just a bad habit I picked up in high school and haven't been able to get rid off. Maybe I don't want either, even though it is known to cause a lot of diseases. It.... relaxes me when I am stressed out." Noboyuki smiled at her. Well, wasn't this a surprise. He even told her so. "My, what a surprise. I never would have expected the princess of a grandiose fantasy world to be interested in my own." He laughed, a bit more hearty than the other times he had actually laughed while on this world. It made him feel relaxed, somehow. Was it the cigarette or was it the company? "Well, what can you say? My world is definitely a lot more advanced than yours. We've got a lot of technology. Maybe it is to make up for our lack of magic. Japan, from where I come from, is known for a lot of things, traditions and whatnot, technology, etcetera, etcetera. IT mostly known because of the anime we broadcast though. People from all around the world like to watch it. It is.... well, I think the best way to explain it is, several drawings in a sequence that make it seem as if it were moving... or something like that. Anyhow, it would be a lot to explain, electricity, tv's, circuits, computers, etcetera, etcetera...." Now that he thought about it, it really was complex, though it didn't appear to him that way because he had become used to them. He decided on a quick change of subject. "And about me? Well, I was a normal guy, normal as normal comes. I went to high school, finished college and then got a stable, boring job in a big company as a mere salaryman. I make enough for a living and to give me some luxuries every now and then, but other than that, my job isn't, well, you could call it, fullfilling. It was a boring everyday, definitely so. The most I could do was play something in a console to pretend my life hadn't become the cliche that is often seen in movies and whatnot. And then, I was plunged into this world. Well, at least here I have a purpose." Noboyuki finished with a smile. I felt somewhat good to be needed, even if he had to risk his life. "What about you, miss princess? Any interesting stories you can tell me about?" Though not as direct, Noboyuki was also fairly interested on what Rena had to say and what her life was like before all of this.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Noboyuki was a foreigner beyond a doubt, it wasn't so much as what he talked about, but the way he talked. To put in a way, the man would be in huge trouble in they were in a court proper for he didn't make out to be the best of diplomats. "You know, you would've angered many nobles with the way you talk, it is never wise for one to directly compare his own nation to another's, its how feuds start." Rena glared her usual glare at the man, but this time it didn't last when she started laughing lightly, a barely audible one, but still there. "Luckily you're only talking to me, so no true offense." He gave a lot of information, much more than she ever expected, though she was happy the hero was willing to share about himself just from her asking. Now she didn't understand a scrap of what he said, seeing as he used words and concepts not of her own world, but it was a good step up anyway. When he asked her to share of her history, Rena wasn't surpised since the question was fully expected. After a pause just to gather her thoughts, she jumped right in. "Where to start... I traveled a lot. Not as a wanderer of course, that would be stupid for someone such as myself. No I have spent the majority of my life in many other courts rather than my father's in the capital province. Now most of them are within the kingdom itself still, so the expectations were the same, perhaps variations depending on the liege in question." "Oh now foreign courts are a whole new beast, sometimes the difference between cultures is so vast, but the experience is worthwhile, especially learning to tolerate other peoples. I don't know how it is in your world, but here conflict is founded on such petty issues out of misunderstandings, despite the current age of the Demon King. My father, you know the king of Eskar, is known to be one of the most peaceful rulers in recent history, skilled diplomat with the military might and authority to back his claims. I plan on continuing what he started, using words to maintain good relations with our neighbors. Although... as for warfare, and well with the looming threat of the demons... I have doubts..." Rena trailed off, more lost in thought than ever. Soon after she shook her head as if pushing her own thoughts away. "Enough of my ramblings, the focus should be on what we are doing now, and not so far in the future." Rena looked back to Noboyuki, "You've told me about your home, but what else is going on in your world... I wonder with a much more advanced society as you say, do your people face the same problems as mine?"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) It seemed the girl liked to mind her matters even while speaking unofficially to a companion. Noboyuki couldn't help but laught at that fact. "You should've heard me speaking with my boss then. I couldn't speak so casually or even treat him as a friend, in all honesty, he got pissed the moment I did so. Then again, he was a sourpuss and I am not exactly a 'by the book' kind of guy." For the first time, though, he thought that Rena was actually enjoying herself, and it made him happy as well. She seemed to even crave for knowledge. It was good to see that, even if it was in another world. Noboyuki simply nodded in acknowledgement as he heard Rena speak about herself. It was truly something how a princess was allowed to wander like that. Though he had already experienced her hardheadness first hand, so he could make out how that conversation with her father went. "Ha, in my world, every country is so different from the other. You would hardly be able to communicate between each other if the guys hadn't decided on a common language with which they could speak between each other. Still, I don't know how the big shots think, though. I am but another guy in the whole system." Noboyuki shrugged. He was always under the impression that, maybe, a monarchy wasn't so bad after all, despite what had happened in the past. "And our problems? Pfft, they are a lot bigger than yours, let me assure you." Noboyuki said, dismissing the motion with his hand. "I mean, you guys have it easier than us. I will not say your problems are smaller than ours, cause that'd be a lie. However, we have to deal with a loooot more of things. For example. We are on the verge of destroying ecosystems and what not with all the shit we do." He then noticed he had cursed in front of her. He scratched the back of his head, looking a bit flustered. "Sorry about that. Anyhow, there's still a lot of things. Corrupt politicians, drugs. There's a mythological tale in Japan that says that after a big fight, the Gods Izanami and Izanagi said to each other 'I am going to kill 1,000 men on the surface of earth every day', said Izanami to Izanagi and he answered, 'Then I am going to give birth to 1,500.' Sometimes it actually seems true though." Noboyuki explained to her, and couldn't help but smile sadly. "You guys are better off here, with all the nature there is here, maybe also better without technology and drugs like in my own world."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena actually seem to be listening deeply to what Noboyuki had to say, and well he had nothing good to say it looked like. She had to wonder, was his world really in such disarray? Whatever was happening, she was starting to become truly enthralled in their conversation. "You don't think our lords are corrupt here? I've heard many stories of stewards stealing small amounts of tax money from their liege, and for those more ambitious even to the point of in-fighting where one lord literally attempts to take land from another through direct military force. Bribery is common in the courts, even in assassination plots... if it were not for my father and the diligence of his courtiers I probably wouldn't be alive today as I am the last of my house, at least until I find marriage in order to continue my family line." The princess motioned towards the same golden fields to their side, "If it were not for recent advances in agriculture, that land would be barren, the soil would be drained, while I'm not sure if that is the same as your 'ecological' problems, I'm willing to say that it is on a similar level in at least some way. I have traveled enough to know that across all cultures no one has more or less problems per say, not even different ones in essence, despite the huge differences between our two worlds I will still hold that to be true." Rena stopped walking, hopefully Noboyuki did the same, she still had the same thoughtful look about her, still thinking deeply on what the hero had said. "I have to wonder, do you really hate your home, your old life has much as you make it out to be? A home should be close to a man's heart, especially if that home holds family, I would hope that you had close relatives, or at a minimum friends back where you came from." She tilted her head questioningly, perhaps attempting to make it clear that she was somewhat confused by her companion's attitude. She didn't wait for an answer before taking off down the road again, she didn't mean for Noboyuki to answer right there, that really maybe it would be better for him to take time to think about what she had asked, plus the town center of the hamlet was just in view. "Well, looks as if we made it to the hamlet proper, come on, I'd say we can pick up the pace provided you foot continues to behave." Rena started into a light jog, less time spent walking, the more time they'll be able to experience this small community's life.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Heh." Noboyuki let out when he heard Rena ask him whether or not he hated his own world. "Hey now, I didn't say I hated it. If anything, I thought it was boring, but that didn't really mean that I didn't like the world. I lived in blissful ignorance of all of those facts and, to be honest, it is easier to remember the bad things rather than the good things." Well, after all, it came to mind quicker the bad things about his world rather than the good things. Still, it seemed they had their fair share of problems. "As long as it didn't have anything to do with me, I was happy. Unfortunately, every human contributed to those problems, in one way or the other. Most people are like me, I'm sure. As long as it doesn't affect you, you can ignore it." Noboyuki gazed into the distance, thinking. Yeah, that was pretty much how he was in his own world, if a bit hypocritical. He shook his head. "Well, at the very least, I have a purpose here that I can't turn a blind eye to." Of course, he was talking about the prophecy of the hero. If he was chosen for one thing or the other, then he'd just have to fulfill that purpose and then get back to his own world, back to his dull life. "It's not that I didn't have any loved ones back in my own world, I had my family and a few friends, but, well, no matter what, I always thought my life lacked some thrill, ya know? I think here I've gotten a taste of that. Maybe, when I get back, I can finally settle down once and for all." He lifted an eyebrow when Rena said that about the village, and then took into a light jog. Noboyuki went behind her, though not jogging and merely walking at a bit faster pace. "All right, let's do it. I don't think my food has anything to comply about right now."</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- The hamlet deserved to be called such, just a hamlet for good reason. Not only was this settlement's population on the sparse side, there were also a lack of any permanent structures made of real building materials, for most of the people made due in makeshift shacks that were barely held up by scrap wood. Although the idea of such a poor hamlet had been changing for the last decade, with a new trade route running directly through the land the small homestead brought about more in the way of traffic and especially traders who may have sought to offload extra merchandise for a guaranteed profit rather than risking to continue on. On top of that with the recent rise of demon encounters the hamlet eventually became the last bastion of humanity before entering demon infested lands, that is until reaching the next defensive settlement. As Rena and Noboyuki entered the town square it became clear what affect the considerably new found prosperity had, in a circle around the center were newly build stone buildings, and a few others that were still under the hammer. Another thing to note was the many people out and about, while most of them were not real residents, only merchants and other such travelers, the number of bodies added to a joyous atmosphere. All along the roads leading in, shrewd business men had set up stalls to pedal whatever valuable wares they may have had on hand. Rena decided to take a closer look at one of these stalls, this man was dealing in jewelry, while odd that one would sell luxuries out in a backwater settlement, they certainly looked to be of fine quality, necklaces, rings, bracelets, and uncut gems. The girl was honestly tempted to see about taking something with her, but through self discipline she held back. They didn't have the budget to allow for such purchases, now that didn't stop here from touching and examining the jewels. They spent half an hour simply exploring, mostly wandering with no real goal, after all they were taking some leisure time, it was a date. Rena at first was still somewhat tense, but as they continued on she gradually relaxed, and before long one could say she really was having fun. She was much more notably loose, not nearly uptight as normal, and perhaps more able to speak often engaging in small take with lot more frequency than before. Rena didn't talk about anything important other than going into detail into court life, what to say, and what not say, ways to remain diplomatic while dealing with higher society. It was not like she was giving instruction, rather it was more like just idle chatter in a friendly manner, even with a few minor jokes thrown in. Here the princess did stop worrying about keeping appearances, maybe forgetting to keep them, maybe sick of trying to lie, whatever the case is Rena, at least in the moment, enjoyed being able to be pleasant for once.</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- They were out of the market, for the most part while there were a few stalls left Rena left them alone, not as if they had the funds to entertain buying anything extra. Interestingly enough there appeared to small gathering area for discussions, these were more common in major cities and were actual meeting halls rather than the outdoor one present in the hamlet. Rocks and lugs must've been hauled from elsewhere, that didn't seem to matter much since the spot was crowded anyway. Rena pulled Noboyuki towards the meeting place, insisting that they could use information, but really in truth she just wanted to hear some stories. The way it worked at these gathering spots was everyone took part, one person takes a turn to share either a piece of information or a story, in Eskar it was a very social activity, an important one at that. Tales were varied, some were about actual events, very solem, down to earth about the continued invasion of demonic forces. Often times it brought the mood downward, but no one could deny the importance of such news. Others were boasting from hunters, kills of epic proportions, course most knew them to be false but it was all in good fun. One in particular was of Sir Roland quite honestly only children stories about the moral adventures of a fictional knight. Rena while, she didn't say anything, still had a love for these childish tales, despite the fact she long outgrew them. When it was her turn Rena decided to talk about one of the far off realms she visited years ago, Daldrom, a merchant republic more akin to Noboyuki's medieval Italy than a typical kingdom. While she wasn't considered to be a talented storyteller, Rena tried to be animated as possible throwing her arms about when described the vast vineyards to the best of her ability. She went into greater detail about the daily life of the common folk, about the brick homes they lived in, their cultural foods which mostly considered of fish. Then when it came to the court, she tried to paint a clear picture of the soaring palace walls, the well maintained lawn, the sophistication of the artists, the poets, of the best works displayed proudly within that ivory white castle. By the end Rena looked ecstatic, smiling brightly and even laughing occasionally. She turned to Noboyuki, seeing as it was his go, she proceeded to forcefully pull to guy to his feet. "Come on Noboyuki." Rena spoke in a teasing tone, almost singsonging, "I hope you got something good for these folk." She looked upon him practically grinning. This date was great, a single chance to cut loose, at least for a day.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) After that, Rena decided to pull him into a mass of people. He didn't handle crowds well, but it was a small crowd, as per the small town. Being there for a bit wouldn't bring any harm, right? They sat down and started on listening to what the hell this little get-together was about. Apparently, they still prcticed there the oral transmission of stories, unlike his own world where everything could be accessed at any time with the internet. Noboyuki smiled and listened attentively to everything everyone had to say. There were some sad news, there were some grandiose tales of people killing monsters, there was even a story that was certainly completely ficitional, but still sounded so fun and entertaining that everyone listened with a lot of attention, just barely saying anything every once in a while when people were so surprised they couldn't hold it in. Noboyuki laughed under his breath. It was the kind of romance, well, one of the kinds of romance, that men yearned for. At the very least, he was having one of those romances right now wiht his quest to slay the Demon King. Still, whatever everyone said regarding the demon forces advancing made his desire to put an end to this even stronger. It wasn't right, for that demon lord to be taking the peace away from these people. Rena then talked about her own experience. She talked about a kingdom named Daldrom that, to be honest, resembled the Italy in his own world quite a lot. The vineyards, the art, the music and everything else. It reminded him of the renaissance that came about in his own world. It was odd, but he didn't think much about it. There was bound to be some countries that developed more that the others in some areas, after all. Same as what happened to Italy. Maybe it was only the natural course of things and how it went in the end, that some kindoms will finally become greater in some regard than others. Military strength, art, technology. He wondered if there was a Leonardo DaVinvi in this world as well, since he admired him personally. And then, it was his turn to tell a story. "W-Wha? Me too?" Now, they put him in the spot in quite a bad way. If he had known that a turn would come for him, he'd have thought of an story before. Of course, he should have deduced that out of the fact that Rena did tell her own. After a bit of awkward shuffling and thinking for Noboyuki, he finally came up with a great story to tell them. Instead of an story about himself that would probably be boring for them, he decided to tell them about Sir Arthur of the Round Table. A famous knight of British mythology. He thought it was right to tell that kind of thing in this situation. He told them how he got his prized Holy sword Excalibur out of a stone and became kind after that, and how he slayed a dragon too. How he united his knights and how everyone of them was almost as impressive as Arthur himself. After finally finishing the tale he had to tell everyone, Noboyuki sat down, still a bit unsure of whether or not it was liked. He just hoped for the best. He then turned to see Rena and smiled. Everyone seemed a bit too impressed. Maybe he went a bit too far with his story? He did only tell them bit and bites of what he actually knew of the whole story. Not like he was some kind of historian or something like that. Well, it had some of the effect he wished for, since he wanted to give them a real shock with the stories of the King Arthur that had even become part of the anime culture in his world and time. "Well, that was fun. I've never done something like this, not in person at the very least."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Arthur huh, Noboyuki made this man out be greater than life itself, which had to beg the question if this king ever existed, it all seemed be fictional, as someone who had known an actual king her entire life she know what to really expect. Still as far as stories goes it wasn't the worse, plus Noboyuki had to have some natural talent if this was apparently his first time telling one at a garthering spot. When he sat back down Rena leaned over, "Then you have a knack for this if it were your first story." She flashed a nice smile before returning her attention to the next speaker. By the time everyone started dissolving the gathering it was well into the evening, the sky already streaked with the brilliant orange of sunset. Rena motioned for the hero to follow her, it was about time to return home at the tavern. On their walk back the girl was still in high spirits, the day had gone much, much better than she ever expected when Noboyuki suggested a date out. She didn't regret a moment of it, not at all. While she wasn't talking, Rena was whistling a random tune, nothing in specific just a random collection of notes. Reflecting on the day as a whole, she'd actually learned quite a bit about her partner, in that single day he had revealed so much more than the month they've been on the road. It was good, the first time she felt like they connected. She stopped by a low stone wall, behind it was the sun almost ready to disappear below the horizon, now the sky was in full twilight. Rena instead on moving on like she initially expected to do, she decided that simply watching the beauty of the scene to be too peaceful to pass up. Without turning her head she addressed the hero, "I can say that overall, I don't regret today, far beyond what I expected... what do you think about sunsets? Are they an end or a beginning?"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) As they walked away from the now dispersed group of people, Noboyuki noted Rena being a little more lively than other times. She was even whistling about like anyother girl her age would when she had nothing to worry about. Noboyuki smiled at that. It made him feel like a doting father, in some way. He walked beside her, moving his head at the rhythm of whatever she was singing. It was either a song or something random, Noboyuki opted to think it was the latter since it didn't really resemble anything he had heard from the bards they had encountered before. In any case, it was a sticky tune that may not leave his brain for a while. Even so, he was quiet as a tomb at the time. He had some things in mind, after all. Like, how was he going to give her the pendant he bought for her. He was taken away from his thoughts once Rena spoke up about the sunsets. "Heeeh..." Noboyuki smiled again with the same sarcastic aura he almost always had to him. "It's good that I was able to live up to the expectations of her majesty. Wouldn't have wanted to have my neck cut just because I couldn't take the princess on a decent date." He even motione with his finger going through his throat as he spoke of himself getting beheaded by a thing like that. He then turned to see the sunset. Always a sight to behold, no matter the world. "The end or the beginning, huh? Now, that's a hard one. In a scientifical point of view, I think it is both. No, it is a fact that it is both. What is an end here is a beginning on the other side of the world." Pragmatic as always, after saying that, Noboyuki sighed. "In a more philosophical point of view, though. I've always thought of it as a beginning. There's always the hope of the new day, no matter how bad the past day had been before, you can always make up for it the next day." Noboyuki simply said. Even so, he felt a bit flustered about what he had just said and it even showed in his face as he blushed even a bit under his glasses. He scratched the back of his head with embarassment and fidgeted a bit before finally feeling that it was even a bit too much for even him. "I-I am going back to the inn. See you." He propped his glasses up and turned around. He was about to dash back to the inn, but he remembered about the pendant. He quickly took it out of his pocket and stuffed in Rena's. "This isn't any kind of big deal. Only a present. Don't think much of it." He simply said, before leaving for the inn. He'd just forget about it and welcome Rena as if nothing had happened after that. It was easier that way. He just hoped she wouldn't bring up the matter of why the hell was the pendant shaped like a heart. It was just that there wasn't any other kind like that that was as cheap as that one... --- Three weeks passed and now, Noboyuki was plenty sure that his foot was now cured. He gathered his things and was now ready to leave. They did some jobs around the town too, to get some money for their travels afterwards. He felt they were just about ready to leave and he was now waiting on the lobby of the inn, for Rena to come along. The only thing that bugged him was leaving the thing with the God unsolved. He was a nocturnal hunter and he couldn't hurt them right now, since there were still some rays of light on the floor.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Well wasn't that a mouthful to say? Still there was something endearing about the way he spoke, all in spite of his lack of finesse with words. She thought this in the best possible way, because really he could've gotten to the point with many less words, all the same he had a positive outlook, something that they'll need moving foward. Without warning however, it almost seemed Noboyuki panicked... about something, which right at the time Rena didn't notice, at least until he shoved an object of some kind into her hands, after saying he's going back to the room. It was a present he said, curious she looked down upon the gift, and well was quite frankly surpised. Somehow the hero found a pendant, more like a collar, a sapphire in the shape of a heart, treated on such a way to appear almost pink. The craftsmanship was faulty at best, that said it would've been pricey anyway. Rena stared at the collar, her mind suddenly racing to understand what it meant, this was no small gift in her eyes... no it really meant much more. For maybe five minutes she stood there, seriously contemplating how to react, yet she had nothing, for the time being she held onto it, and nothing more. --- The last three weeks were largely uneventful, and during that time Rena was quiet, not cold like before, she was unsure. After their date neither of them talked about the collar, the gift, it just seemed to be out of bounds somehow. Noboyuki was ready in the lobby while Rena was cleaning out the last of their things, the owner wasn't around, he had to take care of a few errands, so they've already thanked the man earlier. Rena was of course dressed in her traveler's cloak, everything was packed, everything but one specific item. It remained tucked away since that day, she didn't want to look at it, maybe affaid what it symbolized. She wouldn't have thrown it out, or leave it behind, but still... she had no idea what to do with that collar. Rena came ambling down the stairs, not talkative still somber. She walked up to Noboyuki, head down, eyes cast to her feet. She was ready to go, and hoped the hero was able to understand that. One important thing to note, if the light were to hit her just right, one could see a brief glint of pink... around her neck.</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- She studied him long and hard, it was a reasonable answer, and one she truthfully was hoping for... but something was off. His words felted stilted, but natural, it was almost paradoxical. Rena had learned how to read people, it was a common skill in court after all, yet she had never really analyzed Noboyuki. He was only effectively a commoner so she didn't have reason to distrust him at face value. Now however she was starting to think differently... she wasn't sure, if anything he hid it very well, quite honestly on an impressive level. Still he just seemed too off to be truly natural, little too shifty in his gaze, taking a little too long to reach a conclusion. It was nothing big, no obvious giveaways, only smaller signals that at best... could prove something. For both their sakes Rena hopped this was only a false hunch. She simply nodded and looked away, and sighed, "Then that's fine, long as we remain honest with each other I don't see there being any problems." She purposefully put an emphasis on the word honest, maybe he'll pick that up, but she wanted to drop signs that she was beginning to become suspicious. She stood up from her spot around the fire, clearly a bit tired. Her mood had normalized more or less, which was fantastic for here, could be that she only needed a release of emotion, although how long that would be the case remained to be seen. "I'm... sorry for that, I think you should've figured how I have more than a few things on my mind, I just needed some answers, so thank you for telling me the truth, it helps." She could attack him right there, but she was sure that doing so would quite literally cause him to bolt, and well it could've also been uncalled for if he were really being honest. Rena said a quick good night before settling in for sleep, who could imagine what the future may bring?</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) As expected of a politician, she saw right through his lies. But she wasn't sure. If she was, she'd be way more upset. It was in the bag. Noboyuki just had to follow it up now. Lying gave him another huge talent. Being a great actor. He frowned when Rena said that. It was a most natural frown that no one would actually expect for it to be an act. He had regained his cool and was now ready to follow up with his lies. "Well, to be honest, it hurts my feelings that you do not believe what I just told you. Unless you would've preferred for me to lie about it." He said, sounding a bit hostile. Well, that should at least settle down the girl's alarms of whether or not he was telling the truth. She wasn't sure about hence why she said such things before going back to sleep. Noboyuki kept on his frowning face until he saw that Rena was well out of his range of sight. He sighed. "G'night." He shouted at her on her way to sleep, sounding a bit annoyed. Well, now, he should be able to be alone with his thoughts for a while re-organize them in one way or the other. Maybe he would also smoke another cigarette. He walked a bit farther away from their camp for a bit, with only the light of the moon shining upon him and giving him some kind of light. He took out his cigarettes and checked on them to see how fast he was burning through them.... he still had a good 10 cigarettes to smoke, then again, when he arrived, he had about 15. It had been two months already and, to be honest, he was making a good job refraining on them for the most part. But he was burning them out all the more quickly if that was really the case. Lately, and just in these last three weeks, he had already smoked 5 of them, despite putting up with it for the first month. Yeah, Rena's attitude as of late had him a bit worried, no, really worried. And even so, he decided to take a cigarette out and light it. Smoking to calm himself down, just now the thought came to his mind. He had already analyzed it, he was now calm about it. Taking another shot of his cigarette and releasing the smoke into the air, he said the conclusion he had come to, "I am in love with that woman." The mere thought of it made him laugh. How could a man like him fall for a girl like that. He took another smoke out of his cigarette, "She's not cute at all." He said while releasing the smoke inside his mouth. Yeah, there was no doubt about it. Maybe it was just how much time he had spent with her. Or maybe the experiences they had gone through together. It was a phenomenon with some kind of name that he didn't recall right now, but, apparently, having their heartbeats accelerated under a dire situation often had an effect like that. "Damn you, scientists." He quietly cursed. He burnt through his cigarette in a single shot and threw the butt to the floor, before stepping on it. "Let's get some sleep, then." He stretched out, making some of his bones crack. Yeah, it was time to sleep. Something also told him that he'd have some kind of good dream today, in one way or the other.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- It was an open field, nothing of note other than the crimson skies above, streaks of thinned clouds broke the screen of that redish orange. There was a simple sense of peace, simple and pure like that. The air was fresh, clean, a gentle current of wind made the long grasses dance. Over the horizion the setting sun was dipping, out of sight for another night before it'll meet the new day. A distance thundering could be heard, and yet that didn't matter, for it was unrelated to the serenity of that lone field. Almost beyond sight, just almost, stood a set of abandoned banners, their owners were gone leaving those symbols of power behind. That didn't matter. It was a dream.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) It was an enclosed space, a little room. People moved around, but their faces could not be made out. They were all but humanoid sillhouettes. They laughed and talked between each other in unintelligible speeches. Only between them did they knew what the other said. It all seemed unreal, it didn't seem to actually be happening as the onlooker watched. Between the unrecognizable faces, only one had a dsitinguishing feature on him. A pair of squared glasses. It was all apart from the others, as if to seclude itself from the others. It seemed to be.... bored, as it supported its head on one of its round hands. Other sillhouettes approached it, and the bespectacled one turned to them. It seemed happy, but not exactly right. It seemed to be... pretending to be happy. Its face gave it away instantly. That is the only way things can be. Echoed through the dream. Yes, a dream.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- The next day Rena did feel better, lot better then she had felt for the last handful of weeks, it was a liberating to put it in a single word. The night before she did have a strange dream, one she doesn't typically dream so dreaming is rare in of itself, and two it was fairly creepy, not a nightmare, just unsettling. Of course she mentioned nothing of that dream to Noboyuki, a dream is a dream and nothing more. Although one nagging thought remained, how will she confront him about... the potential lying, she still held onto the hope that he was not a lair that it was only born from paranoia on her part. --- Back to the field, although this time it was different, visually everything was the same, but the atmosphere was different. It was no long cheerful, the peace was no longer there, even if it appeared nothing had changed, and yet there was no dread, there was nothing, no feeling. This time the thunder was louder, much louder that it almost seemed to dominate the landscape, however after some time the thunder changed... in a way. Steadily it became not the distinct sound of the heavens clashing, no... it was footsteps, not a single set but thousands, enough to seem like thunder. A realization dawned that these were not just footsteps, but the sound on many boots marching in step, coordinated to stay in perfect timing, it was the sound of an army on the move. They were unseen but easily heard, invisible, yet visible, forces of ghosts. The banners from before were closer... their details more obvious, the cloth was tattered and ripped, burned in other areas, this was true for every single one. Clearly the image of what these banners used to represent were still present, still easily identifiable. The royal seal of the Kingdom of Eskar. (Red background with a yellow four pointed star in the middle.)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The sun of the morning came again to dawn a new day upon the pair. Noboyuki woke up, feeling a bit groggy. He had a good night's rest, and he felt as if he had seen a pleasant dream, a really calm and clear one, for a change, but it still felt wrong, somehow. He did not say anything about it to Rena, of course, neither did he make any comment about what happened yesterday. If she still had the slight suspicion about his lying, then he needed to play it off as if that was never the case. Soon enough, it'd go away from her mind and completely forget about the incident, as many others did before. But nevermind that, they had to get moving now. --- The same grey scenery, still filled with sillhoutes as the last time. They still moved around and talked between each other as if it was completely natural for them to be doing so. They do seemed to be a little taller, though, than last time that they resembled little children. Mayebe they were now teenagers? They also seemed a little less generic and was easier to tell them apart easier this time. Some of them even had hair now too. They bustled about as last time, and the same one with the glasses on, though still with no other distinguishing features, remained alone. It seemed to take some books out, but only one of them stood out. It's title read House And Philosophy. The little sillhoute put away all the others, while it opened the only remaining book. It read it intently and with great attention... until another sillhoute approached it. This one had long black hair, though. It seemed to be calling out at the bespectacled one, and it turned to the other one quite quickly. A great smile, like no other appeared on its face. It seemed really happy at the arrival of the other sillhoute. They chatted between each other and everything seemed to be fine between them. Is it okay for me to feel like this? It echoed again through the dream.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- A continued dream, well that was a first, she still remembered the first one, so it was very obvious in some way the new dream she had the night before was somehow connected to the original one. Whatever the case was Rena opted to ignore these messages, the belief being that it was really only by chance that she, again someone who normally doesn't dream at all, had two extremely similar ones in succession. The subject of the newest dream wasn't that obvious to her, it was a jumble to her, with only a few elements identifiable even then she couldn't understand them. Noboyuki seemed to be fine, at least that almost seemed to be the case, as it had been recently she was no longer confident in reading the man, could he be reflecting on their conversations that was still just a few nights ago? What could he be thinking about. --- There was no field this time, but it was indoors. At first there were only gray stone walls, these walls made a massive featureless room devoid of any defining features, and lined in total darkness. It was quiet. Then as time went on this empty room became more furnished, large wooden benches, almost pews, hugged the far walls on both sides. Then red tapestries hung across the walls, only that one solid red. Then there were windows, streaming light into the room, each one cutting a hole into the gray stone at even intervals. More and more was added to this room, carpet being gold and red, more benches, new chairs, candles and torches, until eventually the entire room was almost alive, resembling a royal court. As if from nowhere, it seemed, there were people. Many people in fact who filled the entire space, most of them looked to be well dressed, clean, and obviously wealthy. Yet they didn't have faces... although that wouldn't be the right way to describe them. They did have faces, eyes, a nose and a mouth, but they didn't... perhaps words couldn't explain after all. Among these well dressed individuals were what appeared to be heavily armored men, clad in metal plate, wielding lethal looking halberds. They had a stoic air to them, cold and commanding. In the middle, where everyone was looking at, one of the Faceless was different, being that he in fact had a face, strong features, among them being a groomed beard, a shallow one, and he appeared to be aged, not white with years, but old. Sound came rushing in, yet none of it was clear, it was muffled, a male voice was speaking, it appeared to come from the Faced One, he was angry, he was shouting. To whom couldn't be seen, maybe a far off figure, up beyond the steps that lead to a throne, to the master. The Tyrant The Faced One continued his shouting, although before long the armored men, The Executioners, grabbed the Faced One, roughly pulling him from the court, the muffled words becoming more frantic... as only if he were pleading, scared. Without transition the Field had returned, yet the Court had left. The banners still held their place, alone and abandoned, now the skies were no long just a shade of orange, but truly red now, a unnatural color. Nothing there was now there, at the base of the center banner, one of the armored men once present in the Court, maybe, no longer stoic or commanding, still cold. He... if he were a he, laid limp and lifeless. Only a shell now. The shouting of the Faced One rang out, clear. Falkren! You traitorous bitch! How could you!</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki woke up, with some kind of bizarre dream again. As a man that often dreamed about other things, probably dreams more fitting for men like defeating some kind of titan or racing in the streets against your rival, it was one of the few times that Noboyuki had two dreams like that. What was worse, they were a bit too similar for it to be just a coincidence. Even so, as last time, he wasn't able to make heads or tails out of it. It was frustrating, but the man didn't let that show in his face. At least, not in front of Rena. Whenever he had time alone, though, he decided to put his mind to good use and think long and hard about it. Even so, the fact that the dream seemed to be random, and still clearly organized in some way that someone would be able to make sense of it made it all the more confusing for Noboyuki. Maybe, another dream would show up next time he went to sleep. Maybe, it'd also give him some more clues. Maybe, it had something to do with his heroic powers and, to be honest, he felt like a kid in christmas, awaiting for the holy powers to arrive. --- For a change of pace, the sillhoute with glasses now finds itself outside, in a scenery that seems straight out of some kind of artwork. Colorful cherry blossom petals fall down as the bespectacled one waits eagerly for what is to come. It is now characterized by a new feature just added to it, though it is more of a commonplace for a person its age, or should eb, at the very least. With gigantic braces now in its mouth and traces of slight facial hair, it fidgets, it moves around and paces back and forward, seemingly trying to get its mind away of what is to come. Suddenly, it seems to pick up something with its ears and it quickly and eaferly turns around to see just what arrived, with a great smile on its face, or in what should be its face. The sillhoute with black hair appears yet again, though its figure seems a lot more womanly and mature. It is now easy to tell it apart from other sillhoutes as it now resembles a woman even more. It seemed to be quite eager as well, and the glasses of the other one shine on with expectation. However, the expression of the long haired one drops and becomes a frown as soon as it spots the one with glasses. The other one doesn't seem disheartened though. It seems just as eager as before, maybe even more, as it now jumps with expectation. Soon enough, the both of them engage into a conversation, with the one with glasses making exaggerated hand movement and seemingly becoming flustered from time to time, while the other one merely looks down and.... disappointed perhaps? It seems to only nod out of obligation to everything the other says. Finally, after a while, the one with glasses seems even more pumped and finishes its exaggerated hand motions to finally make its point across. And even so, while it seems nervous and happy to finally get it out of its chest, the long haired one simply nods acknowledging it. before looking away from the one with glasses and moving its mouth to say something. Even so, it cannot be heard to anyone but the one with glasses, and when it does, all of its energy seems to leave its body, as well as the color of the scenery. It seems frustrated, but suddenly, an idea seems to pop in its mind. The scenery gains more color, though it isn't as vivid as it was first. It suddenly strikes a pose with its hand on its waist and smirks. It starts talking but, again, none of it is heard. The black haired one, that also seemed to be really sad about the outcome, whatever it was, also recovers its smile, it even starts laughing. The other one seems to have calmed down now that it seems things are all right again. This is the only way to protect what I have, instead of losing it all</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena woke that morning in a thoughtful mood, it was too obvious now that these dreams were connected, that clearly something was weaving them together into... a story, although a story of what she couldn't tell. There were characters, like out of a story book, a boy, had to be a boy, perhaps that was a hunch at best, but Rena thought that made sense. The other was a woman, or would it be a girl to go along with the boy? It felt like a love story, figures... seeing as her own life was beginning to parallel one, speaking about, well when it came to her love life, suppose it could be called that, she still hadn't confronted Noboyuki yet. If she were to guess part of the reason had to be how he seemed to be thinking a lot, though he hid himself well, his actual mood still bled through his shield. Wonder what he could be occupied with... --- Back to the Field again, not the Court. It was not empty like the other two dreams, no a group of figures wandered in the grass, maybe fifty men give or take, like the other Faceless from the Court they did not have their faces, while still having them. Unlike the Court Faceless, the Field faceless did not look like they were well off, if anything they looked tired, weak, perhaps hopeless. Unlike the Court Faceless the Field Faceless, did not dress in bright colors, no they were "armored" but not liked the Executioners. Iron pots that looked like they were hammered down to function as breastplates, ragged leather gloves, torn shirts, they had weapons, but not the shiny halberds, farming tools, the sickle, the scythe, although a select few wielded dull swords, clearly not well maintained. This time the air was tense as the Faceless moved forward towards whatever objective they had in mind, to whatever destiny awaited them. Not Faceless... Freemen... Those bodiless words rang out, yet these Freemen seemed not to hear them, but at that moment, almost like a quick snap, the world pulled into focus. The Freemen then had faces, they looked human as anyone else without that distinct element of unknown that once plagued them, much more was revealed, such as every single one was male, and every single one had a grave expression about him. It was clear they were uncertain, that is all but one Freeman who lead the group. The Fool The Fool waited before the Freemen ordering them to stop the march, he had a speech, although like the Faced One his words were also muffled, yet they were still strong. As he spoke, whatever he had to say, held a positive effect among the Freemen, they nodded at his rhetoric, enveloped into the passion of this man's speech. Before long the Freemen were actually motivated, the Fool fueled this by raising the volume of his voice, pacing before the Freemen, they were now cheering, they looked not happy, but under the fervor produced by the Fool. The Fool lifted his hand into a fist. The Fist of Revolution The Fool looked triumphant. To liberty, my brothers! He spoke. Not the Fool... the Leader The Freemen were stunned, the Leader was stunned... blood dripped from his chest, the scrap breastplate held pitifully against the arrow. The Leader feel to his knees, then forward, where his blood continued to pool before him. Not the Leader... the Deadman. More arrows rained from the sky, thousands, if not millions covered the heavens above, looking like they were vengeful winged demons rather than arrows fired from a man made bow. The Freemen crumpled without resistance, the arrows forced them down, onto the ground, now soaked in red. Not the Freemen... the Deadmen. In the distance, along the horizon far from the Deadmen, stood the silhouettes of Executioners, cold, stoic, and commanding as always. The Deadmen were left behind, the Deadman, almost appeared separated from his brothers, no longer seeming as the leader, but the outcast. The banners had more company, graves, shallow and barely marked by the ever symbolic wooden cross. The Deadmen rested... yet not truly so. The Tyrant of Eskar continued to expand Her dominion.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Yeah.... Even Noboyuki wasn't enough of an idiot to not see that the dreams were connected. They were telling a story. But what kind of story? Maybe the story of the Kingdom of Eskar? If so, why would it start showing now, when they were countless kilometers away from Rena's home kingdom? He recognized the symbol, but, given that he could not read anything in that world, everything else was nothing but a mere guess from Noboyuki's part. It could also be a war, a revolution in another kingdom. Referring to the leader of that same revolution as a tyrant, though.... The name Falkren... Not enough info to go on Thought Noboyuki. He would continue on being pensive that day as well. He did make a mental note to remember that name, though. Falkren. Maybe he'd need to go check with Rena if she knew anything about that. Maybe, going to Rena would be best, but he wanted to wait until he was able to make some sense of what he was seeing. --- The recurrent bespectacled protagonist of the dreams has now become nothing but an espectator in the sidelines. It watches intently and, not exactly eager about what he is watching. Even so, it seems that he is watching the whole thing out of compromise, maybe because it is the one that set it up? It also seems to have grown messy dark blue hair now as well. The scene is focused on him, until it moves into the inside of what seems to be a classroom. The one with long hair is speaking with another sillohoute, one with spiky blonde hair. They are talking for a while, until the long haired one seems to say something that takes its breath away. The spiky haired one looks at it, seemingly surprised, before nodding happily. The one with long hair also seems happy and they hug each other. The bespectacled one seems to be hurt by the whole scene, being able to do nothing but clench its little fists and bite its lip. It seems to shade a tear, before shaking its head and leaving the place. Even if it is a lie, I can live comfortably with it, right? The voice seems to come from the little sillhoutte, as it disappears between the crowds bustling about in what seems to be a hallway. Later on, the one with long hair approaches th bespectacled one, still happy about the outcome from before. Thanks a lot! It couldn't have been possible without you. A female voice echoes. No, it is the least I can do as a friend. A male voice echoes this time. It seems to come from the one with glasses, as it smiles at it. It seems to bid the long haired one farewell and walks the other way, with a sad smile on his face. Yes, in this place there's no place for someone like me. If so, then I just have to change who I am. Become someone I am not, even if it is just to fit in with others. I don't want to be left alone ever again. Never. Time seems to fast forward. The little sillhoute with glasses is now taller, a bit too tall to be honest. It also now sports a pair of blue eyes under his glasses, and can now be identified easily as a male. A male perhaps 16 years old? As any typical teenager, it is now resting in a bed with an uninterested look in his face. It seems to receive a message in a phone, even though the concept is foreign to the people of Eskar. With the same uninterested look, it stands up and leaves the place he was in. Images flash by. The same sillohoute with messy blue hair with other sillohoutes of various sizes and shapes, along with their own distinguishing features, seemingly having fun in various places. It even changes to single shots of it with another woman like sillhoute, a different one every time. But one thing remains in all of the shots. His disappointed expression in each and every one of them. Just what am I doing? Is there any point to this? Aren't I... The other sillhoutes slowly disappear from the image, leaving only the one with glasses in a dark room. The loneliest like this? Even so.... Even so... there's no way I can let the truth be known now. It would be nothing but a fool's errand. This life, it's foundation..... is lies. I am nothing but a liar. And I must stick to that life until the end. Otherwise, I will only end up lying to the only person I don't want to lie to.....</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Thus that morning Rena woke with a start... the last dream, the latest of this strange chronicle it told so much. Perhaps while it wasn't a huge problem in Eskarian culture, just different expectations, certainly plenty of people end up stigmatized, outcasts for whatever reason when growing up. Maybe this wasn't what was happening here, but it felt close, or maybe the root to that problem. Still the main realization hit her like a hypothetical truck, the boy was really starting to look like a certain... individual in her life. It was starting to make sense to her, the foreign look of the rooms, the odd clothing, it could no longer be anyone else, now the main question is how accurate were these dreams, how much did they tell of the hero. She waited until the next night, they were sitting around a new fire in a new location. Rena had to admit, Noboyuki was much different to her now, especially since their first meeting. She had a respect for him, due to his status as a holy warrior, and respect for his actual proof of strength after their numerous encounters with demons. Although that was no longer the case, sure she still had that respect, but it wasn't as prevalent anymore, as much as she didn't want to admit it, the man in front of her was a liar, she had come to believe that, and to make it even more confusing, well she was also tackling fledgling feelings towards him, that she had come more than able to accept even if it took a while. Maybe Noboyuki noticed her staring at him, she had to think about her next move, she was obvious, that was fine seeing as she didn't want to hide. The way Rena saw it there were two ways to go about it, subtly ask him, just to confirm before anything else, or get right into it, directly attack him with words. Attack was an ugly word... but she was worried he may try to run otherwise, there were times to play cloak and dagger then there were times to charge into the fray, metaphorically speaking. Rena reached forward to grab Noboyuki by the shoulder, maybe it'll help him to relax, maybe not, still it felt like the right thing to do, somehow. She breathed deeply, steeling herself before starting. "You are a liar, you have been one for your entire life."</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He ran... damn that was exactly the last thing that she wanted to happen, instinctively she lunged for the routing hero, but only met the dirt, her face skidding along a very short distance along the ground. She swore under her breath as she rose, she scratched herself and even opened a few shallow cuts, little bit of bleeding but obviously not even close to lethal. The leaves rustled, betraying the path that he ran down. Rena, without a second thought, gave chase. Through the foliage that blocked her progress, it was thick here, making Rena seriously question how Noboyuki was able to push through at all, still guess a lesser man would've been stopped, but not him. Why did he take off like that? No... that was a rhetorical question, she knew very well why he ran, but that didn't mean she fully expected him to, what did he think when she finally got down to question him? Noboyuki... had his own problems, deep ones if the dreams were any kind of indicator. Soon she stopped, out of breath, she had not realized how fast she was going, she was only so far into the wilderness, and yet she already had to stop. Rena only took a very short break, the fear of what might happen to her only companion was too great, she couldn't lose him. She chuckled to herself... if she had any doubts about her... love... they were gone now, really why would she go through so much effort for anyone else but him? Ready to go again, but not really, Rena pushed back some bushes, she had to hold a gasp, she had already caught up! Noboyuki was just standing there, this was her chance. Prepared to fight until the end, she rushed out from behind her cover, she didn't trust him enough to not run again, hoping to catch him off guard Rena practically threw herself on him, maybe pinning him down at the legs. It was almost... almost like a hug. She held on, despite her being considerably smaller than the man, she held on like no other, there was zero chance in hell she was going to give up. She realized she got him from the front when looking up at him, it was a blur, but she swore there was shock on his face, she could only wonder what she looked like, all she knew was the burning sensation around her face. Rena dug her hands into him, willing for him to listen to her... he just had to this time. "You need to stop running! From me... from yourself! Hell especially yourself, just enough! Don't you get tired?! Don't you at least trust me to trust in you?! Come on! Let me trust you!"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) After a while, Rena finally found him and, well, he expected her to be careful, even so, he didn't expect for her to do what she did. She threw him down and they both fell to the ground, after the sudden tackle from Rena. Noboyuki was indeed surprised, even more by the words that came out of her mouth. She was right, Noboyuki was just running from himself. He needed to stop, like, right about now. But it still scared him. It scared him out of his mind. What was he now anyway? Was he anything aside from the lies he had been telling up until now? Noboyuki suddenly found himself at a crossroads. He did not know what the hell he was supposed to be in reality. And as he thought about it with Rena on top of him, he knew that he couldn't just take forever like that. His breathing became agitated.Yeah, he needed to just come out and say something. He couldn't help but put a hand on her head. "I am.... I am... Scared.... Damn. That's the truth. I've known it for a while now. But I didn't want to face it. No matter what, I didn't want to. I wanted to protect the same dull life I leaded in my world. I didn't want anything to perturb that peace. And then, I was dragged against my will to this world. I knew nothing of it, neither did the inhabitants of this world knew anything about me. It was perfect. A new start. I may have longed for that for quite a while without even realising it." He starts speaking with his heart, instead of letting his brain devise the perfect route to follow when talking with others. It was high time for him to stop doing so. "And then, in here, I went on lying. With things of less importance at first, until you had to ask me what I thought about you. I told you you were just a dear friend to me... only because I didn't want to lose you! I couldn't stand the mere thought of losing you! If you didn't feel the same way as I... I wouldn't know what to do! I was just so scared of that.... of you not ever wanting to see me again." He felt his eyes watering. Yeah. He was speaking a bit too much from his heart. If he didn't stop anytime now.... "Rena, I...!" No, stop. "I...!" You will be all alone again "I love you!" Get it back. Lie your way out again. You still have time. You can still protect what you have now. You can remain static at this point. "I love you so much! I don't care whether it is just some kind of blessed coincidence or part of some stupid study! I don't care anymore! I just can't keep it anymore in my chest and continue lying to you! I love you, Rena Falkren!" Noboyuki shouted at the top of his lungs. It was done. There was no going back anymore. He could just pray. He couldn't just lie now, like he did long before. A grown woman wouldn't just fall for that. Now he just had to wait. He could talk to her about the dreams after that.... If they ever talked to each other again, that is.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- What? No really what?! Rena almost took a double take, she almost didn't believe him, that at first she couldn't believe that was a honest to God love confession. She laid there, just absolutely lost for anything to say, even her mouth hung there stupidly. This just took a really really unexpected turn, she thought that he would get defensive about his past again, that he would try to deny it again, yet never in her wildest dreams she ever thought he would confess. Her heart was beating so hard and fast, for a brief moment she even thought it might explode, her entire body felt hot, she was an absolute flustering mess at that moment. That was it, she couldn't take it anymore, Rena clutched him even harder then threw her face into his shirt, giving him some kind of tight hug. "I love you too!" she was muffled, hell what if he couldn't hear her? She rose her again to look him directly in the eye, with a clear determination, and spoke those words again. "I-I actually love you too, Noboyuki!" There he couldn't have missed it that time, he knew, she knew. Their love was mutual, it almost had to be offical now. She buried her head into Noboyuki again, this time tears even streaming down her face, she was crying? Such a happy moment that brought tears, such a paradox but she couldn't stop them. Rena continued her tight embrace, almost unable to let go, time passed, maybe five minutes, maybe fifteen minutes, time fell away to her, it felt way too good, to finally become this intimate with someone, it felt like heaven. She loved Noboyuki, her first true partner, they would never ever be able to go back now, they both had knew that, still Rena was perfectly happy with how things turned out, she would never want to go back.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The words that Rena spoke made his heart flutter. Was it real? It wasn't a dream, right? He felt tempted to pinch himself and see if that wasn't a dream but, to be honest, he was scared that it was indeed a dream and that he'd wake up if he did such a thing. He was happy, to be honest. Not only did he let his feelings out in the open, despite his fear for rejection, but Rena felt all the same, and it was a relief that she did, otherwise, in which rock could Noboyuki have hidden under? But that wasn't important right now. Right now.... What should he say? He did just declare his love to the girl that was on top of him, but how could he follow things up in any way? Being all like 'oh, yeah, right', seemed inappropriate, maybe a kiss? Nah, it would seem a bit too sudden in their current position and start of their relationship. Then there was one thing that would show his aggection and not seem as sudden. He put his arms around her and hugged her gently, while smiling to himself. "That's... a relief. I wouldn't have knwon what to do if you turned me down. I'm so happy right now. I promise not to lie to you ever again." He simply said. Haha, just what got into him there? Suddenly, he just couldn't help but remember what he said and blush slightly. That voice in the back of his head too.... it didn't quite seem like his, to be honest, but since it came from his mind, he didn't really pay it any more attention, maybe it was only his imagination. He held her even tighter after building up his confidence to this time confront HER about her own dreams. "So, Rena..... is there anything else that is troubling you? I dunno, maybe in the future or something?" He was fairly sure now. The dreams had something to do with the both of them. Certainly, Rena sure caught up fast to his lies, even though he is an expert liar. Only people who knew him to his very core could tell when he was lying, such as his mother or father. In other words, Rena might have been seeing dreams about him... while he saw dreams about her. He was almost sure. "Or should I say, Falkren the Tyrant? What is it that scares you Rena? Won't you tell me?" As far as he knew, Rena didn't really want to inherit the position from his father. "I'll do everything I can to make sure I protect you, so don't worry about it." He said, even before he got an answer. That's just how he felt about it, and what he would honestly do despite everything.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Wasn't this something? Rena didn't panic, really coming from a very relaxed state from just laying there, she barely registered his words at first, although it sank in soon enough. She didn't say anything, but she sat up, which was a shame if only they could stay like that for a while longer. She really did feel calm though, in another situation, or with someone else she would've denied anything. Thing was now they finally put everything out there, their love and feelings, she essentially made a pact to always trust him, to trust Noboyuki. Maybe it was foolish to do so already, when their relationship had just started not even an hour ago, but she thought it out long enough beforehand, the time was right. "It is rude to go from our first time cuddling, then into questioning me like this. Guess I did the same, fair is fair, but first let's go back, its chilly out here, can already feel a cold coming on." Rena got up from the ground, of course she stopped to help her partner on his feet, offering her hand. The walk back was uneventful, but happy, at least she was. Although along the way she was still worried about what their going to be talking about, more so she wanted to know what Noboyuki even found out. She still had not pieced together the possibility of him having his own dreams. The couple were back around the fire, it died down some without being cared for, the low lighting set the mood just right. Rena leaned back on her hands, just thinking for the moment, it was so odd to be thinking clearly after hearing, and especially giving love confessions, maybe that was just her, Noboyuki could have been emotional still for all she knew. Now where to start? "... So, you've done some discovery yourself huh..." She spoke slowly, trying to be delicate, "Well to start with how did you figure me out? I don't usually tell you about my worries, I mean those specific troubles really..." Rena sighed, "But yes, I'm just not, uh, just ready for what's next if you understand me..."</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He was already starting to get a little... uh loving? If that's the right word. She was obviously unused to be physically close to someone, course their cuddle from earlier was spontaneous, you know born out of sheer emotion. Here though it was different, it was a conscious decision on his part, she was thinking how this would all work out, where or when does she know when they could be, well lovers? It was then Rena was becoming all too aware of her lack of experience with... everything, no idea how to be in real relationship. Guess at best she'll be able to do is wing it, couldn't be that hard, should be natural right? Just go with what feels right. All the same though she was self-conscious as Noboyuki pulled her in, she didn't fight it though, nothing changed that she liked it anyway since it felt comforting. He talked, he seemed so much more supportive than before, so this was him as an honest man. Finally. She returned a smile, really a smirk, "No... you wouldn't be king, inheritance doesn't work like that, I'm not even sure what you'll be, you know a princess doesn't typically end up with someone from an entirely another dimension." Rena snuggled up against her partner, just felt like the right move at the time. She sighed deeply, she still couldn't believe this happened, it was almost too perfect. "Thank you for being here though, guess you've seen an uglier side of me, I don't want to know what you seen, not yet, couldn't have been pretty. I know what your dreams, or whatever they were, shown me." She played idly with one of the buttons on Noboyuki's jacket, so shiny. He looked to be fine with this, so strange, its gonna take a while to get used to... how causal they were towards each other, just felt too soon, but what did she know? She looked up to him, her head was nestled just in his armpit, she gave another smile, both to stomp down some of her vague doubts, maybe also to help with Noboyuki's as well. "I don't know what those dreams are about, they have to mean something right? Still they've helped us, don't think we would be here right now otherwise, has to be a good thing just because of that." Rena paused for only a moment before continuing, thinking if she needed to say this, it did feel natural though. "I really do love you Noboyuki. I really do..." Those words still made her heart skip a beat, still without fail.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) It was good that Rena followed up with his antics, and even if it was just some small shows of affection Noboyuki still appreciate them quite a lot. "Hehe, you've seen an ugly side of me as well. One I wished people never saw, to be honest. But when it's all done and said, I think that indeed ended up helping us. So, I can't say I really regret you ever seeing them." He smiled at her. The only thing he regretted was having to arrive to the next town in such a short time. He wished they had some more time to be alone like that. He wasn't one to push his luck, but he indeed wanted some alone time with her. He looked back at Rena, staring right into her eyes, and then Rena said those words again. They made his own heart skip a beat, and he even blushed a bit after hearing it. But even so, he didn't look away from her. Those words meant a whole lot to him. The whole mood and atmosphere.... Yeah, something told him that it would be a good time to push his luck right now, even if it was just for a bit. He leaned down and planted a kiss on Rena's lips. Even if it wasn't something really big and just something out of impulse, Noboyuki thought the time was right. "I love you too, Rena." He simply said, with a sincere smile in his face, one he had never shown anyone before. He wished time would just stop. In that simple night that seemed a bit too perfect. They were about to arrive to the next town too. "Can we stay like this for another while? I suddenly don't feel like sleeping at all." He put up now his usual sarcastic smile of always. Even then, though, the night continued on. It would be the next morning anytime soon, even if Noboyuki wished with all of his heart for that not to happen. Even so, he may want to push his luck again and ask her to sleep together, of course, without trying to imply anything else and.... Yeah, he'd better not do that, or he'd get punched.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena's eyes widened, of course in response to his quick kiss, on the lips none the less. Noboyuki was bold that's for sure, she couldn't tell of that was a good or a bad thing, she knew their relationship wasn't going to be boring at the least. Still Rena was somewhat turned off by the gesture, he was advancing quickly, little too quickly, but she didn't feel pressured, they just started after all. After they parted Rena was blushing, "I-uh, I... that was my first kiss... by the way." Yeah, that's right, there was her first actual kiss ever, wasn't filled the passion she perhaps hoped for... ah well, there will be more in the future. They continued to sit there, she agreed that it was nice, and of course expressed that ending the night would be a shame, a huge one. Rena engaged in small talk, first ever since their date last month, she didn't discuss anything of much importance, this time she went into her own family. King Halthor Falkren 'the Silver-tongued' of Eskar, of course was her father. Rena explained how he earned his name, the Silver-tongued, as she said many times before her father was a great diplomat, diplomacy perhaps being his biggest asset. Hell he'd even taught Rena herself from a young age, that was before she started traveling. Her mother... well died after childbirth which was the prime reason Rena was an only child, King Falkren refused to remarry and so that's what resulted in her becoming the sole heir, no one else was there to take it. Seeing as she never even met her mother, Rena didn't have any regrets, which was the most she ever said about the subject. Turned out the house of Falkren wasn't that big, her only other living relative was an uncle, Duke Gerald Falkren of Thermia, a powerful man who personally oversaw about a third of the kingdom. He was described as being a man with strong features, among them being a groomed beard, a shallow one, and he appeared to be aged, not white with years, but old. He was only just a few years younger than her father after all, she didn't have much else to say about him, other than the man was known to be very kind, making him popular among the people. Before long though Rena ended up passing out, still on Noboyuki's lap, it simply became way too late, plus after the rapid series of events that night it was a wonder how the princess managed to stay awake for as long as she did. She slept peacefully, and without another dream. --- The next morning, or uh maybe only a few hours later really, they were needless to say back on the road, couldn't get caught up in what happened, you know in spite of how much as Rena wanted to relax at that spot more, in fact she had a feeling that Noboyuki thought the same. If she were to guess they had to be only an hour or two away from the next town, a major one if fact as it was a walled city, complete with large buildings including a chapel, and a keep. It was ruled by a lesser Earl, a new one actually since he very recently inherited the title after death of the previous ruler, being the new Earl's great grandfather. Unfortunately that was about the extent of what Rena knew.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Um, well, to be honest.... That was my first as well. I don't have a lot of experience with, well, kisses. Or relationships at that. It always was nothing but pretending, but now.... it feels more real." He said, feeling a bit flustered. It was good to finally hear something about Rena's family. She hadn't talked abotu it in since, well, forever. He answered her own words with some family history of his own. He talked to her about his own family, a mother and a father, as well as a teenager sister. Even then, who he talked the most about was about his sister. They seemed to be in.... fairly abd terms. Noboyuki was strict, almost like a father, and as a teenager, his sister was obviously not always agreeing with him. He also talked about how they got into a lot of fights between each other, but also how they usually supported each other regardless of the situation they may be in. She was the thing closer to a best friend he had, it seemed. Noboyuki also told her about his parents, fo course, saying that his father was fairly similar to him and that his mother was a smaller woman with a somewhat stern face and someone really serious, unlike his father, who is as sarcastic as Noboyuki himself. He talked about how they spent a lot of time in their respective offices working and how he ended up spending more time with his sister. They seemed to be knit pretty close to each other, the way Noboyuki talked, and it also seemed that he wasn't all too fond of his parents, again, by the way he talked about them. Still, there was a little bit of the descriptions of Rena's family that seemed.... awfully familiar. Where had he heard about it before? Yes, he had seen it rather than heard it. A shallow beard, not white with years, but old..... Was it in one of the dreams? Nah, couldn't be. Couldn't be, could it? How did it went again? The Tyrant? He knew he should have wrote down everything as soon as he woke up, why didn't he do it in the end?! Dammit, it was a bit frustrating. But his frustration went away once Rena lost to sleep and fell asleep in his lap. It was good that she wasn't really disgusted with the excuse of a kiss he gave her. He felt it was a good start. He took off his jacket and put it over her as a blanket. It was the best he could do. Now, he should also get some sleep. --- Noboyuki always thought bad of politicians, but he thought that the worst kind of politician was the one that inherited power and was born with it. He most often than not pictured people like that fat and with the attitude of a total despot in all and every way. Then again, Rena seemed to be an exception of that. Even so, it was good to finally be back in town with Rena, they would finally be able to sleep in a decent and actual bed. Now, for starters, what should they do...? Noboyuki thought it would be a good idea to go stroll by the town, however, and rather suddenly, an stranger approached the duo. Hooded and gasping for air, the stranger took off his hood before any questions could be made. "Oh, excuse me. Are you... the group that is travelling to defeat the Demon Lord?" The boy asked. Yes, he was nothing but a boy. If Noboyuki guessed right, he was not older than 16 years old. He merely lifted an eyebrow at the sudden question. He may say something stupid as wanting to join them, so Noboyuki quickly moved to deny the fact that they were indeed that same group. However, the talkative boy in front of them did not allow for an answer coming from Noboyuki. "Because I can totally help you! You see, I have these odd powers that are extra effective on demons! An old man taught me how to use them and I wanted to join you guys when I had the first opportunity!" He seemed a bit too eager, but he hadn't even stated his name. Claiming he was powerful and whatnot... Yeah, Noboyuki didn't trust that at all. It was a bit too anime esque for a boy like that to be some kind of 'chosen' one. Then again, he was completely unaware of the boy's position as the real hero that had been summoned to this world. He decided to just go with it for now. But there were some things that came first before that. "Well, at the very least you could tell us your name, brat. It isn't exactly polite to just come out and start saying things like that without even saying your name, you know? I am Noboyuki." Noboyuki said, trying to keep his cool. He wasn't good with these kinds of people. Cheerful and bright. "A-Ah, yes. My name is Isshiki Ryuma. I, uh, come from a little village in the borders of another big city. We have the custom of putting our given names after our surnames, so feel free to call me Ryuma." The boy with the blonde hair said, smiling from the bottom of his heart. Yeah, he was the kind of honest guy that was always straightforward. Noboyuki didn't really want to deal with him. But anyhow, wasn't his name too... Japanese-ish? Maybe there were people like that in here too, or maybe.... nah, it couldn't be. He was sure it couldn't be. Why would they summon two people into this world from his own? More importantly, why were they both Japanese? Nah, it was too much of a coincidence.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena mostly kept walking with Noboyuki, this happened a lot where random folks wanted to join them for whatever reason, glory, gold, or God there were plenty of motivations. They were back in more populated lands, made sense they would start encountering people like this. Of course they were never brought along especially since this time their hopeful recruit was only barely on the cusp of adulthood, honestly he could've been a liability rather then a truly helpful pair of extra hands. For the moment she allowed her lover to take care of the kid, thus she kept looking foward trying not to acknowledge him. Although that became harder as he kept trying, probably not even a little likely to give up. He kept talking, Rena kept ignoring him, that is until the kid said his name. The surname came first, like Noboyuki's, Ryuma, that of course being this kid's name, claimed that he simply followed that tradition, problem was that was a tradition that didn't exist. Before Noboyuki, she had never ever encountered someone's last name first, it simply does not exist in her world. It even took her a while before she started calling her partner by his proper first name, just assuming that his last name was his first name. Looking back then, it was somewhat embarrassing. Still whatever was happening she had already made the connection, hopefully this was only a case of a overzealous youth attempting to emulate Noboyuki by making up a weird name. Rena gently tapped on Noboyuki's back, "You should learn how to be more diplomatic, now I have a few questions, just give me a moment, okay?" Something was already odd about this kid, really despite just meeting him, he had already proven to be something else. Rena stopped, as so did Noboyuki, hopefully, then of course she faced Ryuma, "If you've been looking for us, then you know I am Rena Falkren. Its good that you've decided to seek us out, shows some spirt however... I'm wondering, what province do you hail from? If you're not from Eskar, then what kingdom?"</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- She was surrounded by children... and not just the literal one in front of her. The kid was arrogant, inappropriate, and just overall unpleasant, hell he even attempted to kiss her, granted it was only on the hand... Rena could easily reason why Noboyuki would lose his temper so quickly with Ryuma, she also had to consider their brand new relationship status right? Although that was still no reason for the hero to actually lash out at their rude guest, she'll have to deal with him later. Rena's temperament changed from the gentle expression of their initial encounter, to one of scorn, diplomacy was out of the picture at this point. Even if the boy was only slightly taller than her, Rena mustered her gravest stare, not even Noboyuki had seen it ever before, the kid may be able to intimidate, but she? She had a lifetime of authority to bear down with. "You are stupidly bold, not even that, you are arrogant to such an extreme fault I am already unable to stand your presence. First, you lie about your own home, and that lie was unraveled in the manner of seconds. Second, you insult a dear companion of mine who as stayed loyal to me nearly to the extent of death on multiple occasions, he who has shown true proof of his strength and martial prowess, however you boast without the slightest scrap of real evidence thus far. Third, you dare to mock the idea of chivalry with your woefully horrid attempt at a kiss of my hand, its disgraceful beyond all measure of a knight's code of honor. And last, you make ALL of this seem as if it were a game, that in of itself insults me and every single citizen of my kingdom to the highest degree, this cause is for our future, the future of everyone. You already seem to have thrown that notion away, it is down right disgusting to call you a human being if you are unable to comprehend the serious nature that my home finds itself in." The last word seethed from Rena, she didn't want to do that at first, but now... well now that changed, she meant everything she said, Ryuma had already shown himself to be someone she would be very much unwilling to even think about cooperating with. Now though, she wasn't done, no not yet. Rena turned around to face Noboyuki himself, he had made some mistakes as well. "Then there's you... Noboyuki I expected more from you, much more, did you understand what I meant by 'to be more diplomatic?' The point was to handle this in a civilized manner without breaking out into petty bickering. You allowed this boy to provoke you into arguing with him, you should've shown restraint because you are more than strong enough to do so, I know that for a fact. There is also the subject of you pushing away his kiss, it was uncalled for you to do so, I am able to decline it myself... it shows that you care, and I can appreciate more than perhaps you really know, still it was not the right way to show that you care. You are strong, intelligent, and loyal, these are some of the many, many reasons why I fallen in love with you, so act as the better man in the future, you are very much able to do so." Rena reached forward to pat Noboyuki on the back, she hoped that her eyes alone were able to convey that while he did annoy her, and disappoint her, that she still loved him no matter what. Rena stepped back to allow her reprimanding to sink in, this was the end of their fighting, no more. If either of them were to make another attempt at continuing, she made a mental note to strike down whichever one decided to do so... even Noboyuki, she did not have the patience for this.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The childish part of him that came out just now urged him to mock Ryuma after he was being told off by Rena, and that same childish part of him wanted to say something like 'I didnt do anything bad'. And luckily, his adult side of him was still there and echoing hard through his body. Yes, he wasn't so angry that he would just lash out like a little kid. He had been immature enough already as it was. "Yes... yes, I know that." Noboyuki shook his head, before breaking into a smile. "I will do my best from now on. Sorry, Rena." He simply said in response to Rena telling him off. Yes, it was necessary at times. And even then, after being scolded by Rena, Ryuma didn't seem to show any signs of changing. He merely smirked. "Haha! You say that now, but once you see me in action, you'll be BEGGING to have me in your team! Don't ever understimate me, princess!" He said, still sounding quite cheery despite everything, before he became serious again and looked at Noboyuki first, then at Rena. "And what's this? I didn't know you guys were lovebirds. Saying that so openly with each other.... Ain't you embarrassed or something? There are countless other places to be whispering sweet nothings to each other." He smiled yet again, though this one was a mocking smile. Yes, Noboyuki had to be the better man, more diplomatic in Rena's words. But how could he be more diplomatic right now? Handling this situation with care.... He took Rena's hand and squeezed it a bit, being careful not to hurt her, and then turned his eyes to the boy with blonde hair. Their eyes met, and if it would've been possible, sparks would've come out only because of that. In a way, they were both total opposites to each other. Noboyuki knew that, Ryuma probably didn't. Like that, he decided that the best way to be diplomatic here was to smile at him, even if it was a clearly forced smile, and gulp down every curse words he wanted to spout out at the guy in front of him. "What? you got something to say? Go ahead and say it. Perhaps, you will finally piss me off and we can get on with my crushing of you in front of the princess. You'll lose her respect and love and she'll decide to take me instead of you. We both win. You won't die in upcoming battles and I get to do what I came to do here. What do you think? It's a good deal, right? Your life in exchange of an adventure that just wasn't meant for you." Even while he says so and his words seem to cut deeper than blades as he speaks, he still seems.... worried perhaps? Not something Noboyuki would catch on anytime soon, of course, as his anger just grew by the minute while speaking to the arrogant piece of a brat known as Ryuma. He squeezed Rena's hand even tighter. "Just what I-!" He was about to accept the challenge, but he was reminded of what Rena said. Be more diplomatic. Yeah, the best act of diplomacy he could do was leave everything to Rena. He loosened his grip on Rena's hand after taking a deep breath and calming himself down. He just turned to Rena, seeking for an answer from the girl. "What do you think, Rena? Should we humor him anymore?"</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena after all that Ryuma said, still did nothing but stood there. Her expression hadn't changed as she listen very carefully to each word the boy had to say. Noboyuki was clearly struggling not to lash out once again, at least someone listened to her, but this arrogant youth before her did not get the message, yet she did nothing not yet. Really she was thinking, deep and hard, absorbing every last bit of malice pouring forth from Ryuma, use it as fuel, fuel to strike him down with absolute fury. Least that was the plan. When Noboyuki let go of her hand, Rena had enough... it wasn't going to be pretty. In a few long strides she was right there in the boy's face, even though they had the slight height difference, their eyes still met on the same plane. Then she smiled, it was not a happy one, no it was a fake, insidious grin that was only just hiding her true intent. One that Ryuma wouldn't be able to miss. "And don't you underestimate me, 'hero,' do you really think you are untouchable? Bravado is nothing but a ploy to hide your fear, how pathetic you could really be. Is making enemies of other humans truly for the best? I have heard of your world, oh I have, yes indeed. I know how your society works, and let me confirm here, that here everything is much, much different. I'm going to say that you are human enough to need sleep, food, water, hmm? Do you believe that you could remain awake for every waking hour of the day, looking out for the next murderer who has your head marked for death? Oh but why would anyone be trying to kill you? I hear you asking? Ah good question, very good question. That is because no one takes kindly to filth like yourself, oh yes, this would not be before long in your mission to make as many enemies as possible, for you think that fighting with every single person you meet is somehow a sane idea." Rena started to speak in a lower tone, but was grinning even more. "Do you what to know, what happens when you're left alive? Torture, then death following, maybe, soon after. Maybe you'll be flayed, with a heated serrated knife your flesh would be pealed off, and oh of course you'll still be very well awake, also believe you would not be allowed to lose consciousness, after all it is only rude to 'fall' asleep. THEN, you shall be gutted, your entrails flopping freely from your abdomen, but relax in knowing that there would be extra care in ensuring you wouldn't bleed out, no you should be left alive after all, I think you'd agree. After that you'll be hoisted high up in a iron cage, off of a keep's tower, left to dangle for weeks, least until you finally pass away. High above the earth below, hmm maybe a crow would pay you a visit, I hear they absolutely love intestines." She suddenly pulled the boy down by the hair, she leaned forward towards his ear, and whispered so loudly and harshly Noboyuki was still able to hear. "I will tell you again, don't you fucking underestimate me, you filthy maggot. Are you so stupid, and goddamn blind to not treat others with common sense, do you just downright have shit for brains? I dare you to provoke me just one more time, one more single time and you will wish for death, that is not a if, that is a damned 'when.' " Rena pushed the boy away, she was still smiling, inside she was filled to the brim with fury. One more arrogant comment from this boy would be enough, just enough.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki could feel Rena's anger all the way to where he was, and couldn't help but gulp at the thought of it. He was happy he decided to change into passive mode when he did, otherwise all of that anger would have poured all over him too. But indeed, Rena was something else once she got mad.... Noboyuki made a mental note to himself never to get her mad enough that she'd say things like that to him. Definitely a scary politician, but there's always the possibility that people without that kind of spite in a world like in what she lived could survive. It was a possibility that scared him a bit, and made him worry about her. Ryuma, on the other hand, was feeling.... yes, the correct term for it would be fear. Even the boy had to fulp audibly at the mere thought of it as he heard Rena's words. He had considered the possibility of dead, and that didn't scare him. What scared him was Rena. She was being so direct and somewhat terrifying, not to say anything about the fact that she was smiling all the while as she talked to him. He thought it best to retreat for now. He wouldn't be able to take anything out of the stubborn pair. Both of them were stubborn it seemed. 'Like a match made in heaven.' He thought. "Fine, fine. I'm outta here. I don't want to keep on hearing you both rant of WHY I am not a hero. Just remember. A hero saves everyone, even those who do not wish to be saved." He said, arrogant as always. He turned around and lazily waved at the pair. "See ya later. You can count on that at the very least." The blonde boy disappeared between the masses and was soon invisible to the two. With his departure, Noboyuki let out a relieved sigh. It was about time. It was about damn time. Noboyuki felt a burden go away from his shoulders. He turned to Rena, unsure of how to approach her right now. Well, he'd better just play it off right now and make it as if nothing had ever happened. "Man, that was some rude kid. Maybe even if he did have magic, it just didn't seem the kind of guy that could call himself a hero... Not that I am one to talk of course." There was still some little chance that Rena felt... troubled of what she had just said to the boy, even if it was necessary. Noboyuki, smiling, though still worried, grabbed her hand. "Why don't we continue walking through the city? It should help us get our mind away from that boy."</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He left, that little pain was terrified and Rena knew that, behind all that bravado Ryuma was the pathetic idiot she knew he was. Before he left Rena continued shouting obscenities his way, it was insurance... just making sure he wouldn't return, that's what she told herself. Even though his presence was no longer there, the anger boiling within Rena was still boiling over, the kid did not necessarily insult her, nothing was thrown directly at herself he dishonored Noboyuki, she wasn't able to stand for that anymore. For a few minutes there was nothing happening, although Rena was visibly shaking, the self-control that once directed her wrath had ran out, at that point she was unable to control herself. Good news she didn't act on any impulse, after all Ryuma was the main subject of her anger, with him gone there was nothing really to lash out at. When Noboyuki dared to hold her hand... well Rena was about ready to verbally assault the hero, at least that was the case before she recognized him. She was no longer smiling, but actually enraged, her features easily shown as such, in one word she was very pissed. While she didn't pull away from Noboyuki, she didn't exactly embrace him. More or less she only allowed the man to hold her hand, that was about it. She was breathing deeply, relaxation techniques to help her come down after that emotional high. Noboyuki was saying something, however Rena didn't heed the words, they just stood there for a while longer, her partner still faithfully holding hands. A good fifteen minutes after Ryuma's departure, Rena finally calmed down significantly, her expression now neutral. She was anything but happy, not that she truly cared about the boy's well being, which was zero, she still of course did not find the experience to be all that pleasent. Noboyuki was still waiting on her, he couldn't be left standing there for any longer. "So... guess I was pretty scary there... huh? All I can say is he deserved everything there... but I still didn't like it. Not at all." Rena tried to smile, "There went diplomacy, kind of hypocritical is it not? Suppose there are times to lose it like that..."</s>
<\|description\|>Cade Mal'Darn Screen Name: drallinix Race: human Class: Jedi Knight Pic: Physical Description: He is tall and athletic standing at 6'2 and 180lbs. He walks with confidence in his step and purpose in his eyes. He has medium length brown hair and green eyes with scars around the left eye. His skin is tan and he has scars on his arms and chest from duels. Personality: Generally he acts as a Jedi should very dignified. however Cade also has a wild streak that the jedi council looks down upon. He can be arrogant and loves combat, he feels and often uses his passion as a sith would. He also prefers darker and more practical clothing than most Jedi wear. At times he can be overconfident, but overall he is an excellent strategist and duelist. Equipment: Cade's custom Durasteel armor: This custom durasteel armor has two plasma blade generators coupled into the wrist guards. These act as an emitter would for a lightsaber and let him generate two blue saber blades from his gauntlets when he feels need to. On top of this the armor provides great defense and while not able to stop a direct blow from a saber it does well to deflect grazes. Cade's custom saber: This silver saber has etchings along the entire surface of it. On the emitter numerous vents allow light to shine through, and the crystal chamber of the weapon has a plate of clear metal covering it allowing its light to be seen. The crystal and blade it generates are both a deep blue. The blade seems to pulse with energy if you stare at it and constantly has small sparks that surround it. Force powers: Force grip- He reaches out through the force and grabs an object allowing him to telekinetically move and hold it. He can lift pull and throw things with this ability as well, but is constrained in the heavier the object the more he must concentrate to do so. Force body- Blending natural physique and force powers with this Cade makes himself stronger, faster, and more durable. He far exceeds any normal man with these augmentations allowing him to achieve astounding feats of martial prowess such as leaping and striking with much more force. Force manipulation- his control of the force has ben honed due to hours meditating since he was a child and extreme focus. He can tap in and feel the very flow of the force and bend it to his will. Special- Spear of midnight black(force manipulation)- He uses his control of the force to form an invisible spear of it that is hurled at the enemy usualy used in conjunction with force body for devastating effect. This can throw targets off their feet go through durasteel armor, and even pin things to other objects. While it is primarily considered a darker power he discovered its usage when he gave in to his passions during the mandolorian conflict and adapted it for his own combat purposes. Background history: Cade was born into the Jedi order. Both of his parents where jedi his mother attaining the rank of master before her death and his father that of knight. He was brought up under both of their tutelages, and was raised to be a jedi rather than as their son. Every day he underwent physical stress and training, then meditated for long hours of time. His mother taught him the ways of the force, and he was exceptionally strong with force grip and force body. Whilst his father taught him lightsaber combat. He quickly became a well versed duelist and his main styles were sresu,djem so, and makashi. He began to go on missions by himself when he achieved the rank of knight at eighteen. He helped numerous excursions and fought many opponents from mandolorians to smugglers. He would come to love the thrill of combat almost to much and attempt to master it. Eventually his mother and father passed away, both killed by a mandolorian clan. Cade feeling anger set out to find them unbeknownst to the rest of the order. When he found the Mandolorians he fought well, but was eventually brought down by their numbers. They took him captive and were going to execute him. Before the sentence was carried out Cade challenged the leader to single combat, which being a mandolorian he accepted. So the two locked blades Cade's saber that he built with the help of his mother flashing as it clashed with the mando's beskar sword. The battle was long both seeming equally talented duelist, but finally as the day grew long Cade made a move. He lunged forward and the Mando batted his saber away attempting to finish him with a riposte meant to decapitate. Cade ducked instinctually and narrowly avoided the beskar blade and as he did spun and twisted his grip the blade of his saber emerging from the man's chest as Cade's hilt met his back. The mandolorians kept their honor and Cade was allowed to leave. Upon returning to the Jedi temple he was reprimanded for his actions. However the grandmaster decided to have Cade sent to the outpost rather than have him banished. Cade showed exceptional talent that the man wished to bring forth. So now we find Cade on this outpost surrounded by the imperials.</s> <\|message\|>Izin'asilos She had been reading when her master called her. For months she had been researching the forms and origins of her guard shota. One of the first people known to make waves with the strange Lightsaber variant was Maris Brood, a jedi who had turned dark and was let free by a secret apprentice of Darth Vader. What angered her about Brood's story was that she suddenly disappeared after being spared by Starkiller, the apprentice. Of course, It wasn't a normal case for people to disappear without any traces, and with enough resources, she could be found, but the former Jedi had left nothing for anyone to find her with. There was so much Izin could have learned with her saber from one of the most prominent users, but she just had to disappear. Hearing the voice of her master call her a second time, the Twi'lek woman got off of her bed and carefully stepped out of her room. When she really got into studying, her room would become a mess, and her master's vessels of knowledge would be splayed out in every possible location. She would clean everything up when she was done, but it was just when she was studying that is was almost impossible to maneuver around. In quick time, though, she was able to get out of her room. In little time, Izin reached her master and slowed down to a halt as she stood before him. Looking at him briefly before bowing, she was curious as to why he had called her. "What did you need, Master?"</s> <\|message\|>Darth Rad'qet "Take these notes and tell me what you think, they're orders from Darth Majies along with a few details I've added." Rad'qet said before handing his apprentice the sheet of paper. As soon as she had the papers, Rad'qet stood up and walked to his chamber. "We will be there in one day, I am going to meditate, do not disturb me unless time is of the essence" he said before shutting the door. Rad'qet had acquired the small ship a few months ago, and had done well to convert his room into a meditation chamber. The room was already mostly soundproofed, a perk of it being the Captain's room, however he had to remove the wallpaper and thin layer of poorly done,fake dry wall that tried to give the room an actual house like feeling. This left him with sleek steel walls that he later had redone, making them black. It wasn't to represent the "darkness inside of him" or any other rhetorical reason, he only had it done because the reflections of light on the steel gave him a headache. Once the walls were the proper "emptyness" he stripped the room of unnecessary furniture and light fixtures until there was only one overhead light hanging over the center of the room. The final step was to mark it with runes, which for Rad'qet had been the easiest step. Once inside the barren, but empowered room, Rad'qet could reflect and plan. The room allowed him to focus, to streamline his thoughts into more useful information. It also allowed him to better manipulate the force, which is why he would always create and imbue things with the dark force's energy in this room. Rad'qet wished he could do such things while inside of a Dark Force Nexus, but they were so far and few between it would be impractical to always travel to them. He pondered on the thought that the moon he was traveling to might contain a force nexus, and planned a few things he would do if it was.</s> <\|message\|>Cade Mal'Darn After the hologram's speech Cade turned on his heel and left the room. He had no wish or need to be around the imperials. As Cade walked he came upon a training room filled with many different things and decided to enter. Cade walked into the room and looked around, finally he found his intended object. Booting up an old training droid he searched through its settings and finally decided on a setting of a zabrak with a red saber. Cade stepped into the middle of the training room followed by the zabrak placing himself opposite of him. Cade ignited his saber and paced right the zabrak mimicking his movement. Finally Cade lunged forward his foot hitting the ground about halfway through then pushing him off towards the zabrak. He led with a thrust towards the zabrak's chest, which was parried and retaliated to. Cade leaned back to allow the saber to go over his head, then he stepped back and parried the overhead strike with knocking the Zabrak off balance. As they both set themselves in stances they began to prepare for another clash. The zabrak closed first and attempted to bring his saber down on Cade's head, but cade spun to the left and the saber hit the floor. Cade retaliated by kicking the zabrak in the body and sending it flying onto its back. Cade grabds the zabrak's foot with the force and then crushed down with his power. The image of a zabrak was quickly shattered as the training bot's leg shattered into pieces under Cade's force powers.</s> <\|message\|>M-0018 "Emolate" M-0018 saw the Jedi enter the training rooms. He heard other troops talk about them: Guardians of Peace, Keepers of knowledge some professed. Others believed them to be arcane, practitioners of archaic and obsolete arts. He had no feeling either way. He simply knew what he was taught. Avoid provocation, they are deadly up close. Some users capable of manipulating matter and the mind. They were an asset to the Empire and as such, not considered an immediate threat. Still M-0018 found it odd that he knew of standard protocols and procedures when dealing with rogue jedi: massed blaster volley in a cross-fire, flanking solutions and squad target priorities. He thought nothing of it. He hypothesized it to be remnant instructions of the old Kiminoan templates. The clash of ionized plasma rang from the rooms. M-0018's curiosity was unforgivably piqued, a weakness he thought. A soldier must not act unless told so. Must not think unless told so. Must not speak unless told so. He will have to seek out a discipline officer for his misconduct. He maintained correct attendant posture, eyes fixed forward as he heard the brutal crunch of metal and circuitry. The Jedi had succeeded in his mock battle, commendable. The Jedi had also succeeded in the destruction of Imperial property using excessive force, unforgivable. As per orders, M-0018 was acting quartermaster as their was no dedicated trooper for the position. The Jedi must be confronted, and informed that further misconduct will result in appropriate reprimands from the Senior Officer of the Outpost. M-0018 broke attention and took strides to the training room. He found the Jedi, hardly broken a sweat in the exercise, the crushed leg of the droid evident. "M-0018, acting quartermaster, speaking to inform Knight Cade that he has committed a misconduct under Imperial regulation: unwarranted destruction of Imperial property. At this time I will inform Knight Cade that lethal options are forbidden in the training room, all weapons must be set to non-lethal frequencies or be substituted for non-lethal variants. Additionally utilization of force powers to a lethal degree are not allowed in the inside of the Outpost. As Knight Cade is not a Imperial Soldier and would be doubtfully aware of these codes, this will be your first and final warning. Further misdemeanors will be reported to the installations commanding officer. Does Knight Cade receive and understand this." M-0018 of course finished the warning in a neutral and monotone voice. The Jedi didn't immediately respond. As per regulation, M-0018 would wait, if not given a response or individual acts in open insubordination, he must TRY to subdue and place individual under military arrest.</s> <\|message\|>Apello Styxx Apello looked at the holo-com as it ended, as he watched it end its message before watching the other Jedi in the room leave. He thought silently by himself before he remembered the name of the Jedi, Cade was his name. He had watched the other man walk out, and with nothing else to occupy his time he followed to sate his curiosity. After tailing the other Jedi, he eventually appeared in the training training room and had entered sitting on the side of the wall watching the other Jedi practice on a droid. After the observation of Cade's skills Apello thought to himself silently, thinking about having a friendly match with the other. After a moment of silent thinking, he stood up before grabbing his lightsaber and into his hands before announcing to the Jedi. "Want to have another match? A friendly one of course however, no vital injuries" He said as he looked down at the droid's leg. Of course as a Jedi force powers were slightly less effective on him, he didn't doubt the prowess of the force and how powerful it could be when butted head to head. However, during Cade's small battle with the droid it was obvious that he had use a more offensive style of fighting as his actions we mostly leaded to offensive moves after. It also had seem that he also used evasive techniques as he for the most part of the fight had evaded the attacks of the droid and used a small amount of martial arts as well. All of these he had taken a note of for future reference and now knew a little more about the people that he was going to fight with...</s>	<\|message\|>Cade Mal'Darn Cade squared up with the man staring him in the eyes. "Do not threaten a jedi of the order imperial, noted" As the other jedi approached him Cade's eyes flashed. The man was smaller than he in stature and a miraluka. As the man made his challenge Cade grunted and nodded accepting it. He took three steps back igniting his saber. Cade glared at the man and paced sizing him up and waiting for him to make his move.</s>
<\|description\|>Alytra May Trenton Age: 17 Gender: Female Sexual Orientation/Preference: Straight, men Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: Anxiety and Bi-polar Disorder Personality: Alytra is blunt, wild, and brave. She is never afraid to speak her mind, regardless of any repercussions, and she is nearly impossible to stop when there is something that she has truly set her mind to. She is one of the most stubborn people you will ever meet, and doesn't like to take no for an answer. She is not a sensitive creature. Despite the fact that she suffers from extreme anxiety/panic attacks on occasion, Alytra is honestly a people's person. Being alone drives her a little crazy - well, crazier - and she is a social butterfly who loves to hear herself talk. She's not vain, she just has a lot to say and wants to be heard. This one's a fighter. Appearance: She is Caucasian, but not ghostly pale, as she has a mild tan and freckles on her face. She has some acne, as do most teenagers, but it's not horrible. Her eyes are dark and almost purple in color, the shade varying depending on her mood and the time of day. Her lips are light and pink, complimenting her skin tone, and her short and spiky hair is a mix-up of dye, black and aubergine (a dark purple). Her attire, like that of all other patients, always consists of white, be it a nightgown or buttonless pants and a t-shirt. No shoes are provided to patients, except for a harmless pair of white shower slippers. History/Background Info.: Alytra was raised by a single mother for several years after being removed from an abusive home where her father used to reside with them. She has no known siblings, and therefore is rather self-centered at times. She led a fairly normal life up until the point of her abuse, where she began to have outburst and panic attacks that perplexed her mother for a few years until she realized what had been going on. Since then, Alytra's been nothing but a handful to her mother, who decided that she just couldn't handle it anymore and sent Alytra to Remmington's to be "fixed". Alytra has been at Remmington's for about eight months, and has had some altercations with the staff upon attempting to escape the facility before, particularly with Jason. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Alytra is, for some unknown reason, obsessed with dragons. She loves the color purple (obviously), light blue gatorade, and stir-fry. If you feel like getting on her good side, Alytra's favorite candy is gummy worms. Other/Special: She used to have a pet cat named Bella who was rather near and dear to her heart. Since everyone else had pix of actual people for their characters, I decided to add my own haha so here is what I'd imagine her hair and eyes to look like :3</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Before the girl could answer, Ezra had already moved to sit down, draping himself over his side of the couch like a long-limbed octopus. Much to his amusement, however, he found it quite the fitting metaphor for his current predicament. His legs almost felt like jelly; like he'd collapse and slump into a heap of nothing if he tried to stand up again. There was no joy in the quiet huff of laughter that escaped him next, but… beggars couldn't be choosers, he supposed. In a place like this, one had to be content with any scrap of levity they could find - even if the punchline happened to be at their own expense. To the untrained eye, Ezra might've looked like he was off with the fairies, but he was paying full attention to his companion's ramblings. That was the thing about Remmington's, he never had any idea whether the other patients were just a figment of his imagination, or whether they were flesh and blood. Each of their individual experiences sounded so utterly relatable to Ezra that sometimes, he found himself convinced that the whole facility was simply a construct of his own overactive thalamus. He remembered the IV needle sliding under his skin, the drugs skittering across the surface of his brain, and he nodded in understanding. But when questioned by the girl on how long she'd been gone, Ezra found himself at a loss. "...Beats me." His thoroughly unsatisfying answer came only after a long moment of contemplation, syllables slurring and stretching with a peculiar effortfulness. "I'm as out of it as you are, stranger. What's your name?"</s> <\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton As she replied, Alytra eyed him speculatively. He just sat there, right next to her, plopped his entitled little ass down as if he'd been invited. She hissed internally and glared at him ever so slightly, pulling her knees to her chest and making sure to leave as much space as possible in between her and her surprise guest of the evening. She was pleased, however, to have the chance for conversation with someone else who was fairly normal - or, at least, what she would consider MORE normal than the typical patient or staff member around Remmington's. Also, Alytra was both taken aback and pleased by the fact that the boy seemed to truly understand what she was experiencing. She noticed that he looked a little wobbly, as well. "Name's Alytra," she muttered, disappointed by the fact that he could shed no more light on her current situation than had already been shed, "And... You are?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. Relief washed over her that she wasn't the only one to be at a loss when it came to names here. Alytra was distracted briefly as she saw Jason pass by the Lounge out of the corner of her eye, and she could have sworn that she saw him smile one of those menacing smiles... She quickly focused her attention back on the newcomer once he had passed, however, and waited patiently for his reply.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra might've been delusional, but he wasn't stupid. He could see the subtle curling of the lip, the way her eyes narrowed as he made himself at home on the couch. It was clear - to him, at least - that he wasn't all too welcomed here. Still, it took him every last ounce of willpower in his being to refrain from pointing out that The Lounge was a communal area. If the girl had truly desired to go down the path of the lone wolf, she'd be better off holing up inside a bathroom stall. As this… 'Alytra' introduced herself, Ezra spent a few moments taking her in. She was pale, but not quite as much as he was, with a peppering of freckles all across her features. Of course, none of that were nearly as interesting as the purple hair - an oasis of colour in this wasteland. A compliment was right there on the tip of his tongue, though he couldn't bring himself to say it. Not just yet, at least. He wasn't about to get all buddy-buddy with some he'd just met. Especially not with someone who glared at him just for taking a seat. "...Ezra. It's Ezra." The name sounded wrong between his teeth, and he rued the repetition. There was something dodgy about any assertion one felt obliged to make twice. But it had just been so long since anyone in this hellhole addressed him properly, his name beginning to make the strange transition into a dead language. Ezra was disquieted to realise that the staff had ceased to call him anything at all. He didn't know when or how it happened, but one thing was for sure, this was all because of that bitch, Dr. Remmington. No doubt this was another one of her little mind-games, and that toady of hers, Jason, had to be in on it, too. Speak of the devil… there he was. Ezra would notice that ugly mug anywhere. He'd heard rumours of what Jason did to the other patients, but that was about as deep as it went. Ezra himself hadn't witnessed anything he did firsthand, though he'd certainly had his own run-ins with a separate kind of degenerate - the closeted kind with cigarettes to spare. For a moment, his mind nearly slips, nails digging into his palm to bring himself back to reality. No, no more getting lost in thought. There were other, more important things to deal with. Like the conversation he and Alytra were having, for example. "So? What're you in here for, then?"</s> <\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton When he spoke, Alytra could tell that this boy had definitely picked up on her signals and noticed the way in which she had reacted to his taking a seat near her. His face appeared to display that, although he wasn't too fond of her facial expressions, that he understood. Of course, that was probably a common theme for anyone here at Remmington's. Since all of the patients had their space invaded quite often and without their own consent, Alytra pretty much assumed that the others would feel the same way that she did about close encounters with strangers. Or, maybe it was just her, being "moody", slipping from an exciting "up" state into a dreary "down".... She mentally checked herself and attempted to control the ugly effects her disorder to the best of her abilities, along with the medicine that was flowing through her veins, if it was even the correct dosage/kind. It seemed, for a mere moment, that he was going to share something else with her, but hesitation reared its head, and instead, there was a brief pause, and then Alytra finally learned his name. It was a lovely name, Alytra thought to herself, the kind that would slip off the tip of one's tongue, if not for the hesitation that he had shown, and the awkward repetition of his name afterwards. Was he nervous? Of what? Alytra could be kind of intimidating, but she wasn't that scary.... Was she? She thought that she saw his palm twitch a bit while she waited for him to say more, but it could have easily been just her mind running rampant, full of unidentified chemicals from the drugs. "Um, my mom sent me here a while ago. I have anxiety and I'm mildly bi-polar." she confided in him, honestly, albeit a bit begrudgingly. She wasn't particularly proud of her disorders, and hoped that it wouldn't scare him off. Although a bit panicky around people, Alytra thought that she was literally going to die without someone to make conversation with. "Why are you here?" She pried, curious about what such a clean-cut looking guy could wind up here for.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra's eyes narrowed. Anxiety? Bipolar Disorder? Those weren't exactly things that got you committed to a mental institution, much less one like Remmington's. For a fleeting moment, he couldn't help but feel a sense of commiseration well up inside him. How long had she been here? Needless to say, Ezra had his own woes to wrangle, but there weren't many things in the world that made him feel this way. The abuse of power was something he'd always been wary of, and they had the audacity to call him crazy because of it. No one deserved to be in a place like this, no matter how incorruptible and virtuous they set themselves up to be. He knew better. "Psychosis and BPD." Ezra stated, quite bluntly, voice monotonous with disinterest. His face was a mask of detachment, but if one looked closely, they'd see a flicker of uncertainty. Up until this very day, he still wasn't sure whether or not his suspicions were completely unfounded. Hushed voices and lowered gazes, those were the things that greeted him whenever he walked into a room at home. But he supposed that wasn't the only factor that led to his confinement; more like the straw that broke the camel's back, really. He still remembered how he stuck his head into the oven hours before they dragged him here - and he was so close to blacking out, too. The memory brought a wry, feeble smile to his lips, as he continued. "I tried to kill my family, and I guess they were tired of me trying to kill myself all the time." Ezra would be lying if he said this revelation wasn't cathartic, and there was a sick sort of excitement as to how the girl would react mixed in there, as well. The therapists in here were useless - all they did was smile, nod, maybe scribble down some bullshit on a clipboard if they were feeling particularly productive that day. It was like talking to a brick wall, or rather, confiding in a goldfish. The therapists seemed to forget about everything he'd said by the time the next session rolled around. After a few months of this repetition, it was much easier for Ezra to simply clam up, and wait for the forty-five minutes to be over. With Alytra, though - or any other patient in Remmington's, for that matter - it was different. There was something of a mutual understanding between them, even if they'd never actually spoken to each other up until now. "They tried to keep it hush-hush, but you might've seen it in the tabloids, once or twice." He vaguely recalled a headline splashed across the cover of OK! Magazine, and it would've almost been amusing, if not for its tastelessness. "I think it was something like: 'The Pinkertons: Richer Than God, But They Can't Hide The Crazy!'. You know, that might actually be my personal favourite."</s>	<\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton Alytra could see Ezra eyeing her up, taking in her response, but the look on his face puzzled her. What was that? Anger? Confusion? Disbelief? She hadn't the slightest clue as to what he was thinking while she gave him her answer. She studied his face for a moment more as she considered talking, but decided that she would let it slide, not wanting to push too hard, as she would usually be so inclined to do, because he was a complete stranger, and although she didn't believe in the need for any barriers when it came to unveiling the truth, she figured that she would wait a little longer before becoming demanding and self-righteous... If she could manage. Her eyes widened as he seemingly proudly proclaimed that he had attempted to murder his own family. "Well, Ezra, that is a rather intriguing tale. I, too, have wanted members of my own family to drop dead. The self-mutilation bit, however, I will never understand. It's not really my style." She was blunt and couldn't help it, but she still hoped that her response wasn't too curt to the point of actually hurting her new-found acquaintance's feelings; on the other hand, here it was almost impolite to go beyond surface level. No one ever did. "So," she continued, somewhat intrigued, "You're a rich boy, eh? You must be realllllly rich, or famous or smart or something to get your name and story headlined like that, and the way that they put your family's last name out there makes it sound like most of the free world knows who you are. And no offense, I do not. And I certainly haven't "seen it in the tabloids".... I've been in here for about eight months." This last bit hit Alytra closer to home than she had imagined it would, and she tried not to let her face falter. She would keep her cool for as long as she could, at least in her current company.</s>
<\|description\|>Ezra Pinkerton Age: 19 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual, with an inclination towards men. Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychosis Personality: To describe Ezra as abrasive would be the understatement of the century. Inwardly self-destructive and outwardly misanthropic, the people he talks to often find themselves put off by his hostility. He doesn't abide by the rules, he doesn't play fairly, and he certainly doesn't let anyone think they can get one up on him. Ezra considers himself the alpha dog in any situation he's in, but when faced with truly confident or successful people, he can become flustered and defensive, lashing out with increasingly nonsensical insults. Despite that, Ezra is a capable manipulator when he needs to be, and has a knack for controlling people to get what he wants. He's very often obsessive about the things he does, the things he thinks about, and the people he chooses to follow. If he likes something, chances are he'll let you know it, and if he doesn't, well, he's never been shy about voicing his opinion in that matter as well. Try as he might, he's never really had the best poker face in the world, and it tends to give him away more than not. Ezra is hard to like, much less to love, but underneath the layers of barbed distrust and anger, lies a young man deeply frustrated by his condition. Appearance: With a height of 5'7", weighing in at around 135 pounds, Ezra isn't exactly the most imposing of figures. It doesn't help that he never stands up straight, either. His posture is terrible; shoulders rolled forward, knees bent, hands inside his pockets. No matter how many hours of sleep he gets a night, it's always fitful, as evident by the dark circles under his watery, blue eyes. There is an unhealthy pallor to his skin, even more so than usual, after a year spent in Remmington. This, combined with his lanky, blonde hair, gives him an overall appearance that would be best described as "washed out". Unless he is fully comfortable in his surroundings, he is usually unsmiling. It's not difficult to notice the way he suspiciously eyes people, watching their every move like a caged animal. History/Background Info.: Ezra grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, the youngest child to a wealthy businessman and his beautiful wife. The Pinkertons, as one of the primary shipping magnates in North America, were, and continue to be, one of the richest and most influential names from the continent. From the day he was born, Ezra had everything he wanted handed to him on a silver platter. To outsiders, his life was enviable. But behind closed doors, things were quite different. Ezra's parents were far too busy with work to deal with a child, and so tended to leave him and his siblings in the care of a nanny. This detachment between parent and child, perhaps, was why Ezra's unusual behaviour went undetected. People never seemed to like staying around Ezra for long; his carers had a curious habit of never lasting more than a month at a time - the frequency and intensity of his sometimes self-destructive tantrums driving them away from the Pinkerton estate. Shrugging it off as the unreliability of the working class, Ezra's parents turned a blind eye to these so-called "episodes". As far as they were concerned, there was nothing wrong with him - well, apart from being spoilt rotten, that is. For years, the behaviour Ezra displayed was simply swept under the rug. After all, it simply wouldn't do to have the prestigious Pinkerton name sullied, would it? Still, it was only a matter of time until things came to a head. Slowly but surely, Ezra's psyche began to turn on him. As with all things, it started out small. Shadows lurking at the edge of his vision, the occasional whisper at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell whether or not it was just his imagination - but these symptoms only worsened as time went by. Soon, Ezra began suffering from full-blown episodes of catatonia, and it was only then that his parents started to worry. After multiple trips to the psychiatrist, it seemed like they had finally pinned down just what was wrong with Ezra. Diagnosed with BPD and Psychosis, he was sent home with nothing more than a bottle of mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. But then, barely a month later - that was when things spiralled out of control. The night before his eighteenth birthday, something in him snapped. Convinced that his entire family was out to get him, he retrieved a knife from the kitchen, fully intending to carve up everyone in the house before they could do anything to hurt him. Fortunately, however, Ezra's plans were stopped in his tracks when the knife was wrestled away from him by his first target - his father. Despite their earlier reservations, Ezra's parents finally realised what they had to do. In a situation like this, seeking professional help would no doubt be the best course of action. Thus, after an extensive round of perusal and vetting, they finally settled on Remmington's Angels. Whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton were aware of the rumours surrounding the facility is anyone's guess, but two things were for sure - it keeps their son out of the public eye, and their reputation spotless. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Cigarettes. They're one of the only things that calm him down, but he finds it nigh impossible to get his hands on any in Remmington. Other/Special: Ezra is terrified of dogs. Whilst he isn't going to run screaming when he sees a chihuahua or corgi, anything larger is enough to scare the living daylights out of him. ---</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton White. All Ezra sees is white. White walls, white floors, white uniforms. In that very moment, he couldn't think of a colour he hated more. This… maddening plainness symbolised everything that was wrong with the place. It was difficult, if not impossible to distinguish where one wall ended, and where another began, giving the impression of an infinite, white abyss. Growing up, Ezra always thought white was the colour of purity, wholeness - everything Remmington's was not, as anyone who took up residence here would realise. Things weren't so bad though, some days, especially when the orderlies left him to his thoughts, and the voices in his head quieted down. But the more he dwelled on the matter, the more he realised what a thinly-veiled lie it was. He hated this place. Ezra could barely remember how long he'd been here. A week? A month? A year? It all sounded wrong to him, even as they swirled around in the recesses of his mind. The drugs they pumped him full of did everything except their intended purpose, memories slipping from him like sand through his fingers. Sometimes, Ezra was convinced that it was all just a ploy to keep him docile; placid. After all, how could he plot an escape route when he could barely walk down the corridors without tripping over his own feet? But those thoughts never stayed with him for long, his mind drifting away to other ideas before he could tighten his grasp. Plodding aimlessly along, Ezra's footsteps were muffled into silence by the linoleum floor. No one had come to bother him today, which was a first - though he couldn't say he was very happy about it either. Ezra had been jonesing for a cigarette ever since this morning, how was he going to get one with nobody around? Of course, he knew better than anyone that smoking was strictly prohibited for patients, but who was going to enforce such a rule when you could simply take advantage of it? Nothing came without a price, though it was one he was willing to pay to stave off withdrawal. Before he could bump into an orderly, however, Ezra noticed someone out of the corner of his eye. Those wilful shocks of purple hair drew a stirring of recognition out from within him, although he couldn't quite put a name to the face just yet - all he knew was that it started with an 'A'. "What'd they do to you?" The words spilt forth from his lips before he could stop them, and he began to approach the girl as if on a tether. Ezra's movements were slow, unsure. It wasn't often that he made conversation with the others in Remmington's, preferring to keep to himself. So why was he starting now? The answer to that was question was unknown, even to him. But maybe, just maybe, this would be the first thing in this place to do him good.</s> <\|message\|>Doctor Maria Remmington Alytra looked up upon hearing approaching footsteps, and a male's voice asking her a question, her trance broken. At least she assumed that it was her he was addressing, because no one else was close enough to have heard what he said. She looked up and knew that she had seen his face around, if only a few times, but couldn't guess his name for the life of her. She did notice his pretty eyes and the way that he held himself exerted an air of confidence, despite the feelings of utter paranoia that he must have been experiencing, if his emotions mirrored hers at all. What haven't they done to me? she thought to herself, letting out an irritated huff of breath. "You know," she stared at him bitterly, "I'm not quite sure that I really know what all they did to me. They stuck another fucking I.V. into me, and then pumped me full of unidentifiable liquids. I'm sure it's just some sort of antidepressant." She wasn't sure at all, but after her stunt earlier she wasn't wanting to cause any more trouble for Remmington and her staff, and she planned to avoid Jason at all costs for the remainder of the evening. "To be honest, I'm not even sure how long I was back there... Do you have any idea?" she inquired of the young man, dazedly. Even in a haze, Alytra had to admit that he was a rather fine looking boy, especially for Remmington's, albeit a bit pale and lifeless-looking.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Before the girl could answer, Ezra had already moved to sit down, draping himself over his side of the couch like a long-limbed octopus. Much to his amusement, however, he found it quite the fitting metaphor for his current predicament. His legs almost felt like jelly; like he'd collapse and slump into a heap of nothing if he tried to stand up again. There was no joy in the quiet huff of laughter that escaped him next, but… beggars couldn't be choosers, he supposed. In a place like this, one had to be content with any scrap of levity they could find - even if the punchline happened to be at their own expense. To the untrained eye, Ezra might've looked like he was off with the fairies, but he was paying full attention to his companion's ramblings. That was the thing about Remmington's, he never had any idea whether the other patients were just a figment of his imagination, or whether they were flesh and blood. Each of their individual experiences sounded so utterly relatable to Ezra that sometimes, he found himself convinced that the whole facility was simply a construct of his own overactive thalamus. He remembered the IV needle sliding under his skin, the drugs skittering across the surface of his brain, and he nodded in understanding. But when questioned by the girl on how long she'd been gone, Ezra found himself at a loss. "...Beats me." His thoroughly unsatisfying answer came only after a long moment of contemplation, syllables slurring and stretching with a peculiar effortfulness. "I'm as out of it as you are, stranger. What's your name?"</s> <\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton As she replied, Alytra eyed him speculatively. He just sat there, right next to her, plopped his entitled little ass down as if he'd been invited. She hissed internally and glared at him ever so slightly, pulling her knees to her chest and making sure to leave as much space as possible in between her and her surprise guest of the evening. She was pleased, however, to have the chance for conversation with someone else who was fairly normal - or, at least, what she would consider MORE normal than the typical patient or staff member around Remmington's. Also, Alytra was both taken aback and pleased by the fact that the boy seemed to truly understand what she was experiencing. She noticed that he looked a little wobbly, as well. "Name's Alytra," she muttered, disappointed by the fact that he could shed no more light on her current situation than had already been shed, "And... You are?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. Relief washed over her that she wasn't the only one to be at a loss when it came to names here. Alytra was distracted briefly as she saw Jason pass by the Lounge out of the corner of her eye, and she could have sworn that she saw him smile one of those menacing smiles... She quickly focused her attention back on the newcomer once he had passed, however, and waited patiently for his reply.</s>	<\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra might've been delusional, but he wasn't stupid. He could see the subtle curling of the lip, the way her eyes narrowed as he made himself at home on the couch. It was clear - to him, at least - that he wasn't all too welcomed here. Still, it took him every last ounce of willpower in his being to refrain from pointing out that The Lounge was a communal area. If the girl had truly desired to go down the path of the lone wolf, she'd be better off holing up inside a bathroom stall. As this… 'Alytra' introduced herself, Ezra spent a few moments taking her in. She was pale, but not quite as much as he was, with a peppering of freckles all across her features. Of course, none of that were nearly as interesting as the purple hair - an oasis of colour in this wasteland. A compliment was right there on the tip of his tongue, though he couldn't bring himself to say it. Not just yet, at least. He wasn't about to get all buddy-buddy with some he'd just met. Especially not with someone who glared at him just for taking a seat. "...Ezra. It's Ezra." The name sounded wrong between his teeth, and he rued the repetition. There was something dodgy about any assertion one felt obliged to make twice. But it had just been so long since anyone in this hellhole addressed him properly, his name beginning to make the strange transition into a dead language. Ezra was disquieted to realise that the staff had ceased to call him anything at all. He didn't know when or how it happened, but one thing was for sure, this was all because of that bitch, Dr. Remmington. No doubt this was another one of her little mind-games, and that toady of hers, Jason, had to be in on it, too. Speak of the devil… there he was. Ezra would notice that ugly mug anywhere. He'd heard rumours of what Jason did to the other patients, but that was about as deep as it went. Ezra himself hadn't witnessed anything he did firsthand, though he'd certainly had his own run-ins with a separate kind of degenerate - the closeted kind with cigarettes to spare. For a moment, his mind nearly slips, nails digging into his palm to bring himself back to reality. No, no more getting lost in thought. There were other, more important things to deal with. Like the conversation he and Alytra were having, for example. "So? What're you in here for, then?"</s>
<\|description\|>Ezra Pinkerton Age: 19 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual, with an inclination towards men. Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychosis Personality: To describe Ezra as abrasive would be the understatement of the century. Inwardly self-destructive and outwardly misanthropic, the people he talks to often find themselves put off by his hostility. He doesn't abide by the rules, he doesn't play fairly, and he certainly doesn't let anyone think they can get one up on him. Ezra considers himself the alpha dog in any situation he's in, but when faced with truly confident or successful people, he can become flustered and defensive, lashing out with increasingly nonsensical insults. Despite that, Ezra is a capable manipulator when he needs to be, and has a knack for controlling people to get what he wants. He's very often obsessive about the things he does, the things he thinks about, and the people he chooses to follow. If he likes something, chances are he'll let you know it, and if he doesn't, well, he's never been shy about voicing his opinion in that matter as well. Try as he might, he's never really had the best poker face in the world, and it tends to give him away more than not. Ezra is hard to like, much less to love, but underneath the layers of barbed distrust and anger, lies a young man deeply frustrated by his condition. Appearance: With a height of 5'7", weighing in at around 135 pounds, Ezra isn't exactly the most imposing of figures. It doesn't help that he never stands up straight, either. His posture is terrible; shoulders rolled forward, knees bent, hands inside his pockets. No matter how many hours of sleep he gets a night, it's always fitful, as evident by the dark circles under his watery, blue eyes. There is an unhealthy pallor to his skin, even more so than usual, after a year spent in Remmington. This, combined with his lanky, blonde hair, gives him an overall appearance that would be best described as "washed out". Unless he is fully comfortable in his surroundings, he is usually unsmiling. It's not difficult to notice the way he suspiciously eyes people, watching their every move like a caged animal. History/Background Info.: Ezra grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, the youngest child to a wealthy businessman and his beautiful wife. The Pinkertons, as one of the primary shipping magnates in North America, were, and continue to be, one of the richest and most influential names from the continent. From the day he was born, Ezra had everything he wanted handed to him on a silver platter. To outsiders, his life was enviable. But behind closed doors, things were quite different. Ezra's parents were far too busy with work to deal with a child, and so tended to leave him and his siblings in the care of a nanny. This detachment between parent and child, perhaps, was why Ezra's unusual behaviour went undetected. People never seemed to like staying around Ezra for long; his carers had a curious habit of never lasting more than a month at a time - the frequency and intensity of his sometimes self-destructive tantrums driving them away from the Pinkerton estate. Shrugging it off as the unreliability of the working class, Ezra's parents turned a blind eye to these so-called "episodes". As far as they were concerned, there was nothing wrong with him - well, apart from being spoilt rotten, that is. For years, the behaviour Ezra displayed was simply swept under the rug. After all, it simply wouldn't do to have the prestigious Pinkerton name sullied, would it? Still, it was only a matter of time until things came to a head. Slowly but surely, Ezra's psyche began to turn on him. As with all things, it started out small. Shadows lurking at the edge of his vision, the occasional whisper at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell whether or not it was just his imagination - but these symptoms only worsened as time went by. Soon, Ezra began suffering from full-blown episodes of catatonia, and it was only then that his parents started to worry. After multiple trips to the psychiatrist, it seemed like they had finally pinned down just what was wrong with Ezra. Diagnosed with BPD and Psychosis, he was sent home with nothing more than a bottle of mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. But then, barely a month later - that was when things spiralled out of control. The night before his eighteenth birthday, something in him snapped. Convinced that his entire family was out to get him, he retrieved a knife from the kitchen, fully intending to carve up everyone in the house before they could do anything to hurt him. Fortunately, however, Ezra's plans were stopped in his tracks when the knife was wrestled away from him by his first target - his father. Despite their earlier reservations, Ezra's parents finally realised what they had to do. In a situation like this, seeking professional help would no doubt be the best course of action. Thus, after an extensive round of perusal and vetting, they finally settled on Remmington's Angels. Whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton were aware of the rumours surrounding the facility is anyone's guess, but two things were for sure - it keeps their son out of the public eye, and their reputation spotless. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Cigarettes. They're one of the only things that calm him down, but he finds it nigh impossible to get his hands on any in Remmington. Other/Special: Ezra is terrified of dogs. Whilst he isn't going to run screaming when he sees a chihuahua or corgi, anything larger is enough to scare the living daylights out of him. ---</s> <\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton As she replied, Alytra eyed him speculatively. He just sat there, right next to her, plopped his entitled little ass down as if he'd been invited. She hissed internally and glared at him ever so slightly, pulling her knees to her chest and making sure to leave as much space as possible in between her and her surprise guest of the evening. She was pleased, however, to have the chance for conversation with someone else who was fairly normal - or, at least, what she would consider MORE normal than the typical patient or staff member around Remmington's. Also, Alytra was both taken aback and pleased by the fact that the boy seemed to truly understand what she was experiencing. She noticed that he looked a little wobbly, as well. "Name's Alytra," she muttered, disappointed by the fact that he could shed no more light on her current situation than had already been shed, "And... You are?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. Relief washed over her that she wasn't the only one to be at a loss when it came to names here. Alytra was distracted briefly as she saw Jason pass by the Lounge out of the corner of her eye, and she could have sworn that she saw him smile one of those menacing smiles... She quickly focused her attention back on the newcomer once he had passed, however, and waited patiently for his reply.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra might've been delusional, but he wasn't stupid. He could see the subtle curling of the lip, the way her eyes narrowed as he made himself at home on the couch. It was clear - to him, at least - that he wasn't all too welcomed here. Still, it took him every last ounce of willpower in his being to refrain from pointing out that The Lounge was a communal area. If the girl had truly desired to go down the path of the lone wolf, she'd be better off holing up inside a bathroom stall. As this… 'Alytra' introduced herself, Ezra spent a few moments taking her in. She was pale, but not quite as much as he was, with a peppering of freckles all across her features. Of course, none of that were nearly as interesting as the purple hair - an oasis of colour in this wasteland. A compliment was right there on the tip of his tongue, though he couldn't bring himself to say it. Not just yet, at least. He wasn't about to get all buddy-buddy with some he'd just met. Especially not with someone who glared at him just for taking a seat. "...Ezra. It's Ezra." The name sounded wrong between his teeth, and he rued the repetition. There was something dodgy about any assertion one felt obliged to make twice. But it had just been so long since anyone in this hellhole addressed him properly, his name beginning to make the strange transition into a dead language. Ezra was disquieted to realise that the staff had ceased to call him anything at all. He didn't know when or how it happened, but one thing was for sure, this was all because of that bitch, Dr. Remmington. No doubt this was another one of her little mind-games, and that toady of hers, Jason, had to be in on it, too. Speak of the devil… there he was. Ezra would notice that ugly mug anywhere. He'd heard rumours of what Jason did to the other patients, but that was about as deep as it went. Ezra himself hadn't witnessed anything he did firsthand, though he'd certainly had his own run-ins with a separate kind of degenerate - the closeted kind with cigarettes to spare. For a moment, his mind nearly slips, nails digging into his palm to bring himself back to reality. No, no more getting lost in thought. There were other, more important things to deal with. Like the conversation he and Alytra were having, for example. "So? What're you in here for, then?"</s> <\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton When he spoke, Alytra could tell that this boy had definitely picked up on her signals and noticed the way in which she had reacted to his taking a seat near her. His face appeared to display that, although he wasn't too fond of her facial expressions, that he understood. Of course, that was probably a common theme for anyone here at Remmington's. Since all of the patients had their space invaded quite often and without their own consent, Alytra pretty much assumed that the others would feel the same way that she did about close encounters with strangers. Or, maybe it was just her, being "moody", slipping from an exciting "up" state into a dreary "down".... She mentally checked herself and attempted to control the ugly effects her disorder to the best of her abilities, along with the medicine that was flowing through her veins, if it was even the correct dosage/kind. It seemed, for a mere moment, that he was going to share something else with her, but hesitation reared its head, and instead, there was a brief pause, and then Alytra finally learned his name. It was a lovely name, Alytra thought to herself, the kind that would slip off the tip of one's tongue, if not for the hesitation that he had shown, and the awkward repetition of his name afterwards. Was he nervous? Of what? Alytra could be kind of intimidating, but she wasn't that scary.... Was she? She thought that she saw his palm twitch a bit while she waited for him to say more, but it could have easily been just her mind running rampant, full of unidentified chemicals from the drugs. "Um, my mom sent me here a while ago. I have anxiety and I'm mildly bi-polar." she confided in him, honestly, albeit a bit begrudgingly. She wasn't particularly proud of her disorders, and hoped that it wouldn't scare him off. Although a bit panicky around people, Alytra thought that she was literally going to die without someone to make conversation with. "Why are you here?" She pried, curious about what such a clean-cut looking guy could wind up here for.</s>	<\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra's eyes narrowed. Anxiety? Bipolar Disorder? Those weren't exactly things that got you committed to a mental institution, much less one like Remmington's. For a fleeting moment, he couldn't help but feel a sense of commiseration well up inside him. How long had she been here? Needless to say, Ezra had his own woes to wrangle, but there weren't many things in the world that made him feel this way. The abuse of power was something he'd always been wary of, and they had the audacity to call him crazy because of it. No one deserved to be in a place like this, no matter how incorruptible and virtuous they set themselves up to be. He knew better. "Psychosis and BPD." Ezra stated, quite bluntly, voice monotonous with disinterest. His face was a mask of detachment, but if one looked closely, they'd see a flicker of uncertainty. Up until this very day, he still wasn't sure whether or not his suspicions were completely unfounded. Hushed voices and lowered gazes, those were the things that greeted him whenever he walked into a room at home. But he supposed that wasn't the only factor that led to his confinement; more like the straw that broke the camel's back, really. He still remembered how he stuck his head into the oven hours before they dragged him here - and he was so close to blacking out, too. The memory brought a wry, feeble smile to his lips, as he continued. "I tried to kill my family, and I guess they were tired of me trying to kill myself all the time." Ezra would be lying if he said this revelation wasn't cathartic, and there was a sick sort of excitement as to how the girl would react mixed in there, as well. The therapists in here were useless - all they did was smile, nod, maybe scribble down some bullshit on a clipboard if they were feeling particularly productive that day. It was like talking to a brick wall, or rather, confiding in a goldfish. The therapists seemed to forget about everything he'd said by the time the next session rolled around. After a few months of this repetition, it was much easier for Ezra to simply clam up, and wait for the forty-five minutes to be over. With Alytra, though - or any other patient in Remmington's, for that matter - it was different. There was something of a mutual understanding between them, even if they'd never actually spoken to each other up until now. "They tried to keep it hush-hush, but you might've seen it in the tabloids, once or twice." He vaguely recalled a headline splashed across the cover of OK! Magazine, and it would've almost been amusing, if not for its tastelessness. "I think it was something like: 'The Pinkertons: Richer Than God, But They Can't Hide The Crazy!'. You know, that might actually be my personal favourite."</s>
<\|description\|>Ezra Pinkerton Age: 19 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual, with an inclination towards men. Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychosis Personality: To describe Ezra as abrasive would be the understatement of the century. Inwardly self-destructive and outwardly misanthropic, the people he talks to often find themselves put off by his hostility. He doesn't abide by the rules, he doesn't play fairly, and he certainly doesn't let anyone think they can get one up on him. Ezra considers himself the alpha dog in any situation he's in, but when faced with truly confident or successful people, he can become flustered and defensive, lashing out with increasingly nonsensical insults. Despite that, Ezra is a capable manipulator when he needs to be, and has a knack for controlling people to get what he wants. He's very often obsessive about the things he does, the things he thinks about, and the people he chooses to follow. If he likes something, chances are he'll let you know it, and if he doesn't, well, he's never been shy about voicing his opinion in that matter as well. Try as he might, he's never really had the best poker face in the world, and it tends to give him away more than not. Ezra is hard to like, much less to love, but underneath the layers of barbed distrust and anger, lies a young man deeply frustrated by his condition. Appearance: With a height of 5'7", weighing in at around 135 pounds, Ezra isn't exactly the most imposing of figures. It doesn't help that he never stands up straight, either. His posture is terrible; shoulders rolled forward, knees bent, hands inside his pockets. No matter how many hours of sleep he gets a night, it's always fitful, as evident by the dark circles under his watery, blue eyes. There is an unhealthy pallor to his skin, even more so than usual, after a year spent in Remmington. This, combined with his lanky, blonde hair, gives him an overall appearance that would be best described as "washed out". Unless he is fully comfortable in his surroundings, he is usually unsmiling. It's not difficult to notice the way he suspiciously eyes people, watching their every move like a caged animal. History/Background Info.: Ezra grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, the youngest child to a wealthy businessman and his beautiful wife. The Pinkertons, as one of the primary shipping magnates in North America, were, and continue to be, one of the richest and most influential names from the continent. From the day he was born, Ezra had everything he wanted handed to him on a silver platter. To outsiders, his life was enviable. But behind closed doors, things were quite different. Ezra's parents were far too busy with work to deal with a child, and so tended to leave him and his siblings in the care of a nanny. This detachment between parent and child, perhaps, was why Ezra's unusual behaviour went undetected. People never seemed to like staying around Ezra for long; his carers had a curious habit of never lasting more than a month at a time - the frequency and intensity of his sometimes self-destructive tantrums driving them away from the Pinkerton estate. Shrugging it off as the unreliability of the working class, Ezra's parents turned a blind eye to these so-called "episodes". As far as they were concerned, there was nothing wrong with him - well, apart from being spoilt rotten, that is. For years, the behaviour Ezra displayed was simply swept under the rug. After all, it simply wouldn't do to have the prestigious Pinkerton name sullied, would it? Still, it was only a matter of time until things came to a head. Slowly but surely, Ezra's psyche began to turn on him. As with all things, it started out small. Shadows lurking at the edge of his vision, the occasional whisper at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell whether or not it was just his imagination - but these symptoms only worsened as time went by. Soon, Ezra began suffering from full-blown episodes of catatonia, and it was only then that his parents started to worry. After multiple trips to the psychiatrist, it seemed like they had finally pinned down just what was wrong with Ezra. Diagnosed with BPD and Psychosis, he was sent home with nothing more than a bottle of mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. But then, barely a month later - that was when things spiralled out of control. The night before his eighteenth birthday, something in him snapped. Convinced that his entire family was out to get him, he retrieved a knife from the kitchen, fully intending to carve up everyone in the house before they could do anything to hurt him. Fortunately, however, Ezra's plans were stopped in his tracks when the knife was wrestled away from him by his first target - his father. Despite their earlier reservations, Ezra's parents finally realised what they had to do. In a situation like this, seeking professional help would no doubt be the best course of action. Thus, after an extensive round of perusal and vetting, they finally settled on Remmington's Angels. Whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton were aware of the rumours surrounding the facility is anyone's guess, but two things were for sure - it keeps their son out of the public eye, and their reputation spotless. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Cigarettes. They're one of the only things that calm him down, but he finds it nigh impossible to get his hands on any in Remmington. Other/Special: Ezra is terrified of dogs. Whilst he isn't going to run screaming when he sees a chihuahua or corgi, anything larger is enough to scare the living daylights out of him. ---</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West "Hey, you! There it was. He didn't even have a chance to catch his breath yet. Arrow jumped when the thundering voice broke the silence in the hallway. He struggled to stand back up, using the wall for support. He could immediately tell the approaching man wasn't a member of the staff – he wore the same simple white uniform as Arrow had. However, his presence felt strong and menacing, making Arrow wary as the stranger approached. He struggled to remain calm, though he was already looking for his next route of escape should the situation take a turn for the worse. He wiped at his mouth in disgust after the man's crude comment. His was spinning from the drugs he was injected with less then five minutes ago, and his vision was further impaired by the tears that had welled up in his eyes. He stubbornly fought them back, blinking hard a few times. "That's disgusting." He spat. He felt more uncomfortable as the man came closer. He definitely could beat the snot out of the poor kid if he wanted to. "Besides, who the hell are you?" He made an attempt to sound confident, but it probably was not very effective considering his current state. If fact, he would probably just make things worse by mouthing off.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Well, this was new. Whenever Ezra brought up the subject of his family name, there was usually a spark of recognition; a turning of gears as they came to realise just who he was. The Pinkertons were often said to be up there with the Waltons and the Kochs, having dominated the US shipping industry since the early 20s, and to put it gently - you had to be living under a rock to not have heard of them. Today, however, it seemed as if he had finally encountered an exception to the rule. Whether or not he was pleased by the peculiar turn of events, Ezra couldn't tell, but it was certainly a refreshing deviation from the norm. "Was rich, and none taken. They're all a bunch of douchebags, anyway." Ezra wasn't so petty as to take an offhanded comment like that to heart. Growing up, he'd always been taught to have thick skin, and to take things with a grain of salt. Sticks and stones, right? Not like it was much help to him when he was in one of his "moods", but right now, for lack of a better term, he was too out of it to get into it. The drugs they gave him in Remmington's were good for one thing, he supposed - keeping those nasty, raging emotions at bay. "Eight months, huh? I've been here a little longer. …I think." And then, there was the downside. With the chemical cocktail of pills and injections given to him, Ezra could barely remember what he had for breakfast, let alone how much time he'd spent at Remmington's. But if he had to decide on a certain timeframe, it'd be somewhere close to a year, give or take. Though with his addled mind, he couldn't be sure. Those trips to the 'shock shop' in the beginning of January must've taken more out of him than he'd thought. Tentatively, Ezra's gaze flickered upwards, towards the spiky, purple mess sitting atop Alytra's head. As he spoke, his fingers finally found purchase, tearing away the flaking piece of skin from his lip. "They let you keep your hair like that?"</s> <\|message\|>Jason "Uh, excuse me?" Jason asked, all humor gone from his face. This young fool obviously had no clue who he was, nor any respect for authority. The boy appeared to be shaking, clearly immensely upset from whatever had happened moments before, and it almost evoked some hint of emotion from his cold heart. Almost. But Jason knew better than to start feeling bad for a newbie who was breaking the rules. And he could benefit quite a bit from taking the side of the staff on almost any matter, he realized, if he played his cards right. Jason practically snarled. "Who says it's disgusting? I love the taste of metal in my mouth." It would have been a comical statement if not for the absolute menace that shone through his bright eyes. He looked downright terrifying. Taking a step closer, he gestured towards the boy, still sitting on the hard ground against the painstakingly white wall behind him. The vein in his forehead bulged and throbbed, and he leaned over the boy, attempting to intimidate him. "I'll think about answering your questions after you answer mine. Now, I asked you once, and I will not ask again," Jason continued, "Who. the. fuck. are. you." The words came out hard and flat, with a bit of rage seeping into each one. He was not in the mood to be screwed with. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alytra was rather taken aback. As much hate as she harbored for her good for nothing father, and as much of a bitch her mother could be, she would never refer to them openly as "a bunch of douchebags". The term just sounded.... dirty? Perverted? Wrong, whatever it was. She was also even more astounded by the claim that Ezra made next. "More than eight months? A whole year? No offense, but that seems impossible... I know everyone who has been in and out of here since I arrived, I swear it... Or, at least, I could have sworn... Longer than me? I didn't think that anyone besides... Jason... Had been here for longer than I have... That can't be right, can it...?" She couldn't stop searching, attempting to find a rational answer to what she had just been told, but she couldn't. Maybe, she began to fear, those drugs had done a lot more to affect her mental and biological health than she had originally thought... "Well, anyway," Alytra moved the conversation along, trying her best to shrug it off, "What do you mean? This?" She pulled at her own lovely purple and black locks, affectionately. "Like that as in short, or like that as in dyed? Either way, obviously, yes, they do "let me"... It's amazing what you can get away with around here, if you have the right connections... Speaking of which," Alytra began to recall a time where she had seen Ezra, not knowing who he was at that point in time, in possession of a cigarette. "Haven't you been getting some nicotine into your system, somehow?" She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head slightly to the side. Perhaps, she wasn't the only one using her looks to receive something beneficiary that wouldn't be provided by Dr. Remmington or the more nefariously diligent staff members.</s>	<\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra could empathise, he knew exactly how Alytra felt. At Remmington's, without a calendar to keep track, days melted into weeks, and months into days. The place never seemed to change, either. Same walls, same people, same drugs, same everything. Each passing second felt like a bloated eternity, and some days, Ezra was sure the monotony would drive him mad. Well - madder, if you want to be picky about it. "Eight months, a year. What's the difference?" Sharp stabs of fatigue lent his voice a gravelly creakiness, and it was almost as if he had to heave the words from his jaw with a shovel. Still, he made a token effort of straightening his posture, draping an arm across the back of the couch. "Feels like a goddamned lifetime, either way." As the girl continued, Ezra couldn't quash the feeling of dread welling up in his stomach. He knew where this was going, and when Alytra finally popped the question, he was hardly shocked. Not many patients earned the supposed 'privilege' of cigarettes - the fact that his carcinogenic hobby hadn't been brought up in conversation earlier was an achievement in and itself. But that didn't stop his phlegmatic, drugged-up mask from slipping. Venom. In a single, ephemeral second, however, it faded, almost as quickly as it'd surfaced. Even with his eyes at half-mast, one could still see the pupils, as dark and sticky as a tar pit. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Ezra's voice was oddly clipped, and it was clear, despite the apparent insouciance, that Alytra had hit a nerve with her question. Rationalising - as he had tried many times before - would be of no use, he realised. No amount of excuses, big or small, would justify his actions. He knew that after he'd accepted that very first cigarette, there was no going back, and he'd be a fool to dig himself a deeper hole than he'd already done. Though he did find some solace in the fact that he wasn't alone in such an arrangement. "The 'right connections'… That's funny."</s>
<\|description\|>Ezra Pinkerton Age: 19 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual, with an inclination towards men. Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychosis Personality: To describe Ezra as abrasive would be the understatement of the century. Inwardly self-destructive and outwardly misanthropic, the people he talks to often find themselves put off by his hostility. He doesn't abide by the rules, he doesn't play fairly, and he certainly doesn't let anyone think they can get one up on him. Ezra considers himself the alpha dog in any situation he's in, but when faced with truly confident or successful people, he can become flustered and defensive, lashing out with increasingly nonsensical insults. Despite that, Ezra is a capable manipulator when he needs to be, and has a knack for controlling people to get what he wants. He's very often obsessive about the things he does, the things he thinks about, and the people he chooses to follow. If he likes something, chances are he'll let you know it, and if he doesn't, well, he's never been shy about voicing his opinion in that matter as well. Try as he might, he's never really had the best poker face in the world, and it tends to give him away more than not. Ezra is hard to like, much less to love, but underneath the layers of barbed distrust and anger, lies a young man deeply frustrated by his condition. Appearance: With a height of 5'7", weighing in at around 135 pounds, Ezra isn't exactly the most imposing of figures. It doesn't help that he never stands up straight, either. His posture is terrible; shoulders rolled forward, knees bent, hands inside his pockets. No matter how many hours of sleep he gets a night, it's always fitful, as evident by the dark circles under his watery, blue eyes. There is an unhealthy pallor to his skin, even more so than usual, after a year spent in Remmington. This, combined with his lanky, blonde hair, gives him an overall appearance that would be best described as "washed out". Unless he is fully comfortable in his surroundings, he is usually unsmiling. It's not difficult to notice the way he suspiciously eyes people, watching their every move like a caged animal. History/Background Info.: Ezra grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, the youngest child to a wealthy businessman and his beautiful wife. The Pinkertons, as one of the primary shipping magnates in North America, were, and continue to be, one of the richest and most influential names from the continent. From the day he was born, Ezra had everything he wanted handed to him on a silver platter. To outsiders, his life was enviable. But behind closed doors, things were quite different. Ezra's parents were far too busy with work to deal with a child, and so tended to leave him and his siblings in the care of a nanny. This detachment between parent and child, perhaps, was why Ezra's unusual behaviour went undetected. People never seemed to like staying around Ezra for long; his carers had a curious habit of never lasting more than a month at a time - the frequency and intensity of his sometimes self-destructive tantrums driving them away from the Pinkerton estate. Shrugging it off as the unreliability of the working class, Ezra's parents turned a blind eye to these so-called "episodes". As far as they were concerned, there was nothing wrong with him - well, apart from being spoilt rotten, that is. For years, the behaviour Ezra displayed was simply swept under the rug. After all, it simply wouldn't do to have the prestigious Pinkerton name sullied, would it? Still, it was only a matter of time until things came to a head. Slowly but surely, Ezra's psyche began to turn on him. As with all things, it started out small. Shadows lurking at the edge of his vision, the occasional whisper at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell whether or not it was just his imagination - but these symptoms only worsened as time went by. Soon, Ezra began suffering from full-blown episodes of catatonia, and it was only then that his parents started to worry. After multiple trips to the psychiatrist, it seemed like they had finally pinned down just what was wrong with Ezra. Diagnosed with BPD and Psychosis, he was sent home with nothing more than a bottle of mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. But then, barely a month later - that was when things spiralled out of control. The night before his eighteenth birthday, something in him snapped. Convinced that his entire family was out to get him, he retrieved a knife from the kitchen, fully intending to carve up everyone in the house before they could do anything to hurt him. Fortunately, however, Ezra's plans were stopped in his tracks when the knife was wrestled away from him by his first target - his father. Despite their earlier reservations, Ezra's parents finally realised what they had to do. In a situation like this, seeking professional help would no doubt be the best course of action. Thus, after an extensive round of perusal and vetting, they finally settled on Remmington's Angels. Whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton were aware of the rumours surrounding the facility is anyone's guess, but two things were for sure - it keeps their son out of the public eye, and their reputation spotless. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Cigarettes. They're one of the only things that calm him down, but he finds it nigh impossible to get his hands on any in Remmington. Other/Special: Ezra is terrified of dogs. Whilst he isn't going to run screaming when he sees a chihuahua or corgi, anything larger is enough to scare the living daylights out of him. ---</s> <\|message\|>Jason Shockingly, this whole conversation just felt so amazing to Alytra. The two of them were talking and listening and prying and sharing, and certain parts of the conversation were even downright aggressive and provocative... And it felt more right to her than anything had in weeks, maybe even months. This boy, Ezra, this was someone who actually understood her, how she thought and felt about Remmington and such. He even seemed onboard with the idea of sneaking around to gain advantages over the other patients and staff members, she assumed, after hearing his response. His reaction when she asked about the cigarettes was one that took her aback a bit, but not much. Alytra was so used to just being honest and bluntly saying what was on her mind, that when Ezra hesitated and told her basically to back off, it only confused her, as well as intriguing her more. "I would, actually," Alytra quipped, defiantly, "I would just [i]love[i] to know how you got them." She made a sort of "hmph" noise, and smiled at him arrogantly. She wasn't too intimidated by him to not press the matter further; his resistance only caused her to grow more curious about the matter... "And yes, being acquainted with the right kind of people here can indeed make all the difference.. That is, as right as any of them could possibly be. I think that everyone's a little wrong in this world, but that's just my cynical side taking over." She winked at Ezra and folded her arms. She wasn't about to back down from her questions quite so easily. Not yet. "Sadly, though, it is almost lights out.. Should we be going to bed, or...?" Alytra asked him, beginning to look around anxiously and breathe irregularly, waiting on Ezra's answer and trying not to totally lose her shit as night time neared. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When the young boy shrunk back from him further and covered his head with his hands, Jason did actually feel truly sorry for him. He could only allow himself to feel this way, though, because he knew that the boy could not see him, and therefore would not foolishly expect sympathy or comfort. Jason was not currently in the correct place or mindset to be able to offer either of those things. He watched on as the boy seemed to be struggling with himself internally, fighting some battle that no one could truly ever see. Finally, the boy looked up nervously and answered him. "Arrow, eh?" Jason raised an eyebrow in suspicion. It was a strange name, he thought, albeit interesting and unique. Watching the tears fall from Arrow's face didn't have a huge effect on Jason's emotional state, if that state even existed, because he had trained himself not to let himself feel for or really care about anyone but himself. But it didn't make him happy to watch it. And when Arrow begged him not to hit him, it struck a nerve. Jason sighed, and leaned towards the boy, hesitantly but also decidedly, and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Look, kid.. I'm not going to hit you, here, ever. Ok? Just watch yourself. Mind the staff. Don't cause any beef with them and you won't have any beef with me." He stood back up, tall again, and surveyed the halls, making sure that no one had witnessed this display. "Now, here, you're going to get up now and I'd suggest that you go to your room, it's almost lights out and you're obviously exhausted." Jason reached out his arm and let it dangle there, in mid-air, waiting for Arrow to except the highest form of friendship that Jason had offered anyone in years.</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West Arrow flinched slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. However, the gesture wasn't at all hostile, and Arrow didn't feel threatened by it. It struck him that that was the first time someone from that awful place had touched him without the intent to prick him with a needle or something else along those lines. He looked back up, a slightly puzzled expression on his tear-streaked face. The man still had a stony expression, but the fire seemed to have settled down a little in those icy-blue eyes. Arrow took a brief moment to admire this person, who, in a place that stripped them of their human rights and treated them instead like some science experiment, could still carry himself with such confidence. Meanwhile, Arrow sat on the floor sniveling like a baby. "He'll hurt you." It was barely audible through the hodgepodge of mumbling inside his head, but one single voice broke through and hissed the threat. It sounded far more real then the others and sent a chill down the boy's spine. His eyes darted around quickly, checking that he and the man were still alone in the hallway. When the man offered his hand, Arrow took a few seconds to process the meaning of the gesture. He hesitated, wiping his face in his elbow. The voices argued in his head as he reached out and took the man's hand, debating whether or not it was a good idea.</s>	<\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton His eyes narrowed, just minutely, but there was no mistaking it - Ezra wasn't pleased. Even without saying a single word, the irritation he felt was tangible, hanging thick and heavy in the air. If there was anything in the world he hated more than this place, it would be people probing into his own, personal business. Especially business of this particular nature. What happened between him and this mysterious 'benefactor' of his... Ezra would never admit it, though a small part of him wondered how fast daddy dearest would blow a gasket, if he ever did find out. "Then I'm sorry to disappoint." Ezra smirked, and there was a kind of liturgical finality to his words, booming and solemn like the 'Amen' at the end of a benedictory prayer. His mind was already made up, and his lips sealed. There was no way he was going to discuss the matter with anyone. Ever. Confiding in a so-called 'kindred spirit' was already proving more trouble than it was worth. Perhaps he would've been better off keeping to himself, after all. As Alytra mentioned lights-out, however, a wave of nausea swept over him. Ezra had barely noticed the sky getting dark outside, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to tether himself to reality. It couldn't be the end of the day already, could it? With each passing day, time seemed to grow increasingly elusive, like dust through his fingers. And yet, even after doing nothing but laze around the entire day, Ezra found himself exhausted - though it wasn't something sleep could fix. It was a tiredness that seeped into your very bones, that telltale ache taking root in your muscles like a chronic illness. Without the tar from a cigarette coating the insides of his lungs, he felt even worse than usual, and - "Ezra." ...Shit. "It's almost lights out. What are you still doing out here?" Ezra turned, with such an in-his-own-good-time deadpan, that it was impossible to tell whether he'd heard anything. Clinging onto the childish conclusion that if he didn't look, they would go away, he studiously avoided the newcomer's gaze. But for just a split second, his resolve faltered, and he dared a furtive glance at the source of the voice. Standing a few yards away, was a man. He was about six feet tall, in his thirties, with a crisp, white lab coat draped over his shoulders. Truth be told, there was nothing particularly remarkable about the scientist. He was tall, but not freakishly so, and the weight he carried seemed to balance things out somewhat. Built like a linebacker, he was the last person anyone wanted to get into a scuffle with. And yet, he never really got to exercise his authority, instead spending the greater part of his time running errands for Dr. Remmington. But still, there was something about his stare, something in those dull, amber hues of his that made Ezra uncomfortable. "What can I do for you, doc?" Ezra finally spoke up, after a long moment, false courage belying his apprehension. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe you could actually follow the rules, for once." the man replied, almost conversationally, but Ezra could tell there was something else beneath it all, something dark, when his gaze flickered towards Alytra. Jealousy, maybe? Possessiveness sounded better still. "And, you haven't taken your night meds yet." "Isn't that the nurses' job?" As the tiny, plastic cup in his hand rattles with mood stabilisers and antipsychotics, the sound makes Ezra grimace. "I'm not taking them." "I gave you that extra cigarette. The least you can do for me is take your pills, you know what happens when you don't." That's when the barrier of intrepidity around Ezra falls, crumbling, faltering, until there was nothing left of it. "Fine." Finally, he submits, words escaping in a muted hiss. He is slow to stand, but his movements are deliberate, crossing the remaining distance to where the scientist stood. Before anything else conspired, however, Gregg pulls Ezra aside, shooting a pointed look at Alytra. "Back to your room. Now."</s>
<\|description\|>Ezra Pinkerton Age: 19 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual, with an inclination towards men. Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychosis Personality: To describe Ezra as abrasive would be the understatement of the century. Inwardly self-destructive and outwardly misanthropic, the people he talks to often find themselves put off by his hostility. He doesn't abide by the rules, he doesn't play fairly, and he certainly doesn't let anyone think they can get one up on him. Ezra considers himself the alpha dog in any situation he's in, but when faced with truly confident or successful people, he can become flustered and defensive, lashing out with increasingly nonsensical insults. Despite that, Ezra is a capable manipulator when he needs to be, and has a knack for controlling people to get what he wants. He's very often obsessive about the things he does, the things he thinks about, and the people he chooses to follow. If he likes something, chances are he'll let you know it, and if he doesn't, well, he's never been shy about voicing his opinion in that matter as well. Try as he might, he's never really had the best poker face in the world, and it tends to give him away more than not. Ezra is hard to like, much less to love, but underneath the layers of barbed distrust and anger, lies a young man deeply frustrated by his condition. Appearance: With a height of 5'7", weighing in at around 135 pounds, Ezra isn't exactly the most imposing of figures. It doesn't help that he never stands up straight, either. His posture is terrible; shoulders rolled forward, knees bent, hands inside his pockets. No matter how many hours of sleep he gets a night, it's always fitful, as evident by the dark circles under his watery, blue eyes. There is an unhealthy pallor to his skin, even more so than usual, after a year spent in Remmington. This, combined with his lanky, blonde hair, gives him an overall appearance that would be best described as "washed out". Unless he is fully comfortable in his surroundings, he is usually unsmiling. It's not difficult to notice the way he suspiciously eyes people, watching their every move like a caged animal. History/Background Info.: Ezra grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, the youngest child to a wealthy businessman and his beautiful wife. The Pinkertons, as one of the primary shipping magnates in North America, were, and continue to be, one of the richest and most influential names from the continent. From the day he was born, Ezra had everything he wanted handed to him on a silver platter. To outsiders, his life was enviable. But behind closed doors, things were quite different. Ezra's parents were far too busy with work to deal with a child, and so tended to leave him and his siblings in the care of a nanny. This detachment between parent and child, perhaps, was why Ezra's unusual behaviour went undetected. People never seemed to like staying around Ezra for long; his carers had a curious habit of never lasting more than a month at a time - the frequency and intensity of his sometimes self-destructive tantrums driving them away from the Pinkerton estate. Shrugging it off as the unreliability of the working class, Ezra's parents turned a blind eye to these so-called "episodes". As far as they were concerned, there was nothing wrong with him - well, apart from being spoilt rotten, that is. For years, the behaviour Ezra displayed was simply swept under the rug. After all, it simply wouldn't do to have the prestigious Pinkerton name sullied, would it? Still, it was only a matter of time until things came to a head. Slowly but surely, Ezra's psyche began to turn on him. As with all things, it started out small. Shadows lurking at the edge of his vision, the occasional whisper at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell whether or not it was just his imagination - but these symptoms only worsened as time went by. Soon, Ezra began suffering from full-blown episodes of catatonia, and it was only then that his parents started to worry. After multiple trips to the psychiatrist, it seemed like they had finally pinned down just what was wrong with Ezra. Diagnosed with BPD and Psychosis, he was sent home with nothing more than a bottle of mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. But then, barely a month later - that was when things spiralled out of control. The night before his eighteenth birthday, something in him snapped. Convinced that his entire family was out to get him, he retrieved a knife from the kitchen, fully intending to carve up everyone in the house before they could do anything to hurt him. Fortunately, however, Ezra's plans were stopped in his tracks when the knife was wrestled away from him by his first target - his father. Despite their earlier reservations, Ezra's parents finally realised what they had to do. In a situation like this, seeking professional help would no doubt be the best course of action. Thus, after an extensive round of perusal and vetting, they finally settled on Remmington's Angels. Whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton were aware of the rumours surrounding the facility is anyone's guess, but two things were for sure - it keeps their son out of the public eye, and their reputation spotless. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Cigarettes. They're one of the only things that calm him down, but he finds it nigh impossible to get his hands on any in Remmington. Other/Special: Ezra is terrified of dogs. Whilst he isn't going to run screaming when he sees a chihuahua or corgi, anything larger is enough to scare the living daylights out of him. ---</s> <\|message\|>Jason Alytra took her time walking to her room, moving as slowly as possible. She was full of absolute dread, knowing what was about to happen. It was unavoidable, and she knew that this was all her fault. If only she hadn't attempted to escape the facility yet again, then she wouldn't have to deal with it. But she knew that, like the last times, Jason would carry out the threats that he had made to her fully. When she got to the door, she fumbled with the handle, finally managing to open it with shaky palms. As she shut the door to her room behind her, she turned towards the bed and shuddered. Jason was here already. There he sat, perusing a book that had been laying around, one of the only pass-times that Alytra could find in this place once she was sentenced to nightly solitude - Or, what was supposed to be alone time - at lights-out. He finished the section he was on, shoved a bookmark into it nonchalantly to hold his place (as if he'd be coming back here often, that pig), and set it down, then turning his full attention towards her. "Ahhh, Alytra. How happy I am that you decided you wanted another visit from me." He smirked at her, looked into her eyes, and winked. "Now. This is going to be extremely satisfying... For me. So just do as you're told, for once in your life, please, you fucking bitch." With that, he pulled her towards his own body, until she was standing between his legs as he sat on the edge of the bed. He reached up and began to kiss her; first her jaw, then her neck, then her chest, and so on. Alytra squirmed under the heat of his lips, but she knew better than to try and fight him or run or call for help. First, no one would hear her if she did. Everyone in the facility, besides a few specific officials, were supposed to be in their personal rooms or offices right now, and would remain there until morning time. Second, if Alytra even tried to run, fast as she was, she would never outrun Jason. And lastly, she wasn't strong enough to fight... And she knew that she would pay worse if she did. Alytra had a few secrets of her own, things that Jason knew about and that no one else could. And so, Alytra stood there and took her punishment. Jason moved his hands, running them up and down her body, all over her, and although she felt physically sick, he felt nothing but pure ecstasy. He was enjoying every bit of this. As the hospital clothing came off, he admired her body and was thoroughly pleased. And just like that, Alytra was once again conditioned to believe that her trying to escape Remmington's was a very, very bad idea... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the morning, Alytra awoke, alone, in her bed. She wished that it had been to the sounds of birds chirping or the rays of sunlight through the windows. But it wasn't that, not at all. It was another dreary morning in Remmington's, and this life felt more like a nightmare than her dreams did. She wished that her dreams were her reality, that what happened last night wasn't real... But it was. Alytra felt sick again. She lay in bed for a while, and then stood, shakily, and reached over to grab the pills that lay beside her. Someone had been in here, and it was possible that it was Jason who had set them here, but it was probably a doctor. She swallowed them, one by one, and wondered how late she had slept in. Sighing, she walked over to the door and opened it, stepping out into the white hallway and preparing to face a new day.</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West "Get yer arse up, boy." Arrow's eyes flew open at the sound of his father's drunken, slurred speech. The room was dark and silent, and it took him a few long seconds to remember where he was. His hands clenched the edges of the mattress and his heart hammered against the inside of his ribcage. He sat up slowly, squinting into the darkness. Across the room he could see the dark shape of his roommate on the other bed, so he must still be in his room. It was not uncommon for someone to come and collect him just before wake-up, so it might have been the first time he actually woke up there. His hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, and he brushed it back, using his fingers like a comb. Was it hot? He was probably just from the nightmares. He pulled his white tee shirt off and tossed it to the foot of his bed, then flopped back onto his pillow. What time was it? There was no way to tell, because there wasn't a clock or a window in the room. In fact, he hadn't noticed much more then the two beds. Each of them had a small night table with a single drawer. He rolled over and opened his, but it was empty. He laid there for what felt like hours. He drifted in and out of sleep, but not really enough to actually feel rested. Just when he thought he would go crazy from waiting, the lights came on in the room. He groaned and covered his face as the sterile white light filled his vision. Just as he started to regain his sight a nurse walked in the room. She didn't say anything, but handed him a little plastic cup with a few pills in it, as well as a bottle of water. She smiled ever so slightly at him, maybe amused by his extreme bed-head, then set a clean set of clothes on his table and left. He eyed the cup of pills suspiciously before setting it down on the table. He wasn't going to take those nasty thing willingly. Besides, it had always been the injections before. Why would they suddenly switch to pills? Maybe because of the biting incident? Either way, he didn't trust them. He wasn't sure what they were supposed to do after the lights came on. Perhaps he was supposed to go find breakfast or something, but he had no idea where it would be. So, instead he sat on the bed and leaned against the wall, eventually dozing off again.</s> <\|message\|>Maloney "Nails" Fowler Nails darted out into the hallway the next morning, already starting to feel a little tense. It had been some time since her last dose, and she was most definitely aware of her rising panic. She lifted a pen that she'd stolen from a staff member up to the nearest wall and paused in thought. Then she jotted down a short, simple sentence. You'll know...someday. She went from room to room like this, scribbling cryptic phrases on the walls and doors nearby. When she got to room 22, Nails was in the middle of trying to climb a doorframe in order to reach the ceiling when a young woman opened the door and stepped outside. "Shit."</s>	<\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra had always been a light sleeper, and no matter how exhausted he was, the sound of shuffling sheets was enough to keep him up all night. The dosage of Xanax Gregg had given him was about as useful as a screen-door on a submarine. Every time, just as he thought he was about to drift into unconsciousness, the soft, curling tendrils of sopor simply withdrew, leaving him in the uncomfortable limbo between sleeplessness and slumber. Once or twice, Ezra had half a mind to get up and give his roommate a good talking-to, but then he hesitated. This place was bad enough as it is, was it really worth it to make himself more enemies than he'd already done? Minutes ticked by as he weighed out the pros and cons in his mind. In the end, however, Ezra decided it wasn't worth it. He was no stranger to sleepless nights, after a year spent in Remmington's, and he already had enough trouble on his hands, as it was. Maybe with a few more favours, he could get Gregg to transfer him to a single room, but for now, all he could do was suck it up and try to sleep. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours. Soon, the buzzing fluorescent lights of the room flickered on - 7 a.m. Ezra did get a few winks of sleep here and there, but not nearly enough for him to be fully awake during the day. Propping himself up on his elbows, he turned to look at his roommate. Still asleep. No surprise there, though he had to admit, it was pretty impressive how the boy managed to be insensate every time he saw him. When his gaze flickered downwards, Ezra noticed the cup of pills sitting on the nightstand. While he had resisted taking them at first, he learnt over time that it was either this, or an injection. With a hard swallow, he downed the medicine, setting the little plastic cup back down on the nightstand. Now, he needed to get himself some breakfast. But first, a smoke was in order. It would be awhile until the nurses came back to check on them, and Gregg's influence was more than enough to have them look the other way if they did catch him in the act. In one swift, practiced motion, Ezra had a lit cigarette hanging from his lips, the plastic lighter quickly disappearing back beneath his pillow. For a long moment, he just sat there, clouds of smoke spilling from the corners of his mouth, his free hand laid across his stomach. "Hey, kid." Ezra began, almost involuntarily. His voice was soft, though it still seemed to carry across the room, bouncing off the stark, white walls. Truth be told, he wasn't quite sure what he'd hoped to achieve with this, but he pressed on. "You awake?"</s>
<\|description\|>Arrow West Age: 16 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual Mental Illness/Disorder: Schizophrenia Personality: While most people diagnosed with Schizophrenia are emotionally distant, Arrow did not receive this trait. He is a highly social creature, with a personality similar to a puppy's. He is playful and sweet, and wants nothing more then to be liked. However, he has a hard time separating his delusions from reality, and can quickly become hostile. He stresses over things most people wouldn't think twice about, and worst of all is that he is definitely a crier. Appearance: He is around 5' 6", which he feels is kinda short for his age. He is built small, with long lean legs and narrow shoulders. His skin is light, and his hair a light brown. His dark blue eyes complete his puppy-dog look. History/Background: Arrow grew up as the middle child. He was sort of overlooked, something any middle child could relate too. He never did well in school, because people would pick on him, calling him names like "Special Edd" - or maybe none of that happened, and it was just another delusion. Either way, he was constantly getting in fights, and constantly losing these fights. When he was in middle school, his mother and little sister were killed in a freak car accident. Arrow was traumatized, of course, and his condition grew worse. His father took to alcohol, and his brother moved out and went to college. Being a person who required a lot of attention, Arrow felt abandoned at best. His mood swings worsened, and by highschool he had been arrested twice on school campus. He was finally expelled and spent his days home with his father. Though he said his father would never hit him, and it was just his delusions, the social workers thought otherwise. As the foster system wouldn't take him until he received "treatment", he ended up at Remmington's a few short weeks ago. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Arrow loves to draw. It's one of the few things that can calm him down. Other/Special: He is terrified of heights.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Well, this was new. Whenever Ezra brought up the subject of his family name, there was usually a spark of recognition; a turning of gears as they came to realise just who he was. The Pinkertons were often said to be up there with the Waltons and the Kochs, having dominated the US shipping industry since the early 20s, and to put it gently - you had to be living under a rock to not have heard of them. Today, however, it seemed as if he had finally encountered an exception to the rule. Whether or not he was pleased by the peculiar turn of events, Ezra couldn't tell, but it was certainly a refreshing deviation from the norm. "Was rich, and none taken. They're all a bunch of douchebags, anyway." Ezra wasn't so petty as to take an offhanded comment like that to heart. Growing up, he'd always been taught to have thick skin, and to take things with a grain of salt. Sticks and stones, right? Not like it was much help to him when he was in one of his "moods", but right now, for lack of a better term, he was too out of it to get into it. The drugs they gave him in Remmington's were good for one thing, he supposed - keeping those nasty, raging emotions at bay. "Eight months, huh? I've been here a little longer. …I think." And then, there was the downside. With the chemical cocktail of pills and injections given to him, Ezra could barely remember what he had for breakfast, let alone how much time he'd spent at Remmington's. But if he had to decide on a certain timeframe, it'd be somewhere close to a year, give or take. Though with his addled mind, he couldn't be sure. Those trips to the 'shock shop' in the beginning of January must've taken more out of him than he'd thought. Tentatively, Ezra's gaze flickered upwards, towards the spiky, purple mess sitting atop Alytra's head. As he spoke, his fingers finally found purchase, tearing away the flaking piece of skin from his lip. "They let you keep your hair like that?"</s> <\|message\|>Jason "Uh, excuse me?" Jason asked, all humor gone from his face. This young fool obviously had no clue who he was, nor any respect for authority. The boy appeared to be shaking, clearly immensely upset from whatever had happened moments before, and it almost evoked some hint of emotion from his cold heart. Almost. But Jason knew better than to start feeling bad for a newbie who was breaking the rules. And he could benefit quite a bit from taking the side of the staff on almost any matter, he realized, if he played his cards right. Jason practically snarled. "Who says it's disgusting? I love the taste of metal in my mouth." It would have been a comical statement if not for the absolute menace that shone through his bright eyes. He looked downright terrifying. Taking a step closer, he gestured towards the boy, still sitting on the hard ground against the painstakingly white wall behind him. The vein in his forehead bulged and throbbed, and he leaned over the boy, attempting to intimidate him. "I'll think about answering your questions after you answer mine. Now, I asked you once, and I will not ask again," Jason continued, "Who. the. fuck. are. you." The words came out hard and flat, with a bit of rage seeping into each one. He was not in the mood to be screwed with. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alytra was rather taken aback. As much hate as she harbored for her good for nothing father, and as much of a bitch her mother could be, she would never refer to them openly as "a bunch of douchebags". The term just sounded.... dirty? Perverted? Wrong, whatever it was. She was also even more astounded by the claim that Ezra made next. "More than eight months? A whole year? No offense, but that seems impossible... I know everyone who has been in and out of here since I arrived, I swear it... Or, at least, I could have sworn... Longer than me? I didn't think that anyone besides... Jason... Had been here for longer than I have... That can't be right, can it...?" She couldn't stop searching, attempting to find a rational answer to what she had just been told, but she couldn't. Maybe, she began to fear, those drugs had done a lot more to affect her mental and biological health than she had originally thought... "Well, anyway," Alytra moved the conversation along, trying her best to shrug it off, "What do you mean? This?" She pulled at her own lovely purple and black locks, affectionately. "Like that as in short, or like that as in dyed? Either way, obviously, yes, they do "let me"... It's amazing what you can get away with around here, if you have the right connections... Speaking of which," Alytra began to recall a time where she had seen Ezra, not knowing who he was at that point in time, in possession of a cigarette. "Haven't you been getting some nicotine into your system, somehow?" She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head slightly to the side. Perhaps, she wasn't the only one using her looks to receive something beneficiary that wouldn't be provided by Dr. Remmington or the more nefariously diligent staff members.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra could empathise, he knew exactly how Alytra felt. At Remmington's, without a calendar to keep track, days melted into weeks, and months into days. The place never seemed to change, either. Same walls, same people, same drugs, same everything. Each passing second felt like a bloated eternity, and some days, Ezra was sure the monotony would drive him mad. Well - madder, if you want to be picky about it. "Eight months, a year. What's the difference?" Sharp stabs of fatigue lent his voice a gravelly creakiness, and it was almost as if he had to heave the words from his jaw with a shovel. Still, he made a token effort of straightening his posture, draping an arm across the back of the couch. "Feels like a goddamned lifetime, either way." As the girl continued, Ezra couldn't quash the feeling of dread welling up in his stomach. He knew where this was going, and when Alytra finally popped the question, he was hardly shocked. Not many patients earned the supposed 'privilege' of cigarettes - the fact that his carcinogenic hobby hadn't been brought up in conversation earlier was an achievement in and itself. But that didn't stop his phlegmatic, drugged-up mask from slipping. Venom. In a single, ephemeral second, however, it faded, almost as quickly as it'd surfaced. Even with his eyes at half-mast, one could still see the pupils, as dark and sticky as a tar pit. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Ezra's voice was oddly clipped, and it was clear, despite the apparent insouciance, that Alytra had hit a nerve with her question. Rationalising - as he had tried many times before - would be of no use, he realised. No amount of excuses, big or small, would justify his actions. He knew that after he'd accepted that very first cigarette, there was no going back, and he'd be a fool to dig himself a deeper hole than he'd already done. Though he did find some solace in the fact that he wasn't alone in such an arrangement. "The 'right connections'… That's funny."</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West 'Well, shit.' Arrow mentally scolded himself. It was now completely clear that this man wasn't someone he could smart mouth and still get out of the situation unharmed. As the man leaned over him, Arrow instinctively shrank backwards. As if the motion were rehearsed, he pulled his knees to his chest and crossed his arms over his head protectively. Shadowy figures danced on the edge of vision, though he knew as soon as he turned to look they would disappear. Soft, menacing voices mumbled incoherently, mocking his pathetic display. None of it was real; the added stress was making his hallucinations surface, even through the heavy dose of drugs he had been given. His heart rate rapidly increased, until he could feel his pulse pounding in his ears. He kept his face covered still as tears sprung up in his eyes and spilled down his face. The voices were right, of course; he was pathetic. "A-Arrow." He answered the man, swallowing hard. "Arrow West." He allowed the tears to fall into his lap, not daring to move and wipe them away. The voices sneered at him. Figures laughed out the corner of his eye. Arrow squeezed his eyes shut. "Please don't hit me."</s> <\|message\|>Jason Shockingly, this whole conversation just felt so amazing to Alytra. The two of them were talking and listening and prying and sharing, and certain parts of the conversation were even downright aggressive and provocative... And it felt more right to her than anything had in weeks, maybe even months. This boy, Ezra, this was someone who actually understood her, how she thought and felt about Remmington and such. He even seemed onboard with the idea of sneaking around to gain advantages over the other patients and staff members, she assumed, after hearing his response. His reaction when she asked about the cigarettes was one that took her aback a bit, but not much. Alytra was so used to just being honest and bluntly saying what was on her mind, that when Ezra hesitated and told her basically to back off, it only confused her, as well as intriguing her more. "I would, actually," Alytra quipped, defiantly, "I would just [i]love[i] to know how you got them." She made a sort of "hmph" noise, and smiled at him arrogantly. She wasn't too intimidated by him to not press the matter further; his resistance only caused her to grow more curious about the matter... "And yes, being acquainted with the right kind of people here can indeed make all the difference.. That is, as right as any of them could possibly be. I think that everyone's a little wrong in this world, but that's just my cynical side taking over." She winked at Ezra and folded her arms. She wasn't about to back down from her questions quite so easily. Not yet. "Sadly, though, it is almost lights out.. Should we be going to bed, or...?" Alytra asked him, beginning to look around anxiously and breathe irregularly, waiting on Ezra's answer and trying not to totally lose her shit as night time neared. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When the young boy shrunk back from him further and covered his head with his hands, Jason did actually feel truly sorry for him. He could only allow himself to feel this way, though, because he knew that the boy could not see him, and therefore would not foolishly expect sympathy or comfort. Jason was not currently in the correct place or mindset to be able to offer either of those things. He watched on as the boy seemed to be struggling with himself internally, fighting some battle that no one could truly ever see. Finally, the boy looked up nervously and answered him. "Arrow, eh?" Jason raised an eyebrow in suspicion. It was a strange name, he thought, albeit interesting and unique. Watching the tears fall from Arrow's face didn't have a huge effect on Jason's emotional state, if that state even existed, because he had trained himself not to let himself feel for or really care about anyone but himself. But it didn't make him happy to watch it. And when Arrow begged him not to hit him, it struck a nerve. Jason sighed, and leaned towards the boy, hesitantly but also decidedly, and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Look, kid.. I'm not going to hit you, here, ever. Ok? Just watch yourself. Mind the staff. Don't cause any beef with them and you won't have any beef with me." He stood back up, tall again, and surveyed the halls, making sure that no one had witnessed this display. "Now, here, you're going to get up now and I'd suggest that you go to your room, it's almost lights out and you're obviously exhausted." Jason reached out his arm and let it dangle there, in mid-air, waiting for Arrow to except the highest form of friendship that Jason had offered anyone in years.</s>	<\|message\|>Arrow West Arrow flinched slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. However, the gesture wasn't at all hostile, and Arrow didn't feel threatened by it. It struck him that that was the first time someone from that awful place had touched him without the intent to prick him with a needle or something else along those lines. He looked back up, a slightly puzzled expression on his tear-streaked face. The man still had a stony expression, but the fire seemed to have settled down a little in those icy-blue eyes. Arrow took a brief moment to admire this person, who, in a place that stripped them of their human rights and treated them instead like some science experiment, could still carry himself with such confidence. Meanwhile, Arrow sat on the floor sniveling like a baby. "He'll hurt you." It was barely audible through the hodgepodge of mumbling inside his head, but one single voice broke through and hissed the threat. It sounded far more real then the others and sent a chill down the boy's spine. His eyes darted around quickly, checking that he and the man were still alone in the hallway. When the man offered his hand, Arrow took a few seconds to process the meaning of the gesture. He hesitated, wiping his face in his elbow. The voices argued in his head as he reached out and took the man's hand, debating whether or not it was a good idea.</s>
<\|description\|>Arrow West Age: 16 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual Mental Illness/Disorder: Schizophrenia Personality: While most people diagnosed with Schizophrenia are emotionally distant, Arrow did not receive this trait. He is a highly social creature, with a personality similar to a puppy's. He is playful and sweet, and wants nothing more then to be liked. However, he has a hard time separating his delusions from reality, and can quickly become hostile. He stresses over things most people wouldn't think twice about, and worst of all is that he is definitely a crier. Appearance: He is around 5' 6", which he feels is kinda short for his age. He is built small, with long lean legs and narrow shoulders. His skin is light, and his hair a light brown. His dark blue eyes complete his puppy-dog look. History/Background: Arrow grew up as the middle child. He was sort of overlooked, something any middle child could relate too. He never did well in school, because people would pick on him, calling him names like "Special Edd" - or maybe none of that happened, and it was just another delusion. Either way, he was constantly getting in fights, and constantly losing these fights. When he was in middle school, his mother and little sister were killed in a freak car accident. Arrow was traumatized, of course, and his condition grew worse. His father took to alcohol, and his brother moved out and went to college. Being a person who required a lot of attention, Arrow felt abandoned at best. His mood swings worsened, and by highschool he had been arrested twice on school campus. He was finally expelled and spent his days home with his father. Though he said his father would never hit him, and it was just his delusions, the social workers thought otherwise. As the foster system wouldn't take him until he received "treatment", he ended up at Remmington's a few short weeks ago. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Arrow loves to draw. It's one of the few things that can calm him down. Other/Special: He is terrified of heights.</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West Arrow flinched slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. However, the gesture wasn't at all hostile, and Arrow didn't feel threatened by it. It struck him that that was the first time someone from that awful place had touched him without the intent to prick him with a needle or something else along those lines. He looked back up, a slightly puzzled expression on his tear-streaked face. The man still had a stony expression, but the fire seemed to have settled down a little in those icy-blue eyes. Arrow took a brief moment to admire this person, who, in a place that stripped them of their human rights and treated them instead like some science experiment, could still carry himself with such confidence. Meanwhile, Arrow sat on the floor sniveling like a baby. "He'll hurt you." It was barely audible through the hodgepodge of mumbling inside his head, but one single voice broke through and hissed the threat. It sounded far more real then the others and sent a chill down the boy's spine. His eyes darted around quickly, checking that he and the man were still alone in the hallway. When the man offered his hand, Arrow took a few seconds to process the meaning of the gesture. He hesitated, wiping his face in his elbow. The voices argued in his head as he reached out and took the man's hand, debating whether or not it was a good idea.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton His eyes narrowed, just minutely, but there was no mistaking it - Ezra wasn't pleased. Even without saying a single word, the irritation he felt was tangible, hanging thick and heavy in the air. If there was anything in the world he hated more than this place, it would be people probing into his own, personal business. Especially business of this particular nature. What happened between him and this mysterious 'benefactor' of his... Ezra would never admit it, though a small part of him wondered how fast daddy dearest would blow a gasket, if he ever did find out. "Then I'm sorry to disappoint." Ezra smirked, and there was a kind of liturgical finality to his words, booming and solemn like the 'Amen' at the end of a benedictory prayer. His mind was already made up, and his lips sealed. There was no way he was going to discuss the matter with anyone. Ever. Confiding in a so-called 'kindred spirit' was already proving more trouble than it was worth. Perhaps he would've been better off keeping to himself, after all. As Alytra mentioned lights-out, however, a wave of nausea swept over him. Ezra had barely noticed the sky getting dark outside, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to tether himself to reality. It couldn't be the end of the day already, could it? With each passing day, time seemed to grow increasingly elusive, like dust through his fingers. And yet, even after doing nothing but laze around the entire day, Ezra found himself exhausted - though it wasn't something sleep could fix. It was a tiredness that seeped into your very bones, that telltale ache taking root in your muscles like a chronic illness. Without the tar from a cigarette coating the insides of his lungs, he felt even worse than usual, and - "Ezra." ...Shit. "It's almost lights out. What are you still doing out here?" Ezra turned, with such an in-his-own-good-time deadpan, that it was impossible to tell whether he'd heard anything. Clinging onto the childish conclusion that if he didn't look, they would go away, he studiously avoided the newcomer's gaze. But for just a split second, his resolve faltered, and he dared a furtive glance at the source of the voice. Standing a few yards away, was a man. He was about six feet tall, in his thirties, with a crisp, white lab coat draped over his shoulders. Truth be told, there was nothing particularly remarkable about the scientist. He was tall, but not freakishly so, and the weight he carried seemed to balance things out somewhat. Built like a linebacker, he was the last person anyone wanted to get into a scuffle with. And yet, he never really got to exercise his authority, instead spending the greater part of his time running errands for Dr. Remmington. But still, there was something about his stare, something in those dull, amber hues of his that made Ezra uncomfortable. "What can I do for you, doc?" Ezra finally spoke up, after a long moment, false courage belying his apprehension. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe you could actually follow the rules, for once." the man replied, almost conversationally, but Ezra could tell there was something else beneath it all, something dark, when his gaze flickered towards Alytra. Jealousy, maybe? Possessiveness sounded better still. "And, you haven't taken your night meds yet." "Isn't that the nurses' job?" As the tiny, plastic cup in his hand rattles with mood stabilisers and antipsychotics, the sound makes Ezra grimace. "I'm not taking them." "I gave you that extra cigarette. The least you can do for me is take your pills, you know what happens when you don't." That's when the barrier of intrepidity around Ezra falls, crumbling, faltering, until there was nothing left of it. "Fine." Finally, he submits, words escaping in a muted hiss. He is slow to stand, but his movements are deliberate, crossing the remaining distance to where the scientist stood. Before anything else conspired, however, Gregg pulls Ezra aside, shooting a pointed look at Alytra. "Back to your room. Now."</s> <\|message\|>Jason Jason watched this Arrow boy process what he was saying and gave him a moment to do so. He looked pathetically sad and scared, and in most cases Jason would have kicked the boy or maybe even spat on him, laughed, and walked away. But something about the way that he had whispered it... "Please don't hit me." It was seriously messing with his head. When Arrow was ready and had placed his hand into the one stretched toward him, Jason yanked him to his feet and grabbed him gently by the shoulders to make sure that he wasn't going to fall back down. He knew full well how the drugs that they were given, often against their will, could affect them, and had had a great fall or two of his own in his days spent at Remmington's. Once he was sure that Arrow was steady, he let go of him and backed away, awkwardly clearing his throat. "Well, I guess I'll um.. See you around." Jason turned and stalked down the hall towards his own room, and then looked back over his shoulder, calling out, "And hey, kid, don't forget what I said about minding the staff. They're here to help you, not hurt you..." But, as he walked away, not even Jason fully believed what he'd said. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After she'd finished her sentence, Alytra could tell that she had struck a nerve. She should have bitten her tongue, perhaps, for once in her short life. Short, although here it seemed like it would never end... Regardless, she had obviously upset Ezra, which was a common theme for her. Most people that she knew couldn't stand the thought of being so open, especially with a stranger. Most people she knew weren't as honest as her, or were too ashamed to be honest.. But what could this rich, publicly-popular, pretty boy possibly have to be ashamed of? She pondered that for a moment, until he spoke up, and then redirected her full attention to Ezra. When he did speak, though, Alytra felt even worse than she had before, because she could see the look in his eyes, the one that told her that he was about done with their conversation. That he would never trust her (she didn't blame him, for in this world there was hardly ever anyone worth trusting, and in Remmington's, she hadn't met one other soul yet who was). And most importantly, she could tell that he was giving up on her. The only chance at companionship that she may have had, and she'd totally blown it. Alytra was about ready to get up and excuse herself, when suddenly a deep male voice broke into her thoughts, and she recognized it instantly as Smith's. And then, she knew. Alytra now knew why Ezra was ashamed, and she knew why he'd wanted to keep it from her, and she knew why the look on his face as the conversation between the two progressed that he seemed to turn every shade of green and his eyes hardened and his body stiffened. She knew, because she'd done the same kinds of things, too. She watched Ezra waltz across the room to where Dr. Smith stood, almost begrudgingly and yet also in a way that seemed to scream that he desired it... And then Smith addressed her, sharply, in a way that she was not at all used to. He was never quite so... Rude? No, Alytra thought, she would settle on the word curt, because he had never been particularly mean to her before. And she thought that it was strange behavior, but thinking about what Ezra's possible relations with Smith could be... Well, needless to say, the reaction made sense, at least in her mind. So, with a last attempt at being polite and casual, despite the raging worry inside, Alytra rose, walked towards the doors that led out of the lounge and down one of those horrible hallways, and turned to Ezra one last time, beseechingly. "Well, Ezra, it was great to chat with you. Thanks for being the first person here to show any real friendship to me, and I sincerely hope that you will confide in me again some time. I promise that no matter what, I won't judge you, and I'm just glad to have someone to talk to... Well, uh, have a good night... Or, I guess, a decent one, nights here are never GOOD... Um, ok, well I'll leave you to it then... Uh.. Yeah. Good night." Alytra could have died of embarrassment, but what else should she have said? She was internally facepalming. She smiled awkwardly and left the room, heading to her own. And then the smile fell, and her mind started going numb in preparation for what she knew would await her there.</s>	<\|message\|>Arrow West When he stood, Arrow's vision went blank for a moment. He felt like all the blood in his upper body dissolved, like that feeling when you hang upside down for too long and then sit back upright. His eyes rolled, and it took a second for him to regain his senses. He didn't notice the man had been holding him upright until he let go, and suddenly Arrow felt small again. The man took a step back and cleared his throat, wearing an expression Arrow couldn't quite identify. If it was anyone else he would have said it was embarrassment, but for some reason Arrow had a hard time believing that was it. Before Arrow could say any kind of thanks, the man turned, speaking over his shoulder as he walked away. "...They're here to help you, not hurt you." The words weren't convincing, but perhaps it was this man's round-about way of trying to comfort him. Arrow held up his hand, a gesture of acknowledgment and farewell, before turning to walk the other way. He remembered he was staying in room 17. However, the few times he had actually been there he had been so wiped out from the effects of his medication the doctors practically had to carry him. He recalled being told he had a roommate, but he wasn't sure if they had actually met. If they had, he couldn't remember their name. No guards, nurses or anyone else seemed to be looking for him, so he guessed he was just supposed to go to the room. He walked down the hallway slowly, squinting at the numbers painted on the doors, looking for the right one. He turned a bend into a hallway that – of course – looked just like the rest. A few doors down, he found the one with a gray number 17 standing out on an otherwise perfect white paint job. He stood in front of it for a moment, feeling a little unsure of himself. He was sure he probably still looked like a wreck. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, clearing away any tears that might still be clinging to his lashes. He knocked once on the door before opening it and poking his head inside. He called out a soft "Hello" to announce his presence before stepping inside. Arrow was the first one back. He breathed a small sigh of relief, glad he would get at least a few short minutes of solitude. The room was bare, with the walls once again being painted all white. Though perhaps it was just his imagination, but the shade of white seemed to be just a little darker, as if it had almost tried to be a creamy color. A single florescent light lit up the space. There didn't seem be be a switch, so it was probably automatic. There were two beds on either side of the room. One was already made up with white sheets and a single pillow. The other still had the sheets folded neatly at the foot of the mattress, but had yet to be put on. Arrow assumed that was his bed, so he moved across the room and flopped heavily onto it. 'I'll put the sheets on in a minute,' he said to himself, eyelids heavy, 'I'll just relax for a minute first.'</s>
<\|description\|>Jason IF YOU WANT TO PLAY ONE OF THE STAFF MEMBERS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! THE TWO THAT I MENTIONED IN THE BEGINNING ARE UP FOR GRABS, OR YOU CAN CREATE YOUR OWN. BUT THE MORE PATIENTS, THE BETTER. Here is where I'll post some possible bios for staff members: ========================================================================================================= Age: 22 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Straight/women Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: TBA Personality: He is a shady guy, who obviously has some malice in his voice when he speaks. He seems cold and stand-offish and does his own thing most of the time. He has not made any attempt to form friendships with any of the patients in the institute and seems to be fine with that. He isn't someone that you would feel comfortable standing in a room alone with. Appearance: Jason is of decent height, about 6 feet tall, and has extremely pale skin. His hair, the opposite, is dark and thick, framing his face with bangs that swoop down over his icy blue irises. Despite the bright tint of his eyes, they seem deep and dark when you look into them, mysterious and rather captivating. He wears the same as the other patients, white stretchy pants and a t-shirt. He is also incredibly fit for someone who stays contained all of the time. History/Background Info.: Nobody really knows much about Jason's past, besides possibly Remmington, and no one has ever cared enough (or had the guts) to ask him. However, he has been in this mental hospital for quite a while, about 7 years, and has no known family outside of it. He has some history of both being abused, as well as abusing others, sexually and otherwise. He has had confrontation with some of the patients, specifically Alytra, in the past. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Pissing people off. Other/Special: He is sort of a "teacher's-pet" in the sense that he is Remmington's rat - he will turn in patients who aren't behaving according to the standards of the doctors/scientists and does small jobs for Remmington in return for some more freedom than the other patients get.</s> <\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton Alytra could see Ezra eyeing her up, taking in her response, but the look on his face puzzled her. What was that? Anger? Confusion? Disbelief? She hadn't the slightest clue as to what he was thinking while she gave him her answer. She studied his face for a moment more as she considered talking, but decided that she would let it slide, not wanting to push too hard, as she would usually be so inclined to do, because he was a complete stranger, and although she didn't believe in the need for any barriers when it came to unveiling the truth, she figured that she would wait a little longer before becoming demanding and self-righteous... If she could manage. Her eyes widened as he seemingly proudly proclaimed that he had attempted to murder his own family. "Well, Ezra, that is a rather intriguing tale. I, too, have wanted members of my own family to drop dead. The self-mutilation bit, however, I will never understand. It's not really my style." She was blunt and couldn't help it, but she still hoped that her response wasn't too curt to the point of actually hurting her new-found acquaintance's feelings; on the other hand, here it was almost impolite to go beyond surface level. No one ever did. "So," she continued, somewhat intrigued, "You're a rich boy, eh? You must be realllllly rich, or famous or smart or something to get your name and story headlined like that, and the way that they put your family's last name out there makes it sound like most of the free world knows who you are. And no offense, I do not. And I certainly haven't "seen it in the tabloids".... I've been in here for about eight months." This last bit hit Alytra closer to home than she had imagined it would, and she tried not to let her face falter. She would keep her cool for as long as she could, at least in her current company.</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West "Don't touch me!" Arrow snarled, his voice shaky. He pulled his arm back from the nurse, his blue eyes wild and scared. She said nothing, and just held her hand out, motioning for him to give her back his arm so she could inject him with his medication. He hated the stuff; it made his eyes heavy and his thoughts fuzzy. Of course, that's probably what it was intended to do, in order to keep him and everyone else out of trouble. He had been at Remmington's for only two and a half weeks, and his dislike for the place was growing stronger. For the most part, they kept him either drugged or locked up in some room for 'observation'. He hardly saw anyone, with the exception of this goddamned nurse and her needle. He didn't even have clothes that fit properly yet. He currently had one of the facility's white tee-shirts that was so big it came down to his knees. The woman sighed after a few more moments. She stood up and moved towards him. Arrow backed up like a cornered animal, his eyes darting around looking for an escape. Of course, there wasn't one. There never was. She reached out and seized his wrist with an iron grip. He yelped and struggled against her, pushing her away with his free arm. He collided with the wall behind him, and the nurse leaned into him to hold him still as she fumbled with the needle. He screamed as he felt the prick on his arm. He twisted his head around and bit down hard on the nurse's arm, clamping down until he could taste the metallic flavor of blood. The nurse stumbled back and called for help. Another doctor-looking guy opened the door. Arrow quickly saw his opportunity. He charged the guy at the door. He must have looked kind of scary, with the crazy blue eyes and blood at the corners of his mouth, because the man simply stepped back and held his arms up in front of his face protectively. Arrow had no plan, and the drugs were quickly coming into effect, but he ran down the hall like his life depended on it. His bare feet slapped the white tile floor, and his heavy breathing echoed off the walls. It was awful, everything was white. He turned down a hallway that looked exactly like the last. His footsteps became unsteady as the drugs pumped through his veins, and eventually he tripped. He choked down a sob as he struggled to get back up, his vision spinning. He was able to stumble around the next corner before he had to stop, leaning against one of those horrible white walls for support. He slumped to the floor, feeling defeated, and listened for the sound of footsteps, which he was sure would come in just a few moments.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Jason maneuvered stealthily through the halls, peering around corners and keeping a constant look-out for any fellow patient who could potentially be considered "misbehaving", or breaking any sort of Remmington rule. He had just prevented that young, wild bitch, Alytra from escaping the facility a mere hours earlier, and Dr. Remmington had been impressed, which was the only feeling that Jason wanted her to have towards him. It was a good thing to be on Remmington's (or any of the doctor's/researcher's') good side, no matter the cost, he firmly believed. Despite her cold-hearted attitude and her lack of respect for anyone's personal space, Maria Remmington was the closest thing that he had to kin here, since he had been forced to make the transition from adolescent to adult within these bright, white walls. If Jason felt any loyalty towards anyone in the world it was to Dr. Remmington. He took a turn and strode down the next hallway, reflecting on the day's earlier events involving Alytra. Ahhh, what I'm going to do to her... She will learn one way or another that her freedom is a privilege and not a right, and that she has to earn respect. It isn't going to be given to her just because she's an entitled little cu- Jason's thoughts were cut off, as he heard what sounded like a female shrieking somewhere a few halls over. Likely, someone had probably fought their treatment or taken off running from the doctors, or better yet, attacked one of them. This occurred frequently here, and after seven years of residing here it was second-nature to Jason. Just then, a short distance away from Jason appeared a young male, thin and rabid-looking, with blood dripping from his lips. He looked new, Jason couldn't recall having seen him around here before. And Jason knew everybody here. "Hey, you!" He hollered, as he headed in his direction. Looking around, he could see that no one had pursued the boy. He must have bit hard. "You, who are you?" Jason demanded, upon nearing the boy. "And why does it look like you've been getting frisky with a woman who's on her period?" Jason cocked his eyebrow and smiled devilishly as he made his remark, hoping to disturb the boy - although, he already seemed rather disturbed, like most people here were.</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West "Hey, you! There it was. He didn't even have a chance to catch his breath yet. Arrow jumped when the thundering voice broke the silence in the hallway. He struggled to stand back up, using the wall for support. He could immediately tell the approaching man wasn't a member of the staff – he wore the same simple white uniform as Arrow had. However, his presence felt strong and menacing, making Arrow wary as the stranger approached. He struggled to remain calm, though he was already looking for his next route of escape should the situation take a turn for the worse. He wiped at his mouth in disgust after the man's crude comment. His was spinning from the drugs he was injected with less then five minutes ago, and his vision was further impaired by the tears that had welled up in his eyes. He stubbornly fought them back, blinking hard a few times. "That's disgusting." He spat. He felt more uncomfortable as the man came closer. He definitely could beat the snot out of the poor kid if he wanted to. "Besides, who the hell are you?" He made an attempt to sound confident, but it probably was not very effective considering his current state. If fact, he would probably just make things worse by mouthing off.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Well, this was new. Whenever Ezra brought up the subject of his family name, there was usually a spark of recognition; a turning of gears as they came to realise just who he was. The Pinkertons were often said to be up there with the Waltons and the Kochs, having dominated the US shipping industry since the early 20s, and to put it gently - you had to be living under a rock to not have heard of them. Today, however, it seemed as if he had finally encountered an exception to the rule. Whether or not he was pleased by the peculiar turn of events, Ezra couldn't tell, but it was certainly a refreshing deviation from the norm. "Was rich, and none taken. They're all a bunch of douchebags, anyway." Ezra wasn't so petty as to take an offhanded comment like that to heart. Growing up, he'd always been taught to have thick skin, and to take things with a grain of salt. Sticks and stones, right? Not like it was much help to him when he was in one of his "moods", but right now, for lack of a better term, he was too out of it to get into it. The drugs they gave him in Remmington's were good for one thing, he supposed - keeping those nasty, raging emotions at bay. "Eight months, huh? I've been here a little longer. …I think." And then, there was the downside. With the chemical cocktail of pills and injections given to him, Ezra could barely remember what he had for breakfast, let alone how much time he'd spent at Remmington's. But if he had to decide on a certain timeframe, it'd be somewhere close to a year, give or take. Though with his addled mind, he couldn't be sure. Those trips to the 'shock shop' in the beginning of January must've taken more out of him than he'd thought. Tentatively, Ezra's gaze flickered upwards, towards the spiky, purple mess sitting atop Alytra's head. As he spoke, his fingers finally found purchase, tearing away the flaking piece of skin from his lip. "They let you keep your hair like that?"</s>	<\|message\|>Jason "Uh, excuse me?" Jason asked, all humor gone from his face. This young fool obviously had no clue who he was, nor any respect for authority. The boy appeared to be shaking, clearly immensely upset from whatever had happened moments before, and it almost evoked some hint of emotion from his cold heart. Almost. But Jason knew better than to start feeling bad for a newbie who was breaking the rules. And he could benefit quite a bit from taking the side of the staff on almost any matter, he realized, if he played his cards right. Jason practically snarled. "Who says it's disgusting? I love the taste of metal in my mouth." It would have been a comical statement if not for the absolute menace that shone through his bright eyes. He looked downright terrifying. Taking a step closer, he gestured towards the boy, still sitting on the hard ground against the painstakingly white wall behind him. The vein in his forehead bulged and throbbed, and he leaned over the boy, attempting to intimidate him. "I'll think about answering your questions after you answer mine. Now, I asked you once, and I will not ask again," Jason continued, "Who. the. fuck. are. you." The words came out hard and flat, with a bit of rage seeping into each one. He was not in the mood to be screwed with. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alytra was rather taken aback. As much hate as she harbored for her good for nothing father, and as much of a bitch her mother could be, she would never refer to them openly as "a bunch of douchebags". The term just sounded.... dirty? Perverted? Wrong, whatever it was. She was also even more astounded by the claim that Ezra made next. "More than eight months? A whole year? No offense, but that seems impossible... I know everyone who has been in and out of here since I arrived, I swear it... Or, at least, I could have sworn... Longer than me? I didn't think that anyone besides... Jason... Had been here for longer than I have... That can't be right, can it...?" She couldn't stop searching, attempting to find a rational answer to what she had just been told, but she couldn't. Maybe, she began to fear, those drugs had done a lot more to affect her mental and biological health than she had originally thought... "Well, anyway," Alytra moved the conversation along, trying her best to shrug it off, "What do you mean? This?" She pulled at her own lovely purple and black locks, affectionately. "Like that as in short, or like that as in dyed? Either way, obviously, yes, they do "let me"... It's amazing what you can get away with around here, if you have the right connections... Speaking of which," Alytra began to recall a time where she had seen Ezra, not knowing who he was at that point in time, in possession of a cigarette. "Haven't you been getting some nicotine into your system, somehow?" She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head slightly to the side. Perhaps, she wasn't the only one using her looks to receive something beneficiary that wouldn't be provided by Dr. Remmington or the more nefariously diligent staff members.</s>
<\|description\|>Maloney "Nails" Fowler Age: 13 Gender: Female Sexual Orientation/Preference (if you so choose to include it): Asexual Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: PTSD, slightly paranoid Personality: When medicated, Nails is a fearful, jumpy girl who seems to be both afraid of physical contact and yearning for it at the same time. She seems to not remember much about her life before becoming a patient, and can only speak about it in disjointed fragments. She otherwise communicates normally, with only some small quirks, such as her inclination to avoid first-person pronouns. She puts up with just about any harsh treatment with minimal protest, and seems to have accepted her status as a lost cause. However, in between dosages, she can become a holy terror. More like an animal than a human at these times, she acts purely on instinct and will not hesitate to bite, kick, and particularly seems fond of scratching - a trait that earned her nickname. Appearance: Very small for her age in stature, Nails stands at only about 4'10", and is extremely thin and wiry. History/Background Info. (this can be however brief or long you'd like, just give me something): Nails and her sister didn't exist. At least, not legally. Born in a rural area of Montana, both sisters were brought into this world at home, and no documentation was ever made of their lives. Suspicions arose when the body of an unidentified toddler was discovered in the forest by a pair of lost hikers, and the remaining daughter was removed from her abusive parents' care once the dead child was found to have been her sister. Once separated from her family, Nails' case quickly faded away from the public eye, and she was sent to Remmington's Angels, where she was promptly forgotten. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Life was difficult at Nails' old home, leaving no room for anything not concerned with keeping her head down and surviving. Despite this, Nails did develop an interest in reading and writing, and often makes up her own stories to pass the time. Other/Special: Nails is often so desperate for company that she even looks forward to seeing the doctors and other staff.</s> <\|message\|>Mai Vu Midnight. The pacing was subtle. Back and forth, back and forth. The occasional sigh of boredom or the tap of something against the wall in room 18. It's sole occupant hadn't been able to go asleep yet. Another sedative made useless on her immune system for all that it did in making sure her eyes never closed for long. The mangled stuffed animal on the ground was a sign for something wrong to a degree, a single utterance of it's apparent "betrayal" in the grand scheme of things as she kept moving back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. A half hour to pass. The insatiable slam on the wall was that of a punch being thrown at it as she began to speak of things that didn't quite make sense. But one of the many claims against the empty air came in a voice quite terrifying and completely enraptured in the tale that was being told as a result of things. "TWO PILLS A DAY will keep the bad things away! HIDE THE PILLS AWAY and the Guests will come out to play!" Whatever the fuck she was on about, it wasn't anything normal. Another hallucination perhaps? Had they hidden her pills from her? That just wasn't nice. Fifteen minutes after the half-hour. She'd stopped banging on the wall and had sat down in front of her own room door, knocking on it in an uncoordinated and messy pattern. Sometimes, They knocked back. The little game of "Knock Knock" was played by so many of the Guests. So much fun, so much fun...Haaa, she might actually stop causing too bad a racket that the Plague Doctors wouldn't have to come and gas her room again with that pretty purple smoke. Instead, it would just be the simple but effective methods she had of using up her time as she failed to sleep or even manage herself into reasonable bed attire. Knock, Knock Mai. Knock Knock. Knock...Knock. ...Hahaha.~</s> <\|message\|>Maloney "Nails" Fowler Nails only dared to let her eyes flicker open once the person was gone. She supposed that they must have been sent to her room to make sure she hadn't died in her sleep, as sedated people sometimes do. She was lucky - or unlucky, depending on one might view it - to have been born healthy, otherwise her treatment in this place may have crushed her before she was even old enough to feel its weight. Still, she bore several trademarks of Remmington's abuse. Dark bruises often marred her skin, especially under her eyes and along her jaw, and tonight her lip was bleeding. Nails winced as she adjusted her position on the bed. One of the staff had jammed his knee under her shoulder in the process of pinning her down during one of her "episodes", and it was apparently still sore. Despite all of her physical problems, however, Nails' head felt remarkably clear at the moment. Wishing for time to write, she mentally cursed curfew and tried to get some real rest.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Alytra took her time walking to her room, moving as slowly as possible. She was full of absolute dread, knowing what was about to happen. It was unavoidable, and she knew that this was all her fault. If only she hadn't attempted to escape the facility yet again, then she wouldn't have to deal with it. But she knew that, like the last times, Jason would carry out the threats that he had made to her fully. When she got to the door, she fumbled with the handle, finally managing to open it with shaky palms. As she shut the door to her room behind her, she turned towards the bed and shuddered. Jason was here already. There he sat, perusing a book that had been laying around, one of the only pass-times that Alytra could find in this place once she was sentenced to nightly solitude - Or, what was supposed to be alone time - at lights-out. He finished the section he was on, shoved a bookmark into it nonchalantly to hold his place (as if he'd be coming back here often, that pig), and set it down, then turning his full attention towards her. "Ahhh, Alytra. How happy I am that you decided you wanted another visit from me." He smirked at her, looked into her eyes, and winked. "Now. This is going to be extremely satisfying... For me. So just do as you're told, for once in your life, please, you fucking bitch." With that, he pulled her towards his own body, until she was standing between his legs as he sat on the edge of the bed. He reached up and began to kiss her; first her jaw, then her neck, then her chest, and so on. Alytra squirmed under the heat of his lips, but she knew better than to try and fight him or run or call for help. First, no one would hear her if she did. Everyone in the facility, besides a few specific officials, were supposed to be in their personal rooms or offices right now, and would remain there until morning time. Second, if Alytra even tried to run, fast as she was, she would never outrun Jason. And lastly, she wasn't strong enough to fight... And she knew that she would pay worse if she did. Alytra had a few secrets of her own, things that Jason knew about and that no one else could. And so, Alytra stood there and took her punishment. Jason moved his hands, running them up and down her body, all over her, and although she felt physically sick, he felt nothing but pure ecstasy. He was enjoying every bit of this. As the hospital clothing came off, he admired her body and was thoroughly pleased. And just like that, Alytra was once again conditioned to believe that her trying to escape Remmington's was a very, very bad idea... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the morning, Alytra awoke, alone, in her bed. She wished that it had been to the sounds of birds chirping or the rays of sunlight through the windows. But it wasn't that, not at all. It was another dreary morning in Remmington's, and this life felt more like a nightmare than her dreams did. She wished that her dreams were her reality, that what happened last night wasn't real... But it was. Alytra felt sick again. She lay in bed for a while, and then stood, shakily, and reached over to grab the pills that lay beside her. Someone had been in here, and it was possible that it was Jason who had set them here, but it was probably a doctor. She swallowed them, one by one, and wondered how late she had slept in. Sighing, she walked over to the door and opened it, stepping out into the white hallway and preparing to face a new day.</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West "Get yer arse up, boy." Arrow's eyes flew open at the sound of his father's drunken, slurred speech. The room was dark and silent, and it took him a few long seconds to remember where he was. His hands clenched the edges of the mattress and his heart hammered against the inside of his ribcage. He sat up slowly, squinting into the darkness. Across the room he could see the dark shape of his roommate on the other bed, so he must still be in his room. It was not uncommon for someone to come and collect him just before wake-up, so it might have been the first time he actually woke up there. His hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, and he brushed it back, using his fingers like a comb. Was it hot? He was probably just from the nightmares. He pulled his white tee shirt off and tossed it to the foot of his bed, then flopped back onto his pillow. What time was it? There was no way to tell, because there wasn't a clock or a window in the room. In fact, he hadn't noticed much more then the two beds. Each of them had a small night table with a single drawer. He rolled over and opened his, but it was empty. He laid there for what felt like hours. He drifted in and out of sleep, but not really enough to actually feel rested. Just when he thought he would go crazy from waiting, the lights came on in the room. He groaned and covered his face as the sterile white light filled his vision. Just as he started to regain his sight a nurse walked in the room. She didn't say anything, but handed him a little plastic cup with a few pills in it, as well as a bottle of water. She smiled ever so slightly at him, maybe amused by his extreme bed-head, then set a clean set of clothes on his table and left. He eyed the cup of pills suspiciously before setting it down on the table. He wasn't going to take those nasty thing willingly. Besides, it had always been the injections before. Why would they suddenly switch to pills? Maybe because of the biting incident? Either way, he didn't trust them. He wasn't sure what they were supposed to do after the lights came on. Perhaps he was supposed to go find breakfast or something, but he had no idea where it would be. So, instead he sat on the bed and leaned against the wall, eventually dozing off again.</s>	<\|message\|>Maloney "Nails" Fowler Nails darted out into the hallway the next morning, already starting to feel a little tense. It had been some time since her last dose, and she was most definitely aware of her rising panic. She lifted a pen that she'd stolen from a staff member up to the nearest wall and paused in thought. Then she jotted down a short, simple sentence. You'll know...someday. She went from room to room like this, scribbling cryptic phrases on the walls and doors nearby. When she got to room 22, Nails was in the middle of trying to climb a doorframe in order to reach the ceiling when a young woman opened the door and stepped outside. "Shit."</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Somewhere, in the mess of houses and shacks that huddled around the palace, a woman cooked breakfast. She hummed to herself as she stirred the cauldron slowly. The brown slush bubbled inside the rim. The woman stopped suddenly, holding a finger to her head. A thought hit her, and she turned to weave her way through the bodies that littered the floor, heaving breaths and releasing snores. She walked over them on her tiptoes, dodging fingers and toes. She looked up, seeing the rooster through the holes in the ceiling. It reared back and let out a call to wake up, wake up, wake up. Yet no one in the shack moved. Seviral bodies groaned and rolled over, only to fall asleep again. Most ignored the sound of the bird. The woman went back to her bowl, singing a little louder now that she knew they were already semi-awake. In the corner, two bodies lay curled up under the same blanket. They faced one another, foreheads touching. The man moved and rubbed his eyes. He moved just enough to wake up the girl, who promptly rolled over and closed her eyes tight. "Daryn, wake up," the man said to his sister, "Today's the day we go apply for the knight positions." Two days prior, their boss had asked them to become spies for the rebellion. They were more than happy to serve, but this task was different. By become knights, they would be the inside source the rebellion. Daelyn didn't doubt the two of them would be selected, but it was still itching in his mind. "We will get in. Why get up with the rooster?" The girl asked, wiping at her own eyes. "We won't be the only people wanting this job," he reminded her, and that got her up. They both took a bowl of brown mush from the cook, she smiled with no teeth left in her mouth.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia The maids that bustled about cleaning the Prince's apartments contemplated waking him so he could get ready for the day. "Should we wake him?" a small-statured maid said. Her large honey colored eyes flickered to the last set of doors that lead deep into the Prince's small wing. "That will be unnecessary." A voice from behind the maids made them jump. They turned towards the source of the voice although it was one they knew well. Standing behind them was a woman dressed in a dark green tunic with green pants and black boots. She lacked the dark colored strip of cloth the maids normally seen wrapped around her eyes but thankfully she kept them closed. "The Prince is already awake. He wakes early so he can look over some of his lessons." The woman said as the maids parted to the side so she could walk through. The woman was blind but found her way through the Prince's chambers without bumping into anything or with assistance. To the maids the woman and those like her were frightening. The maids waited until the woman was behind the doors of the Prince's chamber before speaking. "Do the mages always have to be so creepy?" Most were off put by the unemotional tones and expressionless faces of the King's mages. To many they were just meat puppets with unnerving abilities. The Prince had been awake for some time as he poured over an old text in one of the old tongues. "Prince Triver," the woman said as she approached the large desk he was seated at, "Your father wishes to see you soon and you and I have some unfinished business." Triver looked up from his book momentarily and was greeted by the sight of colorless eyes. With a small screech of fright at the sudden shock; Triver had seen her eyes before and each time he wondered what it must be like to live in a world of black. "Now that I have your attention, you must tell me what you've read." The woman placed her index finger onto the page that Triver had been reading. The Prince sighed softly. He was quite a soft-hearted man who seemed to attract the mages. "All that it says is 'the contract must be made'..." Triver was not well versed in the tongues of the old and it wasn't like the woman could read the texts herself. A small sigh came from the woman before she reached for the simple charm around her neck. It was nearly identical to the one that Triver wore around his. "I will consult the other mages but thank you, Prince." the woman bowed before fixing her posture and tossing her long hair over her shoulder. Just by looking at the two, you couldn't tell that they were brother and sister. Well, half-siblings to be exact. Triver was fair haired with lightly tanned skin and sharp features and by contrast his sister had a dark complexion with raven colored hair and delicate features. The only marker that they may have been related was within the shape of their eyes (well you couldn't tell anyways because she always kept hers closed.) They had the same general almost rectangular shape of heavy-lidded eyes, and their love of learning. It wasn't much to go on since most people had eyes like that, but there was something about their eyes that made many people wonder if this woman was the rumored bastard child of the King. "Ser'deni..." Triver said as the woman began to turn away from him. "Let us walk together. I think my father was going to choose the latest knights today." Triver was exhausted from staying up so late reading and trying to decipher the old text for Ser'deni. "If you wish then, Prince." Ser'deni's words brought a light flush to the cheeks of the Prince. He didn't know if she was truly his sister, but she was a close friend that he could rely on. "Call me Triver, please. You are too formal for someone who was known me my entire life." Triver disliked it when people he was close to were so distant and formal. "I am sorry." Ser'deni said, "But I am just a mage and you are the Prince. I must honor your place." Triver sighed and crossed his arms over his chest as they walked. He wanted to tell the woman that they were from the same mold, well at least the same man, and then maybe she would see that they were the same. Triver held little knowledge on titles for those 'below' him and usually the prince did not acknowledge such things. The walk was shorter than Triver would have liked it to be but his father was already waiting for him. The man was dressed in his finest clothes with a soft snow rabbit skin cape flowing behind him. Ser'deni parted ways with Triver to occupy a spot behind the King, as it was a customary spot for his mages to stand. The Prince approached his father with a sleepy smile before standing to the right of him with his arms folded behind his back.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker They ate and got dressed, throwing on the same gray tunics and pants they wore the day before. The rebellion had diminishing funds, and since they had no jobs, the outfits were patched and holey, covered in dirt. Daelyn brushed Daryn off with a wet piece of cloth, dusting the thin layer of brown off. There wasn't much they could do about the clothes, but he brushed it over her face, too. She did the same for him, and then took the community razor to his face to trim the beard. "Are you sure you don't want me to just shave it off? The weather is beginning to warm up." she asked, rubbing his cheeks. "I won't be mistaken as a girl," he said, "Not again." They shared a dry laugh, and she continued to shave his face. The people who crowded the house began to empty out, leaving them alone. When she finished with his face, she checked her own reflection in the window. "Are you nervous?" He asked, wrapping his belt around his waist. His head cocked a little to the side, and his eyes were wide. She reminded him of a puppy. Not turnng to face him, she answered, "No. Are you?" Daelyn wasn't a fighter. He had dropped out of knight training some time ago, and it had been a great loss. Daelyn was an exceptional knight, but he was too gentle. Things had changed since then. He was stronger. She could see the muscles in his arms, his chest was well defined. He was capable physically, but she still worried about him. "A little," he replied, "I'm out of practice." He turned to face her, doing her a favor by picking the knots out of her hair. He curled each curl with his finger, calming the mess. She thanked him, squeezing his hand. When he looked at her, for a moment he wasn't so nervous. His stomach stopped trying to run away. They left then, hurrying up to the castle, which lay in the middle of the Village. By the time they arrived at the stone gate, there was a small crowd, some bystanders and some shaking young men with ashen faces. The gate began to open, and Daryn inspected the security. Guards surrounded each side, top and the bottom. A few guards rode horses, but most stood still, holding their sword in front of their chest. They kept their eyes forward, making her doubt their humanity. Maybe they were stone. A man on a horse told the people who were going through the trials to follow him. Daelyn led the way, Daryn trailing behind him. "The trials have 3 stages," the man announced, standing now in front of about ten young men and Daryn. "First, there's a test of intelligence. You must read aloud and solve a riddle. It seems easy enough, but I warn you. Do not let your guard down. Next, there is a test of endurance. You will run. We will run until only six are left standing. The last stage is the fights, where you will fight individually, until only two are left. These two are the new knights for the king." He paused to breathe. "As always, the king will be present through all trials, so you will also be informally tested on etiquette.</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker They ate and got dressed, throwing on the same gray tunics and pants they wore the day before. The rebellion had diminishing funds, and since they had no jobs, the outfits were patched and holey, covered in dirt. Daelyn brushed Daryn off with a wet piece of cloth, dusting the thin layer of brown off. There wasn't much they could do about the clothes, but he brushed it over her face, too. She did the same for him, and then took the community razor to his face to trim the beard. "Are you sure you don't want me to just shave it off? The weather is beginning to warm up." she asked, rubbing his cheeks. "I won't be mistaken as a girl," he said, "Not again." They shared a dry laugh, and she continued to shave his face. The people who crowded the house began to empty out, leaving them alone. When she finished with his face, she checked her own reflection in the window. "Are you nervous?" He asked, wrapping his belt around his waist. His head cocked a little to the side, and his eyes were wide. She reminded him of a puppy. Not turnng to face him, she answered, "No. Are you?" Daelyn wasn't a fighter. He had dropped out of knight training some time ago, and it had been a great loss. Daelyn was an exceptional knight, but he was too gentle. Things had changed since then. He was stronger. She could see the muscles in his arms, his chest was well defined. He was capable physically, but she still worried about him. "A little," he replied, "I'm out of practice." He turned to face her, doing her a favor by picking the knots out of her hair. He curled each curl with his finger, calming the mess. She thanked him, squeezing his hand. When he looked at her, for a moment he wasn't so nervous. His stomach stopped trying to run away. They left then, hurrying up to the castle, which lay in the middle of the Village. By the time they arrived at the stone gate, there was a small crowd, some bystanders and some shaking young men with ashen faces. The gate began to open, and Daryn inspected the security. Guards surrounded each side, top and the bottom. A few guards rode horses, but most stood still, holding their sword in front of their chest. They kept their eyes forward, making her doubt their humanity. Maybe they were stone. A man on a horse told the people who were going through the trials to follow him. Daelyn led the way, Daryn trailing behind him. "The trials have 3 stages," the man announced, standing now in front of about ten young men and Daryn. "First, there's a test of intelligence. You must read aloud and solve a riddle. It seems easy enough, but I warn you. Do not let your guard down. Next, there is a test of endurance. You will run. We will run until only six are left standing. The last stage is the fights, where you will fight individually, until only two are left. These two are the new knights for the king." He paused to breathe. "As always, the king will be present through all trials, so you will also be informally tested on etiquette.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia The other mages soon joined Ser'deni in their places behind the king. There were ten in total, counting her. Most of them were men although there were a few men who wore their hair long and held feminine faces. Ser'deni had been raised alongside the nine other mages and knew them all quite well. Six of them were blind; some wore cloth over their eyes while some did not. A man was missing a leg and leaned heavily on a carved walking stick. Another was mute although his physical appearance bore no indication. And one could not hear or talk. The mages held no loyalty towards each other despite being brought up and raised with the others. They were bonded by their use of magic and their disabilities and nothing more. For this occasion they were handed heavy black cloaks that hid their faces and disabilities from the eyes of the would-be knights. The mages were not only here for the safety of the King and his son, they were also here to participate in the choosing of the knights. All mages were skilled in many areas of magic but each held their own strength in one area. "This is going to be fun." A man off to the right of Ser'deni said, he was standing directly behind the Prince. "Inaris...keep your voice down." Another scolded the man. Inaris made a sound of displeasure before falling into silence. Triver wanted to talk to the mages behind him but the arrival of the knight candidates took his attention. They all seemed so young, although Triver wasn't old by any means. As a young man of only twenty years, he still had a lot to learn and see. Triver, his father, the mages and a few nobles sat on a raised platform covered with a richly decorated canopy of blue and gold. He wondered if any of the candidates knew what was in store for them. The Prince had pestered Ser'deni and the others for information about their roles in all of this. "Our job is to break the weak from the strong. We will use our skills as mages to ensure that only the strongest are chosen." Those words left a chill that ran down his spine. Triver had never seen the mages in action before but he had heard stories of the generals who were given a mage as part of their army; they always told tales of the brutality of their magic. The mages were what helped win more land for Danycia and they were what kept the people under his father's thumb. Triver would be lying if he said that he didn't hold some fear of the black-clad figures behind him. The King watched the candidates with a dark gaze; he was uninterested in having new knights. He mostly wanted to see them bend and break under his mages so that all would know his power. The King was a twisted man who enjoyed the look of pain on others. His wife and son were the only ones exempt from his cruelty; his son would carry on his legacy as a ruthless ruler and his wife would remain obedient and serve as a link to further his influence in her native kingdom. The Prince beside him had always been disgusted with the way that his father took such pleasure in the pain and terror of others. He was not close to his father; the man was nothing more than one he had to deal with in order to survive. Rumors floated around that his father had murdered his own brother to gain the throne. Triver didn't doubt those rumors although he should have defended his father. He should have tried to protect his father's reputation as a "grand and fine" king but he found that he could not. Triver wanted to change things within the kingdom. He wanted to live in a world of peace but with his father alive, that could never be possible. The King waited for the start of the tests to be announced. He would not give those commoners the experience of hearing his voice. He was better than they were, as he was chosen by the gods to rule them. The man that had given the candidates their instructions stood tall in front of the nervous looking potential knights, but under the king. "Let the trials begin!" One after the other had stepped in front of the King and read out loud from one of the classic Danycian books that detailed the adventures of a hero before they were given their riddle. One man, almost immediately after he started reading, grasped his head and screamed in agony as his body crumpled to the floor. Triver knew without looking behind him what had happened. His stomach turned and it brought little comfort that he did not know which mage had turned the man into a pile of helpless and hurting flesh.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn looked around the room, taking in each and every face. The mages lined up behind the king and his son, faces covered by the black cloaks they wore. Seeing them sent a chill up her spine. Daryn didn't like magic. When her father's business had begun to fail, he had went to a local mage and asked him to help us. For more money than they had to spare, the mage did, but all the fish they caught, though plenty, were spoiled. Daelyn said that the mage was a fake, improperly trained. But when she looked at the mages, Daryn still felt a little sick to her stomach. Their mother used to read them stories of the mages parts in the war; both knew what they could do. As curious as she was to their part here, she felt mostly fear. Daelyn wanted the first man go up, stepping just a few feet above the crowd. The way they were lined up, Daryn would be next. He could see her face twisting, worry lines between her brows. He understood her fear. He listened to the words of the man, lost in the story he read. Then, the man started screaming. He dropped the book- mistake number one- and held his head in his hands. He fell to the floor, and Daelyn moved to help him stand. Daryn caught his arm, her eyes wide. It hurt him to see the man in pain, lying in a broken pile in the floor. When he stopped screaming, the room was silent. No one moved, and Daelyn shook violently. Daryn released his arm, and he moved forward, picking the shaking, unconscious man up off the floor. He was covered in his own urine; his face was whiter than a sheet. Daelyn carried the man to the door and leaned him against the wall, only to return to the scene. One down. Nine to go. Daryn stared at the book now in her hands. The knight in charge told her to turn to a certain page. She didn't shake, didn't falter. Her words were clear, her voice nice. Their mother had taught them to read a long time ago; the lessons hadn't faded. The image of the man raced through her head, a fault of the mages. It couldn't be proved, but she knew. When she was almost finished, the pain began at the back of her head. It was like someone held a torch up to the nape of her neck, a fire spreading through her skull. She closed her eyes, but she didn't scream. An anger built up in her, towards everyone in the room, and it fueled her resistance. Nothing could stop the pain, though, and she was blinded by it. Unable to stand, she fell to her knees, felt hands on her shoulders, but she didn't scream. Clutching the book tight against her chest, she spoke to her brother behind her, "Get back in line, I'm okay." He did, and the pain stopped. It went as quickly as it came. Daryn opened her eyes and let out a long breath. She was dizzy, but she stood, finishing her part and then answering her riddle. It gave her pride to know she passed, even though she felt like fainting. Daelyn touched her cheek, and she couldn't even smile at him. Instead, she stood behind the line, waiting for this whole ordeal to be over. Daelyn stepped up, holding the book. He flipped the page and read, just like his sister. He didn't know what was coming, and his hands shook violently. His voice remained steady, but his eyes kept darting up to the mages. Wondering what he would need to endure for their sick pleasure. Or was it the king's pleasure? Either way, Daelyn didn't like the group of people on stage. He made it through the entire piece and was given his riddle. That's when the voices came. They were loud, echoing voices. It didn't hurt, no, it was just distracting. He couldn't think, found himself searching around the room violently for lips to read, to figure out what was going on. In his haste, he turned towards Daryn, who had her brows furrowed in that way that she did, but she was repeating his riddle over and over again. He couldn't hear her, and the headache was building from the white noise. Finally, he screamed out the answer, clutching both ears and then handed the book to the knight and went to stand by Daryn. The voices left him, and he could hear clearly again. He found Daryn's hand, and they stood like that, both of them panting, both feeling extremely proud of the other one. In the time that passed, they lost two more people, leaving a group of eight, seven boys and one girl. But every face was already exhausted, mentally strained from the first trial.</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Enn dug through his satchel, pulling out two new uniforms for them and some apples. He threw the apples to each of them, setting the clothes on the bed. "I got those for you from the kitchen. Do not expect food to be given to you on a regular basis. Some of us can go all day without eating. Enjoy that." Daryn had already eaten most of it when he finished talking, and she kicked herself. She may have been hungry, but she would have saved the apple if she had known it might be her only food for the day. Daelyn held his in his hand, laughing at the internal battle that crossed her face. He watched her decide to finish it, tossing the core to one of the dusty corners. Daelyn stuck his own apple on the bed, planning on sticking it in his new tunic. Enn continued, "Get changed, and then meet me outside. You'll be staying in the prince's personal guard quarters, so you are pretty lucky." With that, he walked out the door, shutting it as best he could. The door slipped a little further off the hinges, leaving a huge gap in the frame. Daryn was already pouring over the new outfits, hoping hers wouldn't be so small this time. She held them up one at a time, fingers running over the soft fabric. She threw the taller one to Daelyn, laying hers back on the bed. The fabric was soft, new. The outfits had never been worn, unlike the one she wore now. It was a deep red, a color that reminded her of blood. The sleeves would come down to her elbows, but there was a stretch to the fabric. It would be easy to move in. She put the outfit on, seeing that it did fit her better, but there was still no hiding her femininity. She turned to face Daelyn, grimacing. "Why are all these outfits so masculine?" she asked, holding her arms out. Daelyn laughed at her, looking down at himself. His old gray boots didn't really fit in with the unworn outfit. "Because you're the first female knight. Therefore, you are the first female guard to the prince." Daryn made a face, stepping forward and running around the room to make sure she could move. It was easy, and she didn't work up a sweat. "These are nice," she said, as they walked out the door. Enn was waiting there, digging his toe into the ground. He smiled up at them, nodding his head. Daelyn looked around the area, seeing the same men that were standing around the well the night before. Now, they saw Daryn, with her long curls, her body shape, her sunburnt cheeks. It was as if no one had ever seen a woman. Daryn was too busy picking at her tunic to notice. Daelyn did, though, as men elbowed their friends, pointing towards his sister, incredulous. His fists tightened at his side, anger building up in his stomach. Some man whistled, catching Daryn's attention at last. She found the source of the whistle, shooting the man an obscene gesture. The man and his friends laughed, bending at the middle. Enn chuckled at her, ignoring the men. "Giving you a weapon might not be a good idea," he said, still laughing, "But that is what we need to do first." He lead them both away, towards another building outside the castle. It was a smaller stone building, another one room all to itself. This door stayed on its hinges, though, Daelyn noticed. They stepped inside to see the walls lined with swords, shields, armor, bows, and quivers full of arrows. "You may choose a sword to carry. It will be your sword from here on out." The twins found belts with sheaths for their swords and then began to look at swords. Daelyn lifted every sword he came to, tossing it from hand to hand. Most of the swords didn't balance right or they felt too heavy. Eventually, he found a sword in the back, dusty from not being used. It fit in his hand, didn't tilt one way or the other. It wasn't heavy, but it wasn't too light. He took it, watching Daryn inspect the weapons. She simply touched the hilt, probably getting a years worth of history from feeling the grooves made by hands over the years. He watched her pick one up, running her hand the length of the blade. It was a newer sword by the looks of it, but it had an imprint in the hilt. Daryn stared at it, thinking. Her brows furrowed, and then she turned back to the two of them. "Why that one?" Enn asked, making a face at her. "It is a newer blade, forged within the past five years. Yet, the person who carried it used it often. It's experienced, and it's young." She fell silent, putting it away. Daelyn could have finished her thought. Just like them. Young and experienced. Enn shrugged his shoulders and led them out, walking towards the castle finally. They walked in, following him through the corridors and halls, watching the many maids bustle on past them. Daryn got more than one strange look, but several of the maids gazed at Daelyn as they walked past. Enn turned the corner into a room filled with white. They must be in the infirmary. Enn led them towards the back, where the shadows of three people were cast against the ground. When they came around the corner, it was the prince and two of his mages. Daryn recognized the female. "Your majesty," Enn said, bowing at the waist to the royal figure. Daryn and Daelyn did the same, standing on each side of Enn. "Your knights, just as you requested. With that, he left, leaving Daryn and Daelyn standing there, hands behind their back. A feeling of awkwardness passed over Daryn, looking at the two mages, who had been laughing at something when they walked up. It was odd, seeing them in this position.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia "Ah! Welcome." Triver said as he stood up from his chair. "I am Triver and these are my friends." The prince gestured to the two mages on either side of him. Inaris gave a short laugh, "More like we're his babysitters." Ser'deni threw her pillow at him. Inaris threw it back, only for it to accidentally miss and hit the prince. Triver's cheeks flushed pink as he picked the pillow up off of the ground. He launched the pillow at Inaris with an irritated growl. "Watch where you're throwing things!" Triver said before rubbing the red spot on his cheek. The unholy pillows of the infirmary felt more like pieces of wood that feather pillows. "Aren't you going to introduce us?" Ser'deni asked as she turned her attention towards the direction of the knights. "I see that you've healed nicely." She said to Daryn, "And how's your brother's injuries? Rean healed him but everyone knows she doesn't like to put her full effort into it." Triver tried not to laugh. The prince was a goofy boy when he was with friends. This was the true Triver - he enjoyed a good laugh or two and would gladly be the butt of the joke. Not many people got to see this side of him. He cleared his throat before speaking up. "Where are my manners? This is Ser'deni," The woman bowed her head, "And he is Inaris." the blond man gave a slight wave before lying back in his bed. "Why don't we give you a tour of the castle and then we can go about doing a few things for the day?" Triver suggested. He smoothed out his clothes before looking at the two mages. "We will come back to visit you--" Inaris held up his hand to silence the prince. "We're fine. Just still a bit tired and the nurses aren't watching. This place is too stuffy." He got out of the bed and slipped on one of the robes that were off to the side of each bed. The patients usually were in their underclothes and the robes were for modesty's sake, although Inaris really didn't care about being modest. He just didn't want to sunburn or blind anybody. Ser'deni also ignored the pleas of the prince to stay and rest. They only needed to rest after yesterday's events. It wasn't like they had their legs cut off or something. She tightly wrapped the robe around her body before walking around her bed and towards Inaris. Together they walked towards the doors of the infirmary. "I think I stood up too fast." "Shh...We're going to get some food. I'm tired of gruel." "Do you think little Triver would mind?" "He's going to take the knights for breakfast. I'm not going to miss out on that." Triver sighed before turning towards the twins. "I am sorry for the way they are acting. Usually they are quite...creepy. But they will be joining us for a while today so please...just don't take anything they say to heart." If he knew the mages, they would try to make the new knights as uncomfortable as possible. Well Inaris would, Ser'deni would just sit there and nod her head when appropriate. The prince led the way as he pointed out some of the important areas of the castle and finally when they reached a small dining room closer to his wing of the castle, Triver motioned for them to take a seat. "I've never taken knights before but I will treat you both well. This is where you will come to eat if you wish; it is a private room for my servants to dine in, and there will be no men who will hit on you in here." He said to Daryn. Triver helped the servants bring out the food and set it on the table before taking his seat again. "I will ask of one thing of you both. So long as you serve under me, please do not think of me as just a prince." "He gets touchy about that." Ser'deni spoke up as she stole a piece of ham. Next to her, Inaris was busy stuffing his mouth with a few rolls spread with honey and nuts. "Just think of him as a kid that needs protecting." "I am not a child anymore." "You will always be our little prince, we will always protect you." Triver felt his cheeks warm up in embarrassment.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker The entire tour around the castle was nothing short of creepy for Daryn. She was uncomfortable around the mages, even more so when they acted like normal human beings. Seeing them joke around, it made a shiver run up Daryn's spine. She kept a quiet distance, taking in the magnificent sights of the palace. Daelyn, always being the opposite of his sister, found the mages to be intriguing. To see them acting normal was wonderful. It allowed Daelyn to understand who they were, outside of being the King's pawns. He felt almost refreshed, seeing them joke around. He did sense Daryn's discomfort, keeping an eye on her through the walk. The private dining room was elaborate, a table set in the middle, empty for the moment. The twins were led into seats, and then they watched as Triver helped the servants. Daryn could have fainted, disbelief clouding her mind. The prince shouldn't have to help the servants, but there he was. She was touched by his kindness, wondering for a moment if he was putting on a show for his new knights. He made the comment about no one hitting on Daryn while they ate, and she choked on her food. Daelyn clapped her on the back, and she caught her breath, sitting the bread down she had been eating. Had he noticed too? Everyone seemed to look at her funny, and it was starting to have an effect on her. Daryn was still panting when the prince made his request to them to think of him as more than a prince. Daelyn thought on that. What else was he? He chuckled at Ser'deni's comment about him being a kid that needed protecting. Surely, that's not what the prince meant. Daryn was breathing normally, trying to find words in her mind. Daelyn watched the gears turn. "Thank you for your kindness, your majesty," Daryn said, smiling at the boy. Daelyn touched her shoulder for support. "But we are only knights to you, a prince. We will treat you as no less." Daelyn knew that wasn't what the prince wanted to hear. "But, your majesty, if you were looking for two friends in the Lyker twins, we will do all we can." Daryn shot him a look of confusion, her eyes falling down to the table. It wasn't that she didn't want to be friends with Triver. She liked the boy's personality. Befriending the prince, though, would only cause a moral dilemma when the time came to betray the royal family. Daelyn would never think that way; he was too kind to tell someone like Triver no. Daryn saw a world of similarities in the two of them. She felt his hand still on her shoulder, and she smiled up at him. In honesty, it had been a long time since the two of them found friendship in anyone but the other.</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia "Thank the gods he's getting more friends." Inaris joked. Triver shot him an irritated glance before going back to his food. Ser'deni elbowed him in the side. "Be nice to the prince, Inaris." Triver wanted to slam his head onto the table and he had been thinking of it up until the time he heard Inaris mention something about getting the prince a pillow. The mage always had his abilities out in the open and he had a habit of prying into the minds of others for a quick observation. No doubt he was doing that to the twins. For a mage skilled in magic of the mind, they were able to be almost undetectable. For those like Ser'deni, who used the ability sparingly due to the strain, it was often a very painful experience for those that they targeted. "Why do you seem surprised that Triver is so unlike the picture that you were given?" Inaris asked Daryn. His tone was light, as if he had just mentioned the weather or commented on the food. Triver could see the large dagger that Inaris clutched tightly in his hand. The mages always reacted to the slightest things; often mistaking them as threats. That was one of the reasons why the king was so well protected; they acted on things before they truly became threats. Ser'deni quickly looked towards the knights before pressing her lips together and whistling. Red eyed crows flew through the open window and landed behind her on the large chair. "Calm down! Inaris didn't mean like that!" Triver stood to his full height, knocking his chair down behind him. He was just thankful that she hadn't brought out the vulture. "You always overreact!" "It is my job!" "No, your job is to protect fath- my father, not me!" Triver yelled at her. Inaris was trying to calm the both of them down. Inaris knew what Ser'deni meant about it being her job. He wasn't as oblivious as they thought. Once things calmed down between the two of them, the woman pointed a finger in the direction that she thought Daelyn was (and surprise, surprise...she was wrong.) "You....you're the one that kicked my bird at the trials." "He's to your left...."Triver said with a dry voice. The crows had remained in the room under the orders that they would be on their best behavior. They bounced around the room picking at the shiny objects they found before depositing them on the table in front of Triver. "No, go over a bit more. There he is." Inaris giggled lightly. "Someone's as blind as a bat." Triver looked at his new knights with a pleading 'put me out of my misery' look. He mouthed 'help me' when The crows tried to steal the buttons on his tunic.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker The twins were on their feet in one switch motion, knocking the heavy chairs to the floor with a loud noise. They had one hand on their swords, the other across the opposite's chest. They both caught themselves at the same time, bringing their hands back to protect themselves. Daelyn's head spun. He wasn't even sure how this had happened, but the man had a knife. The woman had crows that didn't look all that threatening, but the look in their eyes scared him. He inched closer to Daryn, until their sides touched. He glanced at Daryn, not surprised to see her face a brilliant shade of red. Even he was afraid of her temper. Daryn felt her face turning red long before Daelyn saw it. She didn't enjoy being threatened, especially for something she had simply thought and wasn't intended to be an insult. The mage had used his power to twist it out of context, and it filled her with a feeling of belittlement. She made herself a mental note to not think around Inaris, who she strongly distrusted. Her hand squeezed the hilt of the sword at her side, ready to draw, but Daelyn was gripping her other hand, his eyes darting around the room in panic. She looked at Triver, who looked a little scared, if not a little aggravated at his mages. Her anger finally reached its boiling point when Ser'deni pointed at her and her brother, trying to figure out who kicked that cursed vulture. "Your bird was trying to kill us," Daryn reminded her, almost shouting, "And it would have, had Daelyn not kicked it." She turned to face Inaris, finally letting go of her sword. "And you! How dare you violate my thoughts like that! You have no idea what harm has come to the two of us at the hand of His Majesty the King. Am I surprised that Prince Triver is not like his father? Yes, but I am also very glad." She stopped to catch her breath. "Don't ever let me know you've used your power on me again, or the consequences will be heavy." "She doesn't mean that," Daelyn interjected, his face turning white. He pulled her back, wide eyed. "Yes, I do. I will not be threatened by the likes of these two." "I promise, she will do you no harm." Daryn swung around to face him but stopped. His face was calm, a little frightened but calm. She saw the desperation in his blue eyes, eyes that darted back and forth between her and the prince. Letting out a long, slow breath, she turned back to face the three of them. Her hands shook; her face still burned. Yet, she fought her temper, for the sake of her brother and the prince. It was Daelyn that picked up on the prince mouthing the two of them words. He wasn't sure what he could do to help him, but he needed to get his sister out of here, before she evoked the wrath of the two mages. The last thing they needed was a fight. As much confidence as he held in Daryn, he knew she would lose that fight. "Your majesty," Daelyn said, breaking the silence, "I think my sister needs to air out her temper. Would you like to join the two of us on a walk around the castle? We've yet to see the grounds." He grabbed Daryn's upper arm, yanking her towards the door. "Ser'deni, I ask for forgiveness for what I did to your companion. I was protecting my own, like you are now." He turned to the prince a final time, "We will be outside the doorway. If it is okay, you might want to tell your mages to take a leave. I can ensure your safety; my sister is no threat to you." With that, he yanked Daryn out the door, shutting it behind him. Daryn turned to glare at him, gritting her teeth. Daelyn rubbed his temple, closing his eyes to her.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia Once his knights were on the other side of the door Triver turned towards the mages who were carrying on as if nothing happened. He didn't know how they could simply ignore threats and angry words. He guessed that it came with their jobs or from the battlefield. He guessed that it was a little bit of both. "I cannot believe you two." Triver said as he rubbed his face. "Hm?" The two mages looked at the prince before whispering to each other. "What do you mean?" "That sort of behavior. You just...you just threatened their lives and now you're acting as if nothing has happened." Triver could not wrap his head around their strange behavior. Both shrugged, "We were raised to be this way. We are simply tools for the king and nothing more." Inaris said; it wasn't their fault that they had been raised in such a manner. Threats were to mean nothing to them unless they involved the royal line. They were to be mindless machines that the king could use and abuse. There was something about the easiness with which Inaris spoke those words that made Triver's skin crawl. "Why don't you go with them? We will know if any harm comes to you." Ser'deni said as she moved closer to the prince. "We are sorry for making you upset but we are not sorry for doing our job." She brought a hand to the prince's face before reaching the top of his head and ruffling his hair. "Run along and play, little prince." The mages collected a few more bits of food before bowing to the prince and leaving. They passed the twins before making their way down one of the dim corridors. A few moments later Triver exited the room. "I apologize for their behavior." Triver would have bowed but he had always been taught to only bow in the presence of his father. "Now let us see the grounds." Triver showed the twins where they could train, the special training area for mages, the gardens, stables, blacksmith, and a few other places before settling back into the garden. He wanted to know a bit more about them and the gardens would be the perfect place to ask. He failed to notice a crow sitting in a nearby tree, partially hidden by the leaves. "Come, sit with me." He gestured to the long bench close to one of the fountains. The gardens were extravagant and had been planned by his mother. All of her favorite flowers were in bloom and surely the Queen would be collecting some soon. "Where are you both from?" Triver was curious about the world outside of the castle walls. ~*~ Within the southern tower of the castle, the mages roamed free. This was their territory. They lived within the tower because no one else wanted to live close to them, and the king's chambers were along the southern and most protected side of the castle. Inaris bid farewell to Ser'deni as they neared their rooms. His room was a floor lower than hers. His room was grand compared to some. It was the same size as the others but almost every inch of the room was covered in old texts. Even though the man was blind he had found a way to read by using his magic. But the walls behind the books were decorated in richly colored murals depicting the outdoors. His bed was large and focused in the middle of his room; off to the side there was a simple bath chamber and his room housed several large windows. He quickly locked the door to his room before opening one of the books on his bed. No one must know that he had that book in his possession.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daelyn kept a close eye on Daryn as they walked around the grounds. She was quiet, unusually so, but she was taking in every sight. He could see her eyes scale the wall that surrounded the castle, the guards standing at the top, and the dents and cracks. While he understood what she was doing, he chose to ignore her. They stood on each side of the prince. Daelyn made a note to come back and check out the stables; he loved horses. Daryn's attention was brought back to the journey when they entered the garden. Everything was overwhelming. The colors, the smells, the sounds. It was like stepping out of the royal grounds and into the wild. Daryn couldn't keep her eyes still. She was breathless. Daelyn sat down beside the Prince; Daryn sat on the other side. When the Prince asked where they came from, Daryn smiled at him. Daelyn took a deep breath and looked at her. She nodded. "Not far from here, at the edge of the sea, there's a tiny village called Port Danycia. Most of the people there live on boats or raise goats. The ground isn't fertile enough for crops; it is mostly rock and cliffs. We grew up on a fishing boat there with our father," she told him, looking down at her hands. "It was a beautiful place. When the sun set, it would reflect the most amazing shades of orange and pink across the water. The air always smelled like salt and sand. We had a festival, called Festival of Moons, and everyone would help build this giant fire in the village center. There was a man who would tell stories all night, using the light from the fire to cast shadows on the ground." She looked towards Daelyn, who was nodding. "Once a month, the children and their mothers would make a trip into the royal city to buy medicine and supplies we could not get on our own. It was always a big deal, because we put on our best clothes and brushed our hair. We had to walk through a thick forest to get there," Daelyn continued, "If it rained, we would hide in the caves that you could find strewn through the forest." Daryn laughed, remembering clearly how small the caves had been. After their mother died, the twins stopped going on those adventures. The last walk back from the royal city had been the hardest journey they had ever taken. It had rained, but the three of them didn't stop. "When it would storm, the lightning would hit the water, and so we would have to pitch tents on land. The fireflies would come out, and we would open the tent and let them in, only to shut it again and trap them. Waking up covered in dead fireflies was worth watching them create a night sky in our tent." Daeyln watched his sister talk, seeing her face relax. He missed home, just as much as she did. Yet, he didn't know if they would ever get to go back. It seemed so far away. "We would love to take you there, your majesty," Daelyn said, "But I'm sure your mages would not allow it. Tell us about your childhood here."</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn's heart hurt for the prince. She couldn't imagine being cooped up inside these walls, trapped. She needed space to run, struggle. Yet, she also needed company. She glanced up at Daelyn who was watching Triver's face closely. What would life be like without her brother? It was rumored that they came out of the womb cradled in each other's arms. How true that was is to be guessed, but Daryn didn't know who she would be without her brother. To imagine a life spent with Daelyn gone on dangerous battles without her hurt. She felt the desire to go over and hug him, but the Prince started crying. Her eyes went wide, and she scooted away from him. It was Daelyn who reached over and put a hand on Triver's shoulder. He couldn't begin to imagine what the Prince felt, couldn't even begin to. It was a lot for anyone to deal with. Daelyn commended the boy for being so strong, and he made it a point to try harder to deal with the mages. It was Daryn he worried about treating the mages badly. He knew how much she distrusted them, and he understood why. He glanced over at her to see her wide eyes and chuckled to himself. The crow flew down and told them about Inaris. Daryn wasn't outright surprised, but Daelyn was. The man had seemed alright, if not a bit cold. It was clear that Ser'deni and Triver were shocked. Either one of the twins could have seen that. When the prince fell to the ground, out cold, Daelyn leaned after the boy, catching him before he hit the hard ground. The alarms blared over the two of them; guards ran everywhere. Daelyn scooped the boy up into his arms, looking to Daryn for instruction. "I don't know," she said, giving him a look, "I guess we head back to the castle. Find Ser'deni." The bird was long gone, the sounds of metal armor in its place. Daryn weaved her way through the mess, Daelyn right behind her. It wasn't long before they ran into a familiar face. "Twins. I was looking for you," Enn said, giving Daelyn a odd look. "Prince Triver was a little shocked," Daelyn answered. "No doubt. It is a shock to us all." Enn shook his head, reaching for Daryn's elbow. "Come, quickly. Garrod wishes to speak to the two of you and the prince." They took off then, finding it a lot easier to weave through the crowds with Enn leading them. They ducked inside the castle, where the alarm didn't sound quite to loud. Daryn felt like she could breathe again. Enn led then down a long hallway that ran the length of the castle, not towards the center. They followed him into a room with a heavy wooden door. Garrod looked up at the three of them. "Thank you, Enn," he said, his voice deep. Daryn had to admit the man was handsome, in a kind of scary way. He was built, tanned from years training outside. Yet, in his face were shadows, ghosts of things that Daryn could not have imagined. "Orders from the King are that his son, Ser'deni, and the two of you are to leave the castle immediately and search for Inaris. I know you two are new, and he might be hoping you get killed while you're out there. Yet, the fact that you're with the prince right now shows some potential." He stood to face them both, crossing his arms. "As soon as you wake sleeping beauty, have him call for Ser'deni, so we can prep you all to leave." Daelyn sat Triver down in a seat, shaking his arms and hands. The idea of leaving the fortress was exciting, frightening but exciting. Daryn was jittery, ready to move. He could see her out of the corner of his eye. "How do you suggest we protect ourselves from his magic?" she asked, her back to the prince. "Wit," Garrod replied, "You in particular showed some intelligence during the trials. And your brother showed immense strength. Be smart, be fast. Be ready to drive your sword home."</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia When Triver woke he was staring up at the ceiling. Everything felt numb as if he had just taken a dip into the garden fountain during the middle of winter. There was no way that Inaris had just up and left with some of the most valuable things in Danycia. He wasn't going to believe it. Inaris was a good man, a bit twisted and hard to understand, but he was good. Triver knew that this was some sort of mistake. Maybe the books were misplaced and...and- "Prince." The sound of his sister's voice caught him off guard. "You called for us- me." That's right, there would never be an 'us' anymore. The mage had grown used to talking about herself and Inaris as one in the same. "I didn't call-" "I heard you calling. It must have been when you were asleep." There had been times in the past when the Prince would call for the mages in his sleep. Inaris had been plagued by those calls, as his mid magic was the strongest and the hardest to control. Ser'deni slumped next to her half-brother and wrapped her arms around him loosely. They stayed like that for a few moments. Broken and afraid. Inaris was a marked man; there was nothing that they could do to save him. Triver was reluctant to let go of his only source of comfort. She pulled away and wiped the Prince's face dry before standing and looking towards the twins. "Thank you...for ensuring he is fine." Her tone was dead. Even Triver had lost the spark in his eyes. "I have some supplies waiting. I was to be sent out on a small mission in two weeks' time, so we can use the equipment I prepared." She and Triver knew how to guard themselves against Inaris well enough but the knights were a cause for concern. "If we come across Inaris," she had pulled the twins aside as the prince went to gather some supplies. "Only think of the mundane - a rock, your childhood pet, a fish, anything other than your next move or your feelings." "Inaris is highly skilled in mind magic and he can and will turn your thoughts and emotions against you. If he does something like what we had done at the trials - the voices - do not focus on them. I can supply two talismans if needed. They offer minimal protection but they would be better than nothing." Ser'deni ran a hand through her dark hair and she sighed. This was a hard task, to kill a former lover. She was worried about what this was going to do to her brother - he had never experienced the death of one so dear. Triver and a few servants came carrying a few weapons and bags of supplies. Soon their horses were prepared and they were sent out. Above them the vulture and two crows circled overhead while one rode on the mage's shoulder to provide her with information about their surroundings. Triver was staring blankly at the horse's mane. He should have been happy. This was his first time outside of the castle walls but he couldn't bring himself to smile about it. All he could think about was Inaris. He searched everywhere in his memories for any hidden clues or something that would allow him to make sense of their current situation. Maybe deep in some memory there was a time when Inaris was acting a little differently and his mind had simply filed it away without a second glance. Their first stop was a small village just a few miles from the capital. It was on the very edge of the great forest and there were bound to be bandits.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn clenched the reins of the horse, enjoying the gentle sway of the beast under her. She had always liked horses. Animals in general, really. Daelyn had too, which explained why he was brushing his fingers through the horse's mane, making clucking noises to it. The horse's ears swiveled around when he clicked his tongue, and he patted its neck periodically. Daryn liked to see him so happy. They led the group through the woods, Daryn leading the convoy. Daelyn took a guard position behind the rest, a typical guard position. As they walked, the listened to the woods, the birds in the trees and the creeks running through. The woods were a solace, a peace for the twins. These were the same woods she had been telling Triver about earlier, but when she glanced over to tell him, she changed her mind. The boy looked broken. Instead, she fiddled with the bow she'd picked up before they left. She pulled the group into the small village right outside the woods, a place the twins hated to stop. The village was known for its black market and thieves. Daelyn remembered the place in passing, but the images were vivid. Hurrying through on the way to the capital, afraid to let his hand stray from his money. Bandits, he remembered bandits. Daryn had slowed the group down, and he came in a lot closer, shutting the space between them. He rode up beside Triver and Ser'deni. "Let us hope we do not stay long in this place," he said quietly, "No good comes from this village." The buildings were broken stone, falling into the streets in big clumps. There were no signs telling visitors what was what, and the air surrounding them smelled of strong liquor. Beggars leaned against the same buildings, sleeping with gray matted hair and dirt smeared face. Daelyn couldn't stand to look at them. He looked towards Daryn, who stared straight ahead, sitting tall. They were still wearing guard uniforms and would be easy targets for the thieves. Daryn thought, walking the horse into the center of the village. They needed disguises. Everyone would know who the prince was in a matter of seconds, if they took the time to look at his face before they stole all his money. She dug through her mind for anyone she knew through the rebellion that would be here. Sanuel. He owned a tavern in this God forbidden place. She remembered him mentioning it in passing once. Where had he said she could find him? She pulled her horse up to a building with a solid wooden door, painted red. A big 'R' was painted in black across the front in swirling letters. Daryn got off her horse, handing the reigns to Daelyn, who peered at her. "We need to hide who we are. I know a man who works here. He will provide us with the disguises we need. Just stay outside and wait on me; I'll hurry back out." With that, she smiled at Daelyn and walked in, leaving him standing , holding her horse. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the tavern, the thick smoke, and the stench of liquor. Men piled around tables, staring at her as she passed, but she looked at every face, searching. He had to be here. She got to the front of the store, where a man was watching her carefully. "I'm looking for Sanuel," she said, in a low whisper, leaning carefully over the counter. "No one here by that name," he grunted. "My name is Daryn Lyker. He will know me," she pleaded, feeling light headed. The man gave her a once over, disappearing through a back door. He came back out a moment later, nodded and led Daryn around the corner. Through a door, she followed him, glad to be out of that room. Back here, it didn't stink. She could breathe. A man stretched out across a bed, hands folded behind his eyes. His sandy blonde hair was long, in a single braid that lay over his shoulder. He was dressed nicer than the men outside, leather vest, clean new boots. His eyes were closed, but she saw his chest rise and fall. When the door shut behind her, his eyes opened, and he sat up. The sight of him made her nervous, twisting her stomach into pieces. Few men could made Daryn swoon. What she felt for the man was a mix of admiration and fear. He gave her a smile, swinging his legs off the bed and standing. "My girl, how far you've come," he said, looking her over. "it's good to see you, Sanuel."</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn sat on the edge of the bed with the man, one of his hands pressed firmly on her upper thigh. She had finished telling him about the trials, and her hands were shaking where she clasped them in her lap. Sanuel was cooing at her gently, stroking the fabric of her uniform. She was quiet now, feeling his touch, confused feelings washing over her. She liked the man a lot. He was someone she feared and respected, cared for a lot. But there had been times when Sanuel pushed her past her limits. She pushed those vivid memories of unwanted intimacy out of her mind, reminding herself of who he was. Head of the rebellion. Her boss. Although she would never admit it, she was more frightened of him that attracted to him. "What brings you here, Daryn?" He asked, the smile disappearing from his face. He was back to business. "We are on a mission as the guards to the Prince. And we need disguises. So we can pass through unseen," she rambled, struggling to steady her voice. The blonde man nodded, standing up quickly. He strode over to a wooden chest in the corner of the room, pulling open the lid. It only took moments for the man to pull out several articles of clothing. Triver would need a hat. Ser'deni would most likely be okay. Daryn and her brother would need new outfits completely. Like he was reading her mind, he pulled out a hat for Triver and two outfits for the twins. To her distress, he pulled out a long dress for her. "Thank you, sir. I should be going before they begin to wonder too much." Sanuel simply nodded and pulled her in for a hug, hands drifting over the length of her back. She pulled away from him, turning to leave the room with her arms piled high. Outside, Daelyn watched his sister hurry out the door, shoving a hat roughly onto the prince's head. She carried clothes, nice outfits for the two of them. She seemed uneasy, and her face was a brilliant shade of red. Before he could ask, Ser'deni asked him a question. He smiled at her. "The nearest city is Port. Which is a coastal city. Well, village. It's too small to call it a city. We can stay there for the night, and then continue on in the morning," Daelyn answered, dismounting. Daryn shoved clothes at him, and he noticed why she was so flustered. The man inside had given her a dress. That was like Sanuel. He was probably going to be watching them leave. Daelyn had a very strong dislike for the man. "Please excuse my sister and I while we go change," Daelyn said, bowing quickly and then pulling Daryn into the nearest alley. She was already stripping out of her clothes when he turned to face her. "He didn't try anything with you, did he?" He asked, hurrying. She shook her head violently, tugging the dress over her. Daelyn didn't believe her for a minute. Daryn felt like a fool. She hated dresses. She hated feeling so constricted and helpless. She felt like a child in a dress, playing house. It was idiotic. If Sanuel wasn't such a pervert, maybe she wouldn't be in this position. She let her hair down as she finished dressing, scowling at Daelyn who was wearing a simple back tunic and pants. "I'm so jealous," she muttered, pushing past him. "The color matches your skin," he blurted out, following her. She laughed, nearly bending over. She walked up to where the Prince and Ser'deni waited. She carefully and painfully mounted again, stringing her bow around her shoulder and her sword at her saddle. Another reason to dislike dresses, there was no where to put your sword. "We should get to Port before dark," she said, kicking her horse into motion, "The past is full of bandits."</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia Triver and Ser'deni waited patiently for the siblings to return. The prince finally looked around the small town from under the hat that had been jammed on top of his head. He sighed and looked at the blind woman. "Things are going to get a lot harder, aren't they?" Ser'deni nodded. "Yes. We have orders and we must carry them out, even if it means killing a part of our hearts. It shall be okay though, I am still here for you." Their hands remained clasped together until Daryn and Daelyn came back. "What would we do about bandits?" Triver asked as he pulled his horse alongside Daryn's. "Kill them." The mage said from the back of the line. Ser'deni was more confident in her abilities to summon if she wasn't in the middle of things. The woman held tightly to the reigns of her horse. She wasn't accustomed to land dwelling beasts; her heart was in the sky and often her birds were how she traveled to the war zones in the northern part of Danycia and its surrounding kingdoms. Triver didn't like the easy way in which Ser'deni spoke but he assumed that it came with the baggage of being a solider for the Danycian King. A soft sigh left his lips as he turned to face forward. His mind drifted to the tales he once read in a book back in the castle library. It had been an old dusty thing bound in thick leather and decorated with gold colored writing. They were nothing more than children's tales but Triver found himself believing them; tales of mermaids luring people, particularly men, to their deaths in the water and tales of mischievous fae who take a liking to human children. Triver's mother was not of Danycia, she was from a neighboring kingdom down in the far south of the lands, so he had grown up hearing her tales from home. As it grew later out Triver's heart had begun to beat a little faster. He was unsure about this journey. What if it went horribly wrong and things weren't as they seemed. What if he or any of his companions were killed? He didn't think he could live with himself if any of the siblings or his half-sister were to be killed while trying to protect him. "Three people are ahead on the path." Ser'deni said as she untied the black strip of cloth from her eyes. It had begun to slip down so she decided to use it to tie her hair back. "Four more wait in the trees just before them." The Prince didn't know if she had other bird summons as he couldn't see the three crows any longer. The low hoot of an owl made the prince jump. He had never bothered to ask just how many different bird summons the woman had, for all he knew the owl hoot could have been a coincidence. To him, the unnatural vultures and red-eyed crows always were frightening. "Shall we confront them or go around them? He cannot fight well and I fear that we may be out numbered. Mages fight at our best in long range attacks." The made asked as she looked towards the dusky sky. It wasn't quite dark out yet but the path was beginning to darken slowly and steadily as they traveled further. "Can't your birds help?" The woman sighed, "Yes and no; depending on our situation and if we get to them before they decide to move closer to us." The Prince was feeling terribly out of place; had no battle experience. Sure he could swing a sword (badly) but he preferred books and studying to swords and daggers, and had paid much more attention in his history courses rather than during his sword training. His stomach knotted nervously as he waited to see what would happen.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn stopped the horses, staring ahead at the trees. Daelyn came up beside her, looking at her face. She was deep in her own mind, flipping through her options. They could continue, take the chance of losing the fight and losing the prince. They could go around them, safe but cowards. If they fought the group, there was always the chance that they would be discovered for who they were. Whatever the final choice, they needed to keep the prince hidden. Daryn scaled her surroundings, wondering if there was a way to fight from a distance, so the birds could help. "We can't go around," Daelyn said, quietly beside her, "Night is falling, and we would be lost in minutes if we strayed from the path." "We can't confront them," she said in agreement, turning on her horse to face him, "Or else we risk Triver's safety." They just looked at one another for a second, sharing the same thought. How do we fight them from this distance? An owl sounded overhead, like a hint. Daryn looked around in fright, thinking of the birds in the arena. An idea hit her, and she jerked back to look at Daelyn. "What if we fight from above?" Daelyn's face lit up, and he nodded with a smile creeping across his face. They both dismounted, tying the horses to a tree. "Daelyn and I will ambush them, since they already know we are here. We can't hide from them, and night is falling too fast to go around. I will climb up the trees and over to where they are. I'm a pretty good shot," Daryn said, tapping her bow, "I can knock the first three out before the other four know what hit them. That's where Daelyn will come in. When the other four uncover themselves, he will catch them off guard and knock those four out." She paused, looking up at the trees. "Ser'deni, we need you to stay back and protect Triver. We can't risk them seeing him, or else every bandit in the area will know we are here. From here, if we need help, you can send some." Then, Daryn looked down at her outfit. She was wearing that stupid dress. Daelyn caught her looking at it and drew his sword. With a swift movement, he chopped it off at the knee, yanking the rest of the fabric away from Daryn. It was embarrassingly short, showing most of her leg and boots. Daelyn didn't like that so much skin was showing, but she seemed to like it as she disappeared into the nearest tree. She'd always been much better at climbing that he had. Daelyn gave the made and prince a nod, moving forward in the shadows of the trees. Ser'deni had been right. There were three men with jagged, worn swords drawn waiting on the path. They whispered amongst themselves, eyeing the bushes behind them every so often. Daelyn assumed that was where the rest of there crew hid. Daelyn heard the whistle of the arrow right before it struck the first man. It hit right where Daryn had aimed, the heart. The dead man looked at his two partners and collapsed on the ground as another arrow struck the second man. By now, the third was checking the trees, sword at the ready. These bandits were unaccustomed to confrontation. While he turned himself in circles, Daryn shot her final blow, hitting this man in the back, clearing through to the front. He gave a guttural cry and collapsed beside his friends. Silence spread over the small path. Daelyn held his breath, hearing Daryn moving overhead. If the four were hiding behind the trees, they weren't coming out. Daryn stared down at Daelyn's hunched figure, waiting. Nothing was happening. She cussed under her breath, putting her bow back over her back. When she led out a long breath, the arrow sizzled through the air, landing in her thigh. It was all she could do not to scream, ducking further into her shadows. They knew where she was. Tears formed in her eyes as she jerked the arrow out, feeling the warm blood flow down her leg. She had to get down to Daelyn. Already, though, she was light headed. Daelyn saw the bloody arrow land on the grass beside him, and he jumped up. The source of the arrow was a man clad in black, hiding right in the shadow in front of the bushed. When Daelyn stood, the three other men did the same, swords drawn. The black dressed man disappeared, making Daelyn cuss. It was all he could do, though, to keep the other three men at bay. Panting, he drove his sword through their stomachs, pushing them into a heap behind the path. Overhead, Daryn watched the man in black run towards Ser'deni and Triver. She fought her numb leg to move, eventually crashing to the ground in an unconscious heap. Daelyn heard her hit hard ground, following the sound to her bloody body. He picked her up and raced back to where he was sure the man was heading.</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daelyn came into the clearing where he could hear Ser'deni yelling for him. He sat the unconscious Daryn down, moving over to inspect the prince. There was a lot of blood, and it made his heart race. It seemed to be all over the two of them. Ser'deni looked weak, but whatever wound Triver had gotten was healed up. Daelyn saw the bloody arrow laying on the grass and assumed poison. He looked around at the horses. Two of them were severely wounded, show through the chest. They would be dead before morning. He stood, going after the other two horses, who were hidden in the bushes. "There's a healer in Port," Daryn muttered, as he walked past her with the horses. She was moving around, although the wound on her leg throbbed steadily. She didn't even try to get up. Her head spun, and she felt like she might vomit. Daelyn nodded down at her, picking her up and putting her on her horse. "That's where we will go then," he said, situating her against the beast's neck. He seriously doubted that she would be able to stay upright. He tied the horses reins to his own horse's, going to pick up Triver. The boy was a dead weight. Whatever poison was on that arrow had severe paralyzing effects. Daelyn put the boy on the back of Daryn's horse, right up against her. He wrapped the boys arms around Daryn, and she held on to him as tight as she could. Daelyn moved and swept up Ser'deni next, knowing she could probably walk. But she looked dead tired. He sat her up on his own horse, and swung up on it behind her. She was much smaller than him, and it was easy to reach around her. "I promise we will make it," he whispered to her, touching her upper arm, "I won't let anything happen to him." He had noticed how close they were. Daelyn didn't know how they were connected, but they reminded him of Daryn and himself. He knew how much it hurt her to see him hurt. He felt it now, looking at Daryn with her still bleeding, fist sized hole in her leg. Daelyn kicked his horse into a run, jerking the other horse into movement. The path was black. He had to rely on the horse's senses to get through the overgrown path. He forked to the right when the time came, hoping he remembered the way. Hours seemed to pass as they pulsed forward. Daryn could feel the horse's heart racing under her, its muscles pulsing on her pained legs. The air began to smell like salt, and she perked up, knowing they were close to home. Already, if she looked up, she could see the gates. The horses slowed down as the gates came into view. Daelyn brought them to a stop, staring down at the two guards. "Your business here?" the older man asked, crossing his arms. "We are looking for a healer," Daelyn said, "My sister and I were born in Port. We have friends in the village." The man looked at him with hesitation, glancing over at Daryn, who struggled to hold her head up. The man raised his hand at his partner, who went for the crank. As soon as the gate was open wide enough, he lead the horses through. Port was exactly how the twins remembered. It was on long line on buildings facing the cliffs down to the sea. The natural cliff rocks made roads, and the horse's steps clattered across the sleeping town. They passed the town center, where a fire still burned. Animals roamed around the village unattended, eating whatever had been left out for them. Daelyn led the horses down to the last house in the line and began banging on the door. When no one answered right away, he began to hit louder and faster, until the door swung angrily open. An old, disheveled lady stepped outside, glaring at him. She had a mountain of white, wild hair piled up on her head, and her skin was covered in black markings, making her look threatening. The twins knew better. "Daelyn Lyker, what brings the likes of you to my doorstep at this hour?" Daelyn smiled at the old lady, who was talking louder than normal. She looked around the street. "Please, Amaria, we need a healer," Daelyn said, nodding to the three people still on the horses. "Boy, that man is on the brink of death! And that poor mage looks like she could faint walking," she scolded, "Hurry bring them in, before you wake up the entire village." She disappeared into the house, leaving the four of them on the doorstep. Daelyn grabbed Triver up, taking him into the house and setting him down on the large wooden table that sat in the middle on the front room. He went back and got Ser'deni, laying her down on one of the many cots that lined the room. Amaria had been one of the best healers within 100 miles, but he didn't know if her business still thrived. He went back to get Daryn, who jumped down into his arms. Once inside, she did her best to stand, leaning against the door frame. "I'll stand guard," she muttered, brushing her long hair away from her face. Amaria rushed over to her, shoving a wet clump of leaved in her hand. "Pack that into the wound, and don't let anyone in until morning," the old woman said, leaving her to tend to herself.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia The ride to Port wasn't rough on Triver, he couldn't feel the horse beneath him and he couldn't see anything beyond just blurs of color that bled together to create dark areas. He didn't feel bad; he knew that he was dying. There was something that he found to be peaceful about it and it was the fact that his body was numb. If he could have felt anything then maybe his reaction would have been a bit different. There were so many things that the Prince needed to do still. He needed to find Inaris and take him back home, he needed to make sure that Ser'deni wouldn't cry, he needed to ensure that his knights were safe...he wanted a family; he wanted to fall in love and get married. If he died now, he would regret everything in his life. After some time the Prince simply passed out. Ser'deni was afraid for once. Usually she could handle things like death and being injured because that was what she had been taught to do. It was different when she cared for the person who was dying. She had never felt this before and the feeling on its own was frightening and confusing. The woman fought to stay awake throughout the ride. When they slowed and she could hear the sounds of a sleeping town, she let out a deep sigh. There was hope for Triver after all. They were taken down from the horse one by one and honestly she was a bit frustrated. She was a mage, not a kid and she was sure that she was older than the twins anyways. Triver could hear the fuzzy and far-off voices of everyone around him. He could hear the twins and the stranger and even Ser'deni. The mage tried to get up from the cot but she felt so sleepy and she nearly fell forward. "It'll be okay." She said to Triver as she reached for his hand. One of her hands was placed on the table to keep her balance and the other gripped the Prince's hand. He would have gripped hers back if he had the chance. Ser'deni sighed and pressed her lips to his forehead before smoothing back his sandy hair. The woman scolded her and the mage was about to say something back when something was thrust into her hands. "A blanket." The woman said before moving about, grabbing things to heal the prince. Ser'deni felt useless as she felt her way back to the cot. Once she was curled up into a small ball and she had the blanket draped over her, the mage began to cry. Was she going to lose the two people that she held the most dear? She had lost her mother but she had been too young to understand or remember her clearly. In the morning the mage woke with no memory of falling asleep. The only thing that she remembered was Triver was on death's door. She sat up too quickly and her mind spun as she looked around the room. Although she was weak with mind magic, Ser'deni could reach out and poke around at the minds of other people. She used it as a means of moving through crowded rooms without the need to openly display her disability. He's still here. She thought once she came into contact with Trivr's dreams. She knew it was Triver because everyone had a unique color to their thoughts. Triver's was a deep and dark royal blue. Inaris's had been a muddy gold. Even the twins had their own color. The mage tumbled to the floor, her feet tangled in the blanket and she furiously kicked it away from her before scrambling to Triver, who had been placed on a nearby cot. He was asleep but alive and that was all that mattered to her.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn fought sleep as she slumped down and sat at the base of the door. She had crammed the herbs into her swollen leg and then wrapped it in a piece of hot cloth that Amaria had given her. While she fought to keep her eyes open, she watched the old lady and her brother bustle about. Amaria was a mage, but she didn't use her magic unless she absolutely had to. Instead, she used her knowledge of other healing methods. Brews and the like. Amaria lay Triver out on the table and laid both of her hands on his chest. They stayed like that for a very long time, and Daryn knew that she was countering whatever poison was killing the prince. Suddenly, the old mage pulled back, slumping against the back wall. Daelyn moved to help her stand. "Move him to a bed beside his sister," the old lady whispered, patting Daelyn's arm, "She will be upset when she wakes up. He will want her as well, I assume." Amaria glanced at Daryn whose eyebrows were perked up. The lady chuckled. "Didn't know they were related, huh? Well, there's a lot you two don't know. Protect the Prince like your life depends on it," she said, walking out of the room, "Because, my twins, it does." Daelyn followed her command and moved Triver to a cot right beside Ser'deni. He covered the boy up and moved away. They were siblings. He could hardly believe it. They didn't look alike at all. At least Daryn and he looked the same. Daelyn sat down on the floor beside Daryn, who wrapped her arms around his body. She hummed a song to him, quietly, and he knew she was going to fall asleep. "I'm sorry I got you hurt," he said, closing his eyes and falling into the sound of her light voice. "You did nothing," she said, "It was all my idea. I owe the two of them an apology." They spent a few minutes in silence, leaning against each other with their eyes closed. Sleep came quickly but unwillingly. It was Daryn who woke up first, hearing Ser'deni hit the floor. She jumped but remained still, waiting and watching the young mage tend to her brother. Daryn patted Daelyn's head and finally stood, moving into another room in the house. The kitchen. Already, Amaria was cooking, and whatever it was smelled better than the castle food had during their short day there. Daryn offered to help, but the old woman scolded her away. So, she waited by the door, watching the prince and Ser'deni. How had Amaria known about them being siblings? More importantly, how had she known it was the prince? Daryn had her guesses, the first being that Triver was very hidden without his hat. Anyone would know who he was now. She made herself a goal to find them new disguises. "Daryn, set the table," Amaria barked from behind her, pressing a stack of ceramic plates in the girl's hands. Daryn didn't argue, knowing it was useless with the woman. The same table Triver had been healed on would be dined on this morning. The tan wood of the table was carved and burned with different markings, words and letters and symbols that Daryn couldn't read. She glanced at her brother, who was sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Amaria entered the room with food, some sort of meat that filled the room with its scent. "Now, we wait for the boy to get hungry," Amaria said, sitting down at the table with a chuckle.</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia "We have different mothers." Ser'deni said as she helped her brother sit up. He was a little pale and weak but at least he was alive. "And do not apologize for being injured Daryn Lyker, things happen that we cannot control." Triver looked around the home with a confused expression before Ser'deni told him of what had happened. There were fuzzy bits in his mind that were flashes of blurred color or jumbled words muffed by the same fog. With the information that he was given, the prince's eyes widened and he looked at the older mage. "Thank you." he said as Ser'deni helped him to the table. He sat across from the female knight. To his right sat his sister, her hand gently clasping his. The two used to be affectionate with each other as children. Triver thrived on physical contact with others, particularly his sister and Inaris, and it was a habit that persisted. Triver shook his head, "I didn't think you knew about that." He told the younger mage. She shrugged and scooted a cup closer to him. "I have known for many years, now be quiet and eat. Thank you Lady Amaria, for healing him." Ser'deni said with a polite nod of her head. Triver had been gifted with the looks of his mother: fair hair and skin, well defined features and a sweet smile that tugged a little more to one side. His eyes were all his father's from the shape to the color. He was an uneven mix of his parents. In contrast to Triver's lighter appearance, Ser'deni looked like her mother's people. Dark skinned with long dark hair and dark tattoos that ran from the border of her lip down to her throat. Only her eyes showed any resemblance to those of her father's and brother's eyes; of course one could only notice if they were opened. While they might now have looked like brother and sister there were a few things about them that gave the subtle hints. They were just little habits that one would catch over time. "Should we stay in Port for another night and gather some more supplies?" The mage asked, half of their supplies had been lost with the horses. Other bandits probably already got to them by now and it would be useless to head back to check. Triver was eating quietly next to her, they needed a map of some sort in order to plot their route. He assumed that one of the twins had a map that they could use. He knew that they were instructed to search the southern part of Danycia for any signs of Inaris. "We need to see if any one has any information on Inaris." Triver said as he glanced at the twins, Daryn in particular. "How is your injury by the way? I trust that your brother is fine?" He was concerned for their well-being, they were his knights after all.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn watched the prince carefully as he began to eat, breathing out a little sigh of relief. Her brother came over and sat beside her, eating as well. He had fallen back into his silent stage, watching everyone around him, thinking about what they would do next. He weighed the questions in his head for a moment, and then Daryn spoke his answers, like she could read his mind. "Yes, we should stay in Port for a while. Not for long, but I don't think it's wise to travel before we have regained all our strength," and although she looked at Triver, she meant the latter part for herself as well. While her leg no longer bled, it itched with healing, and she knew she would be limping for several days. "Daelyn and I will go out shopping today, and find a place to stay. We can't burden Amaria." The last word left Daryn's mouth no sooner than Amaria swung around and whacked the girl on the head. Daryn yelped, reaching for her sword hilt out of instinct. Of course, she had taken it off the night before. "You will do no such thing," Amaria said, sitting down at the last empty seat at the head of the table, "It would be nonsense to waste money on boarding when I have beds to spare. If you don't mind a few of my patients coming and going throughout the day." Both twins knew there was no point in arguing. The old woman would get her way eventually. Daelyn shook his head and glanced over at Daryn, who bit her lip. They would be putting her in danger, and Amaria meant too much to the both of them for her to be in danger. "Whatever you want, Amaria," Daryn said, turning her attention to the prince's last question. "And I'm fine, Prince. No arrow can bring me down. Just seriously maim me." She pulled away from the table and stood, unwrapping and showing the wound to Triver. It was bright pink, looking empty and already faintly scarred. "Amaria wasn't able to heal me, due to the severity of the poison in your system. I don't need it though; I'll be fine." Daelyn nodded along with her, touching her shoulder for her to sit back down. "And I am uninjured," Daelyn answered, with a small smile.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia "We can pay her," Ser'deni said as she produced a small cloth bag of coins from her side. The woman counted out five gold coins per person before sliding them across the table to Amaria. "This is for our medical fees," she repeated the process until there was enough coins on the table to cover their boarding and food. "And here is payment for our board and food." Ser'deni tied the small bag and remaining coins to her belt again before asking Triver how Daryn's wound looked. The prince was a little uncomfortable with the fact that the woman had showed her wound and he was about to suggest letting his mage finish healing her when she spoke. It looks good." He said to Ser'deni before looking at the twins. He wanted to see Port. It would help him keep his mind off of finding Inaris. "I was wondering if it would be risky in allowing me to see Port?" he asked before digging into his breakfast. The mage beside him sighed and shook her head but kept quiet. She didn't know if he should be allowed to leave this place considering that he had almost died last night. Ser'deni didn't want to be overbearing and she knew that he needed to keep his mind free of the fact that they were on a man hunt for their friend but the prince going out in public was something that she didn't want to risk. She could only hope that the two knights would agree with her. Once breakfast was over the mage helped clean up by taking the dishes into the kitchen; she would rather help than feel like she was being a burden. "Lady Amaria...may I ask how you escaped the King's clutches?" All mages, regardless of their social background, were property of the King according to the Daynician laws. Fake mages, simple folk with limited magical abilities, were easy to weed from the real mages; Ser'deni doubted that Amaria was one of the fake mages. There was a strong feel of magic around the woman. Triver looked up curiously. That was something that his sister never brought up. Being a mage was like being sold into slavery before one's birth. From the moment a child shows magical skills in their early childhood they are sent to the castle to serve the King. His sister was unlucky enough to have been born in the castle walls. There was a knock on the door and the prince quickly answered it despite the protest of his sister. Standing just beyond the door's edge was a man of average height with a stocky build and dark red hair with a braided beard and a moustache. He looked to be a few years older than Triver. "Hello! I am here to see Amaria, I am Adi." The man bowed politely before Triver side stepped to allow him in. Adi grinned and waved to everyone in the room, his eyes scanned over Triver and Ser'deni before landing on the twins. He hadn't seen them in years. "Hello Lyker twins!" Adi said as he moved in to hug them. There was a faint burning sensation at the back of his mind but he brushed it off as exhaustion from work.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Adi storming into the room seemed to stun both the twins and Amaria. He swept both of them up into a hug, which neither twin hesitated to return. Both of the twins had fond memories of the boy, now a man. A childhood friend, Adi had been a huge part of their lives in Port. Daelyn considered the man a brother, although the feelings Adi had towards Daryn were always something a little stronger than brotherhood. Daelyn had always thought that, though it had never been brought full circle. The twins hugged the man, lingering a moment and then returning to their seats. "I think it would be a great idea for you to get out, Triver," Daryn said, careful not to use the Prince's title, in case Adi hadn't realized already. Their identities were better left secret, regardless of how safe they were at Amaria's house. "I would be happy to escort you around Port for a day or two." She smiled at the boy before her before realizing her mistake. "Oh, I'm sorry. Triver, Adi is an old friend of ours from when we lived in Port before. He's like a brother to us." "Ser'deni, while Daryn is with Triver, it would be best if we continue on with our mission. We can shop for supplies and ask anyone around town if they have seen Inaris," Daelyn said, knowing very well that it would be a fight to pull Ser'deni away from the prince. Daryn, though, was very capable of protecting him. They were safe within the walled city, and he knew she equalled any man in the city. Triver was safest with the woman by his side. Amaria offered Adi her seat at the table, moving to the shelves on her wall. "To answer your question, Ser'deni, I was fired. You see, some years back, there was a rebellion against the king. Several people from Port rose up to join the rebellion." She looked towards the twins, who stared at her stone faced. They held their breath, hoping she would not mention the twins part in said rebellion. "I had been working for the king around fifty years, and when I heard from some rebels from Port were being executed, I helped several of them escape." She looked away from the twins, "Of course, I couldn't save everyone. The king allowed me to live, but, as punishment, my two children were both killed." She paused and looked at the Prince. "What possessed him to let me live, I'll never know."</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Adi storming into the room seemed to stun both the twins and Amaria. He swept both of them up into a hug, which neither twin hesitated to return. Both of the twins had fond memories of the boy, now a man. A childhood friend, Adi had been a huge part of their lives in Port. Daelyn considered the man a brother, although the feelings Adi had towards Daryn were always something a little stronger than brotherhood. Daelyn had always thought that, though it had never been brought full circle. The twins hugged the man, lingering a moment and then returning to their seats. "I think it would be a great idea for you to get out, Triver," Daryn said, careful not to use the Prince's title, in case Adi hadn't realized already. Their identities were better left secret, regardless of how safe they were at Amaria's house. "I would be happy to escort you around Port for a day or two." She smiled at the boy before her before realizing her mistake. "Oh, I'm sorry. Triver, Adi is an old friend of ours from when we lived in Port before. He's like a brother to us." "Ser'deni, while Daryn is with Triver, it would be best if we continue on with our mission. We can shop for supplies and ask anyone around town if they have seen Inaris," Daelyn said, knowing very well that it would be a fight to pull Ser'deni away from the prince. Daryn, though, was very capable of protecting him. They were safe within the walled city, and he knew she equalled any man in the city. Triver was safest with the woman by his side. Amaria offered Adi her seat at the table, moving to the shelves on her wall. "To answer your question, Ser'deni, I was fired. You see, some years back, there was a rebellion against the king. Several people from Port rose up to join the rebellion." She looked towards the twins, who stared at her stone faced. They held their breath, hoping she would not mention the twins part in said rebellion. "I had been working for the king around fifty years, and when I heard from some rebels from Port were being executed, I helped several of them escape." She looked away from the twins, "Of course, I couldn't save everyone. The king allowed me to live, but, as punishment, my two children were both killed." She paused and looked at the Prince. "What possessed him to let me live, I'll never know."</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia Ser'deni's brow knitted together as she tried to remember any sort of things that linked back to what the older woman told her. Amaria probably hadn't been one of the king's personal mages because there was no way that they were able to leave him. He has ensured that his person mages would forever be under his control by using spells and seals that would render them helpless or even kill them. No one was brave enough to try testing the limits on them so they didn't know for sure. It troubled her that she couldn't understand the reasoning that the king would let someone live. He was a ruthless and cruel man who had no troubles in using people before discarding them like table scraps. "What's she talking about?" Triver asked curiously as he looked at Amaria before looking back to Ser'deni. The woman sighed and she gave a brief explanation. "He caught wind of a rebellious group that, although it wasn't very large, it had a big impact on the southern parts of the kingdom. They planned a larger rebellion that would have resulted in either a civil war or the massacring of our citizens. He chose to massacre his citizens." It hadn't affected Ser'deni in any way and Triver hadn't been told much beyond it was the king's duty to protect his crown. Triver sat stiffly in his seat and he looked down at the table. There was no way that his father could have done it, right? "There was a time when he considered bringing us into it...that would have wiped out this entire town." The other mages were always ready to please the king. They enjoyed taking the lives of others and they were just as bad as he was. "Let's not dwell on that any longer though." Adi was listening carefully and it didn't take long for him to piece together that the prince was sitting across from him. He sat there with an open mouth, trying to find his words. Finally he spoke up. "What's the prince of Danycia doing here?" Triver looked up with wide, frightened eyes. He had forgotten about the red haired man and now he was exposed. He looked to his knights for assistance with the matter. "Uh...um..." Triver hesitated and he fidgeted in his seat. "He's okay; there wasn't any hint of Adi being linked to what's left of the rebellion." Ser'deni said softly. Adi looked at the woman with wide eyes and he jumped up. "What are you talking about?!" "Nothing. Just know that you're cleared, now to the matter of allowing Triver to see Port and what life is like beyond the castle walls." The mage leaned against the wall and addressed the twins. "I will allow Triver to accompany you, Daryn, but one of my pets must be following you at all times. I still want to know what is happening throughout the kingdom out of my own curiosity as well." Triver's heart began to thump wildly in his chest. He would get to see the kingdom! It was slightly tainted now that the mage had told him a tidbit of the history surrounding the area but he was still eager to go exploring. "Can I swim in the ocean?" He asked suddenly. Adi shook his head. "Not unless you want to be drowned by the mermaids. Beautiful creatures but they have a nasty habit of grabbing ankles." The man crossed his arms over his chest before his eyes crinkled at the edges, "There are some pools up in the north hills that you can swim in, I promise they are mermaid free." Adi was willing to help the prince; he was the next in line for the throne and Adi thought it was better to have a bloodless rebellion than one that would wipe out most of the kingdom. He was a pacifist by nature and he avoided all talk of the rebellion as best as he could. Even if they had to wait another twenty years before peace could be reached then he would be willing to stick it out. "Are you going with Daelyn?" Adi asked the mage. "It seems odd that you'd leave the prince all alone." Triver wanted answers as well. Why was there a sudden change of heart from the woman? "I want him to learn about the outside world in ways the king never did. I want him to be able to understand the impact a ruler has on his or her people and I want him to learn from past mistakes. Most of all...I want my brother to be able to stand on his own when I'm no longer here." The weight of her words hit Triver hard. He knew that the mages didn't have a long lifespan but she never had said it out loud before. Being born a mage was both a blessing and a curse. You could do things that were unimaginable to normal humans but you couldn't have the best of both worlds. Mages paid for their magic with their life, the more they used magic the shorter their lives were. The prince stood up and excused himself. He didn't know where he was going to go but he wanted out of there. "Go get him Daryn. You'll be able to calm him down, take Adi with you as well." Ser'deni said. The prince needed some time to cool off and she hoped that Daryn would be able to help him. He needed people other than mages in his life.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn cussed loudly and jumped up, kissing her brother on the head. She grabbed her sword, strapping it around her hips and looking at Adi expectantly. She didn't like that the man acted like he knew more about Port than anyone else in the room. She definitely hadn't planned on letting Triver swim with mermaids, but he did deserve to see them. They were amazing things, the mermaids. With Adi behind her, Daryn took off out the door, seeing that Triver hadn't made it too far. She fell into step beside him, touching his shoulder gently. "Today, Triver, you will see some amazing things," she said, smiling at him. First, she intended to take him down to the ocean. Not to swim, but to look. Everyone needed to feel their feet in the water, taste the spray of the water against the rocks. She wouldn't feel right if he didn't at least stick his hands in the water. Yet, Daryn knew that he was hurt. Ser'deni was right, but she knew how hard that was to hear. There had been a time when Daelyn and she had the same conversation. The night before the trials, they had sat down in the dirt floor of their shack, held hands and prayed to whatever god was listening. "What happens if one of us dies?" Daelyn had asked, unable to hide the shake in his voice. Daryn had squeezed his hand, staring at the footprints in the dirt. "The other must go on," she had whispered, "And they will have to learn to survive alone." Daryn knew how impossible it felt to live without a sibling. She couldn't imagine that life, a life without his curls, his eyes, his gentle personality. Daryn snapped herself back to the present, concentrating on where they were going. Triver was leading himself through the center of town. People were lined on the side of the rocky street with fruits, fishes, and other wares. Women shopped, baskets propped on thin hips, babies on the other side. Old men gambled with little wooden balls and cups in front of the tavern, cussing loudly when someone lost. It all made Daryn smile, feeling back at home. There were faces in the crowd that knew her, and she knew them. "Port is forced to survive on its own. Because of that rebellion Amaria told you about, people here don't receive help from your father. The people are tough, making their own ways to live, and no, it's not always honest. See that lady over there?" Daryn pointed into a colorful tent with clothes hanging from the swaying beams, "Her name is Lydia. She has three children, and her husband died at sea when I was just little. She dyes and sells her own clothes to the people in Port. Lydia is one of the wealthiest people in Port. Without interference from the royal city, Port sort of flourished." She led him out of the growing crowd, onto a smaller pathway. The ocean stretched out to their left, at the bottom of a steep cliff. The farther they walked, the less people they saw. Daryn walked close to the edge, looking. "Ah-ha!" she said, coming to a stop. "Adi thinks it's a bad idea to swim in the ocean, and I agree. But I think you should definitely see it closer than this." She knelt down on the ground, reaching over the edge. There was a ladder, made from ropes and wood, slung over the edge. It was a long way down, but the edge wasn't as steep as everywhere else. The cliff went outwards here, coming to end on a big stretch of sand. It was like a tiny beach. Daryn pulled the ladder up just enough to show the prince the first rung. "I'll go down first, you go second, and Adi will go last. I promise it's completely safe, and I will not let the mermaids get you." With that, she disappeared over the edge, breathing in the amazing air. It hadn't been this clear before how homesick she'd really been. Back at Amaria's, Daelyn watched the door shut, hoping Daryn would actually be able to calm the prince down. She wasn't very good at being patient with people. He let out a big breath and looked across the table at the mage. The feeling in his gut told him that the mage didn't like him very much at all. This was business, though, and it didn't matter. They were on a mission. "The best place to talk to people would be the marketplace. At this time of day, I bet everyone is there. After that, we can go to the docks and see if he got on a boat," Daelyn said, pushing his chair away from the table. He moved to get his sword, squeezing Amaria's hand as he went past. "Ser'deni, do you think you could glimpse into people's minds and see if they've seen him? I mean, we can't ask everyone, and that would be the fastest way to do it." Daelyn remembered her saying that mind magic wasn't her strong point. Yet, he wasn't about to point out that if she couldn't do it, he would find another way. Ser'deni was completely capable; he was sure she was more capable than even he understood. He finished getting ready, standing by the door. "Oh, sorry about last night. I know you could have taken care of yourself; I didn't need to toss you around," he said, to the mage, "When people get hurt, old shepherd instincts kick in, and I tend to get protective. I didn't mean to insult you, if I did."</s>
<\|description\|>Information on Danycia Chosen by the gods to weild magic, the mages are fully human although none believe that. Magic is a fickle thing, typically if one parent is a mage there is no gauruntee that their children would be as well. Magic can show itself multiple times in a single generation or it may take a hundred years to show back up in the bloodlines. Families that advertise themselves as a strong line of mages usually aren't blood related. As a trade off for great skills in magic all mages have some degree of disability. This may range to having only one arm or leg, deafness, muteness or blindness to missing an organ (never the heart, lungs or brain). Sometimes mages may have multiple disabilities although it is quite rare. Mages run the risk of dying young if they are pushed beyond their limits. They must keep their emotions under check at all times or they may loose concentration on spells and have them backfire or in cases of extreme emotion like rage or sadness, they can get out of control. WIP This is the main kingdom of the humans. It is located along a coast, giving Danycia a great fishing economy. A majority of Danycia lies inland where it extends to the farthest boarders of the smallest human kingdoms. For generations the ruling family of Danycia has brought prosperity to their people, currently only three kings have been tyrants and almost all of them have died early. Within this world magic is linked directly to the life force. It can kill you if you use too much magic at once or if you run out of it. All living things possess magic and can be trained to use it. Mages are special beings who have a larger quantity of magic (and life force) and learning to use magic comes easier to them. Mages usually show signs of magical abilities as children through simple means like levitating objects of themselves, accidentally setting fires and things like that. There are schools for teaching magic although they have been regulated to be only for the higher classes.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia The other mages soon joined Ser'deni in their places behind the king. There were ten in total, counting her. Most of them were men although there were a few men who wore their hair long and held feminine faces. Ser'deni had been raised alongside the nine other mages and knew them all quite well. Six of them were blind; some wore cloth over their eyes while some did not. A man was missing a leg and leaned heavily on a carved walking stick. Another was mute although his physical appearance bore no indication. And one could not hear or talk. The mages held no loyalty towards each other despite being brought up and raised with the others. They were bonded by their use of magic and their disabilities and nothing more. For this occasion they were handed heavy black cloaks that hid their faces and disabilities from the eyes of the would-be knights. The mages were not only here for the safety of the King and his son, they were also here to participate in the choosing of the knights. All mages were skilled in many areas of magic but each held their own strength in one area. "This is going to be fun." A man off to the right of Ser'deni said, he was standing directly behind the Prince. "Inaris...keep your voice down." Another scolded the man. Inaris made a sound of displeasure before falling into silence. Triver wanted to talk to the mages behind him but the arrival of the knight candidates took his attention. They all seemed so young, although Triver wasn't old by any means. As a young man of only twenty years, he still had a lot to learn and see. Triver, his father, the mages and a few nobles sat on a raised platform covered with a richly decorated canopy of blue and gold. He wondered if any of the candidates knew what was in store for them. The Prince had pestered Ser'deni and the others for information about their roles in all of this. "Our job is to break the weak from the strong. We will use our skills as mages to ensure that only the strongest are chosen." Those words left a chill that ran down his spine. Triver had never seen the mages in action before but he had heard stories of the generals who were given a mage as part of their army; they always told tales of the brutality of their magic. The mages were what helped win more land for Danycia and they were what kept the people under his father's thumb. Triver would be lying if he said that he didn't hold some fear of the black-clad figures behind him. The King watched the candidates with a dark gaze; he was uninterested in having new knights. He mostly wanted to see them bend and break under his mages so that all would know his power. The King was a twisted man who enjoyed the look of pain on others. His wife and son were the only ones exempt from his cruelty; his son would carry on his legacy as a ruthless ruler and his wife would remain obedient and serve as a link to further his influence in her native kingdom. The Prince beside him had always been disgusted with the way that his father took such pleasure in the pain and terror of others. He was not close to his father; the man was nothing more than one he had to deal with in order to survive. Rumors floated around that his father had murdered his own brother to gain the throne. Triver didn't doubt those rumors although he should have defended his father. He should have tried to protect his father's reputation as a "grand and fine" king but he found that he could not. Triver wanted to change things within the kingdom. He wanted to live in a world of peace but with his father alive, that could never be possible. The King waited for the start of the tests to be announced. He would not give those commoners the experience of hearing his voice. He was better than they were, as he was chosen by the gods to rule them. The man that had given the candidates their instructions stood tall in front of the nervous looking potential knights, but under the king. "Let the trials begin!" One after the other had stepped in front of the King and read out loud from one of the classic Danycian books that detailed the adventures of a hero before they were given their riddle. One man, almost immediately after he started reading, grasped his head and screamed in agony as his body crumpled to the floor. Triver knew without looking behind him what had happened. His stomach turned and it brought little comfort that he did not know which mage had turned the man into a pile of helpless and hurting flesh.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn looked around the room, taking in each and every face. The mages lined up behind the king and his son, faces covered by the black cloaks they wore. Seeing them sent a chill up her spine. Daryn didn't like magic. When her father's business had begun to fail, he had went to a local mage and asked him to help us. For more money than they had to spare, the mage did, but all the fish they caught, though plenty, were spoiled. Daelyn said that the mage was a fake, improperly trained. But when she looked at the mages, Daryn still felt a little sick to her stomach. Their mother used to read them stories of the mages parts in the war; both knew what they could do. As curious as she was to their part here, she felt mostly fear. Daelyn wanted the first man go up, stepping just a few feet above the crowd. The way they were lined up, Daryn would be next. He could see her face twisting, worry lines between her brows. He understood her fear. He listened to the words of the man, lost in the story he read. Then, the man started screaming. He dropped the book- mistake number one- and held his head in his hands. He fell to the floor, and Daelyn moved to help him stand. Daryn caught his arm, her eyes wide. It hurt him to see the man in pain, lying in a broken pile in the floor. When he stopped screaming, the room was silent. No one moved, and Daelyn shook violently. Daryn released his arm, and he moved forward, picking the shaking, unconscious man up off the floor. He was covered in his own urine; his face was whiter than a sheet. Daelyn carried the man to the door and leaned him against the wall, only to return to the scene. One down. Nine to go. Daryn stared at the book now in her hands. The knight in charge told her to turn to a certain page. She didn't shake, didn't falter. Her words were clear, her voice nice. Their mother had taught them to read a long time ago; the lessons hadn't faded. The image of the man raced through her head, a fault of the mages. It couldn't be proved, but she knew. When she was almost finished, the pain began at the back of her head. It was like someone held a torch up to the nape of her neck, a fire spreading through her skull. She closed her eyes, but she didn't scream. An anger built up in her, towards everyone in the room, and it fueled her resistance. Nothing could stop the pain, though, and she was blinded by it. Unable to stand, she fell to her knees, felt hands on her shoulders, but she didn't scream. Clutching the book tight against her chest, she spoke to her brother behind her, "Get back in line, I'm okay." He did, and the pain stopped. It went as quickly as it came. Daryn opened her eyes and let out a long breath. She was dizzy, but she stood, finishing her part and then answering her riddle. It gave her pride to know she passed, even though she felt like fainting. Daelyn touched her cheek, and she couldn't even smile at him. Instead, she stood behind the line, waiting for this whole ordeal to be over. Daelyn stepped up, holding the book. He flipped the page and read, just like his sister. He didn't know what was coming, and his hands shook violently. His voice remained steady, but his eyes kept darting up to the mages. Wondering what he would need to endure for their sick pleasure. Or was it the king's pleasure? Either way, Daelyn didn't like the group of people on stage. He made it through the entire piece and was given his riddle. That's when the voices came. They were loud, echoing voices. It didn't hurt, no, it was just distracting. He couldn't think, found himself searching around the room violently for lips to read, to figure out what was going on. In his haste, he turned towards Daryn, who had her brows furrowed in that way that she did, but she was repeating his riddle over and over again. He couldn't hear her, and the headache was building from the white noise. Finally, he screamed out the answer, clutching both ears and then handed the book to the knight and went to stand by Daryn. The voices left him, and he could hear clearly again. He found Daryn's hand, and they stood like that, both of them panting, both feeling extremely proud of the other one. In the time that passed, they lost two more people, leaving a group of eight, seven boys and one girl. But every face was already exhausted, mentally strained from the first trial.</s>	<\|message\|>Information on Danycia "And I thought my handling of people was harsh." Inaris teased once the first trial was over. Beside him Ser'deni made a face of disapproval, even if she had never seen the expression for herself and the man standing next to her hadn't either. Inaris was the best of using mental magic and he was quite proud that he was able to master one of the most difficult types of magic, and the only known "Seer of Truths" in Danycia. He was well known for a streak of cruelty and he had a nasty habit of burning through slaves like wildfire. "I am not like you, Inaris. I find no pleasure in this." Ser'deni only did as she was told like a good little girl. She did not enjoy tormenting others and she certainly did not enjoy the reputation that came with it. Inaris grunted before turning his attention to the Prince. Since Inaris lacked the ability of sight, he often used his magic to supplement his missing sense. Most of the mages used their magic to fill the voids left by their disabilities. For Ser'deni it was having some sort of creature feed information to her about the environment. "The little Prince is afraid~" Inaris cooed softly. Triver did his best to ignore the male behind him, Inaris had always teased him in their younger years and even as adults that would never change. The prince fixed his gaze to the remaining eight; it had been painful to watch the others fall under the mages magic. As a prince, Triver was immune to the mages and their magic. He was one that they could not touch (as he was the only surviving heir to the throne it was forbidden that the mages used their magic on him.) The rustling of the heavy cloaks caught his ears and a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. "Do not listen to Inaris." Ser'deni whispered. The King ignored the words shared between the mages and his son. He had always allowed Triver to interact with the mages since one day (in the very distant future) the boy would become king and follow in the footsteps of his father. "We are only doing our job. Please allow us to continue, the candidates must be able to endure pain and suffering to be deemed worthy." Her words made a bubble of nervousness rise in Triver's throat. They were doing this for his safety? He didn't want to be protected by them or the knights; he didn't want to be protected by anyone! Ser'deni returned to her previous location, allowing Inaris to return to his place. The King scanned the small group of candidates before silently betting with himself which would crack first. His money was on the lone woman. The King had little respect for women and even his wife wasn't immune to his treatment. She might have been his wife but the King held little respect for anyone who wasn't capable of holding political power. The female mages behind him, as few as they were, were only valued for their magic. He stood up and finally addressed the crowd. The King was tall, like his son with similar features although the boy had his mother's gold spun hair. The King's hair was a dark and earthy brown that he wore short to hide the many silver hairs that streaked through it. "The time has come for the second trial!" He barked out and the knight in charge of announcing the events quickly parroted his words. Some might say the King was mad and there probably wasn't a soul in the room that wouldn't agree. He sat back down heavily in his gold colored mini-throne, as Triver had called it. It was simply a smaller version of the Danycian throne that had been a symbol of power for hundreds of years. Just as soon as the King had settled into his seat, it began to rain.</s>
<\|description\|>Information on Danycia Chosen by the gods to weild magic, the mages are fully human although none believe that. Magic is a fickle thing, typically if one parent is a mage there is no gauruntee that their children would be as well. Magic can show itself multiple times in a single generation or it may take a hundred years to show back up in the bloodlines. Families that advertise themselves as a strong line of mages usually aren't blood related. As a trade off for great skills in magic all mages have some degree of disability. This may range to having only one arm or leg, deafness, muteness or blindness to missing an organ (never the heart, lungs or brain). Sometimes mages may have multiple disabilities although it is quite rare. Mages run the risk of dying young if they are pushed beyond their limits. They must keep their emotions under check at all times or they may loose concentration on spells and have them backfire or in cases of extreme emotion like rage or sadness, they can get out of control. WIP This is the main kingdom of the humans. It is located along a coast, giving Danycia a great fishing economy. A majority of Danycia lies inland where it extends to the farthest boarders of the smallest human kingdoms. For generations the ruling family of Danycia has brought prosperity to their people, currently only three kings have been tyrants and almost all of them have died early. Within this world magic is linked directly to the life force. It can kill you if you use too much magic at once or if you run out of it. All living things possess magic and can be trained to use it. Mages are special beings who have a larger quantity of magic (and life force) and learning to use magic comes easier to them. Mages usually show signs of magical abilities as children through simple means like levitating objects of themselves, accidentally setting fires and things like that. There are schools for teaching magic although they have been regulated to be only for the higher classes.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia "Ah! Welcome." Triver said as he stood up from his chair. "I am Triver and these are my friends." The prince gestured to the two mages on either side of him. Inaris gave a short laugh, "More like we're his babysitters." Ser'deni threw her pillow at him. Inaris threw it back, only for it to accidentally miss and hit the prince. Triver's cheeks flushed pink as he picked the pillow up off of the ground. He launched the pillow at Inaris with an irritated growl. "Watch where you're throwing things!" Triver said before rubbing the red spot on his cheek. The unholy pillows of the infirmary felt more like pieces of wood that feather pillows. "Aren't you going to introduce us?" Ser'deni asked as she turned her attention towards the direction of the knights. "I see that you've healed nicely." She said to Daryn, "And how's your brother's injuries? Rean healed him but everyone knows she doesn't like to put her full effort into it." Triver tried not to laugh. The prince was a goofy boy when he was with friends. This was the true Triver - he enjoyed a good laugh or two and would gladly be the butt of the joke. Not many people got to see this side of him. He cleared his throat before speaking up. "Where are my manners? This is Ser'deni," The woman bowed her head, "And he is Inaris." the blond man gave a slight wave before lying back in his bed. "Why don't we give you a tour of the castle and then we can go about doing a few things for the day?" Triver suggested. He smoothed out his clothes before looking at the two mages. "We will come back to visit you--" Inaris held up his hand to silence the prince. "We're fine. Just still a bit tired and the nurses aren't watching. This place is too stuffy." He got out of the bed and slipped on one of the robes that were off to the side of each bed. The patients usually were in their underclothes and the robes were for modesty's sake, although Inaris really didn't care about being modest. He just didn't want to sunburn or blind anybody. Ser'deni also ignored the pleas of the prince to stay and rest. They only needed to rest after yesterday's events. It wasn't like they had their legs cut off or something. She tightly wrapped the robe around her body before walking around her bed and towards Inaris. Together they walked towards the doors of the infirmary. "I think I stood up too fast." "Shh...We're going to get some food. I'm tired of gruel." "Do you think little Triver would mind?" "He's going to take the knights for breakfast. I'm not going to miss out on that." Triver sighed before turning towards the twins. "I am sorry for the way they are acting. Usually they are quite...creepy. But they will be joining us for a while today so please...just don't take anything they say to heart." If he knew the mages, they would try to make the new knights as uncomfortable as possible. Well Inaris would, Ser'deni would just sit there and nod her head when appropriate. The prince led the way as he pointed out some of the important areas of the castle and finally when they reached a small dining room closer to his wing of the castle, Triver motioned for them to take a seat. "I've never taken knights before but I will treat you both well. This is where you will come to eat if you wish; it is a private room for my servants to dine in, and there will be no men who will hit on you in here." He said to Daryn. Triver helped the servants bring out the food and set it on the table before taking his seat again. "I will ask of one thing of you both. So long as you serve under me, please do not think of me as just a prince." "He gets touchy about that." Ser'deni spoke up as she stole a piece of ham. Next to her, Inaris was busy stuffing his mouth with a few rolls spread with honey and nuts. "Just think of him as a kid that needs protecting." "I am not a child anymore." "You will always be our little prince, we will always protect you." Triver felt his cheeks warm up in embarrassment.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker The entire tour around the castle was nothing short of creepy for Daryn. She was uncomfortable around the mages, even more so when they acted like normal human beings. Seeing them joke around, it made a shiver run up Daryn's spine. She kept a quiet distance, taking in the magnificent sights of the palace. Daelyn, always being the opposite of his sister, found the mages to be intriguing. To see them acting normal was wonderful. It allowed Daelyn to understand who they were, outside of being the King's pawns. He felt almost refreshed, seeing them joke around. He did sense Daryn's discomfort, keeping an eye on her through the walk. The private dining room was elaborate, a table set in the middle, empty for the moment. The twins were led into seats, and then they watched as Triver helped the servants. Daryn could have fainted, disbelief clouding her mind. The prince shouldn't have to help the servants, but there he was. She was touched by his kindness, wondering for a moment if he was putting on a show for his new knights. He made the comment about no one hitting on Daryn while they ate, and she choked on her food. Daelyn clapped her on the back, and she caught her breath, sitting the bread down she had been eating. Had he noticed too? Everyone seemed to look at her funny, and it was starting to have an effect on her. Daryn was still panting when the prince made his request to them to think of him as more than a prince. Daelyn thought on that. What else was he? He chuckled at Ser'deni's comment about him being a kid that needed protecting. Surely, that's not what the prince meant. Daryn was breathing normally, trying to find words in her mind. Daelyn watched the gears turn. "Thank you for your kindness, your majesty," Daryn said, smiling at the boy. Daelyn touched her shoulder for support. "But we are only knights to you, a prince. We will treat you as no less." Daelyn knew that wasn't what the prince wanted to hear. "But, your majesty, if you were looking for two friends in the Lyker twins, we will do all we can." Daryn shot him a look of confusion, her eyes falling down to the table. It wasn't that she didn't want to be friends with Triver. She liked the boy's personality. Befriending the prince, though, would only cause a moral dilemma when the time came to betray the royal family. Daelyn would never think that way; he was too kind to tell someone like Triver no. Daryn saw a world of similarities in the two of them. She felt his hand still on her shoulder, and she smiled up at him. In honesty, it had been a long time since the two of them found friendship in anyone but the other.</s>	<\|message\|>Information on Danycia "Thank the gods he's getting more friends." Inaris joked. Triver shot him an irritated glance before going back to his food. Ser'deni elbowed him in the side. "Be nice to the prince, Inaris." Triver wanted to slam his head onto the table and he had been thinking of it up until the time he heard Inaris mention something about getting the prince a pillow. The mage always had his abilities out in the open and he had a habit of prying into the minds of others for a quick observation. No doubt he was doing that to the twins. For a mage skilled in magic of the mind, they were able to be almost undetectable. For those like Ser'deni, who used the ability sparingly due to the strain, it was often a very painful experience for those that they targeted. "Why do you seem surprised that Triver is so unlike the picture that you were given?" Inaris asked Daryn. His tone was light, as if he had just mentioned the weather or commented on the food. Triver could see the large dagger that Inaris clutched tightly in his hand. The mages always reacted to the slightest things; often mistaking them as threats. That was one of the reasons why the king was so well protected; they acted on things before they truly became threats. Ser'deni quickly looked towards the knights before pressing her lips together and whistling. Red eyed crows flew through the open window and landed behind her on the large chair. "Calm down! Inaris didn't mean like that!" Triver stood to his full height, knocking his chair down behind him. He was just thankful that she hadn't brought out the vulture. "You always overreact!" "It is my job!" "No, your job is to protect fath- my father, not me!" Triver yelled at her. Inaris was trying to calm the both of them down. Inaris knew what Ser'deni meant about it being her job. He wasn't as oblivious as they thought. Once things calmed down between the two of them, the woman pointed a finger in the direction that she thought Daelyn was (and surprise, surprise...she was wrong.) "You....you're the one that kicked my bird at the trials." "He's to your left...."Triver said with a dry voice. The crows had remained in the room under the orders that they would be on their best behavior. They bounced around the room picking at the shiny objects they found before depositing them on the table in front of Triver. "No, go over a bit more. There he is." Inaris giggled lightly. "Someone's as blind as a bat." Triver looked at his new knights with a pleading 'put me out of my misery' look. He mouthed 'help me' when The crows tried to steal the buttons on his tunic.</s>
<\|description\|>Information on Danycia Chosen by the gods to weild magic, the mages are fully human although none believe that. Magic is a fickle thing, typically if one parent is a mage there is no gauruntee that their children would be as well. Magic can show itself multiple times in a single generation or it may take a hundred years to show back up in the bloodlines. Families that advertise themselves as a strong line of mages usually aren't blood related. As a trade off for great skills in magic all mages have some degree of disability. This may range to having only one arm or leg, deafness, muteness or blindness to missing an organ (never the heart, lungs or brain). Sometimes mages may have multiple disabilities although it is quite rare. Mages run the risk of dying young if they are pushed beyond their limits. They must keep their emotions under check at all times or they may loose concentration on spells and have them backfire or in cases of extreme emotion like rage or sadness, they can get out of control. WIP This is the main kingdom of the humans. It is located along a coast, giving Danycia a great fishing economy. A majority of Danycia lies inland where it extends to the farthest boarders of the smallest human kingdoms. For generations the ruling family of Danycia has brought prosperity to their people, currently only three kings have been tyrants and almost all of them have died early. Within this world magic is linked directly to the life force. It can kill you if you use too much magic at once or if you run out of it. All living things possess magic and can be trained to use it. Mages are special beings who have a larger quantity of magic (and life force) and learning to use magic comes easier to them. Mages usually show signs of magical abilities as children through simple means like levitating objects of themselves, accidentally setting fires and things like that. There are schools for teaching magic although they have been regulated to be only for the higher classes.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia Once his knights were on the other side of the door Triver turned towards the mages who were carrying on as if nothing happened. He didn't know how they could simply ignore threats and angry words. He guessed that it came with their jobs or from the battlefield. He guessed that it was a little bit of both. "I cannot believe you two." Triver said as he rubbed his face. "Hm?" The two mages looked at the prince before whispering to each other. "What do you mean?" "That sort of behavior. You just...you just threatened their lives and now you're acting as if nothing has happened." Triver could not wrap his head around their strange behavior. Both shrugged, "We were raised to be this way. We are simply tools for the king and nothing more." Inaris said; it wasn't their fault that they had been raised in such a manner. Threats were to mean nothing to them unless they involved the royal line. They were to be mindless machines that the king could use and abuse. There was something about the easiness with which Inaris spoke those words that made Triver's skin crawl. "Why don't you go with them? We will know if any harm comes to you." Ser'deni said as she moved closer to the prince. "We are sorry for making you upset but we are not sorry for doing our job." She brought a hand to the prince's face before reaching the top of his head and ruffling his hair. "Run along and play, little prince." The mages collected a few more bits of food before bowing to the prince and leaving. They passed the twins before making their way down one of the dim corridors. A few moments later Triver exited the room. "I apologize for their behavior." Triver would have bowed but he had always been taught to only bow in the presence of his father. "Now let us see the grounds." Triver showed the twins where they could train, the special training area for mages, the gardens, stables, blacksmith, and a few other places before settling back into the garden. He wanted to know a bit more about them and the gardens would be the perfect place to ask. He failed to notice a crow sitting in a nearby tree, partially hidden by the leaves. "Come, sit with me." He gestured to the long bench close to one of the fountains. The gardens were extravagant and had been planned by his mother. All of her favorite flowers were in bloom and surely the Queen would be collecting some soon. "Where are you both from?" Triver was curious about the world outside of the castle walls. ~*~ Within the southern tower of the castle, the mages roamed free. This was their territory. They lived within the tower because no one else wanted to live close to them, and the king's chambers were along the southern and most protected side of the castle. Inaris bid farewell to Ser'deni as they neared their rooms. His room was a floor lower than hers. His room was grand compared to some. It was the same size as the others but almost every inch of the room was covered in old texts. Even though the man was blind he had found a way to read by using his magic. But the walls behind the books were decorated in richly colored murals depicting the outdoors. His bed was large and focused in the middle of his room; off to the side there was a simple bath chamber and his room housed several large windows. He quickly locked the door to his room before opening one of the books on his bed. No one must know that he had that book in his possession.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daelyn kept a close eye on Daryn as they walked around the grounds. She was quiet, unusually so, but she was taking in every sight. He could see her eyes scale the wall that surrounded the castle, the guards standing at the top, and the dents and cracks. While he understood what she was doing, he chose to ignore her. They stood on each side of the prince. Daelyn made a note to come back and check out the stables; he loved horses. Daryn's attention was brought back to the journey when they entered the garden. Everything was overwhelming. The colors, the smells, the sounds. It was like stepping out of the royal grounds and into the wild. Daryn couldn't keep her eyes still. She was breathless. Daelyn sat down beside the Prince; Daryn sat on the other side. When the Prince asked where they came from, Daryn smiled at him. Daelyn took a deep breath and looked at her. She nodded. "Not far from here, at the edge of the sea, there's a tiny village called Port Danycia. Most of the people there live on boats or raise goats. The ground isn't fertile enough for crops; it is mostly rock and cliffs. We grew up on a fishing boat there with our father," she told him, looking down at her hands. "It was a beautiful place. When the sun set, it would reflect the most amazing shades of orange and pink across the water. The air always smelled like salt and sand. We had a festival, called Festival of Moons, and everyone would help build this giant fire in the village center. There was a man who would tell stories all night, using the light from the fire to cast shadows on the ground." She looked towards Daelyn, who was nodding. "Once a month, the children and their mothers would make a trip into the royal city to buy medicine and supplies we could not get on our own. It was always a big deal, because we put on our best clothes and brushed our hair. We had to walk through a thick forest to get there," Daelyn continued, "If it rained, we would hide in the caves that you could find strewn through the forest." Daryn laughed, remembering clearly how small the caves had been. After their mother died, the twins stopped going on those adventures. The last walk back from the royal city had been the hardest journey they had ever taken. It had rained, but the three of them didn't stop. "When it would storm, the lightning would hit the water, and so we would have to pitch tents on land. The fireflies would come out, and we would open the tent and let them in, only to shut it again and trap them. Waking up covered in dead fireflies was worth watching them create a night sky in our tent." Daeyln watched his sister talk, seeing her face relax. He missed home, just as much as she did. Yet, he didn't know if they would ever get to go back. It seemed so far away. "We would love to take you there, your majesty," Daelyn said, "But I'm sure your mages would not allow it. Tell us about your childhood here."</s>	<\|message\|>Information on Danycia "I've lived my entire life within the walls of the castle; reading books, learning languages, drawing..." His eyes focused on the brightly colored flowers off to his left. "I was never allowed to leave, only once or twice but that was to accompany my father and mother to her home kingdom." Triver might have never gone hungry or known heartbreak and he's been given everything that he's ever wanted, but compared to the people of his kingdom, the ordinary people who scratch out a living on the bottom of a fish barrel, he had nothing. There are no adventures, there are no times spent catching fireflies. He felt bitter and jealousy flared within his veins. He has everything and yet he has nothing. "My only friends were Inaris and Ser'deni. They are four years my senior so they were closer to each other than they were to me." Triver looked down at his hands. They fumbled with a few of the silver buttons on his tunic; he didn't know what else to do with them. "You might not like the mages for what they do," He looked at the twins, Daryn in particular, "But to me they are my most precious people. We would play here in the gardens. They would use their magic to take me on journeys. They would make things bearable for me." There had been a time in his younger years that Triver had wished he could fling himself over the castle walls. The crow that was perched in the tree gave a caw before flying off. Triver looked for the black bird but he couldn't find it. A soft sigh was pulled from the lips of the prince. "I do not like what my father is doing - has done with the mages." Triver admitted, it was well known that the prince, and almost everyone else in the castle disliked the way the mages were used as weapons. "They are my best friends...but they are sent to the battlefield on a regular basis...I do not get to see much of them; this is the first time in a year that I have been able to be with Inaris and Ser'deni in the same room. This is the first time in months that Ser'deni has been playful towards me." Triver felt the hot tears prick the corners of his eyes. He felt so lonely. What if his friends were sent to battle and never returned alive? He would have nobody then. Triver wiped away the tears that fell onto his cheeks and he looked up at his knights. He laughed in an attempt to clear the tears but more kept coming; he couldn't stop them. A little while later the crow returned. It came to rest on a nearby bush. "It is alright, prince. Thank you for your kind words, they have warmed my heart." For a moment Triver was shocked, he knew that magic was something that he could never understand but talking birds? "I came to deliver you a message. All of you. First to the twins; I am sorry for the way I treated both of you. I was simply looking after the prince. And the news that I have for you, prince....it will make your heart heavy. Inaris...he's gone." "Gone?" Triver felt his blood run cold. "Not as in dead gone. He's missing, along with some of the king's books. The ones in his private study. A hunt has been called for Inaris; if he is found he will be executed. You two shall guard the prince in case Inaris comes after him." The crow fell silent as Triver processed what was said. Inaris was gone with some of the most valuable books in all of Danycia. Those books contained spells of great magnitude - they were forbidden; although his father could not cast magic he hoarded magic books since before Triver was born. He had said it was to ensure that when the time comes, he could have the upper hand. "He is a traitor!" The crow let loose another caw, louder and more heartfelt than before. Triver felt dizzy. This could not be happening. Inaris would no do such thing. He had promised Triver that no matter what, they would stay together. But he had broken that promise before, when he had distanced himself years ago. He was losing a piece of himself. Triver felt his breakfast in the back of his throat. The alarms were raised; the guards ran past, their armor clinking together as they shouted to search the grounds for the mage. Triver could see little black dots in the corners of his vision. His eyes closed and he slumped to the ground.</s>
<\|description\|>Information on Danycia Chosen by the gods to weild magic, the mages are fully human although none believe that. Magic is a fickle thing, typically if one parent is a mage there is no gauruntee that their children would be as well. Magic can show itself multiple times in a single generation or it may take a hundred years to show back up in the bloodlines. Families that advertise themselves as a strong line of mages usually aren't blood related. As a trade off for great skills in magic all mages have some degree of disability. This may range to having only one arm or leg, deafness, muteness or blindness to missing an organ (never the heart, lungs or brain). Sometimes mages may have multiple disabilities although it is quite rare. Mages run the risk of dying young if they are pushed beyond their limits. They must keep their emotions under check at all times or they may loose concentration on spells and have them backfire or in cases of extreme emotion like rage or sadness, they can get out of control. WIP This is the main kingdom of the humans. It is located along a coast, giving Danycia a great fishing economy. A majority of Danycia lies inland where it extends to the farthest boarders of the smallest human kingdoms. For generations the ruling family of Danycia has brought prosperity to their people, currently only three kings have been tyrants and almost all of them have died early. Within this world magic is linked directly to the life force. It can kill you if you use too much magic at once or if you run out of it. All living things possess magic and can be trained to use it. Mages are special beings who have a larger quantity of magic (and life force) and learning to use magic comes easier to them. Mages usually show signs of magical abilities as children through simple means like levitating objects of themselves, accidentally setting fires and things like that. There are schools for teaching magic although they have been regulated to be only for the higher classes.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn clenched the reins of the horse, enjoying the gentle sway of the beast under her. She had always liked horses. Animals in general, really. Daelyn had too, which explained why he was brushing his fingers through the horse's mane, making clucking noises to it. The horse's ears swiveled around when he clicked his tongue, and he patted its neck periodically. Daryn liked to see him so happy. They led the group through the woods, Daryn leading the convoy. Daelyn took a guard position behind the rest, a typical guard position. As they walked, the listened to the woods, the birds in the trees and the creeks running through. The woods were a solace, a peace for the twins. These were the same woods she had been telling Triver about earlier, but when she glanced over to tell him, she changed her mind. The boy looked broken. Instead, she fiddled with the bow she'd picked up before they left. She pulled the group into the small village right outside the woods, a place the twins hated to stop. The village was known for its black market and thieves. Daelyn remembered the place in passing, but the images were vivid. Hurrying through on the way to the capital, afraid to let his hand stray from his money. Bandits, he remembered bandits. Daryn had slowed the group down, and he came in a lot closer, shutting the space between them. He rode up beside Triver and Ser'deni. "Let us hope we do not stay long in this place," he said quietly, "No good comes from this village." The buildings were broken stone, falling into the streets in big clumps. There were no signs telling visitors what was what, and the air surrounding them smelled of strong liquor. Beggars leaned against the same buildings, sleeping with gray matted hair and dirt smeared face. Daelyn couldn't stand to look at them. He looked towards Daryn, who stared straight ahead, sitting tall. They were still wearing guard uniforms and would be easy targets for the thieves. Daryn thought, walking the horse into the center of the village. They needed disguises. Everyone would know who the prince was in a matter of seconds, if they took the time to look at his face before they stole all his money. She dug through her mind for anyone she knew through the rebellion that would be here. Sanuel. He owned a tavern in this God forbidden place. She remembered him mentioning it in passing once. Where had he said she could find him? She pulled her horse up to a building with a solid wooden door, painted red. A big 'R' was painted in black across the front in swirling letters. Daryn got off her horse, handing the reigns to Daelyn, who peered at her. "We need to hide who we are. I know a man who works here. He will provide us with the disguises we need. Just stay outside and wait on me; I'll hurry back out." With that, she smiled at Daelyn and walked in, leaving him standing , holding her horse. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the tavern, the thick smoke, and the stench of liquor. Men piled around tables, staring at her as she passed, but she looked at every face, searching. He had to be here. She got to the front of the store, where a man was watching her carefully. "I'm looking for Sanuel," she said, in a low whisper, leaning carefully over the counter. "No one here by that name," he grunted. "My name is Daryn Lyker. He will know me," she pleaded, feeling light headed. The man gave her a once over, disappearing through a back door. He came back out a moment later, nodded and led Daryn around the corner. Through a door, she followed him, glad to be out of that room. Back here, it didn't stink. She could breathe. A man stretched out across a bed, hands folded behind his eyes. His sandy blonde hair was long, in a single braid that lay over his shoulder. He was dressed nicer than the men outside, leather vest, clean new boots. His eyes were closed, but she saw his chest rise and fall. When the door shut behind her, his eyes opened, and he sat up. The sight of him made her nervous, twisting her stomach into pieces. Few men could made Daryn swoon. What she felt for the man was a mix of admiration and fear. He gave her a smile, swinging his legs off the bed and standing. "My girl, how far you've come," he said, looking her over. "it's good to see you, Sanuel."</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia Triver blinked when a hat was placed onto his head. It was pushed so far that it covered his eyes. With an annoyed huff he quickly picked it up over his eyes before directing his attention to the mage. She was looking uneasy - something that Triver had never seen before in her. She had gone on conquests for their father, she killed people but sitting in a village made her nervous? Triver didn't understand why she had such a change in her mood. "Don't want you to be seen." She mumbled out before directing her attention to Daelyn. "Are we getting closer to the sea?" She asked. "We've never been to the sea. It's something that he'd enjoy." Triver hadn't left the castle walls until today and Ser'deni was always placed up north in the Great Desert and the surrounding areas. Ser'deni only wanted the prince to be happy again. "He always used to talk about the sea when he was a little boy...." Triver was barely able to hear her words; he wasn't paying much attention to anything. His mind kept drifting back to Inaris. It had to be some sort of mistake or this was all some sort of horrible nightmare and he'd wake up any minute and then he'd tell Inaris and Ser'deni and they'd laugh. But this wasn't a dream. He could smell the foul stench of alcohol and waste. It burnt his nose and caused the prince to cover his lower face to mask the smell. Ser'deni reached out a hand and grabbed Triver's larger one. She could feel is unease which only made hers increase. He squeezed her hand back and gave a faint smile, although it didn't reach his eyes. Her birds were perched around the broken village, keeping an eye and ear out for danger. It was their duty to still protect the prince despite their mission.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn sat on the edge of the bed with the man, one of his hands pressed firmly on her upper thigh. She had finished telling him about the trials, and her hands were shaking where she clasped them in her lap. Sanuel was cooing at her gently, stroking the fabric of her uniform. She was quiet now, feeling his touch, confused feelings washing over her. She liked the man a lot. He was someone she feared and respected, cared for a lot. But there had been times when Sanuel pushed her past her limits. She pushed those vivid memories of unwanted intimacy out of her mind, reminding herself of who he was. Head of the rebellion. Her boss. Although she would never admit it, she was more frightened of him that attracted to him. "What brings you here, Daryn?" He asked, the smile disappearing from his face. He was back to business. "We are on a mission as the guards to the Prince. And we need disguises. So we can pass through unseen," she rambled, struggling to steady her voice. The blonde man nodded, standing up quickly. He strode over to a wooden chest in the corner of the room, pulling open the lid. It only took moments for the man to pull out several articles of clothing. Triver would need a hat. Ser'deni would most likely be okay. Daryn and her brother would need new outfits completely. Like he was reading her mind, he pulled out a hat for Triver and two outfits for the twins. To her distress, he pulled out a long dress for her. "Thank you, sir. I should be going before they begin to wonder too much." Sanuel simply nodded and pulled her in for a hug, hands drifting over the length of her back. She pulled away from him, turning to leave the room with her arms piled high. Outside, Daelyn watched his sister hurry out the door, shoving a hat roughly onto the prince's head. She carried clothes, nice outfits for the two of them. She seemed uneasy, and her face was a brilliant shade of red. Before he could ask, Ser'deni asked him a question. He smiled at her. "The nearest city is Port. Which is a coastal city. Well, village. It's too small to call it a city. We can stay there for the night, and then continue on in the morning," Daelyn answered, dismounting. Daryn shoved clothes at him, and he noticed why she was so flustered. The man inside had given her a dress. That was like Sanuel. He was probably going to be watching them leave. Daelyn had a very strong dislike for the man. "Please excuse my sister and I while we go change," Daelyn said, bowing quickly and then pulling Daryn into the nearest alley. She was already stripping out of her clothes when he turned to face her. "He didn't try anything with you, did he?" He asked, hurrying. She shook her head violently, tugging the dress over her. Daelyn didn't believe her for a minute. Daryn felt like a fool. She hated dresses. She hated feeling so constricted and helpless. She felt like a child in a dress, playing house. It was idiotic. If Sanuel wasn't such a pervert, maybe she wouldn't be in this position. She let her hair down as she finished dressing, scowling at Daelyn who was wearing a simple back tunic and pants. "I'm so jealous," she muttered, pushing past him. "The color matches your skin," he blurted out, following her. She laughed, nearly bending over. She walked up to where the Prince and Ser'deni waited. She carefully and painfully mounted again, stringing her bow around her shoulder and her sword at her saddle. Another reason to dislike dresses, there was no where to put your sword. "We should get to Port before dark," she said, kicking her horse into motion, "The past is full of bandits."</s>	<\|message\|>Information on Danycia Triver and Ser'deni waited patiently for the siblings to return. The prince finally looked around the small town from under the hat that had been jammed on top of his head. He sighed and looked at the blind woman. "Things are going to get a lot harder, aren't they?" Ser'deni nodded. "Yes. We have orders and we must carry them out, even if it means killing a part of our hearts. It shall be okay though, I am still here for you." Their hands remained clasped together until Daryn and Daelyn came back. "What would we do about bandits?" Triver asked as he pulled his horse alongside Daryn's. "Kill them." The mage said from the back of the line. Ser'deni was more confident in her abilities to summon if she wasn't in the middle of things. The woman held tightly to the reigns of her horse. She wasn't accustomed to land dwelling beasts; her heart was in the sky and often her birds were how she traveled to the war zones in the northern part of Danycia and its surrounding kingdoms. Triver didn't like the easy way in which Ser'deni spoke but he assumed that it came with the baggage of being a solider for the Danycian King. A soft sigh left his lips as he turned to face forward. His mind drifted to the tales he once read in a book back in the castle library. It had been an old dusty thing bound in thick leather and decorated with gold colored writing. They were nothing more than children's tales but Triver found himself believing them; tales of mermaids luring people, particularly men, to their deaths in the water and tales of mischievous fae who take a liking to human children. Triver's mother was not of Danycia, she was from a neighboring kingdom down in the far south of the lands, so he had grown up hearing her tales from home. As it grew later out Triver's heart had begun to beat a little faster. He was unsure about this journey. What if it went horribly wrong and things weren't as they seemed. What if he or any of his companions were killed? He didn't think he could live with himself if any of the siblings or his half-sister were to be killed while trying to protect him. "Three people are ahead on the path." Ser'deni said as she untied the black strip of cloth from her eyes. It had begun to slip down so she decided to use it to tie her hair back. "Four more wait in the trees just before them." The Prince didn't know if she had other bird summons as he couldn't see the three crows any longer. The low hoot of an owl made the prince jump. He had never bothered to ask just how many different bird summons the woman had, for all he knew the owl hoot could have been a coincidence. To him, the unnatural vultures and red-eyed crows always were frightening. "Shall we confront them or go around them? He cannot fight well and I fear that we may be out numbered. Mages fight at our best in long range attacks." The made asked as she looked towards the dusky sky. It wasn't quite dark out yet but the path was beginning to darken slowly and steadily as they traveled further. "Can't your birds help?" The woman sighed, "Yes and no; depending on our situation and if we get to them before they decide to move closer to us." The Prince was feeling terribly out of place; had no battle experience. Sure he could swing a sword (badly) but he preferred books and studying to swords and daggers, and had paid much more attention in his history courses rather than during his sword training. His stomach knotted nervously as he waited to see what would happen.</s>
<\|description\|>Gilbert Nightray Nickname Gilbert of "Gil" Gender Male Age Physically 24, 125 actual Birthday February 5th Astrological Sign Aquarius From & Creator Pandora Hearts - Jun Mochizuki Personality * Gruff * Reserved * Loyal * Observant * Protective Gilbert Nightray is a man of many faces. Towards most newcomers, he appears rather cold and reserved. There are many who consider him rather unapproachable due to this, and how disinterested he seems in most people at first glance. The kind, timid, easily picked on boy he once was has long vanished into a stronger, colder person with a deadly cunning. Yet, the endless loyalty he had then hasn't faded. He would gladly cheat, lie and even die for his friends, Oz specifically. He is driven by a need to accompany and protect those who he holds close. If anyone is a threat to Oz, he specifically targets them and won't rest until they're dead. His exterior seems rather frigid, as shown by his cold, unyielding gaze and expressions. Yet, Gilbert warms towards certain people after knowing them for a significant amount of time. Also, if he knows you're an ally, he's more likely to be more hospitable. Beneath the cold exterior is a loyal person who would go to the ends of the earth to support his friends. Besides his duties to his master, he is very independent and does not like to have his schedule restrained. He enjoys his alone time significantly, and often cooks, practices his shooting and aim, goes for a quick smoke, or even reluctantly has a cup of tea with Xerxes Break. He likes being useful to Oz and those around him. He also doesn't like following a mundane schedule, and hates repetitiveness. He often attempts to change his schedule at least a tiny bit each day. This doesn't necessarily mean traveling all around, because he doesn't really have the time of money to do that. He knows he has too many responsibilities, and he isn't the type to just leave and abandon people. He can get irritated very quickly at times, even more when dealing with Alice or Xerxes Break, or any threat to Oz. He has a habit of disliking stubborn people, even though he can kind of be stubborn himself. He's ridiculously stubborn, and is willing to do terrible things if he's commanded to by Oz. He's weak-willed when it comes to Oz, but can be stubborn and stand up to those who have more power than he does for the sake of others. This is one of his fatal flaws and can certainly get him harmed. Powers & Abilities * Talented with guns * High physical resistance * Very speedy fighter He as control of a chain called Raven. Raven can do the following: * Create dangerous blue flames * Able to somewhat seal the power of other chains, or summons * Create Illusions Likes * Dogs * Generous People * Gourmet Food * Violin music * Cool, mild weather Dislikes * Cats * Food with extremely spicy/sweet/salty/etc flavoring * Deadlines * Severely humid weather Occupation/Hobby Gilbert is rather talented with cooking. Apartment Interior Apartment Room 207 Possessions * Gun * His infamous hat * Bookof Edgar Allen Poe's best stories * Pocketwatch [ Each Islanders have eight total. Can be a sport's item, a weapon, a pet, a gaming console, a book, etc. ] Clothing Other N/A</s> <\|message\|>Gilbert Nightray Opening Festival! The warm season of summer seemed to opening be upon the island. Lush, green leafs decorated the tall trees. The forests and environment of the island was full of life. For those who had arrived on the island, a festival would be held to commemorate their new lives. The opening festival would be held for three nights in a row. For those three nights, the sky would be illuminated by fireworks of iridescent and opulent colors. Many colorful stands had been set up by the civilians and workers. Candied apples and firework stands, among other tiny, temporary shops selling knick knacks, had been put up. Different districts of the island were holding different festivities. The island was awake at night, and it seemed that everyone was out and about... ---- Gilbert Nightray lifted his head to stare up at the lively fireworks that illuminated the night sky. It seemed that even the stars, which gleamed coldly, were being blocked out by the rich, colorful lights. Being in such a new place, with much of his memories hazed out, had alarmed him at first. But there appeared to be no way off the island, even though he had not yet given up hope to return to his old life. The more time passed, the more he was certain that he had a life off of the island. That feeling only strengthened with the arrival of Vincent. Although the two weren't exactly on the best of terms, even Gilbert had to acknowledge the fact that it made him feel reassured to see a familiar face in the crowd. Not that most of the people here were unfriendly... But it seemed to be in his nature not to immediately trust others around him. He wasn't going to easy make friends with anyone here. His piercing golden gaze flickered away from the night sky, and down back to ground level. He was near the back of some of the stands, where the lights weren't as bright or festive. The air was cooler back here, away from the huddled masses of people. The night provided him with time to think. As he leaned against a tall, fallen wooden log, his eyes closed momentarily. A small headache from all of the noise had begun to reach him, which was why he had sought out a quieter place to gather his thoughts.</s> <\|message\|>Erika Furudo ~Beatrice, The Endless Witch~ It was remarkable, something that she found new and refreshing. It was something that never occurred during the repeating cycle of the Rokkenjima incident, something that never occurred during her time in a realm that most would never understand. Just thinking about that realm did make her wonder on how she was sent here. Was she only a mere copy of Beatrice, a game piece? Or was she simply in some unknown gameboard controlled by the Voyager Witches? She shook her head, it was quite a confusing mess to even think about, and pushed those thoughts to the deepest depths of her mind. Despite wearing her flamboyant ballgown, the Endless Witch rested herself on one of the grassy hills of this island, watching all sorts of colorful lights burst out in the night sky. Sure, it felt lonely with him not around, but she didn't exactly like the crowds back to where the festival stands and other kinds of celebrations were occurring. She just... felt shy around big crowds, and it was a whole other thing if some people didn't accept the concept of magic. "Heh... at this rate, I'll be some local hermit. Not that I mind that, but..." Beatrice chuckled to herself. That could be a possibility... Glancing over to her right, she saw a lone flower growing next to her. It was a unique flower, something different than the usual roses that she surrounded herself with. With great interest for it, she decided to pluck it right off of it's roots, maybe she could use it as a hair ornament so she wouldn't be using that same rose pin all of the time. "Oh... it smells wonderful too..." she comments on the flower's aroma, peaking her interest for it. Before she could examine the flower even more, it turns out that her alone time had taken an end... "Lady Beatrice. I brought over some snacks for you from the festival stands," the voice of her butler, Ronove, caught her attention, almost startling her at first. After getting over her momentary surprise, she looks over to see that he had all sorts of snacks for her, such as candy apples, assorted chocolates, cinnamon rolls, and of course... "I see, and of course, you included tea for me. Why thank you," the witch says in gratitude as she takes the flatter of all of the snacks that Ronove had brought over for her. Setting down on the grass next to her, she looked over to her side to where her butler was, but saw that he had disappeared in a cluster of golden butterflies by then. Shrugging to herself, she takes a taste of the snacks, some of them were ones that she hasn't even seen before. Though, for a moment, she could had sworn that the bushes behind her had rustled a bit, but figured it was only the wind. Either way, she thought a little picnic at the grassy hill would sum up her festival experience. --- ~Erika Furudo~ "Good... very good..." a certain detective says to herself as she hides behind one of the festival stands, a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other. Out of all times, it made you wonder on what she was up to... Jotting down notes onto her notebook, she keeps a close eye out for anybody that might try to look at her confidential business. It was one thing to find suspicious activity, but for someone to purposefully peep at her work was a whole different thing! Now that she had proper notes regarding the Endless Witch, she might as well monitor some of the other festival-goers for anything interesting to note. Heck, she only was glad that there was a festival because that meant that it would bring all of the islanders to one place. She didn't even care if she were in some unknown island, this place was just asking for a detective to go and learn all sorts of things and investigate abnormalities! Quick on her feet despite wearing heels, Erika scurried over to take cover behind a garbage bin, her pen hand ready to write down anything that she happens to find here. She toughed out the terrible smell for now, because she had some research material to observe! ...gotcha... the detective thought to herself as she saw someone (Gilbert) that happened to isolate himself from the crowded festivities. N</s> <\|message\|>Kigro Splashfoot In his mind, none could describe the festival's beauty. Compared to the festival, the beach was a quiet wasteland void of light. The cooled sand, the chilly breeze that lethargically passed through, Kigro's sniffled nose, one would think the beach a terrible place to camp. It saddened him to remember that people thought this way. The festival's explosion of sound and life was enjoyable yes, but he preferred comfort over fun. That wasn't to say that Kigro wasn't enjoying any of the festival. Past the raised terrain sat the carnival in full bloom. The sight of it's warm colors, accompanied by the soft hums of it's people and attractions, made for a beautifully subtle sight. The small bursts of light and sound that flew above it's picture furthered in the sight's excellence. It perplexed him, how could people be so mesmerized by the festival when they were so close to it? Not to say the festival wasn't a treat, but why would you squint at a painting when you could step back and see it fully?That was their minds, not his, and he had no problem with the extra space. Kigro shifted more into chilled sand as he pulled the blanket to hug his shoulders further. He took a sip of some hot chocolate and rested the steam producing mug on the pillow next to him. Despite him doing this for years now, he could definitely say that this year's festival was for sure the best yet. A few more minutes of watching the fireworks and he reached for his mug. When he found it empty, he reached over to the thermos and poured himself another. The drink puffed up a small poof a smoke in gratification. Kigro let it rest on the sand this time; he was pretty sure that it would melt someone's tongue off if they drank it currently. His head lowered and his grin widened as another light slithered in the air and popped.</s>	<\|message\|>Gilbert Nightray That terrible, itching feeling of being watched and observed hit Gilbert like a brick to the face. Due to being in... an organization (which he could not quite recall the name of right now. Blast these clouded memories.) The peacefulness of the his secluded spot had been shattered. He instinctively dug into one of his jacket's pockets, trying to retrieve a box of cigarettes, but he found none. A bit irked that he had forgotten he was trying to quit, he withdrew his hand from his pocket and gave a small sigh after coming up empty handed. Often, he smoked as a reaction to stress... Until he had decided to actually quit. Nonetheless, he still carried a gun with him, and had his chain Raven to summon if a threat did truly emerge. If whoever or whatever was observing him was dangerous, he'd definitely be able to defend himself against most assaults. But for now, he had enough of being spied on. His eyebrows furrowed into a scowl and his contemplative gaze became cold. "Cut the crap and come out from where you're hiding." He commanded in a gruff tone, golden eyes glaring around the area. He was purely going on the utter feeling and suspicion that someone was watching him, but didn't quite know for sure. The youthful-looking man dragged his gaze towards the trashcan, but moved over it, not really able to tell where exactly this mystery stalker was actually hidden.</s>
<\|description\|>Jason Diabolus Age:17 Parent: Tartaros (Roman Verison of Tartarus) Personality: He is smart, sometimes kind and very protective over the weak. His morals are only that he will win at all costs, except for that which will harm those he cares about. He was Gaea's weapon, but he escaped. He also has a strong desire for somebody to care about him. He has thrived at Camp Jupiter and has risen to the rank of Praetor. Weapons: Soul Edge (image of sword is Soul Edge). The sword can asorb the essence of Gods, Giants, and Titans. Making Jason the one of the only mortals capable of killing a god. Powers: Dark Gravity: He can manipulate a sort of dark energy to pull objects or beings towards him, or throw them away. Enhanced Strength: Like his father, Jason can easily over power a titan or Giant in a battle of strength. Monster Creation and Lordship: He can create any monster including those which do not exist, and has complete control over them. Essence Asorbtion: Jason can asorb the essence of an immortal into his sword. Just as any other child of a primordial can) Bio: Jason never knew his mother. All he knows is that she was brought into Tartarus by the Primordial God himself. Raped, forced to bear Jason and his sister Tate, the murdered. Jason was to be a gift from Tartarus to Gaea. To bring forth their era. Things didn't go as planned. He escaped when he was only four, and returned a year later to get his newborn sister from the god. Jason has since raise Tatus on the run. They lived in the pit, seeing the horrors on the pit everyday until Jason turned 15 and found a way out. Since then he has lived at Camp Jupiter and became Praetor of the Camp after helping them defeat Gaea on her second coming. He has always ruled well, with his best friend and mother figure, Shriekr at his side. Shriekr, the first of the Xenomorph species was Jason's first creation. A fully sentient and telepathic monster. Created to resemble the nightmares he saw every day. She protects him fiercely, seeing Jason as her son. Recently she mutated and became a Xenomorph Queen. 30 feet tall and even more intelligent than before. She can now lay eggs which will hatch a fully grown Xenomorph. Queen Shriekr still stays with Jason. Protecting the boy she sees as her son. Shriekr: Apperance: Jason is 6 Feet 2 inches tall.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason Diabolus stood alone on a hill, his pit energy armor surrounding the boy as he looked at the demigods training below. They were his legion, and no Praetor in the history of Rome had ever been as proud of their legion as Jason was of his legion. He smiled as he watched them train. His pet, Shriekr stood beside him. Hissing contently as she stood next to her human. Although she did tower over him. 'They all look up to you, you know' she said to him</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Long hair trailing behind her, Estelle drifted contently among the clouds. She flew high enough so the mundanes below would not see her and panic upon seeing a winged being. A loud flapping sound drew her attention and she glanced over to see her dragon Phoenix flying next to her. His mind wrapped around hers in welcome and she gave him a smile as she flapped upwards and over him. Tucking her wings she started to fall past him but at the last moment she grabbed the crest spine on his back and swung herself up onto his back, grasping a small ridge in front of her as Phoenix spread his wings and began to drift. How did your hunt fair? She inquired. She felt him brush against her mind, felt how content he was. Very well. Some sheep had wandered from the flock. They will not be missed. Estelle groaned. I hate it when you eat sheep, you always get their wool stuck in your teeth and then I have to get it out for you. A rumble erupted beneath her as Phoenix laughed. Fear not Little One, I promise I don't have wool stuck in between my teeth. Estelle giggled with him as she relaxed against his neck, sighing as she closed her eyes. She enjoyed the wind breezing through her hair for a few moments before straightening and patting Phoenix on the side of his neck. We better get back. I promised Zane I would help with the horses today. She felt the dragon's affirmation as he angled himself in the direction of the camp. Soon it was in sight and Phoenix headed for the ground, landing on the beach. Estelle slide down onto the soft sand and after waving goodbye to Phoenix, she left her dragon to take a swim in the ocean as she began the trek towards the stables. As she walked here and there campers would stop and ask her how her day was or what she was up to. For having not been at the camp for very long, Estelle was very surprised that all the demigods there took to her so quickly. It was she had been there for years. The wood nymphs, satyrs, and their resident centaur all liked her as well. She wasn't sure about the camp leader, Mr. D but then again she didn't think the God liked anyone. At least he didn't mispronounce her name like he did with most of the campers. Her thoughts then turned to the God subject. She wondered if any of them would like her if they knew her past or who her father happened to be. She wondered how long it would take them to start to question why she hadn't been claimed yet. And none of them could place her powers either so it lead to even more questions. Mr. D and Chiron where the only ones to know of her time spent in Fallen Shadows and she guessed they just assumed she got her power from the experiments. If only it were that easy. She shook the thoughts from her head as she arrived at the stables and peeked inside. Zane was already inside and she stepped up next to him as he was grooming one of the pegasi. Patting the horse gently on her nose she gave a small smile up at the son of poseidon who greeted her return. After asking her flight went he then handed a curry brush and began showing her how to brush down the horses coats. Soon she had mastered the motion and he wandered away to begin mucking out the stalls. Estelle began humming to herself softly, enjoying the bright blue day.</s>	<\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason rolled his eyes at Shriekr. "Yeah, yeah. They may all look up to me but it means nothing. I'm just a boy without them. The Legion is everything to me. Nothing could ever take them fr-" Jason was interrupted as a massive lightning bolt slammed into the Legion and reduced them to burning skeletons in seconds. Jason was speechless as he stared on. He looked at the Xenomorph Queen, even as the pounding voice of Zeus was heard around the world. "MORTALS AND DEMIGODS. WE HAVE DECIDED THAT YOU ARE OUR SLAVES. BOW BEFORE YOUR NEW MASTERS. DEMIGODS, FACE YOUR DEATH." With that the gods all warped down, the Roman versions attacking the Roman camp. With the legion gone they were free to destroy the city. Jason watched as New Rome burned. He felt his inside shatter as everything he was broke. He had failed. What worth was he? In anger the boy slammed a boulder forward with Dark Gravity in frustration. Slamming Bellona in the face and knocking the war goddess flat. Jason realized that the gods might be attacking the Greeks as well. He might have time to save somebody. As flame rolled throughout the city, lightning rained down, and all forms of attack the gods could muster tore forward. He watched as his legion began to rise and march alongside each other towards him. The boy spun and pulled out an orb, filled with Pit energy and The Rivers in Tartarus. It spun around and opened a green portal to the Greek camp. As he was about to step through, Mars rushed him. But Shriekr tackled the enraged God. 'GO! I'LL HOLD HIM' She barked and shoved Jason through. Knowing the portal would close behind him. Jason shakily got to his feet in the middle of the Greek attack. Gods and Monsters fighting everywhere. A loud roar to his side, followed by bad breath, made him spin to see a Drakon. It's teeth red with Demigod body parts hanging out of its teeth rushing him. Jason through soul edge through the beast's head. And watched as it asorbed the very essence of the Drakon. Jason rushed forward and grabbed his sword. His pit energy holding a domain around his body, barely visible until something nearly hit him. In which time it became visible and solid as it threw the object away. Jason was ready for War.</s>
<\|description\|>Jason Diabolus Age:17 Parent: Tartaros (Roman Verison of Tartarus) Personality: He is smart, sometimes kind and very protective over the weak. His morals are only that he will win at all costs, except for that which will harm those he cares about. He was Gaea's weapon, but he escaped. He also has a strong desire for somebody to care about him. He has thrived at Camp Jupiter and has risen to the rank of Praetor. Weapons: Soul Edge (image of sword is Soul Edge). The sword can asorb the essence of Gods, Giants, and Titans. Making Jason the one of the only mortals capable of killing a god. Powers: Dark Gravity: He can manipulate a sort of dark energy to pull objects or beings towards him, or throw them away. Enhanced Strength: Like his father, Jason can easily over power a titan or Giant in a battle of strength. Monster Creation and Lordship: He can create any monster including those which do not exist, and has complete control over them. Essence Asorbtion: Jason can asorb the essence of an immortal into his sword. Just as any other child of a primordial can) Bio: Jason never knew his mother. All he knows is that she was brought into Tartarus by the Primordial God himself. Raped, forced to bear Jason and his sister Tate, the murdered. Jason was to be a gift from Tartarus to Gaea. To bring forth their era. Things didn't go as planned. He escaped when he was only four, and returned a year later to get his newborn sister from the god. Jason has since raise Tatus on the run. They lived in the pit, seeing the horrors on the pit everyday until Jason turned 15 and found a way out. Since then he has lived at Camp Jupiter and became Praetor of the Camp after helping them defeat Gaea on her second coming. He has always ruled well, with his best friend and mother figure, Shriekr at his side. Shriekr, the first of the Xenomorph species was Jason's first creation. A fully sentient and telepathic monster. Created to resemble the nightmares he saw every day. She protects him fiercely, seeing Jason as her son. Recently she mutated and became a Xenomorph Queen. 30 feet tall and even more intelligent than before. She can now lay eggs which will hatch a fully grown Xenomorph. Queen Shriekr still stays with Jason. Protecting the boy she sees as her son. Shriekr: Apperance: Jason is 6 Feet 2 inches tall.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason had his own little circle of fighting, as the greeks fought, they also stared at the son of Tartarus. As the monsters that jumped him were torn to shreds, and as monsters. Xenomorphs to be exact climbed out of the ground to protect him. The boy had even charged the god of War and beat the god into submission with his bare hands before Ares disappeared. The greeks were in aw. Most knew exactly who this was. The boy who already had legends about him. The one who had faced Gaea head on and won. The boy who had slayed the God of the Pit. After the battle Jason stood among the ring of torn apart monsters in front of him. Two Xenomorphs sat on either side. Guarding him. When the dragon eyed him. Jason spoke to its mind. Being the son of Tartarus he could do that with monsters. 'Dragon you do not need to watch me like I am food. I mean your camp no harm' Jason then turned to the girl in front of him. "I'm hurt you don't recognize me, Little Star. As for my legion. Jupiter destroyed them and New Rome. I came here to protect my Greek Allies. A praetor's duties never end until the day he dies"</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Phoenix's eyes narrowed at the human, a puff of smoke curling up from his nostrils. Like you would even taste good. Not enough meat on you anyway. The dragon shot back as he watched Estelle walk over to the male demigod, the lizard following after her in case the two-leg tried anything funny. His attention was then taken by Estelle who staggered slightly upon hearing the boys words. He quickly shot his head forward to catch her, concern radiating from his mind to hers. Estelle, upon hearing the words Little Star, stumbled as a jolt of shock ran through her and a faint memory rose to the surface. A memory from long ago in a place that still haunts her nightmares to this day. She stared at the boy in shock as the words from that fated conversation rang in her ears. "I'm Jason, what's your name?" "I don't remember." "That's okay, I'll just give you a name. How about Estelle? It means Little Star." "Little Star?" "Yeah, you'll be my Little Star." As the memory faded away Estelle pushed herself away from Phoenix and took a few hesitant steps towards the boy who now stood before her, unable to believe her eyes. However, before she could react any further, a call of her name drew her attention away to see Zane walking towards her with a concerned expression. She blinked at the blood covering him and knew she faired no better. Zane stopped before, placing his hands on her small shoulders as he looked her over for wounds, sighing in relief upon seeing only scratches marring her pale skin. Estelle herself let her eyes scan over the male that had become like a brother to her. She frowned upon seeing a gash in his side and recalled that he had been in the group to help move the dead. "You should have come to the tent to be healed." She scolded him as she reached a hand out and hovered her palm over the wound. A golden light spilled out to cover the injury and after a few minutes she pulled her hand away to reveal healed skin. She blinked spots from her vision, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over her. She stumbled, both Phoenix and Zane rushing to catch her. She waved they attempts away as she steadied herself, stating she was fine. Zane scowled and reached out to hand her something. She looked down to see a bag of Ambrosia. She then looked back up at him. "Has it been given out to the others?" "Not yet-" "Then go hand it out. Go." She ordered firmly when he tried to argue. He sighed, shot her an exasperated look before leaving to attend to his task. Estelle then turned back to Jason, walking over to him. As she stared up at him, she hesitantly reached a hand up to touch his cheek. "I didn't think I would ever see you again." She whispered, blinking back the tears that filled her eyes. As her eyes ran over him she noted the scratches covering him. Frowning she reached out and ran her healing hand over them. Though it normally wouldn't take anything out of her, between the battle and healing the others earlier, she was drained. And so it wasn't rather surprising that another wave of dizziness swam over her and she sagged towards the ground as her knees gave out on her, her body having finally been pushed to the limit.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason moved forward without hesitation and caught her. "Don't worry Little Star, I got you. Come on. Let's you get you somewhere you can rest. It'll be like old times" He says softly to the girl. On the inside he smiling broadly and stupidly. He had found his best friend again. The girl who he had never stopped thinking about since the day they had gotten separated. The only girl he's ever had any sort of romantic feelings towards. He felt those feelings ignite inside his heart once again. Jason was pleased to see who Estelle had grown to be. A leader, powerful and confident. She had become intelligent and perfect in every way to him. If at all possible the girl had become even more beautiful. All these thoughts ran through his head as he scooped up the tired girl and carried her. As he always had when she became tired. Jason laid her down on a cot within the newly set up quarters for the camp. He kneeled down next to her. "Rest here, Little Star. I'll help your camp heal their wounded and prepare the camp for the next attack. You'll find I'm quite a good leader." He says softly to her. "Come find me after you have regained your strength." He whispers. Then gets up and heads outside. Upon leaving the cabin he looked at the campers all around who were standing around, scared. The boy took a step towards them. "Greeks, lend me your ears!" He said loudly. Most of them turned to listen, except for one show off Ares kid who tried to challenge Jason, and was promptly punched in the face by an older sister of his. Who then nodded to Jason with respect. The sight of that alone made Jason smirk slightly. "Greek. Roman. What does it all mean anymore when the very gods we fought for have killed us? Sworn to enslave our world? What does it mean to us anymore. Demigods? That name no longer suits us. We are not going to lie down and obey the Gods on this are we? Not going to let them destroy our homes, our friends. Because let me tell you, that is what they will do. Jupiter struck down my entire legion with just a single bolt. I watched as the gods burned New Rome and killed everybody inside. Then I fled to here, to help all of you avoid the same fate." Jason says softly as he looks downwards. A solemn tone taking his voice. Then the boy looks upwards, his red and silver eye filled with sadness and anger. "I'm not letting these... these pitiful excuses for dietys rule my life! I'm not letting them strike me down because it pleases them! I'm certainly not letting them enslave the world I love!" Jason said with renewed vigor. "I think it's time the gods give to a new Race of Immortal. Just as the Gods took their throne by the destruction of their parents. I believe it is time for them to face their destruction at our hands. It's time for new race of Immortal to rise and take the throne. As of now, the Age of the Gods is over. It is time to usher in a New Era. A new age! It's time for the Age of the Elysians. Of Us. Now I ask you my friends, who stands with me? Who will punish the pitiful excuses that call themselves gods with me? Who will throw them from their moutaintop fortress? Step forward now. Those who do not step forward, fear not for you will not be judged. You will be protected and will have a place in the coming age should you choose." Jason says as a lone Athena Girl steps forward. 'I will stand with you Praetor!' She said, followed by the rest of the assembled demigods. Jason looked out at them all. Who then turned to him and demand he lead them into the New Age. Jason nodded solemnly and accepted. Then went about ensuring the camp would have barriers to prevent any further attacks. This was the beginning of the Age of the Elysians.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle As Estelle was laid onto the bed, Phoenix curled up outside the cabin. The girl sighed and closed her eyes, feeling her dragons presence in the back of her mind. It wasn't long before he gave her a mental nudge and stated she would want to see this before enveloping her mind in his. Estelle blinked her eyes open and stared blankly up at the ceiling of the cabin as she watched through PHoenix's eyes. They watched as Jason stepped forward and started speaking to the assembled demigods. It was an impressive speech to be sure. Once he was done Estelle laid there for a few minutes. She was tired but her body was still tense and she wasn't able to relax. She sat up with a sigh, having to steady herself as she grew light-headed for a moment. Once the dizziness had passed she pushed herself to her feet. There were things to be done and there was no time for her to resting. She exited the cabin, feeling Phoenix's displeasure in the back of her mind. Her eyes surveyed the camp, heart aching at the destruction she beheld. How did it come to this? She blinked back tears as she walked towards the medic tent to make sure no one needed healing. There were a few people that had minor wounds but before she could heal them Zane shooed her from the tent with an order to rest. She huffed. The last thing she felt like doing was resting. So instead she went around the camp offering assistance where she could. The Mess Hall had suffered the least damage and so she went to help straighten the columns that had fallen over. Gold threads shot from her fingers as she flew above the stones, helping lift them into the air. Phoenix then grabbed it and set it in its place, making sure it wouldn't fall over again. It was tiring work but it was worth it if it meant she was helping out and not being a nuisance. Once that was done she flew up high over the camp before landing on top of Half Blood Hill. She sighed, hair blowing behind her as she gazed down at her home. The Gods would pay for this if it killed her. She owed that much to those that had lost their lives in the unprovoked attack the Gods had launched against them. She drifted down the hill, wandering through the battle field. The monsters had been taken care of accordingly. A sniffle distracted her and she glanced near the stables, spying a small child from the Athena cabin. Estelle walked over and crouched next to the girl, recognizing her as Ellen. She wordlessly wrapped her arms around the child, lifting her into her lap as the girl sobbed against her chest, Estelle soothingly petting her hair. "A-Anna's g-g-gone." Ellen cried. Estelle gently wiped the tears from her face. "I'll make the Gods pay for this Ellen, I swear." Estelle whispered, running her fingers through the child's' hair as the girl continued to cry. Eventually she cried herself to sleep and Estelle sat there with the sleeping child in her lap, hand still petting her hair.</s>	<\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason landed on the half-blood hill as he stared out at the scene before him. The Gods were raining down the apocalypse on the mortals. He watched as lightning bolts slammed into buildings, tidal waves and earthquakes brought buildings down and crashing into each other. His right hand slowly closed into a fist. A surge of black energy tore from his fist. Darkening the area around his hand for a small second. The boy reluctantly turned away from the scene of the Gods going insane. It was at that moment he noticed Estelle. He walked over to the girl. "I thought I told you to rest, Little Star." He said softly as he crouched down next to her. Looking at the sleeping child. "She's too young to be experiencing this." He said softly.</s>
<\|description\|>Jason Diabolus Age:17 Parent: Tartaros (Roman Verison of Tartarus) Personality: He is smart, sometimes kind and very protective over the weak. His morals are only that he will win at all costs, except for that which will harm those he cares about. He was Gaea's weapon, but he escaped. He also has a strong desire for somebody to care about him. He has thrived at Camp Jupiter and has risen to the rank of Praetor. Weapons: Soul Edge (image of sword is Soul Edge). The sword can asorb the essence of Gods, Giants, and Titans. Making Jason the one of the only mortals capable of killing a god. Powers: Dark Gravity: He can manipulate a sort of dark energy to pull objects or beings towards him, or throw them away. Enhanced Strength: Like his father, Jason can easily over power a titan or Giant in a battle of strength. Monster Creation and Lordship: He can create any monster including those which do not exist, and has complete control over them. Essence Asorbtion: Jason can asorb the essence of an immortal into his sword. Just as any other child of a primordial can) Bio: Jason never knew his mother. All he knows is that she was brought into Tartarus by the Primordial God himself. Raped, forced to bear Jason and his sister Tate, the murdered. Jason was to be a gift from Tartarus to Gaea. To bring forth their era. Things didn't go as planned. He escaped when he was only four, and returned a year later to get his newborn sister from the god. Jason has since raise Tatus on the run. They lived in the pit, seeing the horrors on the pit everyday until Jason turned 15 and found a way out. Since then he has lived at Camp Jupiter and became Praetor of the Camp after helping them defeat Gaea on her second coming. He has always ruled well, with his best friend and mother figure, Shriekr at his side. Shriekr, the first of the Xenomorph species was Jason's first creation. A fully sentient and telepathic monster. Created to resemble the nightmares he saw every day. She protects him fiercely, seeing Jason as her son. Recently she mutated and became a Xenomorph Queen. 30 feet tall and even more intelligent than before. She can now lay eggs which will hatch a fully grown Xenomorph. Queen Shriekr still stays with Jason. Protecting the boy she sees as her son. Shriekr: Apperance: Jason is 6 Feet 2 inches tall.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason followed Estelle, unsure of where she was leading him. Whenever she climbed the tree in front of him and inquired about what happened, the boy sighed slightly. "That. Well that's a story which brings out a lot of pain in me." He said softly and looked down for a second. Not looking like the fearless Roman he usually was. "After we were separated, I looked all over for you. Sadly, I never found you. In my journey, I stumbled upon Lupa. The wolf goddess saw what I was, but also sensed my strength and led me to Camp Jupiter. I arrived in a time of crisis. One of their Praetors had gone Rouge and Gaea was rising to crush the camp. I was drafted into the Quest by a girl. Whom I became very... intimate with during my time there. Anyways, I got that rogue Praetor to turn back from helping Gaea, and I took her on in battle. Needless to say, I beat her. But let the Praetor have his revenge on her for corupting him. In her final moments the Earth Goddess struck me down and I hit the ground. I died. But that same Praetor was a child of Mors and brought me back. The Romans raised me on the shields and made me their Praetor. Quite a few months passed without incident, until my father rose from the Abyss, and I was switched to this camp by Juno in order to make an Alliance. Upon the success of this, my father launched a surprise attack. I led the Greeks and Romans against his forces and charged him directly. Which somehow ended up making me seem like a legend to the greeks and romans. I already hear stories being told about me. After my father was struck down, I proposed to the girl I mentioned earlier. She said yes and we were engaged. After that point, I took London on a vacation and then I was kidnapped. Held hostage by a Daughter of Khaos, Cleopatra. She worshipped my father and was able to resurrect him from my sword. I was eventually able to escape, but she came after me and our fellow demigods. I fought her, and she killed Shriekr. I became... enraged and killed the bitch. Then my father rose and Tate took him down. She forced him to resurrect Shriekr. But in his last moments he managed to kill her. After that... the gods attacked. I'm the only survivor of camp jupiter. They got everybody. Even London."</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA Teia looked at the two demigods. She'd been following them for sometime. They were powerful, with incredible futures ahead of them. Standing just within ear shot, she listened to the boys, Jason, story with mild interest. Up till now, Teia had been behind the scenes, whispering into the minds of demigods, molding the future. But now, she decided to step up, male herself known. Well, kinda. With a deep breath, she walks towards the two, arms held out as to not trigger the powerful demigods instincts to kill her. "Hello. I am Adrasteia, daughter of Moros."</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle gazed down at Jason in silence, absorbing his story. All this had happened while she had been locked away in Fallen Shadows? Wow, it was a lot to take in for sure. As she opened her mouth to give a reply she paused upon hearing a voice call out to them. Surprised, she looked down and saw a girl approaching them. This was a demi-god she had never seen before. Moros. That was the God of Doom. That must suck, having him for a parent. At least the only thing her father did was hide her away. As she opened her mouth the question the newcomer a presence made her freeze as she slowly turned and looked up. Crimson eyes glowed down at her, set above a wide smile. Estelle's eyes widened as her body locked. "Loki." The name fell from her lips like a stone and the smile widened as the boy that looked around her age bowed low. "So nice of you to remember me Estelle. How have you faired in your new home?" Suddenly his smile turned cold as he glared down at her. "You escaped from me my dear. That wasn't a nice thing to do. Especially when I was so close to breaking you." Loki sighed and leaned against the tree as his eyes flickered to Jason and the other girl. He tilted his head as he stared at Jason. "So this is the boy that kept you sane all those years. I expected…more.." He turned his attention back to Estelle who had remained frozen the entire time, stepping closer to the girl. As he leaned down to examine her face her body began trembling. He grinned, the smile anything but kind as he reached up to brush a hand against her cheek. A small whimper escaped her and his grin widened. "Still having those nightmares?" He chuckled. When she remained silent his expression hardened. "I asked you a question Little Star." Estelle flinched like she had been struck, almost falling off the tree branch. He chuckled again as he stood straight. "Have you been enjoying the God's show on the mortal world? It's so delightful isn't it?" He said with a laugh, eyes gleaming with an eerie glow. Estelle finally managed to find her words. "W-Why aren't you going crazy like the other Gods?" Loki began laughing as if she had just told him a funny joke. "Can't go crazy if you were already insane in the first place. Isn't that right Mary?" He asked the doll that had been resting on his right shoulder. Hearing an answer no one else could Loki then turned back to Estelle, taking a step closer to her. "It's been a treat seeing you again darling but I'm afraid I must be going. Things to do, cities to destroy. You know how it is." He giggled as he bowed to them before promptly disappearing. Estelle remained frozen there, hands clenching the tree branch in front of her. Her body was shaking and her eyes had a vacant expression to them, the blue contrasting vividly against her bloodless cheeks. Seeing Loki had brought back memories she would rather forget, horrors that haunt her every dream and sometimes even when she was awake.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason lunged towards the god, who disappeared just before the boy managed to catch him. Jason growled in anger. "COME BACK AND FACE ME, COWARD. I SWEAR I'LL YEAR YOU APART" He screamed as he looked around, protective over the girl behind him. Then he turned to look at Estelle. "Shit." He said before looking at Teia. "You. Daughter of Moros. Come here. Help me get her back to camp" Jason said to Teia quickly.</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA "Oh, well its nice to meet you too." She laughed, stepping forward to support the shaky girl. "And I'd prefer to be called Teia." Looking back and forth between the two, she smiled. Teia was gifted with the future, and the future of these two was very entertaining. 'Oh this will be fun..' She thought to herself.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle When they reached the camp there was a rush of wind as Phoenix landed. He had been away hunting but had come speeding back upon feeling how distressed Estelle was. He gently took the girl from Jason and cradled her to his chest, mind enveloping hers. Estelle? What is it? What's wrong? He waited anxiously for an answer. The reply came, weak and fragile. Loki... All it took was that one word and a snarl escaped Phoenix, smoke curling from his nostrils, rage filling him upon hearing that name. He knew exactly what the God had done to Estelle and just thinking about it made the dragon want to rip the insane deity limb from limb. He glanced around at the gathering demigods that wanted to know what was wrong. Knowing Estelle wouldn't want the others to see her like that, Phoenix pressed her closer to his breast and spread his wings, taking to the air. He flew up high over the camp, hoping the feeling of the soothing wind would calm the girl. After flying for a few minutes he felt Estelle stir and he slowly released her as she spread her own wings and began drifting next to him. She then quietly filled him in on the meeting between herself and Loki, Phoenix injecting growls here and there. Once the tale was finished they drifted silently next to her. Estelle was wrapped in her own thoughts and Phoenix knew well enough to leave her be for the moment. Estelle knew that next time she was face-to-face with the God, she couldn't freeze up. She couldn't let her fears get the better of her. She would be ready next time he decided to pay her a visit.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason watched as Phoenix took Estelle and took off. He debated going after her but decided that the demigods on the ground needed him much more at the moment. "Get back to your duties. Let's ensure they can't launch another attack like this morning" He says to them. They all nod and move off to continue working on making the camp a large fortress. Jason turned to Teia. "So, Teia... your father is Moros?" He said, trying to get a feel in his mind for what this girl could do. Also trying to figure out whether or not she is an enemy of his. The boy crossed his arms as waited for an answer</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA Teia wore a ghost of a smile, looking down before straight back up into Jason's eye . "He created me, yes." She was unsure of just how much to reveal. Fate was a fickle thing, a little to much knowledge could throw it off course. "I intend to serve with you and the other Demigods to over throw the Olympians. I ask for nothing special, I'll be happy with a foot soldier position."</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Phoenix and Estelle flew for a few moments more before Estelle asked when Phoenix had eaten. He then admitted he had stopped his hunt and flew back upon feeling her fear. A sense of guilt washed over her and she angled her wings towards the west, stating they had time for him to hunt and maybe pick something up for the camp to eat tonight. Phoenix agreed and off they went. They returned an hour later with a cow clenched in Phoenix's claws. They dropped it off at the Dining Pavilion where Phoenix stayed to help prepare the animal for the meal. A few of the kids from the Demeter cabin showed up to help. As Estelle left the pavilion she knew that they would be no burning food for the Gods tonight. She gazed around, noting that the rest were hard at work fortifying the camp. She eventually spotted Jason and she walked over, giving him and Teia a small smile. She felt better than she did earlier though she was rather embarrassed they had to see her like that.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason studied Teia. "You're hiding something. I'll grant you the benefit of doubt, but mark my words. Betray us and you will beg me to kill you" He says simply before looking her over a second time. "Welcome to the Cause" He says. The boy was interrupted by the return of Estelle. He turned around upon seeing her and hugged her tightly. "If that bastard dares show his face again I swear I'm going to tear it off" He says softly into her ear, trying to comfort the girl as he had during times of old.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle felt a jolt of surprise run through her when Jason turned and hugged her. She stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, not used to display of affections like this. She wasn't used to affection at actually, human affection that is. Phoenix shows affection but its in a different way, a sibling or parental way. Was Jason hugging her like a friend? She couldn't imagine what else it could be. Her arms came up and she hesitantly wrapped them around him, wondering if she was doing it right. Having been locked away in a place where affection is nonexist and pain and misery is the very air the doctors breathed, she hadn't been hugged since the last time she had seen Jason, which was fourteen years ago. After a few moments passed she felt her body relaxing against him, resting her head against his chest. She heard it rumble as he talked and she looked up at him. "He'll be back, he just can't seem to leave me alone." She replied back softly.</s>	<\|message\|>Jason Diabolus "Then he will beg me to kill him." He whispered quietly to her. Holding the girl for a bit longer before he let go and stared at Estelle. "So. We've got to figure out how we are going to strike back against the Gods, now then don't we? " He askes the girl.</s>
<\|description\|>Jason Diabolus Age:17 Parent: Tartaros (Roman Verison of Tartarus) Personality: He is smart, sometimes kind and very protective over the weak. His morals are only that he will win at all costs, except for that which will harm those he cares about. He was Gaea's weapon, but he escaped. He also has a strong desire for somebody to care about him. He has thrived at Camp Jupiter and has risen to the rank of Praetor. Weapons: Soul Edge (image of sword is Soul Edge). The sword can asorb the essence of Gods, Giants, and Titans. Making Jason the one of the only mortals capable of killing a god. Powers: Dark Gravity: He can manipulate a sort of dark energy to pull objects or beings towards him, or throw them away. Enhanced Strength: Like his father, Jason can easily over power a titan or Giant in a battle of strength. Monster Creation and Lordship: He can create any monster including those which do not exist, and has complete control over them. Essence Asorbtion: Jason can asorb the essence of an immortal into his sword. Just as any other child of a primordial can) Bio: Jason never knew his mother. All he knows is that she was brought into Tartarus by the Primordial God himself. Raped, forced to bear Jason and his sister Tate, the murdered. Jason was to be a gift from Tartarus to Gaea. To bring forth their era. Things didn't go as planned. He escaped when he was only four, and returned a year later to get his newborn sister from the god. Jason has since raise Tatus on the run. They lived in the pit, seeing the horrors on the pit everyday until Jason turned 15 and found a way out. Since then he has lived at Camp Jupiter and became Praetor of the Camp after helping them defeat Gaea on her second coming. He has always ruled well, with his best friend and mother figure, Shriekr at his side. Shriekr, the first of the Xenomorph species was Jason's first creation. A fully sentient and telepathic monster. Created to resemble the nightmares he saw every day. She protects him fiercely, seeing Jason as her son. Recently she mutated and became a Xenomorph Queen. 30 feet tall and even more intelligent than before. She can now lay eggs which will hatch a fully grown Xenomorph. Queen Shriekr still stays with Jason. Protecting the boy she sees as her son. Shriekr: Apperance: Jason is 6 Feet 2 inches tall.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason lunged towards the god, who disappeared just before the boy managed to catch him. Jason growled in anger. "COME BACK AND FACE ME, COWARD. I SWEAR I'LL YEAR YOU APART" He screamed as he looked around, protective over the girl behind him. Then he turned to look at Estelle. "Shit." He said before looking at Teia. "You. Daughter of Moros. Come here. Help me get her back to camp" Jason said to Teia quickly.</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA "Oh, well its nice to meet you too." She laughed, stepping forward to support the shaky girl. "And I'd prefer to be called Teia." Looking back and forth between the two, she smiled. Teia was gifted with the future, and the future of these two was very entertaining. 'Oh this will be fun..' She thought to herself.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle When they reached the camp there was a rush of wind as Phoenix landed. He had been away hunting but had come speeding back upon feeling how distressed Estelle was. He gently took the girl from Jason and cradled her to his chest, mind enveloping hers. Estelle? What is it? What's wrong? He waited anxiously for an answer. The reply came, weak and fragile. Loki... All it took was that one word and a snarl escaped Phoenix, smoke curling from his nostrils, rage filling him upon hearing that name. He knew exactly what the God had done to Estelle and just thinking about it made the dragon want to rip the insane deity limb from limb. He glanced around at the gathering demigods that wanted to know what was wrong. Knowing Estelle wouldn't want the others to see her like that, Phoenix pressed her closer to his breast and spread his wings, taking to the air. He flew up high over the camp, hoping the feeling of the soothing wind would calm the girl. After flying for a few minutes he felt Estelle stir and he slowly released her as she spread her own wings and began drifting next to him. She then quietly filled him in on the meeting between herself and Loki, Phoenix injecting growls here and there. Once the tale was finished they drifted silently next to her. Estelle was wrapped in her own thoughts and Phoenix knew well enough to leave her be for the moment. Estelle knew that next time she was face-to-face with the God, she couldn't freeze up. She couldn't let her fears get the better of her. She would be ready next time he decided to pay her a visit.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason watched as Phoenix took Estelle and took off. He debated going after her but decided that the demigods on the ground needed him much more at the moment. "Get back to your duties. Let's ensure they can't launch another attack like this morning" He says to them. They all nod and move off to continue working on making the camp a large fortress. Jason turned to Teia. "So, Teia... your father is Moros?" He said, trying to get a feel in his mind for what this girl could do. Also trying to figure out whether or not she is an enemy of his. The boy crossed his arms as waited for an answer</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA Teia wore a ghost of a smile, looking down before straight back up into Jason's eye . "He created me, yes." She was unsure of just how much to reveal. Fate was a fickle thing, a little to much knowledge could throw it off course. "I intend to serve with you and the other Demigods to over throw the Olympians. I ask for nothing special, I'll be happy with a foot soldier position."</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Phoenix and Estelle flew for a few moments more before Estelle asked when Phoenix had eaten. He then admitted he had stopped his hunt and flew back upon feeling her fear. A sense of guilt washed over her and she angled her wings towards the west, stating they had time for him to hunt and maybe pick something up for the camp to eat tonight. Phoenix agreed and off they went. They returned an hour later with a cow clenched in Phoenix's claws. They dropped it off at the Dining Pavilion where Phoenix stayed to help prepare the animal for the meal. A few of the kids from the Demeter cabin showed up to help. As Estelle left the pavilion she knew that they would be no burning food for the Gods tonight. She gazed around, noting that the rest were hard at work fortifying the camp. She eventually spotted Jason and she walked over, giving him and Teia a small smile. She felt better than she did earlier though she was rather embarrassed they had to see her like that.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason studied Teia. "You're hiding something. I'll grant you the benefit of doubt, but mark my words. Betray us and you will beg me to kill you" He says simply before looking her over a second time. "Welcome to the Cause" He says. The boy was interrupted by the return of Estelle. He turned around upon seeing her and hugged her tightly. "If that bastard dares show his face again I swear I'm going to tear it off" He says softly into her ear, trying to comfort the girl as he had during times of old.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle felt a jolt of surprise run through her when Jason turned and hugged her. She stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, not used to display of affections like this. She wasn't used to affection at actually, human affection that is. Phoenix shows affection but its in a different way, a sibling or parental way. Was Jason hugging her like a friend? She couldn't imagine what else it could be. Her arms came up and she hesitantly wrapped them around him, wondering if she was doing it right. Having been locked away in a place where affection is nonexist and pain and misery is the very air the doctors breathed, she hadn't been hugged since the last time she had seen Jason, which was fourteen years ago. After a few moments passed she felt her body relaxing against him, resting her head against his chest. She heard it rumble as he talked and she looked up at him. "He'll be back, he just can't seem to leave me alone." She replied back softly.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus "Then he will beg me to kill him." He whispered quietly to her. Holding the girl for a bit longer before he let go and stared at Estelle. "So. We've got to figure out how we are going to strike back against the Gods, now then don't we? " He askes the girl.</s> <\|message\|>Hunter Monroe Hunter would walk up to the demigods. "Excuse me, But fighting the gods isn't so... easy." Hunter would point to his eye patch. "A handful of us still remember the effect from last time we tried. But if you remember New York, it didn't work, at all. Only this time, the gods are out for blood. A lot of it." Hunter would sigh. "So unless you have a plan, to take out the gods, Most these demigods are too scared to fight their parents, or to fight them again. But the ones that are still willing to fight, Those are the ones you are going to need the most right now." Hunter would look at them. "Oh ya, i'm Hunter, Former field officer for the Titan army. And the main reason you guys didn't have a tank to deal with at the empire state building." His ego fueled, Now he feels he was correct, for once a lot more demigods have noticed the corrupt power ofthe gods, or are scared enough to stand up to them. Hunter would hold his hand out to shake.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason looks at the boy in front of him. "Don't tell me how to fight my war. My Legion had more victories than this camp and they were all terrified. Only an idiot isn't scared when they fight. I have many ideas of how to kill the Gods. Besides, I've killed bigger than the Gods"</s> <\|message\|>Hunter Monroe Hunters smile continued. "Right you are! But fear can only get you so far in a fight, And we are not fighting just One god, We are fighting all of them. Think about something, at any given time there's about 300-600 demigods between the two camps. If I am wrong feel free to correct me, But how many of those 600 do you think are still alive right now?" By this point Hunters smile was gone. "Most of us are in too poor condition to fight, either by physical injury or by emotional. We are not ready for another God war. If you have a plan, great. But we need to do something with the demigods who can't fight. Camp isn't safe anymore."</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle looked over at the camp. "We need more warriors if we're going up against the Gods." She said, frowning thoughtfully. Phoenix landed next to her and nudged her mentally. I've been thinking. What about the others we left behind at Fallen Shadows. They respected you there and you have been unhappy about the fact that you were unable to free them as well. Estelle turned to look at her dragon and smiled. "That's an excellent idea Phoenix." She turned back to Jason. "I know where we can get extra warriors. Just give Phoenix and I a week at most and you'll have them."</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus "You're not going alone. The Gods could attack you and overwhelm you both while you are en-route. Classic tactics done by you greeks, ambush the major threats before they can strengthen themselves." The boy responded, at that same moment a hole in the ground open next to Jason, he held out his left arm and caught a blue sword that flew up by its handle. The boy slipped both swords into sheaths on his back so they crossed in an X. "You're not going alone"</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle frowned and folded her arms as she stared up at him, not even blinking in surprise when another sword appeared from the ground. "Well you can't very well come with me and leave the camp undefended. Phoenix and I can move faster if we're alone. We need these warriors. Besides, I have my keys." She told him, a stubborn set to her jaw.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus "You're right I can't leave it undefended. Fortunately I actually have faith in our fellow demigods. Not to mention, they're not alone" Jason says as another pit opens and an army of Xenomorphs crawl out of the pit. They take position around the camps borders. A group of 4 approached Jason. "Blue, Charlie, Delta, and Echo. Due to Shriekr's.... absence (the boy couldn't bear the thought that she was dead) you four will ensure that the camp stays safe from attack. Organize your brethren as needed, and protect the campers. Should you begin to become overwhelmed, you know how to reach me. I'll always be listening in." He said, all buisness before turning to Estelle. "I'm going"</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle scowled at him before sighing. She knew that look in his eyes. It meant he had his mind made up and absolutely nothing would change it. She briefly considered flying away before he could react but her heart clenched at the thought of doing that to him. She climbed up onto Phoenix, knowing he would be faster than her and offered her hand out to help Jason up onto the dragon.</s>	<\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason responded by lifting into the air himself, his Dark Gravity able to hold him and propel him at any speed humanly possible. "Let's go. Lead the way" the Roman Praetor says softly to the girl as his eyes scan over her and the dragon</s>
<\|description\|>Hunter Monroe Age: 17 Parent: Nemesis Personality: Hunter is one of those people who tries to be a good person, But always tends to come across as a bad guy. He gets defensive of what he believes and of the people closest to him. Hunter also tends to pick sides very fast in most conflicts. Weapons: Hunter uses a four foot sword as his main weapon, As his two back ups he keeps a modified hatchet and varies knives. He has experience with many firearms but he rarely carries one with him. Powers: Hunters powers are limited because of his Mother being a minor goddess. He holds the power to bring peoples worst regrets to them, This power is limited to weak willed such as mortals, or to people who have a strong connection to what they regret most. Bio: Hunter never got along with the gods, He always blamed the gods for how demigods were treated. He wasn't claimed until he turned 14 and by that point he already formed hate for the gods. He was a minor officer int he Titan army during the titan war. He is Infamous for riding a tank and screaming "PAYBACK TIME!", then later running said tank into a bridge support. Even after the Titan war Hunter eventually came back to camp. Though serving with the titans for much of the war it was hard for Hunter to rejoin camp half blood. He eventually left camp to try an survive on his own, Or at least until the gods started their new run for power. Appearance: Hunter stands about 5' 11" with partially burnt brown hair. His eyes were originally brown but on his left eye he wears an eye patch, under that his eye is a light gray color. He wears thick jeans, a T-shirt and an light open jacket over his shirt.</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA Teia looked at the two demigods. She'd been following them for sometime. They were powerful, with incredible futures ahead of them. Standing just within ear shot, she listened to the boys, Jason, story with mild interest. Up till now, Teia had been behind the scenes, whispering into the minds of demigods, molding the future. But now, she decided to step up, male herself known. Well, kinda. With a deep breath, she walks towards the two, arms held out as to not trigger the powerful demigods instincts to kill her. "Hello. I am Adrasteia, daughter of Moros."</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle gazed down at Jason in silence, absorbing his story. All this had happened while she had been locked away in Fallen Shadows? Wow, it was a lot to take in for sure. As she opened her mouth to give a reply she paused upon hearing a voice call out to them. Surprised, she looked down and saw a girl approaching them. This was a demi-god she had never seen before. Moros. That was the God of Doom. That must suck, having him for a parent. At least the only thing her father did was hide her away. As she opened her mouth the question the newcomer a presence made her freeze as she slowly turned and looked up. Crimson eyes glowed down at her, set above a wide smile. Estelle's eyes widened as her body locked. "Loki." The name fell from her lips like a stone and the smile widened as the boy that looked around her age bowed low. "So nice of you to remember me Estelle. How have you faired in your new home?" Suddenly his smile turned cold as he glared down at her. "You escaped from me my dear. That wasn't a nice thing to do. Especially when I was so close to breaking you." Loki sighed and leaned against the tree as his eyes flickered to Jason and the other girl. He tilted his head as he stared at Jason. "So this is the boy that kept you sane all those years. I expected…more.." He turned his attention back to Estelle who had remained frozen the entire time, stepping closer to the girl. As he leaned down to examine her face her body began trembling. He grinned, the smile anything but kind as he reached up to brush a hand against her cheek. A small whimper escaped her and his grin widened. "Still having those nightmares?" He chuckled. When she remained silent his expression hardened. "I asked you a question Little Star." Estelle flinched like she had been struck, almost falling off the tree branch. He chuckled again as he stood straight. "Have you been enjoying the God's show on the mortal world? It's so delightful isn't it?" He said with a laugh, eyes gleaming with an eerie glow. Estelle finally managed to find her words. "W-Why aren't you going crazy like the other Gods?" Loki began laughing as if she had just told him a funny joke. "Can't go crazy if you were already insane in the first place. Isn't that right Mary?" He asked the doll that had been resting on his right shoulder. Hearing an answer no one else could Loki then turned back to Estelle, taking a step closer to her. "It's been a treat seeing you again darling but I'm afraid I must be going. Things to do, cities to destroy. You know how it is." He giggled as he bowed to them before promptly disappearing. Estelle remained frozen there, hands clenching the tree branch in front of her. Her body was shaking and her eyes had a vacant expression to them, the blue contrasting vividly against her bloodless cheeks. Seeing Loki had brought back memories she would rather forget, horrors that haunt her every dream and sometimes even when she was awake.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason lunged towards the god, who disappeared just before the boy managed to catch him. Jason growled in anger. "COME BACK AND FACE ME, COWARD. I SWEAR I'LL YEAR YOU APART" He screamed as he looked around, protective over the girl behind him. Then he turned to look at Estelle. "Shit." He said before looking at Teia. "You. Daughter of Moros. Come here. Help me get her back to camp" Jason said to Teia quickly.</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA "Oh, well its nice to meet you too." She laughed, stepping forward to support the shaky girl. "And I'd prefer to be called Teia." Looking back and forth between the two, she smiled. Teia was gifted with the future, and the future of these two was very entertaining. 'Oh this will be fun..' She thought to herself.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle When they reached the camp there was a rush of wind as Phoenix landed. He had been away hunting but had come speeding back upon feeling how distressed Estelle was. He gently took the girl from Jason and cradled her to his chest, mind enveloping hers. Estelle? What is it? What's wrong? He waited anxiously for an answer. The reply came, weak and fragile. Loki... All it took was that one word and a snarl escaped Phoenix, smoke curling from his nostrils, rage filling him upon hearing that name. He knew exactly what the God had done to Estelle and just thinking about it made the dragon want to rip the insane deity limb from limb. He glanced around at the gathering demigods that wanted to know what was wrong. Knowing Estelle wouldn't want the others to see her like that, Phoenix pressed her closer to his breast and spread his wings, taking to the air. He flew up high over the camp, hoping the feeling of the soothing wind would calm the girl. After flying for a few minutes he felt Estelle stir and he slowly released her as she spread her own wings and began drifting next to him. She then quietly filled him in on the meeting between herself and Loki, Phoenix injecting growls here and there. Once the tale was finished they drifted silently next to her. Estelle was wrapped in her own thoughts and Phoenix knew well enough to leave her be for the moment. Estelle knew that next time she was face-to-face with the God, she couldn't freeze up. She couldn't let her fears get the better of her. She would be ready next time he decided to pay her a visit.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason watched as Phoenix took Estelle and took off. He debated going after her but decided that the demigods on the ground needed him much more at the moment. "Get back to your duties. Let's ensure they can't launch another attack like this morning" He says to them. They all nod and move off to continue working on making the camp a large fortress. Jason turned to Teia. "So, Teia... your father is Moros?" He said, trying to get a feel in his mind for what this girl could do. Also trying to figure out whether or not she is an enemy of his. The boy crossed his arms as waited for an answer</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA Teia wore a ghost of a smile, looking down before straight back up into Jason's eye . "He created me, yes." She was unsure of just how much to reveal. Fate was a fickle thing, a little to much knowledge could throw it off course. "I intend to serve with you and the other Demigods to over throw the Olympians. I ask for nothing special, I'll be happy with a foot soldier position."</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Phoenix and Estelle flew for a few moments more before Estelle asked when Phoenix had eaten. He then admitted he had stopped his hunt and flew back upon feeling her fear. A sense of guilt washed over her and she angled her wings towards the west, stating they had time for him to hunt and maybe pick something up for the camp to eat tonight. Phoenix agreed and off they went. They returned an hour later with a cow clenched in Phoenix's claws. They dropped it off at the Dining Pavilion where Phoenix stayed to help prepare the animal for the meal. A few of the kids from the Demeter cabin showed up to help. As Estelle left the pavilion she knew that they would be no burning food for the Gods tonight. She gazed around, noting that the rest were hard at work fortifying the camp. She eventually spotted Jason and she walked over, giving him and Teia a small smile. She felt better than she did earlier though she was rather embarrassed they had to see her like that.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason studied Teia. "You're hiding something. I'll grant you the benefit of doubt, but mark my words. Betray us and you will beg me to kill you" He says simply before looking her over a second time. "Welcome to the Cause" He says. The boy was interrupted by the return of Estelle. He turned around upon seeing her and hugged her tightly. "If that bastard dares show his face again I swear I'm going to tear it off" He says softly into her ear, trying to comfort the girl as he had during times of old.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle felt a jolt of surprise run through her when Jason turned and hugged her. She stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, not used to display of affections like this. She wasn't used to affection at actually, human affection that is. Phoenix shows affection but its in a different way, a sibling or parental way. Was Jason hugging her like a friend? She couldn't imagine what else it could be. Her arms came up and she hesitantly wrapped them around him, wondering if she was doing it right. Having been locked away in a place where affection is nonexist and pain and misery is the very air the doctors breathed, she hadn't been hugged since the last time she had seen Jason, which was fourteen years ago. After a few moments passed she felt her body relaxing against him, resting her head against his chest. She heard it rumble as he talked and she looked up at him. "He'll be back, he just can't seem to leave me alone." She replied back softly.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus "Then he will beg me to kill him." He whispered quietly to her. Holding the girl for a bit longer before he let go and stared at Estelle. "So. We've got to figure out how we are going to strike back against the Gods, now then don't we? " He askes the girl.</s> <\|message\|>Hunter Monroe Hunter would walk up to the demigods. "Excuse me, But fighting the gods isn't so... easy." Hunter would point to his eye patch. "A handful of us still remember the effect from last time we tried. But if you remember New York, it didn't work, at all. Only this time, the gods are out for blood. A lot of it." Hunter would sigh. "So unless you have a plan, to take out the gods, Most these demigods are too scared to fight their parents, or to fight them again. But the ones that are still willing to fight, Those are the ones you are going to need the most right now." Hunter would look at them. "Oh ya, i'm Hunter, Former field officer for the Titan army. And the main reason you guys didn't have a tank to deal with at the empire state building." His ego fueled, Now he feels he was correct, for once a lot more demigods have noticed the corrupt power ofthe gods, or are scared enough to stand up to them. Hunter would hold his hand out to shake.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason looks at the boy in front of him. "Don't tell me how to fight my war. My Legion had more victories than this camp and they were all terrified. Only an idiot isn't scared when they fight. I have many ideas of how to kill the Gods. Besides, I've killed bigger than the Gods"</s>	<\|message\|>Hunter Monroe Hunters smile continued. "Right you are! But fear can only get you so far in a fight, And we are not fighting just One god, We are fighting all of them. Think about something, at any given time there's about 300-600 demigods between the two camps. If I am wrong feel free to correct me, But how many of those 600 do you think are still alive right now?" By this point Hunters smile was gone. "Most of us are in too poor condition to fight, either by physical injury or by emotional. We are not ready for another God war. If you have a plan, great. But we need to do something with the demigods who can't fight. Camp isn't safe anymore."</s>
<\|description\|>Jerome Odeum Age: 20 Role: Guardian of Ancelstierre's Empress Neko Gold Saint Armor: All the blue is gold!!!!! Your just color blind!!! Species: Neko Personality: Laid back, calm under pressure, full of joy, rarely serious, finds danger to be the best thing about his job, loves a good fight now and then, likes to state that he's single every time he meets a girl that he fells is attractive, it doesn't seem like it but he is very responsible. History: (Optional) To Be Roleplayed</s> <\|message\|>Yuno Ancelsti A new day has begun in the world known as Sentara. Here in Sentara there are 5 great nations one of them being Ancelstierre a magic filled nation where humans and creatures live in peace. We start at Ancelstierre Palace where Empress Yuno begins her day. --------- Empress Yuno Ancelsti was awoken by the bright sunlight coming in from her bedside window. As she sits up she looks around her room. She then gets up and puts on her robe and heads to the palace's private hot spring in order to wash up. After some time in the hot spring she returns to her living quarters and puts on the Family Robe, she pulls her hair out from under the robe as she takes her hair pin(The big needle in her hair in the pic) which holds the Ancelsti Family Jewel in it. After putting the final bits and pieces to her outfit she walked up to a crystal known as a TeleCrystal which is used for communications in the nation(much like a phone) she taps it with her finger as it begins to glow. "Sir Jiro?" She says "Yes Lady Yuno." Jiro's voice is heard from the crystal. "Please tell the chef to begin making preparations for breakfast." she says "Of course Lady Yuno." Jiro said "Will you be going out on your morning walk this morning?" he added "Yes I will be." She responds "Then allow me to accompany you Lady Yuno." Jiro said "I'd be sad if you did not join me Sir Jiro." Yuno says in a very cheerful voice as Jiro is heard giving off a slight giggle. "Very well I shall meet you in the palace garden Lady Yuno." Jiro said as the TeleCrystal stopped glowing. Yuno started making her way to the Palace Garden.</s> <\|message\|>Eris Bangriph (aka: The fire starter or The Dragon General) "ALRIGHT EVERYONE, TRAINING TIME!" Eris bellowed as she stood in front of the batch of new recruits most of Which were shaking just staring at the suit of armor that she had on while others tried to figure out if they should run away. "We have to get you boys into shape!" She said as her armor disappeared in a plume of cold fire and she was left standing there in what looked like a bathing suit. "Come at me!" She boomed as she got into a fighting stance and the and waited for the recruits to take the challenge, but when she saw how the stared she had an idea "If you don't come at me.... I come after you in this" she said before snapping her clawed fingers and her armor reappeared on her body but this time without the helmet "and do you really want that?" She questioned and almost instantly the group shook their collective heads and picked a weapon from off the wall to which she replied by having her armor disapate and her resume her earlier stance "and don't be afraid to come at me like your ready to kill me for real, because the first one to "kill" is allowed to take an extended breakfast but if nobody manages to get me by the time I have to leave which is in... 30 minutes then you are all gonna be running laps around the training hall for the next week!" She said laughing at the suddenly serious faces on all of them. "WELL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, COME AT ME!" She yelled with her tail cracking like a bull whip and all of them rushed her. And with that marks the beginning of Grand General Eris Bangriph's day. During the sparring multiply things were running through Eris's head, mostly about what to have for breakfast. "Some pancakes from that new restraunt sounds pretty nice" she said as she pushed back a man trying to swing down on her with a sword. "Pick it up people 14 minutes left to defeat me!" She called out to the 28 or so student that were still up a and about.</s> <\|message\|>Vespasian Nerva Meanwhile in Vyseni,Khent at The Wolf Palace --------- Nerva groaned as he rose from his bed, looking around he saw Ezikiel splayed out on a chair, still sleeping. He got up, put on a light robe and went about getting ready for the day. After getting dressed and smoothing out his hair he noticed Ezikiel was waking up, he turned to his friend and said "good morning Ezzy". Ezikiel rubbed his eyes and stretched before responding "yawn...Morning, Nerva" he sat up in the chair and saw that Nerva had already gotten dressed. Nerva walked over to a balcony looking over the city and was soon joined by Ezikiel, they looked over the city for a moment before Nerva sighed and said "come on, the senate will be in session in a bit" and after belting his sword to his side, the two set out for the senate building.</s>	<\|message\|>Jerome Odeum Jerome walked around the palace playing with magic on the tips of his fingers. Another day of secretly protecting the Empress. He knows she always have her morning walks with Jiro. So he had free time until she was back from her walk. Jerome continued through the doors of the palace and made his way towards the town. On his way there he passed by Eris, who seemed to be training the new recruits. He stopped and hid behind a bush. The recruits looked like they needed all the help they could get. So Jerome quickly threw a ball of fire at Eris knowing that fire doesn't affect her. He then turned and ran from the bush laughing. A while or so later Jerome arrived at the town. Shops were opened and kids could be seen running through the streets. A lot of the town's folk knows Jerome. He often buys a lot of food from the shops and give it to the children. But today he was looking for something more important than food. Back at his lab in the palace he was working on a new elixir and happened to run out of herbs. He hopefully thought one of the herb merchants would have what he's looking for.</s>
<\|description\|>Vance Meridian Nicknames/Aliases: N/A Gender: Male Birthday: May 19th Age: 33 Class: Templar Occupation: Knight Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: (See above) Personality: Vance is very strict with the rules that he was raised by, and keeps these morals as his guides in whatever he does. He has a strong sense of justice, and what he feels is right and wrong. He's easy to get along with, as long as he doesn't suspect any foul play has been done by those around him. Though he is quiet, and reserved in his opinions of those around him, he is usually empathic to those who he is near. Likes: Order, protecting those who can't protect themselves, camping. Dislikes: Disobedience, injustice, disagreements. Past/History: Growing up, Vance was seen to be quite skilled in the healing arts, and displayed a fierce protectiveness of those around him whenever they were being mistreated, or bullied. This led to him being recommended to the knighthood for training to become a Templar. In his teenage years, he showed promise, but the hopes were dashed when he saw a friend get killed, and the murderer walked, due to a technicality in the system. Vance went out that night, and killed the man himself, thus betraying his order. He went into hiding for years, just recently emerging again after a hiatus, leading a nomadic life mostly in solitude after the 'incident'. Time hasn't done much to alleviate his feelings of guilt for his betrayal, though he was never caught, or brought to trial for his own crimes. He has been traveling across the land, trying to do everything in his power to right his wrongs, helping anyone who will accept it, and never take payment for his deeds. The first place that he approached was the forest town of Masa(May-sa), and he considers that his 'home'. He can never again go back to his kingdom for fear of being charged for his crimes.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia Elisha has arrived at the city gates of Maplestead. It's been about two hours now since she left her home on her steed. The amount of people is keeping her steed from being able to get inside the city grounds. She spots a stable right near the city gates that allow the steeds of various adventurers rest and recover their strength there. Leaving her identification details and steed at the caretaker, she departs for the town square. As she's walking, the girl pulls out her pocket watch. "It's already 8:50?" Panic suddenly manifests on her face. "I'm gonna be late!" Elisha quickly assesses her surroundings. The bar that her father used to frequent was to her left, and the weapons shop to her right. That means the town square should be six blocks away. If she was to make it in time, she'll have to run there. But running is a bad idea for her. Yet, it's her only option to get to the location in time. "I have to do it." Elisha readies herself by taking a couple of deep breaths. The girl pulls out her medicine that's meant to help her if she ever gets an attack. She grips the small bag of pills in her left hand firmly. One last deep breath. Elisha races off. The wind in her face. The feel of speeding through the crowd and stands. thump Moving her legs. The adrenaline in her blood. Turning the corner. thump Happy to be alive and able to run. Letting everything else go. The town square was in sight. thump thump In a few seconds, she was at the town square. "I... I actually made it?" A moment of happiness. Suddenly followed up by fear. thump thump thump As the adrenaline faded away, the fatigue and pain quickly made themselves at home in her body. A sudden inferno blazes up in her chest. Elisha drops her bag of medicine onto the ground before collapsing herself, gasping for air and feeling very light-headed. "It hurts. It hurts." Her vision was blurring, and her lungs were getting tighter by the second. She desperately tries to reach out for her bag, but it unfortunately landed just a bit out of her reach.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia, while waiting for the gates to open, happens to see a younger-looking girl rushing towards the castle. Wow, lively little sprite. She's got some fancy clothes on, and what's that in her- Cecelia's thoughts were soon interrupted by the little girl eating dust. After a few seconds of shock, Cecelia realized that the girl wasn't getting up. Cecelia broke out into a sprint to get the girl. She picks the girl up to her feet and hands her the bag after picking it up for her. Now she starts walking the girl in the direction of the palace, where it seemed she was headed. "Are you ok there? What happened?" Cecelia wondered if this was a good idea, but that poster mentioned being in groups, and she'd prefer to have friends in her group than enemies. Show them you care, and they might accept you. Cecelia heard an old friend from the streets tell her when she was nine and wanting to go to the ball. She never really fit in, but this place was full of people for one goal: to stop those monsters. Or get gold, but stopping the monsters is the only way to do so, so that reason still stands. Cecelia continues to help the girl in the direction she was originally headed. Brennen Garron Brennen strolls in after paying to have his horse stabled whilst he checks out the palace. I don't like working with people, but I'm not getting any choice. Oh, well. At least I might be able to teach someone a little more tactics. If I'm REALLY lucky, I'll meet my dream fighter. I just want a good fight is all. I'm tired of teaching little brats how to spot a general weakness with a given swordfighting style. I teacha and teach, but they really learn close to nothing. One person has given me a fun fight in the past year or so. I just want a good match. Brennen breaks from his internal complaining when he sees a woman helping up a little girl. They can't both be here for the flyer, they're young. The spiffed-up tyke especially. Someone better watch over the younger ones here. I can't be a tactician forever. Hell, I don't know if I'll be in a group with either of them. Statistics say no. Meh, oh well. Hey, that looks palace-y. That might be the place.</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana The man's steps cascaded in a steady rhythm as he paced himself across great distances on his travels. This upcoming town would be a necessary pit-stop for both rest, moneymaking, and for some information which he coveted more than getting money. Although sometimes the two went in hand together as semi-agreeable type of couple. His pace quickened. As when he glanced upwards to the sky he saw that it was getting grey and his experience outdoors was that it would be a heavy rain that he didn't need to endure. He probably had a couple of hours at best to enjoy the town before retreating indoors. Inside the town he found that was adequate as he traveled up along the manicured streets with pleasant little bushes and ornamental trees. There was also a bunch of posters everywhere and some criers shouting something. But he payed no attention as just standing still to listen to the contents proved to be of no use or interest to him. Instead his attention was focused on the signage and he'd hope to find a tavern quickly enough.</s>	<\|message\|>Vance Meridian Vance was now about an hour from the gates of Maplestead, nearly falling asleep on the back of his horse as it traveled onward. A bright flash of light rushed in front of the horse, scaring it, and causing it to rear up slightly, which instantly snapped Vance to attention. He grabbed the reigns and tried to calm the horse. "Whoa... it's ok, it's alright" he said in a soft voice. It had a light accent to it when he spoke. After taking a moment to calm his horse, he looked around for what scared it, but there was only darkness in the forest around him leading to the town. He slowly nudged the horse forward again, moving slowly, and constantly looking around them. When he was finally at ease, the light flashed again, like the fading light of a firefly in front of him. It didn't seem threatening, and he swore that he heard something. After it disappeared, he continued on, but keeping his guard up. He had nearly been attacked once already, and the flier did say that monsters were becoming such a problem, that they were paying people to exterminate them. The light appeared again, racing in front of him. "Help me.." it said in a small, feminine voice. "Help you?" Vance repeated, not sure that he'd heard anything at all. He thought that he may have been going crazy from exhaustion. "Behind you!" the small, panicked voice said while the light flashed again in front of him. Before he could react, he was pulled from his horse, hitting the ground with a 'thud', and being held down by two small demons. Each one was griping one of his shoulders and a third emerged to attack him while the others held him down. Without time to analyze the situation, he didn't have time for an incantation, or know how to properly defend himself. He raised his boot to kick away the one in front of him while trying to struggle free of the ones that were holding him from behind. He opened his eyes wide to try and get a look at them to see what he was up against, but all he could see were pairs of yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. As the one that he kicked was recovering, and coming close for another attack, the ones on his back held him tighter. He reached down, barely able to reach the sword at his side, but his body was moving in desperation to survive. He grabbed the handle of his sword, drawing it and quickly swinging it around to try and hit the demons who were holding him, while keeping the third at bay. When he was clear of the monsters, he positioned himself to that he was facing all of them. "Always keep your enemies in your sights" he thought, remembering the basics of his training as a Templar. As soon as he could see them, or what could be seen of them anyway, he was in a ready stance. He looked to each one, gauging their strength, knowing that they needed to attack him all at once to stand a chance due to their size, but one of them was brave and lunged forward, quickly impaled by a thrust of Vance's sword through its chest. The sword started to glow with a white light as the demon was banished. It shrieked as its body faded away. Vance's broadsword was still glowing with a holy light as he raised it in front of his face. He closed his eyes, and started whispering softly. "I call forth the light, to banish evil to the depths of hell, to bring again the light of day from the darkest night!" He opened his eyes as his sword continued to glow. He turned it around, thrusting it into the ground in front of him, sending a beam of light towards the demons, which started to flee, unsuccessfully when they saw their comrade defeated on his blade. The light quickly disintegrated their small bodies and then faded. After the light from his sword faded away, he re-sheathed it, and headed towards his horse. "Now THAT was an incantation!" the small, female voice said as the fading light returned in front of Vance's face. His first inclination was to swat at it, like an annoying fly, but he didn't. He didn't feel threated by it, mostly seeing it as an annoyance, one he would soon be rid of. Remounting his horse, and making sure that his pack was secure, he started towards Maplestead again. The small light seemed to follow him now, staying back a bit, but still noticeable. Vance sighed. "Can I help you?" he asked the small light. "I'm comin' with ya. You saved me! Those demons would have torn me apart." the small voice said. Vance knew that this would be a headache, but there was nothing that he could do about it. "What's your name, Templar?" she said in a curious tone. "Vance" he said sternly, sounding annoyed. "Oh, Well Vance, I'm Eve. I live here…. Well, I used to, until the monsters started coming around, then me and all my friends scattered, and then those things attacked me, but then you saved me, and now I'm here, with you! Where are we going? Are we on a quest, or are we just out for a night stroll? What are we doing?" she said excitedly. Her speech seemed to speed up as she went on, which got annoying quickly. She was very emphatic on using the term 'we' when she spoke. Vance looked up to the sky with that familiar "Why me?" looked. "Eve" he repeated. "I'm heading to Maplestead" "Maplestead… oooo, what's there?" she asked curiously. The glow around her was now constant; she was a small fairy, no bigger than Vance's hand, and constantly emitting light when she felt that she was safe. "We…" he started, then corrected himself. "I'm going on a quest to exterminate these monsters, but I'm doing it for money" he said stoically. She was flying in front of him, in part lighting his way as they traveled through the night. Once he got to the gate, he was welcomed by the guards, and questioned as to why he was here. It was no surprise that the guards would be cautious with all of the attacks as of late. "State your business." One of them stated harshly. "My name is Vance Meridian. I am a Templar, here to accept the quest to eradicate the monsters from this land" he started. "For the money!" Eve chimed in, unwelcomingly, which caused Vance to get a nervous expression on his face. Vance mouthed the words "Shut up, Eve!" through clenched teeth to her when she smiled at him. "Another one for this death quest that's been advertised" one of the guards scoffed. "Proceed to the town square, someone'll be by… sometime… to give you more information." Vance nodded to the guard, clicking his tongue, giving the horse the signal to move forward into the town. Maplestead was a busy place, filled with both townspeople, and others who came from all over to help with this quest. He was thankful that he was on a horse when he saw people nearly trampling over each other to get around. Making his way to the town square, he looked up from the people to notice the girl, just as she dropped her bag, and another woman helping her to her feet. He gave it little thought, as he hadn't bet on being with anyone for this, except his new companion, Eve. Nevertheless, he tied his horse off at the nearest post, dismounting and walking into the square. All he had to do now was wait for someone to give direction on the details of this quest. Eve fluttered towards her new friend, and landed gently on his shoulder, kicking her little feet gently back and forth while they waited.</s>
<\|description\|>Vance Meridian Nicknames/Aliases: N/A Gender: Male Birthday: May 19th Age: 33 Class: Templar Occupation: Knight Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: (See above) Personality: Vance is very strict with the rules that he was raised by, and keeps these morals as his guides in whatever he does. He has a strong sense of justice, and what he feels is right and wrong. He's easy to get along with, as long as he doesn't suspect any foul play has been done by those around him. Though he is quiet, and reserved in his opinions of those around him, he is usually empathic to those who he is near. Likes: Order, protecting those who can't protect themselves, camping. Dislikes: Disobedience, injustice, disagreements. Past/History: Growing up, Vance was seen to be quite skilled in the healing arts, and displayed a fierce protectiveness of those around him whenever they were being mistreated, or bullied. This led to him being recommended to the knighthood for training to become a Templar. In his teenage years, he showed promise, but the hopes were dashed when he saw a friend get killed, and the murderer walked, due to a technicality in the system. Vance went out that night, and killed the man himself, thus betraying his order. He went into hiding for years, just recently emerging again after a hiatus, leading a nomadic life mostly in solitude after the 'incident'. Time hasn't done much to alleviate his feelings of guilt for his betrayal, though he was never caught, or brought to trial for his own crimes. He has been traveling across the land, trying to do everything in his power to right his wrongs, helping anyone who will accept it, and never take payment for his deeds. The first place that he approached was the forest town of Masa(May-sa), and he considers that his 'home'. He can never again go back to his kingdom for fear of being charged for his crimes.</s> <\|message\|>Veltis Arunda ADRIAL HACKIS Adrial took notice of the mans tensity and displeasure at what he had to say, his Elvinian eyes took notice of his quivering jaw, the clenching of his teeth along with the silent glare he was given. He thought curiously, until the man spoke. "Wait a minute- go back to what you said earlier. Do you really leave men to bleed out? That... That's horrible. I mean you have the ability to save lives yet... You choose not to?- Please clear this up for me because it's bothering the hell out of me." Adrial silently glared back at Jeer, his facial expressions slowly twisted and shaped into a bitter, exasperated scowl, nostrils lightly flared in enmity. His voice changing from calming to more bothered and slightly heated. "Really? You are asking me... why? Why on earth would I bother saving a bunch of ignorant, selfish and abusive simple minded soldiers who only see me as a tool for their own safety and get themselves hurt on purpose because they believe just because a cleric is by their side that they have every right to be reckless?! They wouldn't be able to comprehend the sheer amount of concentration, energy and training that is required to bend every single broken blood vessel and vein inside a mans body! Working the flesh until its healed by carefully and swiftly stitching together each bit of bloody tissue by my own mental strength! Do you know what thanks I get for staring deep into the bloody murderous wounds of hundreds of thousands of soldiers who are crying out in agony before me? do you know the sheer horror of having to stare into a mans dying eyes to heal him? Do you know the praise I receive for bringing the many back from the brink of death, at the cost of my own sanity, my own willpower and potentially my own life?!" Adrial clenched his fists tightly and grimaced, turning his face away, as his expression changed from pure anger to a mix between both hatred and heartache, a slight tear formulating in his eye as he stared away, reflecting on his previous experiences as his eyes met his boots. "Nothing... You are treated like nothing but a dog... a pet who's only purpose is saving others who don't deserve it. I get no rewards for my actions, no praise, no acceptance. I'm simply a tool to be abused because I can do things others can't. A hundred years. A hundred years... of murder... And my reward was just my life... while many gained medals and were showed in gold and praise... I was granted nothing, not even a simple thank you..." Adrial's expression soured, twisting his gaze back to jeer, his eyes blazing with hostility and aggressiveness. "So why bother saving those who just hurt people in the end? Why bother saving the life of someone if they will never thank you, and crush you under their heel when you're done "saving them". Let the brutes and monsters die... And if you're the type of person who willingly rushes out to get hurt... And force me to plunge back into the horrors of that previous, grim reality... I will let you die a horrible, painful and agonising death... I won't let reckless neanderthals plunge me back into the emotionally scarring carnage of those times... I won't allow it." His last words were bitter and emotionally harsh, the cleric turned quickly, proceeding to stroll away, leaving jeer and his companion to themselves. VELTIS ARUNDA "I am here for the quest to slay the monsters which have become a nuisance to this town, and the surrounding areas. My name is Van.." Veltis calmly listened to the knight, his left hand laid upon his hip whilst he elegantly and nonchalantly brushed his long, flowing white hair in front of his face behind himself, which shun with a elegant glow as the light of the sun rebounded its rays off of the impossibly smooth and silky hairstyle, along with displaying his smooth and soft skin, void of inperfections, definately one to take care of how he looks, if atleast somewhat overcared for...! What a wonderful thing to hear. He thought. That someone had the same mindset as he did, Perhaps the two would meet again in the near future hopefully wished silently, his smile never once wavering when Vance spoke, not even when a sudden fairy would speak up out of the blue and reveal itself to his eyes. "Hi! I'm Eve!" "What's your name?" "Did you sign up for the quest too?" "Wow, a bow!" "Are you good with it?" "How many monsters have you killed?" "You're cute!" "I love those shoes!" Veltis, put his right foot back in surprise, but almost instantly relaxed as the adorable fairy spoke, retaining his calm, collected and stylish pose once more, hand on hip, he let the fairy return to what he assumed was a companion of hers. "Sorry for the interruption. My name is Vance Meridian. I am a Templar from Masa. I am skilled in the ways of white magic, both to heal, and harm." He said. "And you are?" Veltis gave his arm a surprisingly strong and friendly handshake, before pulling back and with a slow turn, Veltis put both arms behind his head and turned with his back toward Vance, his body twisting into a rather odd and flamboyant side angle as does his head, so he could just about look behind him to view Vance, thus being able to speak to him, his eyes almost glowed from the suns shine upon him, both his golden and green eye shining and looking with grace to both Vance and Eve. Once he posed, Vance would notice on Veltis' back in all it's glory a large bulky greatbow the size of a man attached to his back, with a large boxed quiver behind it, holding impressive large arrows which would definitely require some strength to pull, which didn't exactly seem possible on Veltis' feminine, slim physique. "Ah, I happen to be graced with the bow! Greatbow to be precise! A strong weapon with superb firepower, though admittedly slow to fire, I'm much better at working in a team, so should we join arms at one point in our lives, you would find me a compulsory unit to your group!" Veltis bent his right arm back, and slowly stroked the mithril string of his large bow, pulling and releasing the string gently, which made an echoing reverberation, before the Hero turned fully around to look at Vance with his arms still behind his head, smiling dearly at him. "I however am just one man. I am no stronger than anyone else who desires to change our realm for the better. I hold no person below me, nor above me, I treat all those who seek to build a better world as my equals, and I thus seek to make sure that those who act in malice are forced to see the error of their ways or are removed from realm, my desires are as simple and plain as that! It would be impossible for me alone to accomplish this, but over the years, I believe this would be possible...!" Veltis' arms rested at his sides, deciding to politely bow in respect before raising his head up to speak again. "But where are my manners! My name is Veltis Arunda, no titles, for I do not deserve them! It is truly an honor to meet you, Vance and of course your beautiful companion, eve! 'Tis a pleasure to be graced by two people of, if I may be so bold, unmatched refined elegance! I would very much enjoy meeting you once again! I pray the quest goes well for both of you! Should I be payed, I plan to give my reward to the beggars of the city, too many are stepped underfoot, and they need the comfort of a warm bed as much as anyone! Farewell, Vance, Lady Eve!" Veltis once again elegantly bowed and waved gently before proceeding to walk away, to await the groupings.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia The woman who had helped her earlier was waving at her with a sincere smile. Elisha found it rude to not wave back, even if she wanted to avoid giving the older woman a misunderstanding. She shyly tries to force a smile, as well as waving back. One of the other adventurers however bumps into her as they were walking, which causes her to lose some of her balance. Thankfully she was able to catch herself, but not without hitting somebody else. After regaining her footing, Elisha takes a few steps back before bowing as low as she could towards the person she bumped into. "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you," she said as sincerely as she could. Upon lifting her head, she noticed that this was the person who was signing up alongside her at the line. "Louis... Françoise Le Blanc... de La Vallière... was it?" Elisha didn't have the best memory, but extravagant names such as his somehow keep sticking out for her. "It's a lovely name. Just... long." However, her stomach suddenly makes itself known by growling. "Oh god, why now?! Ssshhhh~!" Blushing madly as well as clutching her stomach, she was hoping that nobody heard the noise it made. "I-I'm sorry for my rude manners. I-it's just that... I haven't had anything since last night," she continues before she returns to bowing.</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière As Louis was raised in a very upper-crust home, he was brought up on a very strict code of manners (is that a thing; code of manners? Ah screw it, it is now). There were strict ways to do things, and things that you strictly couldn't do. Bodily noises were one such thing. However, that was normally...urg...gas expelled from either the mouth or rear (gah! Such a ghastly image). The cries of a person's stomach were a little different. First of all, you couldn't tell it was going to make that noise until it actually happened, and even then you couldn't stop it any more then you could stop your own heart from beating though shear force of will. Secondly, it didn't release any offensive gas into the air. While the upper class may be complete snobs, at least they weren't completely unreasonable With that in mind, Louis opened up his bag and pulled out a gourmet breakfast sandwich, wrapped up in cloth to keep it clean. "You shouldn't embark on such a quest without eating something" he said while holding it out to the girl with the noise stomach. Suddenly, his brain finished processing what his mouth had just said and panicked "d-d-d-d-d-don't misunderstand I'm only doing this so you don't e-e-e-embarrass yourself! As a n-n-n-n-n-noble, it is my duty to fix such obvious mistakes before me if it is within my power to do so" he claimed, his cheeks tomato red "really! It's not because I think you're pretty or anything, that's simply absurd, get such thoughts out of your head!"</s>	<\|message\|>Vance Meridian Vance and Eve both listened to the man's philosophy, and way of life, and for the most part, Vance agreed with it. When Veltis turned around, Vance found himself admiring the bow that was on his back. It was beautifully crafted, and it looked like it could be deadly in the right hands. He imagined Veltis using it with a fusion of both power, and grace. It was an impressive thought, and he hoped that he would get to see it someday. After a firm handshake, and a nod, Vance spoke. Eve seemed to be smitten with his posture and the way that he spoke. "There are many evils in the world, and it takes people like us to make sure that peace is preserved in these dark times." He said. "You're one of the good ones, Veltis" he added. Eve had a small blush, and a big smile appear on her face as Veltis referred to her as 'beautiful' Vance found even himself admiring Veltis. He was one of the good guys, and he would surely be a powerful ally in the fight for good. He wasn't too bad on the eyes, either, as Eve pointed out. As Veltis walked away, Vance watched him, and then looked to others who were around them. He suddenly felt a new sense of purpose in doing this quest. They money was good, but these people, all of them, were worth saving. He truly hoped that he, and Veltis, would cross paths again.</s>
<\|description\|>Vance Meridian Nicknames/Aliases: N/A Gender: Male Birthday: May 19th Age: 33 Class: Templar Occupation: Knight Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: (See above) Personality: Vance is very strict with the rules that he was raised by, and keeps these morals as his guides in whatever he does. He has a strong sense of justice, and what he feels is right and wrong. He's easy to get along with, as long as he doesn't suspect any foul play has been done by those around him. Though he is quiet, and reserved in his opinions of those around him, he is usually empathic to those who he is near. Likes: Order, protecting those who can't protect themselves, camping. Dislikes: Disobedience, injustice, disagreements. Past/History: Growing up, Vance was seen to be quite skilled in the healing arts, and displayed a fierce protectiveness of those around him whenever they were being mistreated, or bullied. This led to him being recommended to the knighthood for training to become a Templar. In his teenage years, he showed promise, but the hopes were dashed when he saw a friend get killed, and the murderer walked, due to a technicality in the system. Vance went out that night, and killed the man himself, thus betraying his order. He went into hiding for years, just recently emerging again after a hiatus, leading a nomadic life mostly in solitude after the 'incident'. Time hasn't done much to alleviate his feelings of guilt for his betrayal, though he was never caught, or brought to trial for his own crimes. He has been traveling across the land, trying to do everything in his power to right his wrongs, helping anyone who will accept it, and never take payment for his deeds. The first place that he approached was the forest town of Masa(May-sa), and he considers that his 'home'. He can never again go back to his kingdom for fear of being charged for his crimes.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia realized that she was in the same group as Elisha, the girl she picked up earlier. Glad to already know someone, she headed west until she found the gate, trying not to seem too eager to test her combat skills. I haven't used my blade in so long, but I need money. Remember, protect someone. Doesn't have to be Elisha, but someone. Anyone. Any one of these vilag- she stops mid-thought. These are vilagers who have also signed up to help defend their neighbors... Keep the vilagers alive. As the gate opens, she sees a large bird-like creature. Hey, I know someone who pays big for exotic pets. Hm... "Could we capture it and sell it...?" The last thought slipping out loud. Cecelia withdraws to the back of the pack. While I need money, I should keep as much of my dignity as I can. I am "The Shadow" after all. We could just stun the thing and tie it down. Or they might settle down after the scarecrow-thingies are gone. Maybe just toss a net over one after we take out the scarers. Cecelia keeps trying to think of ways to cage a bird to get some extra cash, possibly to get out of doing this quest. Maybe make coin on the side and fake my death? Well, I do have a tendancy to get overly attached to people... Meh, I'll just wing it. There's enough people to keep the scaries busy while I sneak in for a kill. Brennen Garron Brennen listens to his group. Well, at least I know that one of them is a spellsword. So long as she's properly trained, she should have the same capabilities as me, but with wider range of magic. Good. As he walked south towards the gate, he realized that the "heroes" from the palace weren't the only volunteers. There were some locals in whatever gear they could afford. Brennen looks out the gate with a wild grin. "Finally. Some action." Holding his left hand out, he sends a surge of magic to create a fireball in his hand while his other hand reaches for the shortsword on his back. Scanning quickly and thinking out loud, in a loud enough voice for all the villagers and 'heroes' to hear: "Scarecrows. If they're like the real things, then some fire should take them down to cinders. Fire magic users and people with torches, go for them, but watch it, they've got blades. I got nothin' so far on that, uh... thing over there. It can tear into flesh, so I'd say keep your distance if at all possible. Test its speed and refleses before rushing in and getting yourself killed. We can do this if we stick to a plan, and I don't hear anyone else with a plan."</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna heard her team announced, and took a moment to think. She recognized the names from...somewhere. it took her a moment to realize, but when she did, she smiled. She had seen Elisha's name on the paper she had herself signed. A scion of the Marluxia family, who, according to Lenna's relatives, were a very old fashioned family, ascribing to some very out-dated views. Lenna hoped the young girl wouldn't be a problem as a result. Cecilia she'd heard vague rumors about. The Shadow was a figure wrapped in, well, Shadow. Lenna knew very little about her, and only could really hope she was trustworthy. She knew the woman would be competent. As for the final one, Lenna knew of the Valliere family. They were as rich and powerful as the Underwoods. However, she'd heard of the massacre that had taken place. She had to admit, she felt bad for the poor kid. One thing did occur to Lenna as she departed with her allies. She would have to keep them safe. *** Lenna paused only a moment before getting ready to jump into the fray. "Keep each other safe, and protect the villagers. The demons are what are driving the birds mad, most likely, so take them out quickly." "Could we capture it and sell it?" Lenna bristled visibly, the fur on her ears standing on end. "Absolutely not. That's illegal and wrong. Besides, we have a mission to accomplish. Focus on it, thief, not the money." Lenna was perhaps being mean to the legendary Shadow. From Lenna's perspective, the girl already was hard to trust because of her reputation. Beyond that, Lenna had never needed to make ends meet with earning her own that, so she really didn't understand that Cecilia might actually NEED some money. And with that, Lenna lauched herself into battle, beast stone gleaming. One moment, a relatively short woman was running forward. The next, an absolutely gargantuan rabbit as big as a horse was charging forth, letting out a furious war cry. She bounded forward quickly. She had been rushing for a scarecrow, and had leapt toward it, prepared to tear the demon apart, before a voraptus dive at her and slammed into her side. She fell to the side and rolled, wincing in pain. The voraptus continued its assault, charging with a low and deadly dive, and Lenna shifted into human shape and rolled under it. She grabbed its tail, and was lifted quickly into the sky. Before the bird got too high, Lenna climbed up its back a bit and shifted into bunny form again. The weight of the huge bunny was too much for the bird to maintain flight, and it began to fall, Lenna tearing into its back. After a few moments it crashed. Lenna had killed it, crushing the feral beast's bones and tearing it's flesh. She had gotten battered in the attempt too, however. Lenna was tossed to the side by the crashing bird, and, before she could get up, was slammed into by another. Her reckless charge had had good results, but left her in dire straits.</s>	<\|message\|>Vance Meridian Vance and Eve both listened and the crier began to list the groups that were going on the quest. "The fourth group will exit by the Northern gate. They are Miercoles of..." he siiiiighed as if to say 'what is up with spellswords and not filling out their information'," Miercoles the spellsword. Vance of Masa and Elle of Asterith." As soon as they called the third group, Eve was starting to worry that they wouldn't get called at all. As soon as the crowds around them began to cheer, and applaud, Eve gave them several proud bows, as if she had already been victorious. Vance simply sighed. He was by no means a showman, and he didn't like being the center of attention. "Let's go" he said, nearly having to carry her away from the adoring crowd. She fluttered faithfully behind him as he walked. Vance's head turned towards one of the gates as it opened, signaling that they were to head that way. "Already?" he thought to himself. "Damnit!" he whispered. Even flew closer to his face. "What's wrong?" she asked. He sighed, closing his eyes. "I thought that we'd have more time to prepare." He said, walking at a steadier pace to his horse. After approaching it, and unbuckling the bag that was strapped behind the saddle, he whispered something to his fairy companion. She blushed a bit, but then nodded. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a cloth tent that he would use as a privacy curtain, enough to cover half of the horse's backside, and Vance, as he started to give orders to Eve. Only Vance's voice could be heard behind the curtain, as well as protests from his horse. "Harder" "Faster" "Pull more on it!" "That's it, now do it again on the other side" "Yeah, you got it" "Too hard!" All that was heard from Eve were small grunts, as well as protests from the horse as Vance accidentally backed into it a time or two during all of this. What the hell were they doing under that tent!? With one last small grunt from Eve's efforts, the curtain fell to reveal Vance wearing his full plate armor, which he always needed assistance putting on. There were twenty four pieces in all, 12 for each side, not including the shield that he wore on his back. Reaching up, Vance adjusted one of his shoulder plates, and it clinked against the chest guard as it moved into place. "Not bad! Those straps can be a pain sometimes" he said with a grin as he put the tent back into the bag behind the saddle. Eve responded with a small salute to him. He mounted his horse, guiding it towards the northern gates. As he approached, the gates opened and the two portly men seemed to be bothered that they had to work today. Vance shot them a look of scorn for what he considered laziness. Maybe if they weren't drowning their sorrows in a bottle, they could pick up a sword for the cause, but he didn't dwell on it too much before he was out of the gates. A few others emerged before the gates were shut, and locked behind them. "Who was supposed to be with us?" Eve said as they looked at the carnage that was already taking place a small way out of the gate. "A Spellsword, and a .." he started to say, but then saw some of the volunteer villagers rush from behind him towards the scare crow demons with pitchforks, and a few handmade spears. "Damnit!" he said, kicking his horse and taking off after them. One of them had fallen before reaching the scarecrows, thankfully. One less that he would have to worry about. He quickly dismounted and readied his shield, as well as drawing his sword. There were so many of them, and so many villagers that were trying to fend them off. His rational mind tried to prioritize what he should do, but he had to work on gut instincts. One of the villagers stabbed at a scarecrow, but he only succeeded in getting it stuck in the creature. The villager was quickly knocked to the ground with the monster hovering over him with a sickle, ready to make the kill. Vance rushed towards them, using his shield to knock the scarecrow off balance, and slashing at its midsection with his sword. With one quick motion, he had beheaded the creature before it hit the ground. He helped the villager to his feet, but his attention was quickly diverted towards the chaos around him. "Aren't we supposed to be getting help with these things?" Eve said as she looked around, helping him survey the situation. "Introductions will come later!" he said as he headed towards another scarecrow that was running towards his horse. "If we live." he added.</s>
<\|description\|>Vance Meridian Nicknames/Aliases: N/A Gender: Male Birthday: May 19th Age: 33 Class: Templar Occupation: Knight Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: (See above) Personality: Vance is very strict with the rules that he was raised by, and keeps these morals as his guides in whatever he does. He has a strong sense of justice, and what he feels is right and wrong. He's easy to get along with, as long as he doesn't suspect any foul play has been done by those around him. Though he is quiet, and reserved in his opinions of those around him, he is usually empathic to those who he is near. Likes: Order, protecting those who can't protect themselves, camping. Dislikes: Disobedience, injustice, disagreements. Past/History: Growing up, Vance was seen to be quite skilled in the healing arts, and displayed a fierce protectiveness of those around him whenever they were being mistreated, or bullied. This led to him being recommended to the knighthood for training to become a Templar. In his teenage years, he showed promise, but the hopes were dashed when he saw a friend get killed, and the murderer walked, due to a technicality in the system. Vance went out that night, and killed the man himself, thus betraying his order. He went into hiding for years, just recently emerging again after a hiatus, leading a nomadic life mostly in solitude after the 'incident'. Time hasn't done much to alleviate his feelings of guilt for his betrayal, though he was never caught, or brought to trial for his own crimes. He has been traveling across the land, trying to do everything in his power to right his wrongs, helping anyone who will accept it, and never take payment for his deeds. The first place that he approached was the forest town of Masa(May-sa), and he considers that his 'home'. He can never again go back to his kingdom for fear of being charged for his crimes.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia Elisha's mind was wavering off to something else when Louis had suddenly swung his arm around her. She was very surprised at his sudden gesture and her face had turned beet red. Not that many men have gotten this close to her before barring family members, and so she felt very awkward. "S-sir Louis please! I am v-very flattered but t-there is a time and place for this!" Louis wasn't finished, and soon converted his hold onto her into a full on body hug. Elisha found this situation to be very very awkward, and her heart was pounding madly. Their closeness, his body heat and hers, as well as the alcohol's aura mixing together was bad. Her head was starting to feel light, and she had starting losing conciousness. thump However, she was brought out of it by a sharp pain in her chest and had a pained look on her face. "A-again? Why now of all times?" She jumps out of her seat and out of Louis' grasp. "I-I need to go to the bathroom." Not wanting to be a bother to the others, she starts heading for the bathroom, but not before asking the waitress where it was located. She was directed to go to the door in the corner of the room. thump thump Once inside, she closes the door before keeling towards the wall and slid down to her knees. She was sweating pretty badly, unsure if it was caused by the alcohol or her heart acting up. "This hurts. I-I need to drink my medicine..." Her medicine bag was still thankfully hanging by her waist, and so she quickly grabs one of the pills inside and swallowed it immediately. It only took a moment to stop her heart from getting worse and go back to normal, but she felt exhausted and drained. She turned back around and sat down on the floor properly with her knees close to her chest while regaining her breath. Elisha wipes the sweat off of her forehead before noticing how small and cramped the bathroom was. There was only enough room for one toilet and one bathroom sink inside. Although you could probably fit in two or three people if the need would arise for some reason. The room wasn't fancily designed, but it probably is doing its job well. The smell wasn't too bad either. After a few minutes, Elisha had calmed down enough that she could stand up again. "I need to be more careful... I've already had two pills today. Any more could be very dangerous for me." She shortly walks out of the bathroom and starts walking back towards her group, trying to look as calm as she could. Before that though, she walks over to the waitress named Lucia, as her father had shouted out a moment earlier, and bows as low as she could. "Thank you, Miss Lucia." Before she could make a little more small talk with her however, someone suddenly barged in to the bar and made a scene. He seemed harmless judging from his words, but his cat suddenly jumping out and smacking his face with a hairball was enough to get her to start giggling a bit.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Hearing the crier's information, Cecelia rolled her eyes. "Great. Typical nobles." Realizing who all was in her team, she immediately regretted her words. Looking around at her team, she babbles "I- I mean, I've had bad experiences with high nobles and loyalty stuff. Sorry..." Her embarrassment was cut short by someone short: the owner. Hearing the name 'Finny', Cecelia giggled and couldn't stop. Once he was done, she noticed Elisha's face as she got up and rushed to the bathroom. Not seeing that as a good sign, Cecelia attempted to pursue, getting up ever so gracefully as her drunken body allowed. About halfway to the door Elisha had gone through, Cecelia tripped over... Well, she's pretty drunk, so she just tripped and got a face full of floor. Elisha emerged as Cecelia was finally able to pick herself up, and went over to her, but before she could get close enough, a boy hit the door like it hit him first, monologuing. Cecelia was frozen during his speech, until a cat that was presumably his, interrupted him, pissed him off, and spat a hairball in the boy's face. Cecelia couldn't help but giggle madly at the sight. Once she was able to dial her giggling fit down, she turned back to Elisha "Hey, you alright, sweetie?" Still using family-esque names due to her drunken mind not filtering her mouth, she continued after placing her hand on Elisha's shoulder "Did you have too much to drink? Was it your heart condition? Or was Louis' gesutre that bad?" Adding the last question with a smile, she rubbed Elisha's shoulder with her thumb in an attempt to comfort the younger girl. "I just saw you running and got worried. I would've been there sooner, but the floor wanted to have a chat with me." Brennen Garron Brennen heard the crier's announcement about them having to help again and, just over a mumble, commented, ever so delicately "Fuuuuuuuuuuhuhuhuuuck" just before letting his head drop back onto one of the few non-dampened spots on his scarlet robe's sleeve. Most of it looked like he had been using it to play tic-tac-toe, with his snot in place of ink. With the owner having introduced himself and his staff, he now at least knew a name to call the bar man who would serve him his final two ales before he passed out at the table. He tried to think positively I'm a good tactician. Great even! I can use any number of trained men to protect a villag- and that's where the positivity stopped. Brennen's brain resumed its grief for those he had lost. This time, he didn't cry as badly. Just silent tears as he stared through his darkened scarlet jacket sleeve into the distance. That's when some... kid barged in. He was yammering about himself and how great he is, and at the exact moment Brennen thought about throwing a bottle at the kid's head, the young 'un was interrupted by a cat he referred to as shin. After the human had given his rebuttal to the cat's interruption, it promptly spat a hairball in his face. Laughing, Brennen said "good job, shin."</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière "Elishaaaaaaaaaa..." Louis moaned "don't...don't try to escape the hugz. You can't run from them; they will find you" he cried out to the fleeing girl, unable to muster up the motor function to pursue her "is doesn't matter...sheeee can't run for long...the hugz shall catch her." He said to himself "oh well...I still feel like hugz. Oh Lenna" he sang her name as he hobbled over to the beastkin and, for lack of a better word, 'fell' into hug with her "u like hugs right? Ha, what'm I saying, of course you do! You're a sexy bunny lady, and bunnies are cute little balls of fuzzy that love cuddlez. Therefor! you must love cuddlez too. Is science" he then passed out while still managing to keep a hold of Lenna</s>	<\|message\|>Vance Meridian "Tell ya what, this one's on me. I also got the reward gold over in the back. It's available in full upon request, but I'm also agreein' to keep hold of it if ya don't need it now. No need to pay bar tabs whilst there's gold in yer pouch in the back. I take tabs out of the pouch if it's not paid up front" Vance nodded to finny as he took the bottle of ale, taking a big swig of it after raising it towards the bartender. "Thanks" he said. He turned his back to the counter, looking at the other patrons. His expression was that of worry, and it got worse as he looked at each of the heroes that was left after the first mission. There was a drunk girl, who raced into the bathroom, with a female friend helping her. A Rabbit-girl who had carried her already-drunk companions in. A man who looked to be depressed from the battle. A seemingly horny drunk that was eying the girl who ran into the bathroom. After hearing the banter between the newcomer, and his cat, the last thing he heard was the cat hacking up a hairball onto it's companion's cheek. "Great.." Both Eve, and Vance thought in unison. "This is our fighting force? We're putting our lives in the hands of.... them?" Vance said to Eve, as the hairball slid off of Bartholomew's cheek, and onto the counter with a squishy "thud". With a heavy sigh, he took another swig of ale. "Cheers" he said in a less than subtle tone to the room.</s>
<\|description\|>Elisha Marluxia Nicknames / Aliases: Eli / Elle Gender: Female Birthday: June 30th Age: 17 Class: White Mage Occupation: Student Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: Personality: Gentle, kind, shy, and meek, Elisha's personality was molded through her harsh upbringing. A girl with a heart of gold, she's always willing to help someone if it meant their happiness. Never one to hold a grudge, her kindness knows no bounds. She has always put others ahead of herself, where her martyrical nature has bit her in the rear more than once before. Despite this, she grit her teeth and forced herself to move on. Underneath all of this however, is a girl whose self-esteem is always at a dangerously low point. Someone who frequently questions her purpose and goal in life. Her outward demeanor hiding a frail and weak person. She frequently has considered committing suicide, but she has always barely shot the idea down by telling herself that she just needs a little more time to change. As a result of her family's long outdated look on left-handed people being "servants" of a greater evil, she has developed a complex about her dexterity. While she is naturally a southpaw, she has forced herself to deal with the world with her right hand as well. Elisha only ever reverts to her dominant hand in private or during dire situations, while keeping her right in public. Hometown: Otonoki - A fairly average-sized town just about two hours to the South of Maplestead by horse. The town is best known for developing some of the most successful mages in history. Featuring some of the top ranking universities in the country, Otonoki's quality in teaching is well-known and respected. If one wants to learn how to be a very good mage, then Otonoki is one of the best places to learn at. Otonoki has a medieval theme attached to it. The town is abundant with nature and filled with green pastures and surrounded by forests. Aside from that, the town is covered by several mountains to its West side which compliment its old-fashioned look, as well as serve as the training grounds for up and coming mages. Likes: Children, left-handed tools, music, reading Dislikes: Loud and crowded areas, romance, large bodies of water, her family, being referred by her last name Past / History: Born into the wealthy and prestigious but old-fashioned magi family of Marluxia, her upbringing was meant to be one of high class. At first, this was the case. An accident during her child years nearly took her life, as well as leaving her heart in a very frail state. Elisha was no longer able to be physically fit. Every time she tried to run, her heart would be strained easily and she'd be out of breath. Anything that shocks or surprises her can give her a heart attack. Anything that hits the area around her heart can give her a heart attack. Her family was supportive despite this. Her siblings were there to help, and her parents spent their precious work time to be with her. Somehow though, Elisha felt they were only doing all of this out of pity. A thought that quickly turned into fact. Her life slowly turned for the worse when her parents discovered her preference for her left hand. Her family was quick to change their demeanor around her. "A sign of the devil's servant", they say. Elisha's family beat her. They locked her in her room for years. Only letting her out for food and trips to the bathroom. The servants who tried to comfort or sympathize with her were quickly fired and replaced, eventually leaving her with no one to connect with. No one was allowed to be associated with the "devil's servant". She grew to resent her family, all the while never once losing her kindness to others despite the abuse. She greeted and spoke to them all the same, with a smile and polite mannerism. Over the years, she forced herself into relearning the world by using her right hand. Once her parents deemed that she has "cleansed" herself enough, they allowed her to "live" normally again. Given that she was tutored at home to avoid other people finding out about her dexterity on top of the abuse she went through, she had poor social skills. They eventually allowed her to study at a high school near their mansion. With her first year being the point of when she was taken advantage of several times due to her kind and awkward nature. She took all of this in stride. She never considered anyone her friend and treated everyone the same, despite a few of them showing legitimate signs of wanting to be friends with her.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia The woman who had helped her earlier was waving at her with a sincere smile. Elisha found it rude to not wave back, even if she wanted to avoid giving the older woman a misunderstanding. She shyly tries to force a smile, as well as waving back. One of the other adventurers however bumps into her as they were walking, which causes her to lose some of her balance. Thankfully she was able to catch herself, but not without hitting somebody else. After regaining her footing, Elisha takes a few steps back before bowing as low as she could towards the person she bumped into. "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you," she said as sincerely as she could. Upon lifting her head, she noticed that this was the person who was signing up alongside her at the line. "Louis... Françoise Le Blanc... de La Vallière... was it?" Elisha didn't have the best memory, but extravagant names such as his somehow keep sticking out for her. "It's a lovely name. Just... long." However, her stomach suddenly makes itself known by growling. "Oh god, why now?! Ssshhhh~!" Blushing madly as well as clutching her stomach, she was hoping that nobody heard the noise it made. "I-I'm sorry for my rude manners. I-it's just that... I haven't had anything since last night," she continues before she returns to bowing.</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière As Louis was raised in a very upper-crust home, he was brought up on a very strict code of manners (is that a thing; code of manners? Ah screw it, it is now). There were strict ways to do things, and things that you strictly couldn't do. Bodily noises were one such thing. However, that was normally...urg...gas expelled from either the mouth or rear (gah! Such a ghastly image). The cries of a person's stomach were a little different. First of all, you couldn't tell it was going to make that noise until it actually happened, and even then you couldn't stop it any more then you could stop your own heart from beating though shear force of will. Secondly, it didn't release any offensive gas into the air. While the upper class may be complete snobs, at least they weren't completely unreasonable With that in mind, Louis opened up his bag and pulled out a gourmet breakfast sandwich, wrapped up in cloth to keep it clean. "You shouldn't embark on such a quest without eating something" he said while holding it out to the girl with the noise stomach. Suddenly, his brain finished processing what his mouth had just said and panicked "d-d-d-d-d-don't misunderstand I'm only doing this so you don't e-e-e-embarrass yourself! As a n-n-n-n-n-noble, it is my duty to fix such obvious mistakes before me if it is within my power to do so" he claimed, his cheeks tomato red "really! It's not because I think you're pretty or anything, that's simply absurd, get such thoughts out of your head!"</s> <\|message\|>Vance Meridian Vance and Eve both listened to the man's philosophy, and way of life, and for the most part, Vance agreed with it. When Veltis turned around, Vance found himself admiring the bow that was on his back. It was beautifully crafted, and it looked like it could be deadly in the right hands. He imagined Veltis using it with a fusion of both power, and grace. It was an impressive thought, and he hoped that he would get to see it someday. After a firm handshake, and a nod, Vance spoke. Eve seemed to be smitten with his posture and the way that he spoke. "There are many evils in the world, and it takes people like us to make sure that peace is preserved in these dark times." He said. "You're one of the good ones, Veltis" he added. Eve had a small blush, and a big smile appear on her face as Veltis referred to her as 'beautiful' Vance found even himself admiring Veltis. He was one of the good guys, and he would surely be a powerful ally in the fight for good. He wasn't too bad on the eyes, either, as Eve pointed out. As Veltis walked away, Vance watched him, and then looked to others who were around them. He suddenly felt a new sense of purpose in doing this quest. They money was good, but these people, all of them, were worth saving. He truly hoped that he, and Veltis, would cross paths again.</s> <\|message\|>Tanzin Akar Maplestead was a funny town. It sounded so plain by the name that Tanzin had glanced over it the last time he looked at a map but the promise of a royal award was something Tanzin didn't take lightly. Money was the ultimate motivation, sure, but the promise of creatures too big to handle was something that really appeared to be irresistible. "Ha!" The great ogre of a man shouted, in the tavern he was calling home for the night, slamming his fists onto the table as he just finished his sixth pitcher of mead of the night. "They should have just asked me." He cockily said to his present company, a band of sellswords who were dwarfed by Tanzin's size. Wiping the messy drink from around his mouth, he continued, "Sheep herders and stable boys are all they'll get! Greed promising more than they can handle, all will run at the sight of anything bigger than them!" Again he slammed the table, "I'm off, then!" He said in a haste. It wasn't even the day of and he was already just outside of Maplestead, but he gathered up his things and darted out the door, hooting and a hollering. Other patrons, including the sellswords, shook their heads and all made comments about that drunkards quest. "It was a fool's errand," they said. The country of Sejan was at risk of being overrun and the those drinking patrons all had their theories about why this quest was happening. "There is no pay, they just bodies to throw at those things to keep them back!" They agreed that not even a man Tanzin's size could fight off the bigger of the creature out there. - The next morning, Tanzin was up and ready to go. He thought he was eyeballing the competition but much to his dismay, some of them were going to be his teammates. At least that is what they told him as soon as he signed up, signing just underneath a long-written name. "Hmph!" Tanzin scoffed as he strode past the other signees talking amongst themselves. None of these squishy folk looked at all strong. Tanzin strolled away, not wanting to socialize with such weaklings, and returned to his massive warhammer resting on the ground. Despite it having quite some value, nobody could lift it aside from Tanzin, himself. He swung that hammer with ease and threw it up on his shoulders, waiting for the call to begin the hunt. --- Petite and quiet, Elle managed to sneak in behind a rather large man, who could probably give giants a run for their money, and sign her name. There were so far quite a few who signed on and she was satisfied to see that so many people were trying to come to this city's aid. The city of Maplestead had become overly crowded as refugees flocked into the city gates. The sudden influx of horrific demons and creatures drove those that were unable to defend themselves and their property into the city wall. Elle had been in Maplestead for a few days now, resting as she had grown very ill in the past week. She was just starting to feel better when this royal decree was passed around every town crier inside the city walls. The refugees were the first sign that thing were bad, the decree present the problem a far worse. There are too many for them to handle! Elle thought to herself as she finished signing and looked at the small collection of guardsmen that stood on the other side of the sign-up sheet. They were giving her dirty looks and a muttering caused one of them to snort in laughter. Obviously, Elle had appeared quite intimating following that large man, but she had power that none would believe. It was a shame that it had to be daytime, however. The sun was already starting to beam down, almost blinding the nocturnal Elle. All of this wasn't her first choice but Elle had a sense Juna was wanting this. Last night's display of Aran's Star becoming eclipsed by a meteor that appeared to be heading right for Maplestead, burned up before it reached the ground. It was a sign that something apocalyptic could be on the rise as Aran was Juna's Child of War and she was the Keeper of Stjarna, an underworld of sorts. Signing up felt like her duty and so she did, despite being ill and likely not at full strength with her sickness and at day. Hopefully this crusade would carry on into the night where Elle was more useful. For a moment, Elle watched the conversations of the others. She wanted to join as they were likely interesting people and very likely to become her immediate allies but alas, she suddenly felt a wave of heat that threatened to knock her out. Best if she fled to somewhere with water first and she could always meet those of her group later. So she fled the courtyard for a brief moment, fetching some water from a public well.</s>	<\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia The silence between them felt unbearable. She has embarrassed herself quite badly already in front of Louis, and this is adding on to the awkwardness. Silence was never a big issue for Elisha, but the current situation's silence isn't exactly pleasant. Just as she was about to lift her head, Louis breaks the silence as well as handing her a sandwich. "A-are you sure I can have this?" Her left hand let go of her stomach, before slowly trying to reach the piece of food that Louis was offering her. Elisha hesitates however, feeling guilty that she's about to take someone else's food for free. His follow up however, Elisha found to be quite amusing, and a tad funny. She tried to keep it in, but she couldn't stop giggling a little bit. "He's not so bad either." She couldn't help but smile at his reaction to himself offering her the food. Somehow, she felt more at ease that he wouldn't mind. "Thank you, Louis." She takes the sandwich from his hands and slowly peels away the cloth that it had been wrapped in. The sandwich itself wasn't very thick, but it had enough meat and vegetables in between that could make it very good breakfast food. Elisha takes a nibble at one of the exposed corners, and the food's flavor quickly resonated through her taste buds. "This... This is very good!" The softness of the meat, the juiciness of the vegetables, as well as the sweetness of the mayonnaise spread in between made for a delicious sandwich.</s>
<\|description\|>Elisha Marluxia Nicknames / Aliases: Eli / Elle Gender: Female Birthday: June 30th Age: 17 Class: White Mage Occupation: Student Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: Personality: Gentle, kind, shy, and meek, Elisha's personality was molded through her harsh upbringing. A girl with a heart of gold, she's always willing to help someone if it meant their happiness. Never one to hold a grudge, her kindness knows no bounds. She has always put others ahead of herself, where her martyrical nature has bit her in the rear more than once before. Despite this, she grit her teeth and forced herself to move on. Underneath all of this however, is a girl whose self-esteem is always at a dangerously low point. Someone who frequently questions her purpose and goal in life. Her outward demeanor hiding a frail and weak person. She frequently has considered committing suicide, but she has always barely shot the idea down by telling herself that she just needs a little more time to change. As a result of her family's long outdated look on left-handed people being "servants" of a greater evil, she has developed a complex about her dexterity. While she is naturally a southpaw, she has forced herself to deal with the world with her right hand as well. Elisha only ever reverts to her dominant hand in private or during dire situations, while keeping her right in public. Hometown: Otonoki - A fairly average-sized town just about two hours to the South of Maplestead by horse. The town is best known for developing some of the most successful mages in history. Featuring some of the top ranking universities in the country, Otonoki's quality in teaching is well-known and respected. If one wants to learn how to be a very good mage, then Otonoki is one of the best places to learn at. Otonoki has a medieval theme attached to it. The town is abundant with nature and filled with green pastures and surrounded by forests. Aside from that, the town is covered by several mountains to its West side which compliment its old-fashioned look, as well as serve as the training grounds for up and coming mages. Likes: Children, left-handed tools, music, reading Dislikes: Loud and crowded areas, romance, large bodies of water, her family, being referred by her last name Past / History: Born into the wealthy and prestigious but old-fashioned magi family of Marluxia, her upbringing was meant to be one of high class. At first, this was the case. An accident during her child years nearly took her life, as well as leaving her heart in a very frail state. Elisha was no longer able to be physically fit. Every time she tried to run, her heart would be strained easily and she'd be out of breath. Anything that shocks or surprises her can give her a heart attack. Anything that hits the area around her heart can give her a heart attack. Her family was supportive despite this. Her siblings were there to help, and her parents spent their precious work time to be with her. Somehow though, Elisha felt they were only doing all of this out of pity. A thought that quickly turned into fact. Her life slowly turned for the worse when her parents discovered her preference for her left hand. Her family was quick to change their demeanor around her. "A sign of the devil's servant", they say. Elisha's family beat her. They locked her in her room for years. Only letting her out for food and trips to the bathroom. The servants who tried to comfort or sympathize with her were quickly fired and replaced, eventually leaving her with no one to connect with. No one was allowed to be associated with the "devil's servant". She grew to resent her family, all the while never once losing her kindness to others despite the abuse. She greeted and spoke to them all the same, with a smile and polite mannerism. Over the years, she forced herself into relearning the world by using her right hand. Once her parents deemed that she has "cleansed" herself enough, they allowed her to "live" normally again. Given that she was tutored at home to avoid other people finding out about her dexterity on top of the abuse she went through, she had poor social skills. They eventually allowed her to study at a high school near their mansion. With her first year being the point of when she was taken advantage of several times due to her kind and awkward nature. She took all of this in stride. She never considered anyone her friend and treated everyone the same, despite a few of them showing legitimate signs of wanting to be friends with her.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia was about to say something to the voice about needing money when a small girl ran, then changed into a huge rabbit. The fight scene stunned Cecelia for a while. After getting over the shock, she called to the others. Using her illusion magic, she sent an intangible duplicate to distract the bird-thing. She ran to the rabbit-shaped girl, put a smokescreen around the two, and whispered in the girl's ear "keep a low profile while aiming for the scarecrows. Stay human until you're within attacking distance from them. When the scarers are gone, the birds will calm down. No need to kill such expensi- such otherwise harmless birds." Rephrasing her description of the voraptus at last-second, remembering the girl's earlier words about 'illegal' and 'wrong'. "Also, what's wrong with wanting to possibly make a few thousand coin in a day. For a bird," Cecelia added before using her 5-second invisibility spell to rush behind a scarecrow and dismember the farthest-back one from behind, leaving the rest unaware of their fallen companion. Brennen Garron Brennen was silent for a few seconds after Adrial's comment to him. Wow, I've really underthought this battle. I've been hired by too many experienced sellswords to realize that there's probably three of us that have battle experience... After breaking from his thoughts, Brennen addressed Adrial. "It's alright. I didn't mean to risk lives, I'm just used to sellswords and the like who have some battle experience. I haven't seen a screecher in person or read up on many creatures, but I'd bet it needs those hands to rend flesh, so if we can dismember it or tie up the hands, it should be pretty easy. I know the spellsword and I have ranged magic we can use to grab its attention, but if you have any ranged attacks, that would help. We just need to keep shifting its attention around and slowly close in on it when you don't have its attention." Brennen found a nearby stick and set it aflame with his in-hand fireball. Addressing the crowd, he adds "you can use this and some oil if anyone has some to light your weapons. Or jsut get more sticks and light them. Make sure to have some sort of defense. A shield, or if you're using a torch, your sword can act as a shield as in deflection. Swing in the oposite direction your opponent is swining at you to deflect."</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière If Louis had to be honest, he would have admitted that this wasn't going quite as he expected it to. He had naively assumed that he was going to be taking part in something far more grand and epic. Only to find out it was more or less an extermination job. As such, Louis found himself in an odd predicament in which his pride both demanded that he just leave since such work was beneath him, and demanded that he fulfill his obligation. Something else he found strange was the Underwood girl a few years older then him. He knew of the family, but he was sure that they were human, not beastkin. That would be something to check on later At the west gate, he soon discovered just how ill-prepared for this he really was, having not really thought about the fact that he had never so much as touched a weapon until a few days ago. However, he did have something to fall back to; his memories of his brother training. While Crow wasn't a Rapier user per-say, he was very proficient with every kind of sword that Louis could think of. So he had seen his brother handle one of these before. As much as he loathed having to copy his brother, it was his best bet. Falling into what he could remember of the proper stance, he readied himself for combat... Only for one of the bird monster things to charge at him. His body moved without any input from his brain, and he thrusted his weapon into it's chest, badly wounding it. The bird crumpled to the ground, to hurt to do anything else. Once his brain caught up, Louis took his weapon and shoved it into the bird's head, finishing it off without anymore pain. Feeling awfully proud of himself (and looking like he knew what he was doing), he decided to reply to that Cecelia girl "If you're so willing to risk your life and name for coin thief, then be my guest. However, don't expect any of us to aid you is such a foolish endeavor"</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia Elisha heard her name as one of the members of the first group. Part of her was relieved that she knew two of her three teammates right off the bat. At the same time however, this means she'll have to deal with Cecelia's proposal later on. Before long, the group had already been pushed outside to deal with the monsters lurking around. "Will the four of us be alright?" Taking on this quest suddenly became a bad idea for her. Although it was her parents' wishes to give her experience, her physical condition will most likely just get in the way of her more experienced teammates. Before she could do anything however, one of her teammates had already rushed forward to deal with the monsters. The sight of a beastkin transforming into their beast forms and back was an amazing sight to behold. Part of her wanted to cuddle with Lenna's beast form, but that thought can wait as Lenna was being attacked by another voraptus. Luckily, Cecelia was quick to action and had saved the rabbit girl. Elisha shifts her thoughts onto the oncoming danger. Following Cecelia's lead, she proceeds to use her fire magic to attack the other scarecrows. Elisha had meant to use a spell strong enough to obliterate the remaining ones, but the last remaining voraptus interrupts her channeling and sends her flying several feet away. Having been caught off guard, the girl was unable to catch herself and crashed onto the ground.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna was thankful for Cecilia's smoke cover for a moment, until she heard the voraptus that had been keeping pressure on her flap away. That meant that it had chosen a smaller, easier target. Thinking of the young nobles in their group, Lenna burst from the smoke. She briefly considered engaging the scarecrows, but then realized where the final voraptus had gone. Lenna let out a bestial warcry before racing for her white mage ally. As the voraptus knocked Elisha over, Lenna dived on it. It couldn't fly away with her weight pressing on it, and Lenna began wrestling with the bird on the ground. Lenna pinned the bird, making it a clear target for one of her companions.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia heard commotion from the other bird, looking in time to see Elisha getting knocked back. A protective urge moved Cecelia's feet in that direction. Cecelia passes the bird and checks on Elisha. Out of breath, she asks "are you... Alright?" and pulls out a small bandaging kit she originally brought to bandage herself. "Need any... Help?" still trying to catch her breath, she continues asking questions. She looks over at the well-dressed lad with the rapier "can you take out the bird?"</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière "Yes" Louis answered, although that was really unlikely. Getting into the stance once more, he readied himself to attack the bird. All at once, he moved forward towards his target, hand ready to end it's life. Once he was in range, he lashed out with his weapon, striking the prone beast in the torso. Badly wounded, it quivered under Lenna, no longer able to muster up any strength to escape. With it unable to fight back and slowly dying, Louis walked over and shoved his weapon in it's skull, ending it just like the last one. The creature didn't even know what hit him... ...Mostly because he didn't even notice Louis, and it was already trapped under a large bunnykin...but still "Is she badly hurt?" He asked Cecelia, regarding Elisha. As of right now, Louis was feeling pretty good about himself 'This is far easier then Crow made it out to be...perhaps I simply have a knack for it.' It's too bad that he didn't consider dumb luck a possibility</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana Miercoles managed to get signed up at the last minute and yet he managed to get into a group. Still he was late as by the time he rushed to the northernmost gate one of the group members was already in combat with some bizarre looking creations. Definitely not animal, vegetable, or miner but scarecrows? While he didn't want to say they were going to be easy, it could be a lot more worse. Even if enchanted it was enchanted wood, straw, and cloth is no match for a keen blade and an even more keen hand. A small group of the possessed scarecrows fell apart in the time it took for him to re-sheathe his blade as it cleaved through them with the ease of gust of wind kicks dust up. Dramatic entrance now complete he spoke to the armored man with a tip of the hat, "We can exchange names after this. For now let us focus on destroying these pests quickly." He then set down his box as it would be a bit of a nuisance in this fight as well out of a desire to minimize any possible damage that could be inflicted on it.</s>	<\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia "Man, I am really out of shape." Elisha thinks to herself as she desperately catches her breath. The impact she made blew all of the wind out of her. Before long, she could hear Cecelia and Louis coming to check up on her. "I-I'll be OK... Cecelia... I just need... to calm down for a few." Elisha slowly forces herself to stand back up. "Get a hold of yourself, Eli. You told yourself you won't be a burden anymore." As she says that to herself, she closes her eyes and begins channeling the spell she was going to use moments earlier once more. "The three scarecrows are... there... there... and there..." Envisioning where her targets are, Elisha envelops the three remaining demons in a cloak of flame. Being made out of straw, they were quick to catch on fire and were shortly burned into a crisp, but not before loudly wailing out into the skies one last time.</s>
<\|description\|>Elisha Marluxia Nicknames / Aliases: Eli / Elle Gender: Female Birthday: June 30th Age: 17 Class: White Mage Occupation: Student Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: Personality: Gentle, kind, shy, and meek, Elisha's personality was molded through her harsh upbringing. A girl with a heart of gold, she's always willing to help someone if it meant their happiness. Never one to hold a grudge, her kindness knows no bounds. She has always put others ahead of herself, where her martyrical nature has bit her in the rear more than once before. Despite this, she grit her teeth and forced herself to move on. Underneath all of this however, is a girl whose self-esteem is always at a dangerously low point. Someone who frequently questions her purpose and goal in life. Her outward demeanor hiding a frail and weak person. She frequently has considered committing suicide, but she has always barely shot the idea down by telling herself that she just needs a little more time to change. As a result of her family's long outdated look on left-handed people being "servants" of a greater evil, she has developed a complex about her dexterity. While she is naturally a southpaw, she has forced herself to deal with the world with her right hand as well. Elisha only ever reverts to her dominant hand in private or during dire situations, while keeping her right in public. Hometown: Otonoki - A fairly average-sized town just about two hours to the South of Maplestead by horse. The town is best known for developing some of the most successful mages in history. Featuring some of the top ranking universities in the country, Otonoki's quality in teaching is well-known and respected. If one wants to learn how to be a very good mage, then Otonoki is one of the best places to learn at. Otonoki has a medieval theme attached to it. The town is abundant with nature and filled with green pastures and surrounded by forests. Aside from that, the town is covered by several mountains to its West side which compliment its old-fashioned look, as well as serve as the training grounds for up and coming mages. Likes: Children, left-handed tools, music, reading Dislikes: Loud and crowded areas, romance, large bodies of water, her family, being referred by her last name Past / History: Born into the wealthy and prestigious but old-fashioned magi family of Marluxia, her upbringing was meant to be one of high class. At first, this was the case. An accident during her child years nearly took her life, as well as leaving her heart in a very frail state. Elisha was no longer able to be physically fit. Every time she tried to run, her heart would be strained easily and she'd be out of breath. Anything that shocks or surprises her can give her a heart attack. Anything that hits the area around her heart can give her a heart attack. Her family was supportive despite this. Her siblings were there to help, and her parents spent their precious work time to be with her. Somehow though, Elisha felt they were only doing all of this out of pity. A thought that quickly turned into fact. Her life slowly turned for the worse when her parents discovered her preference for her left hand. Her family was quick to change their demeanor around her. "A sign of the devil's servant", they say. Elisha's family beat her. They locked her in her room for years. Only letting her out for food and trips to the bathroom. The servants who tried to comfort or sympathize with her were quickly fired and replaced, eventually leaving her with no one to connect with. No one was allowed to be associated with the "devil's servant". She grew to resent her family, all the while never once losing her kindness to others despite the abuse. She greeted and spoke to them all the same, with a smile and polite mannerism. Over the years, she forced herself into relearning the world by using her right hand. Once her parents deemed that she has "cleansed" herself enough, they allowed her to "live" normally again. Given that she was tutored at home to avoid other people finding out about her dexterity on top of the abuse she went through, she had poor social skills. They eventually allowed her to study at a high school near their mansion. With her first year being the point of when she was taken advantage of several times due to her kind and awkward nature. She took all of this in stride. She never considered anyone her friend and treated everyone the same, despite a few of them showing legitimate signs of wanting to be friends with her.</s> <\|message\|>Vance Meridian Inside the safety of the clinic, Vance was lying in bed. His armor and clothes were propped against the wall, next to the bed, and Eve was sitting on the edge of the bed near his shoulder. He tossed and turned a bit, dreaming as the painkillers that were administered started to take effect. He saw a man in black garb, and a mule, then a knife drawn, and put to his throat. One quick slice and the deed was done. As the man drew the knife across his skin in the dream, he awoke. His eyes were wide and he gasped, quickly sitting up in bed. The motion, and sound, had scared Eve to the point that she nearly fell off. His hand reached up to feel his neck, to make sure that it was just a dream. "Who was that?" he thought. He could have sworn that what he saw in his dream actually happened, but he wasn't far from gone when it did, so he couldn't be sure. When Eve recovered from her surprise, she quickly flew to him, hugging his neck as tightly as she could. "Oh gods, I thought you were gone! Don't you ever do that again!" She said with tears in her eyes, still clinging to him. Vance shrugged a bit, wincing at the pain in his newly readjusted shoulder. "It was either that, or die" he said with a 'matter of fact' tone. She gave him a look that said. "You better not die!" She still had tears running down her cheeks as she looked at him. "Were there any other survivors?" he said, looking from his shoulder to her. "Not many" she said, shaking her head. Vance was still too weak to fully heal his shoulder, so he would let the painkillers do their work. Eve explained to him where they were, and that when he was feeling better, he should go out to the tavern to meet the remaining heroes who survived their battles, and, of course get paid. As a priest walked through the clinic, blessing the survivors, he stopped at Vance, reaching into a small pouch and bringing out a small, silver cross on a chain, which he handed to Vance. The Templar looked at it for a minute before Eve snatched it away, unfolding the chain and putting it over his head. The metal was cold against his skin, but it looked good sitting against his bare chest. He needed a little while longer to recover before he could meet the other heroes, and collect his payment.</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana The following period of time the man spent was wandering the city and surveying the aftermath from the events that just recently happened. Truth be told he found himself quickly becoming bored as he continued prowling through the city. The city despite any damage to its citizens was still standing and in working condition although there was probably a large focus on manpower in tending to the wounded and dead as well as possibly tallying any damages incurred. These things which are all very important and not in his hands at all. His thought would be to relegate himself to the currents of his whim in much the same way a leaf gently travels through a breeze. He thought about the others people who had signed up and were along for the ride. And that most of them would be at some bar socializing and resting while awaiting the next set of orders. However for him it was still too early to hit the bar as to maximize the most of his profit he'd want it to be filled tighter and with the audience just liquored up enough to be properly lubricated. Tangentially to the subject of the others his mind quickly turn to his assigned group. He recalled that there are three people per group and that furthermore only one he saw. Speculating about the woman he did not see would be a waste of time; a thing he did not like to indulge in. It would be far more easier to seek the other man who'd he for the sake optimism was wounded and not dead and inquire about the whereabouts. Having made his way to the clinic where he heard the man was being held at. He slinked his way from out of the corner with his target in sight. There were many other beds each filled with different people. But only one of them had that same armor set he saw. There was a scent of some herbal concoction in the air as he spoke to the man, "We meet again. I'm just here to get some information, so tell me of the other person assigned to tour group. You happen to know her or something about her?" This conversation terse thought it maybe served two purposes: one being the obvious practical aspect and the other just sating his curiosity and giving him something to do.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood The door to the tavern of heroes slammed open, and a short woman with bunny ears wearing a beautiful dress stood on the other side. She lowered her foot, having kicked the door open. In each shoulder she held a youth, her companions Elisha and Louis. Both were blasted as all hell, as was her companion Cecilia, stumbling after her. Lenna looked around the tavern for a moment, and smiled. "My, what a lovely establishment," she remarked, "Don't you think so, lady Elisha? Sir Louis?" Without waiting for a response, Lenna quickly strided over to a table, depisiting the drunken youths each in a chair. "Beat that you guys not drink anything more," she suggested, "Lady Elisha, perhaps, but, sir Louis, I'm afraid if we let you sniff another drop of weak fruity drink, you may die of alcohol poisoning." She paused, "Are either of you hungry? I know bread neutralizes alcohol to an extent. Perhaps a bit of food could help." She smiled. Her team was crazy, but she liked it. Louis was especially odd, the little dork. She certainly wasn't going to tease the boy when he was drunk anymore though. She still blushed a bit, remembering his lips on her. My, that had been embarrassing. The tsundere little dork had even rubbed her bunny ears. He had no idea how intimate that was! The only people that had rubbed her ears were her father, her mother, her lovers, and Greg that one time that some boy had made fun of her for being beastkin. And that had been a special occasion, and Greg was basically dad#2 to her anyways! She briefly wondered if there was a local version of the Pugilist club. "Cecilia, you know about illegal stuff, right?" Lenna said, "is there a Pugilist Club in town?"</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia entered the tavern after Lenna, swaying lightly in her steps. Damn, it's been a long time since I've drank that much. Cecelia's armor was loosely resting on her, not strapped, laced, or anything, just resting on her torso as the dark shirt she wore under it loosely draped over her frame. Cecelia decided before either of her drunken teammates responded to Lenna's question about food to get some bread anyways. "I don't know about them, but I know that I'm hungry. I'll get us some bread." And with that, Cecelia ordered and paid for some bread. She noticed a few people in the tavern, including a man with wings in a back corner, but couldn't think of anything but Damn, I wish I had wings. Cecelia ever so gracefully staggered back to her teammates at the table. "Are you two alright after the ride on Lenna's shoulders? Not too sick?" She looked from Louis to Elisha with concern on her face. Even though she was relatively hammered, she's usually able to focus through the drunken haze and be rational. Til she passes out. Then it's wildcard time, where anything could happen from absolutely nothing to forcefully trying to hook up with men. Hearing Lenna's question about illegal activities, Cecelia thinks for a little bit and tells Lenna "well, I don't know this place very well. I might have spent one night here at most within the past fortnight. I can, however, find someone who does know the information. Tomorrow, we'll set out for whatever area of town is the poorest. That's where the most illegal activity lies." With that, Cecelia let her loosely hanging armor fall to the ground with a soft thud, allowing her loose-fitting shirt with a handful of holes in it to be fully revealed. "Aah, much better."</s>	<\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia Elisha didn't think she was drunk enough to not be able to stand up and walk all the way to the Tavern, and was about to decline Lenna's offer. However, once Lenna did stand her up, she felt the strength in her legs slightly give out and her head was light as a feather. She silently thanks her rabbit friend and goes along for the ride. It didn't take long for them to reach the Tavern, and she was then shortly placed onto a chair by Lenna. "Thank you, Miss Lenna." The alcohol's effects were still lingering in her system, and she takes her head into her hands in an attempt to balance and regain her composure... which wasn't helping too much. "And yes, I'll take some of the bread, thank you." She reaches for one of the loaves that was in the basket that Cecelia had ordered for them, and proceeds to take small bites out of it. "I-I think I'll be alright." She had a migraine going, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "...Miss Lenna kicking open the door was enough to shock me awake and splash me with heavy dose of a headache though," she adds before groaning a little as she rubbed her forehead. Elisha wasn't drunk, or at least she didn't think she was relative to how Louis and Cecelia acted when they were. She was desperately trying to keep her composure and not pass out or go all weird like Louis did earlier. It's a scary thought that she could turn into someone like that if she ever gets drunk like him.</s>
<\|description\|>Elisha Marluxia Nicknames / Aliases: Eli / Elle Gender: Female Birthday: June 30th Age: 17 Class: White Mage Occupation: Student Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: Personality: Gentle, kind, shy, and meek, Elisha's personality was molded through her harsh upbringing. A girl with a heart of gold, she's always willing to help someone if it meant their happiness. Never one to hold a grudge, her kindness knows no bounds. She has always put others ahead of herself, where her martyrical nature has bit her in the rear more than once before. Despite this, she grit her teeth and forced herself to move on. Underneath all of this however, is a girl whose self-esteem is always at a dangerously low point. Someone who frequently questions her purpose and goal in life. Her outward demeanor hiding a frail and weak person. She frequently has considered committing suicide, but she has always barely shot the idea down by telling herself that she just needs a little more time to change. As a result of her family's long outdated look on left-handed people being "servants" of a greater evil, she has developed a complex about her dexterity. While she is naturally a southpaw, she has forced herself to deal with the world with her right hand as well. Elisha only ever reverts to her dominant hand in private or during dire situations, while keeping her right in public. Hometown: Otonoki - A fairly average-sized town just about two hours to the South of Maplestead by horse. The town is best known for developing some of the most successful mages in history. Featuring some of the top ranking universities in the country, Otonoki's quality in teaching is well-known and respected. If one wants to learn how to be a very good mage, then Otonoki is one of the best places to learn at. Otonoki has a medieval theme attached to it. The town is abundant with nature and filled with green pastures and surrounded by forests. Aside from that, the town is covered by several mountains to its West side which compliment its old-fashioned look, as well as serve as the training grounds for up and coming mages. Likes: Children, left-handed tools, music, reading Dislikes: Loud and crowded areas, romance, large bodies of water, her family, being referred by her last name Past / History: Born into the wealthy and prestigious but old-fashioned magi family of Marluxia, her upbringing was meant to be one of high class. At first, this was the case. An accident during her child years nearly took her life, as well as leaving her heart in a very frail state. Elisha was no longer able to be physically fit. Every time she tried to run, her heart would be strained easily and she'd be out of breath. Anything that shocks or surprises her can give her a heart attack. Anything that hits the area around her heart can give her a heart attack. Her family was supportive despite this. Her siblings were there to help, and her parents spent their precious work time to be with her. Somehow though, Elisha felt they were only doing all of this out of pity. A thought that quickly turned into fact. Her life slowly turned for the worse when her parents discovered her preference for her left hand. Her family was quick to change their demeanor around her. "A sign of the devil's servant", they say. Elisha's family beat her. They locked her in her room for years. Only letting her out for food and trips to the bathroom. The servants who tried to comfort or sympathize with her were quickly fired and replaced, eventually leaving her with no one to connect with. No one was allowed to be associated with the "devil's servant". She grew to resent her family, all the while never once losing her kindness to others despite the abuse. She greeted and spoke to them all the same, with a smile and polite mannerism. Over the years, she forced herself into relearning the world by using her right hand. Once her parents deemed that she has "cleansed" herself enough, they allowed her to "live" normally again. Given that she was tutored at home to avoid other people finding out about her dexterity on top of the abuse she went through, she had poor social skills. They eventually allowed her to study at a high school near their mansion. With her first year being the point of when she was taken advantage of several times due to her kind and awkward nature. She took all of this in stride. She never considered anyone her friend and treated everyone the same, despite a few of them showing legitimate signs of wanting to be friends with her.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Brennen Garron Brennen sat shocked for a minute or so. Adrial had just told him off and walked away. Brennen had thought of some retorts, but the cleric left before he could speak anything. He carefully got up, thinking I really should sober up. Need my wits about me... I guess I do have really high standards for myself. Why is that rabbit-lady holding a boy like a sack of potatoes? I guess I really need sleep. With that, he followed where the winged cleric had gone and finally found the room. Having nothing of value, save his weapons, he undid his hilts and scabbard, placing them next to his bed and laid in it, staring up at the ceiling. Digging into his jacket's inner pocket, he pulls out a piece of paper that has been folded very neatly, rips it up, and throws it away. It merely had a total of ten tick marks on it. I shouldn't be keeping score like it's some game. It's fighting. It's dying. It's tragedy. I need to keep up my skills to do the best I can, not perfectly. With his thoughts ending on that note, Brennen's exhaustion and alcohol finally caught up with him, causing him to pass out for the night.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia World Finny had just told the bar area it was last call, and was starting to close up shop. It had been a long grand re-opening for the Tavern of Heroes to be used as intended. The three workers looked at each other and smiled at what they had accomplished. A tavern reserved for the bravest of heroes. And the place they stay after their escapades on the battlefield. With Finny closing down the bar, Lucia wiping down tables and shooing off guests to their rooms, setting up their rooms if they hadn't already bought one, pairing them off if they were with someone they knew. Even though the woman with long ears, though carrying another patron, requested a single room. Lucia figured don't ask, don't tell. Another lady who had armor dangling from her long, worn shirt asked for a double room and led a younger girl who seemed to be keeping most of her focus on not acting drunk or passing out. Lucia thought they were either siblings, mother and daughter, or a cute couple. She noticed a couple others pairing off, including the odd angel-elf and the human-ish boy with three swords who was crying for an ungodly amount of time. Lucia looked over at her dad to see him fidgeting with some nuts and bolts. "Dad, it's fine. You built this place better than anyone could. Admire your work for a little while. Let it get some wear 'n' tear on it before fixing it up. You need down time. Your back won't last forever, and we don't know what number the timer's on, so don't push yourself." Lucia admired her dad's passion for his tavern, but he'd been to the doctors before, and they warned him about his back. He's going to need to hire some help soon.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna saw another adventurer approach whom the templar with the fairy knew, and figured she'd allow them to have their moment. She smiled as she ordered a room and walked away. Shipping iiiiiiit. She went up to her room and tucked Louis in on one side of the bed. It was smaller than she expected, so she basically ended up being the big spoon, since she couldn't have any room to herself anyways. She briefly considered switching to a double room, but decided, hell with it. As she slept, she wondered what tomorrow would hold for her and her allies. She hoped they'd be okay. She mentally swore to herself she'd defend the dorks as best she could. She slept, then, dreaming of home.</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana Miercoles left the man to rest and headed to the tavern which was designed to contain all these mercenaries. Sure they were being called heroes but as he approached the tavern which under the moonlight had its wooden sign swaying in the breeze with "Tavern of Heroes" engraved and painted into it he rolled his eyes. They were just hired muscle plain as that. Any "heroism" would be byproduct of their orders save for maybe a rare few with noble intentions which he figured would be rare. Stepping through the door he made his way through the crowd who were many and seemed more than ready for a little bit of entertainment. However he stopped cold the moment he saw and heard Vance. He appeared behind him with hand with a vice like grip clawed onto that injured shoulder making his displeasure clearly made. A most evil of presence made itself known as his voice flowed coldly yet with venom, "Let it be known I hate having my time wasted like with that stunt you pulled off after having acted like you had been greatly injured. Now you're either well or injured, and I prefer the latter since if we fail the next assignment it will be solely your fault for not fully recovering. Now excuse me I have some real money to make." With shoulder free from that terrible grip he walked away temporarily blending into the crowd of people. Pure instinct guided him to the stage of sorts it had as he dropped the box and readied some instruments. He strummed the guitar to ensure it was properly tuned and finding it satisfactory began to play something that was neither to slow to bore and annoy them or put them to sleep nor too fast that would incite even more rowdiness leave him ignored and without pay.</s>	<\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia "There she goes again with her awkwardness..." Elisha couldn't help but smile a bit. "Hopefully she won't need to rely on alcohol so that we can speak more properly in the future." "I'd like some of that fix up, thank you." Anything that'll help lower the hangover Cecelia mentioned is a good thing for her... perhaps. All she was hoping is that it won't be icky or disgusting to take in. "I don't mind." Might be the remnants of the alcohol speaking, but she replied to Cecelia's offer with a straight face. Perhaps also missing the possible implications it might raise. Or she was just tired and just wanted to sleep. Shortly afterwards, Cecelia led her to one of the double rooms. Once inside, Elisha was too tired to take note of the details in the room and just crashed onto the nearest bed she saw, looking rather clumsy in the process. It didn't take more than a few moments for her to start sleeping.</s>
<\|description\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière Nicknames/Aliases: None Gender: Male Birthday: August 3 Age: 17 Class: Princes Occupation: None Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: Seen in Appearance Personality: Louis has a self esteem problem. Having grown up second in everything, he often finds himself struggling to be important, or better in something. It's a fight that sometimes consumes him, as he's been known to push himself to unreasonable levels to be good enough for anything. He puts a lot of work into being as aloof and distant as he can be, but it's a behavior that runs counter to his nature. Louis is a very passionate person, often guided by his heart, with his brain relegated to working out the logistics. So despite how hard he tries to keep his emotions buried away, they always manage to free themselves easily. Also, as a side effect of being raised in a castle with little to no interaction with the world outside, he is rather ignorant of said world Hometown: Tristania Likes: Being recognized for his accomplishments, feeling like he matters Dislikes: Being compared to his brother, feeling redundant, being useless Past/History: As the second son of the Vallière family, not much was expected of Louis. In fact, for most of his life, he was treated as his older brother Crow's backup, something that vexed him to no end. That said, he didn't hate his brother. In fact, his brother was the only person to treat him like he even mattered. Growing up, the two of them were very close. Having to live in his brother's shadow was very hard to do. Not only was his brother an extremely charismatic person, but he was also quite brilliant, as well as an accomplished swordsman. Young Louis couldn't find a single field where he could surpass his brother. His relatively quiet life came to an end when his family's castle came under attack one day. To his bewilderment, it wasn't an army, but a single person according to what he heard while making his way to his parent's room, with dead guards scattered throughout the building. When he got there, he found both of his parents dead. The killer was never found, and to make matters worse; Crow was missing. With Louis to young to take charge, his family's adviser was placed in charge until he was old enough. In the meantime, Louis was secretly sent to a remote village for his own protection, out of the public view. Unable to just sit around waiting, Louis came up with an idea that only worked in his perpetually second mind set; go out on his own and find his brother and his parent's murderer.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Brennen Garron Brennen was disappointed by how many casualties on his side. I should have micromanaged them. If we'd had more help, I could have more directly commanded the villagers while the Cleric and other help took out the Screecher. Feeling frustration, Brennen launches an angry fireball off in the distance, away from town, shouting a long string of curses. It's my fault they're dead... With that, Brennen heads to this Tavern of Heroes that's been set up for the convenience of the Heroes and pays for a strong ale. Being asked how strong, Brennen's only response was "strong enough to make me forget today even happened." Once served his drink, he took to a small booth along the wall, just hoping to black out. Brennen has only had any alcohol once before this drink, and it was because he was testing his skills while impaired. He still beat his opponent in... whatever game it was, but by a much smaller margin than when he was sober. By the time he finished his glass, he was barely conscious, crying heavily yet quietly, head buried in his arms on the table. We won. We achieved the objective. Why don't I feel like it was a victory, though? It feels like I lost the battle. Twenty-fucking-four volunteers died because I was too involved with that parent-fukcing, ass-faced screecher. I should have focused on the people, not the enemy... Dammit. "Dammit, dammit, dammit." His last thought slipped through his mouth, but it wasn't more than a drunken, slurred mumble.</s> <\|message\|>Vance Meridian Inside the safety of the clinic, Vance was lying in bed. His armor and clothes were propped against the wall, next to the bed, and Eve was sitting on the edge of the bed near his shoulder. He tossed and turned a bit, dreaming as the painkillers that were administered started to take effect. He saw a man in black garb, and a mule, then a knife drawn, and put to his throat. One quick slice and the deed was done. As the man drew the knife across his skin in the dream, he awoke. His eyes were wide and he gasped, quickly sitting up in bed. The motion, and sound, had scared Eve to the point that she nearly fell off. His hand reached up to feel his neck, to make sure that it was just a dream. "Who was that?" he thought. He could have sworn that what he saw in his dream actually happened, but he wasn't far from gone when it did, so he couldn't be sure. When Eve recovered from her surprise, she quickly flew to him, hugging his neck as tightly as she could. "Oh gods, I thought you were gone! Don't you ever do that again!" She said with tears in her eyes, still clinging to him. Vance shrugged a bit, wincing at the pain in his newly readjusted shoulder. "It was either that, or die" he said with a 'matter of fact' tone. She gave him a look that said. "You better not die!" She still had tears running down her cheeks as she looked at him. "Were there any other survivors?" he said, looking from his shoulder to her. "Not many" she said, shaking her head. Vance was still too weak to fully heal his shoulder, so he would let the painkillers do their work. Eve explained to him where they were, and that when he was feeling better, he should go out to the tavern to meet the remaining heroes who survived their battles, and, of course get paid. As a priest walked through the clinic, blessing the survivors, he stopped at Vance, reaching into a small pouch and bringing out a small, silver cross on a chain, which he handed to Vance. The Templar looked at it for a minute before Eve snatched it away, unfolding the chain and putting it over his head. The metal was cold against his skin, but it looked good sitting against his bare chest. He needed a little while longer to recover before he could meet the other heroes, and collect his payment.</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana The following period of time the man spent was wandering the city and surveying the aftermath from the events that just recently happened. Truth be told he found himself quickly becoming bored as he continued prowling through the city. The city despite any damage to its citizens was still standing and in working condition although there was probably a large focus on manpower in tending to the wounded and dead as well as possibly tallying any damages incurred. These things which are all very important and not in his hands at all. His thought would be to relegate himself to the currents of his whim in much the same way a leaf gently travels through a breeze. He thought about the others people who had signed up and were along for the ride. And that most of them would be at some bar socializing and resting while awaiting the next set of orders. However for him it was still too early to hit the bar as to maximize the most of his profit he'd want it to be filled tighter and with the audience just liquored up enough to be properly lubricated. Tangentially to the subject of the others his mind quickly turn to his assigned group. He recalled that there are three people per group and that furthermore only one he saw. Speculating about the woman he did not see would be a waste of time; a thing he did not like to indulge in. It would be far more easier to seek the other man who'd he for the sake optimism was wounded and not dead and inquire about the whereabouts. Having made his way to the clinic where he heard the man was being held at. He slinked his way from out of the corner with his target in sight. There were many other beds each filled with different people. But only one of them had that same armor set he saw. There was a scent of some herbal concoction in the air as he spoke to the man, "We meet again. I'm just here to get some information, so tell me of the other person assigned to tour group. You happen to know her or something about her?" This conversation terse thought it maybe served two purposes: one being the obvious practical aspect and the other just sating his curiosity and giving him something to do.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood The door to the tavern of heroes slammed open, and a short woman with bunny ears wearing a beautiful dress stood on the other side. She lowered her foot, having kicked the door open. In each shoulder she held a youth, her companions Elisha and Louis. Both were blasted as all hell, as was her companion Cecilia, stumbling after her. Lenna looked around the tavern for a moment, and smiled. "My, what a lovely establishment," she remarked, "Don't you think so, lady Elisha? Sir Louis?" Without waiting for a response, Lenna quickly strided over to a table, depisiting the drunken youths each in a chair. "Beat that you guys not drink anything more," she suggested, "Lady Elisha, perhaps, but, sir Louis, I'm afraid if we let you sniff another drop of weak fruity drink, you may die of alcohol poisoning." She paused, "Are either of you hungry? I know bread neutralizes alcohol to an extent. Perhaps a bit of food could help." She smiled. Her team was crazy, but she liked it. Louis was especially odd, the little dork. She certainly wasn't going to tease the boy when he was drunk anymore though. She still blushed a bit, remembering his lips on her. My, that had been embarrassing. The tsundere little dork had even rubbed her bunny ears. He had no idea how intimate that was! The only people that had rubbed her ears were her father, her mother, her lovers, and Greg that one time that some boy had made fun of her for being beastkin. And that had been a special occasion, and Greg was basically dad#2 to her anyways! She briefly wondered if there was a local version of the Pugilist club. "Cecilia, you know about illegal stuff, right?" Lenna said, "is there a Pugilist Club in town?"</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia entered the tavern after Lenna, swaying lightly in her steps. Damn, it's been a long time since I've drank that much. Cecelia's armor was loosely resting on her, not strapped, laced, or anything, just resting on her torso as the dark shirt she wore under it loosely draped over her frame. Cecelia decided before either of her drunken teammates responded to Lenna's question about food to get some bread anyways. "I don't know about them, but I know that I'm hungry. I'll get us some bread." And with that, Cecelia ordered and paid for some bread. She noticed a few people in the tavern, including a man with wings in a back corner, but couldn't think of anything but Damn, I wish I had wings. Cecelia ever so gracefully staggered back to her teammates at the table. "Are you two alright after the ride on Lenna's shoulders? Not too sick?" She looked from Louis to Elisha with concern on her face. Even though she was relatively hammered, she's usually able to focus through the drunken haze and be rational. Til she passes out. Then it's wildcard time, where anything could happen from absolutely nothing to forcefully trying to hook up with men. Hearing Lenna's question about illegal activities, Cecelia thinks for a little bit and tells Lenna "well, I don't know this place very well. I might have spent one night here at most within the past fortnight. I can, however, find someone who does know the information. Tomorrow, we'll set out for whatever area of town is the poorest. That's where the most illegal activity lies." With that, Cecelia let her loosely hanging armor fall to the ground with a soft thud, allowing her loose-fitting shirt with a handful of holes in it to be fully revealed. "Aah, much better."</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia Elisha didn't think she was drunk enough to not be able to stand up and walk all the way to the Tavern, and was about to decline Lenna's offer. However, once Lenna did stand her up, she felt the strength in her legs slightly give out and her head was light as a feather. She silently thanks her rabbit friend and goes along for the ride. It didn't take long for them to reach the Tavern, and she was then shortly placed onto a chair by Lenna. "Thank you, Miss Lenna." The alcohol's effects were still lingering in her system, and she takes her head into her hands in an attempt to balance and regain her composure... which wasn't helping too much. "And yes, I'll take some of the bread, thank you." She reaches for one of the loaves that was in the basket that Cecelia had ordered for them, and proceeds to take small bites out of it. "I-I think I'll be alright." She had a migraine going, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "...Miss Lenna kicking open the door was enough to shock me awake and splash me with heavy dose of a headache though," she adds before groaning a little as she rubbed her forehead. Elisha wasn't drunk, or at least she didn't think she was relative to how Louis and Cecelia acted when they were. She was desperately trying to keep her composure and not pass out or go all weird like Louis did earlier. It's a scary thought that she could turn into someone like that if she ever gets drunk like him.</s>	<\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière Louis had no problem being carried by Lenna. "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" He cried out as she entered the Tavern of Hero's "riding on a sexy bunny lady" Louis sang because why the hell not. He slid off of Lenna's shoulder and plopped down to the ground, his face meeting the floor directly. After 4 seconds of just lying there, Louis picked himself. Once back on his feet, he stumbled over to Elisha and slung and arm around her shoulder "Elisha" he began "has...has anyone ever told you that you're a very pretty lady?" Despite hanging on to Elisha, he was swaying back and forth "be-because you are fucking gorgeous, an I don't think you hear that enough. Whoever gt's married to you, is going to be one lucky son, or daughter, I won't judge, of a bitch. Hell, if those asshat parents of mine were both alive, and remembered I existed long enough to stick me in an arranged marriage, then I'd want that girl to be you, because you are fucking gorgeous. It...it's also cute how shy you get sometimes......it just makes you so much more appealing. You know what I think you need; a hug. Hugs are nice" with that said, Louis transitioned to a full body hug with Elisha "ahh...so nice. I like hugs. You want to know something fucking sad; I can count all the hugs I've ever gotten with both my hands. So I for one...am happy to have a new supply of hugs"</s>
<\|description\|>Lenna Underwood Nicknames/Aliases: "That Horrifying Yet Slightly Adorable Mass Of Unending Fury" "The Queen of the Ring" Gender: Female Birthday: December 5th Age: 20 Class: Beast mothafucking Kin Occupation: Adventurer/Pugilist Species: Bunny Beastkin Appearance: Has a scar on her tummy that she sees as a mark of pride. Clothing Style: wears custom made formal clothing, suits usually intended for men. The suits are specially made not to restrict movement, and are enchanted to meld into her when she becomes a beast. When out on an adventure, wears green ranger's gear, with a leather breastplate, elbow caps and knee caps for minor protection. This outfit is also enchanted. In the ring, she wears shorts and a tank top. She has many beautiful dresses that she wears when she gets the chance. These are unenchanted. All of her clothes are tailored to let her tail poke through. She usually is wearing some gem or another. In particular, her beast stone is always on her,modified into a necklace. Personality: Lenna is very odd for a beastkin. For one, she has not an ounce of her culture. She is very polite, due to her noble upbringing. She is at the same time quite friendly, and sees it as her duty to make people feel welcomed. She is a very calm person, too. It is difficult to get her to show anger. That said, her temper control is more careful control of her anger than a lack of anger. She's careful to pick her battles, and then berserk rage dominate them. She tends to be irresponsible with money, and will spend it as fast as she makes it. She also highly enjoys pretty things. When she wears a beautiful dress, she often will outright refuse to become a beast, because of the simple fact that transforming would destroy the dress. She has an over arching sense of right and wrong, and always tries her best to do the right thing. She does not lie, steal, slander, or otherwise do harm. However, she is happy to inflict justice on ne'er dowells. Combine that with a ridiculous stubborness and refusal to ever give up, and you have an adventurer who is, at her best, a defender of the weak, and, at her worst, a bit of a zealot. Likes: Carrots Fighting Dresses Jewelry Doing the right thing Badass weapons (even though she can't wield them) Hiking Dislikes: Thieves Anti-beast weapons Bigotry Complacency Past/History: The Underwood family is well known for its charitable efforts. The Underwoods have been doing their best to help people in need, using their copious amounts of cash. It's more or less family tradition to care for the poor. So, it came as little surprise when Kyran Underwood married a commoner named Lee Cooper. What did come as a surprise was when it turned out Kyran was barren. The Underwood heiress was heartbroken, but ultimately decided that she was okay with it. If her husband would be a commoner, then by the gods, did it matter if her child was too? Thus, Lenna was adopted at the age of 2. Only later did her family learn about the whole "beastkin" thing. Lenna considers herself to be culturally human. As she's grown older, she has started resembling other beastkin of her variety, having to shave pretty damn often to maintain a normal human standard of beauty, and her nails turning to small claws and teeth becoming fangs. She has also sprouted a small bunny tail, which really gets in the way of her dresses, and two bunny ears that make her the most obvious person alive at masquerade balls. Lenna was a firecracker of a child. As she grew up, she constantly asserted her independence. She mellowed out with time, but still asserts herself as her own person. She works for a living, unlike most of her family, and truly goes among the poor to understand what they need. She also at one point joined what is basically fight club. The Pugilist Gang, as it was named, was Lenna's first taste of fighting. She excelled as a fistfighter once she learned how to balance her impressive speed and strength with actual technique. Eventually, she decided she wanted a taste of adventure. She attempted to find a beast stone in the market, but found her efforts frustrated. She was good at fistfighting, but she couldn't hold a candle to the adventurers that dedicated themselves to it. She was terrible with weapons to, and the only magic she could understand at all was blue magic. And even then, the only spell she ever successfully cast was "Bunny Blast", a weak, ticklish blast of energy from a small, magical rabbit creature. She did show minor talent with a rapier, but it...just didn't feel right. Evwntually, her salvation arrived. A group of beastkin adventurers contacted her, and allowed her the chance to prove herself on an adventure, an escort mission to protect a nature priestess. She was green as grass and made mistakes, but she showed an obvious talent. They didn't give her a beast stone for a while, so she had to subdue threats with her fists. She could handle bandits, who were usually poorly trained and just desperate for cash(which made subduing them an unpleasant business for her), but when trained assassins showed up, she almost died against one. He had attempted to shoot the priestess with an arrow, but Lenna managed to sneak up on and ambush him. They struggled for a while, and he stabbed her with a Beastbane dagger. Lenna fell to the ground, and the assassin thought she was dead. The moment her turned his back, she pounced, then slammed his face into the ground until he stopped struggling. After that, the beastkin thought she'd earned her beast stone. She bears the scar from the dagger as a mark of pride, and rather enjoys her life as a dual adventurer/aristocrat. She is currently a freelancer, though is looking for a permanent guild to join. Random Notes: Lenna is still very fast and strong in human form. So she's not as helpless as other Beast Kin might be without it. That said, she still can't face significant threats without it. Lenna's fistfighting is self taught. She focuses on barrages of punches and deadly grapples. Lenna is an incredible acrobat, unsurprisingly. Lenna has considered purchasing a pet bunny. For irony's sake.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia The silence between them felt unbearable. She has embarrassed herself quite badly already in front of Louis, and this is adding on to the awkwardness. Silence was never a big issue for Elisha, but the current situation's silence isn't exactly pleasant. Just as she was about to lift her head, Louis breaks the silence as well as handing her a sandwich. "A-are you sure I can have this?" Her left hand let go of her stomach, before slowly trying to reach the piece of food that Louis was offering her. Elisha hesitates however, feeling guilty that she's about to take someone else's food for free. His follow up however, Elisha found to be quite amusing, and a tad funny. She tried to keep it in, but she couldn't stop giggling a little bit. "He's not so bad either." She couldn't help but smile at his reaction to himself offering her the food. Somehow, she felt more at ease that he wouldn't mind. "Thank you, Louis." She takes the sandwich from his hands and slowly peels away the cloth that it had been wrapped in. The sandwich itself wasn't very thick, but it had enough meat and vegetables in between that could make it very good breakfast food. Elisha takes a nibble at one of the exposed corners, and the food's flavor quickly resonated through her taste buds. "This... This is very good!" The softness of the meat, the juiciness of the vegetables, as well as the sweetness of the mayonnaise spread in between made for a delicious sandwich.</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière "Of course it is. As if a noble like me would waste my energy carrying around sub par food" Louis claimed feeling far more proud then he really should have been. It was only a few seconds later however that he realized that she had been laughing (well, giggling) at him, him of all people. "D-don't laugh!" he tried to command her with his cheeks burning red, but was unable to use his normal fire when doing so, leaving his command sounding more like an indignant demand of s child...which let's be honest, it kind of was.</s>	<\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna breathed deeply. Today would be the day. This was her moment. After all this time, she would finally do it. She would do it. She had been trying to beat Greg in a fist fight at the Pugilist Gang for a long time. Greg defeated even monks in unarmed combat, and, though he was officially a gladiator, certainly fought like a monk. He was the best fist fighter in the city. But no more. This was Lenna's moment. Now. GO! It took only minutes for Greg to literally knock Lenna out of the ring finishing the fight with a painful uppercut when she attemped to do a jumping two-legged kick. She spun in the air, before slamming to the ground with a thud. After a few moments, she heard footsteps approaching. Her vision swam before her. A beautiful blonde woman in a dress loomed above her. "Lenna?" Lenna blinked. "Mom?" "Did he just uppercut you five feet into the air?" Lenna smiled, remembering the fight. "Little bit." "Huh." "That was the best I ever did against him. Even better than when I used my beast stone that one time." "You did what?" "I mean I would never abuse my powers like that." Greg pipes up from the ring, "She's lying. She totally abuses it. All the time." Lenna glared vaguely in his blurry direction. Smug, bald, ridiculously competent bastard. "Well... I have news and... do you need a moment, dear?" Lenna's mom asked. "Gods yes I do." One healing later via the cleric that frequented the place, Lenna addressed her mother. "So...you know how you started that whole adventuring thingy?" Her mom asked. "Yeeesss?" Lenna's mother handed her a newsletter. Lenna read it carefully. "...seriously?" "Yes dear. We've arranged transport already." "You mean I'm not gonna have to sneak off?" "Just don't disguise your identity this time dear. Wear your name with pride." Lenna then proceeded to hug her mother. It was adorable. **** Lenna had signed her papers with all requisite information, and was now waiting. She stood in her adventuring gear, her other clothes sitting in her travel bag on her back. She was always prepared. She cast a glance about the room, taking in her first impressions of everyone. She'd overheard tidbits, such as the elvinian's callousness towards the loves of others and the Whisperer's revulsion at that. She'd also noticed the clumsy healer and the awkward woman who was trying to befriend her. There was some noble brat getting overly emotional about giving someone a sandwich over there, and there was a woman with... By the Gods, that sword was big. Lenna wondered if she herself could even carry it for long before getting tired, and she was in remarkable condition. She found the Templar with his fairy friend to be quite amusing to watch, and giggled a bit at her antics. By the gods she hoped they stuck together. It was a divine comedy written by the gods. She wasn't sure exactly what to think of the archer. If his flamboyant attitude was an act, then he could be dangerous. If he was simply being himself, he was probably just quirky and amusing, and, considering just how useful a good archer is, a valuable comrade. There were others, but Lenna had not really taken in the details for every single possible comrade in the room. Over all, she just hoped she had the elvinian cleric in her team. The Underwood family was priveledged, and at the same time very charitable. Lenna had learned from a early age that she had unfair advantages in life. Just mentioning her last name would make things happen for her. The clink of gold could handle most other things. But damned if she would keep that privilege to herself. Her mother had always told her to give of herself to those who needed it more. And her father had always told her to defend the defenseless. So the idea of a cleric letting a charge die when he could save them...infuriated her. Oh yeah, by the gods she hoped she got the chance to work with him.</s>
<\|description\|>Lenna Underwood Nicknames/Aliases: "That Horrifying Yet Slightly Adorable Mass Of Unending Fury" "The Queen of the Ring" Gender: Female Birthday: December 5th Age: 20 Class: Beast mothafucking Kin Occupation: Adventurer/Pugilist Species: Bunny Beastkin Appearance: Has a scar on her tummy that she sees as a mark of pride. Clothing Style: wears custom made formal clothing, suits usually intended for men. The suits are specially made not to restrict movement, and are enchanted to meld into her when she becomes a beast. When out on an adventure, wears green ranger's gear, with a leather breastplate, elbow caps and knee caps for minor protection. This outfit is also enchanted. In the ring, she wears shorts and a tank top. She has many beautiful dresses that she wears when she gets the chance. These are unenchanted. All of her clothes are tailored to let her tail poke through. She usually is wearing some gem or another. In particular, her beast stone is always on her,modified into a necklace. Personality: Lenna is very odd for a beastkin. For one, she has not an ounce of her culture. She is very polite, due to her noble upbringing. She is at the same time quite friendly, and sees it as her duty to make people feel welcomed. She is a very calm person, too. It is difficult to get her to show anger. That said, her temper control is more careful control of her anger than a lack of anger. She's careful to pick her battles, and then berserk rage dominate them. She tends to be irresponsible with money, and will spend it as fast as she makes it. She also highly enjoys pretty things. When she wears a beautiful dress, she often will outright refuse to become a beast, because of the simple fact that transforming would destroy the dress. She has an over arching sense of right and wrong, and always tries her best to do the right thing. She does not lie, steal, slander, or otherwise do harm. However, she is happy to inflict justice on ne'er dowells. Combine that with a ridiculous stubborness and refusal to ever give up, and you have an adventurer who is, at her best, a defender of the weak, and, at her worst, a bit of a zealot. Likes: Carrots Fighting Dresses Jewelry Doing the right thing Badass weapons (even though she can't wield them) Hiking Dislikes: Thieves Anti-beast weapons Bigotry Complacency Past/History: The Underwood family is well known for its charitable efforts. The Underwoods have been doing their best to help people in need, using their copious amounts of cash. It's more or less family tradition to care for the poor. So, it came as little surprise when Kyran Underwood married a commoner named Lee Cooper. What did come as a surprise was when it turned out Kyran was barren. The Underwood heiress was heartbroken, but ultimately decided that she was okay with it. If her husband would be a commoner, then by the gods, did it matter if her child was too? Thus, Lenna was adopted at the age of 2. Only later did her family learn about the whole "beastkin" thing. Lenna considers herself to be culturally human. As she's grown older, she has started resembling other beastkin of her variety, having to shave pretty damn often to maintain a normal human standard of beauty, and her nails turning to small claws and teeth becoming fangs. She has also sprouted a small bunny tail, which really gets in the way of her dresses, and two bunny ears that make her the most obvious person alive at masquerade balls. Lenna was a firecracker of a child. As she grew up, she constantly asserted her independence. She mellowed out with time, but still asserts herself as her own person. She works for a living, unlike most of her family, and truly goes among the poor to understand what they need. She also at one point joined what is basically fight club. The Pugilist Gang, as it was named, was Lenna's first taste of fighting. She excelled as a fistfighter once she learned how to balance her impressive speed and strength with actual technique. Eventually, she decided she wanted a taste of adventure. She attempted to find a beast stone in the market, but found her efforts frustrated. She was good at fistfighting, but she couldn't hold a candle to the adventurers that dedicated themselves to it. She was terrible with weapons to, and the only magic she could understand at all was blue magic. And even then, the only spell she ever successfully cast was "Bunny Blast", a weak, ticklish blast of energy from a small, magical rabbit creature. She did show minor talent with a rapier, but it...just didn't feel right. Evwntually, her salvation arrived. A group of beastkin adventurers contacted her, and allowed her the chance to prove herself on an adventure, an escort mission to protect a nature priestess. She was green as grass and made mistakes, but she showed an obvious talent. They didn't give her a beast stone for a while, so she had to subdue threats with her fists. She could handle bandits, who were usually poorly trained and just desperate for cash(which made subduing them an unpleasant business for her), but when trained assassins showed up, she almost died against one. He had attempted to shoot the priestess with an arrow, but Lenna managed to sneak up on and ambush him. They struggled for a while, and he stabbed her with a Beastbane dagger. Lenna fell to the ground, and the assassin thought she was dead. The moment her turned his back, she pounced, then slammed his face into the ground until he stopped struggling. After that, the beastkin thought she'd earned her beast stone. She bears the scar from the dagger as a mark of pride, and rather enjoys her life as a dual adventurer/aristocrat. She is currently a freelancer, though is looking for a permanent guild to join. Random Notes: Lenna is still very fast and strong in human form. So she's not as helpless as other Beast Kin might be without it. That said, she still can't face significant threats without it. Lenna's fistfighting is self taught. She focuses on barrages of punches and deadly grapples. Lenna is an incredible acrobat, unsurprisingly. Lenna has considered purchasing a pet bunny. For irony's sake.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia Elisha heard her name as one of the members of the first group. Part of her was relieved that she knew two of her three teammates right off the bat. At the same time however, this means she'll have to deal with Cecelia's proposal later on. Before long, the group had already been pushed outside to deal with the monsters lurking around. "Will the four of us be alright?" Taking on this quest suddenly became a bad idea for her. Although it was her parents' wishes to give her experience, her physical condition will most likely just get in the way of her more experienced teammates. Before she could do anything however, one of her teammates had already rushed forward to deal with the monsters. The sight of a beastkin transforming into their beast forms and back was an amazing sight to behold. Part of her wanted to cuddle with Lenna's beast form, but that thought can wait as Lenna was being attacked by another voraptus. Luckily, Cecelia was quick to action and had saved the rabbit girl. Elisha shifts her thoughts onto the oncoming danger. Following Cecelia's lead, she proceeds to use her fire magic to attack the other scarecrows. Elisha had meant to use a spell strong enough to obliterate the remaining ones, but the last remaining voraptus interrupts her channeling and sends her flying several feet away. Having been caught off guard, the girl was unable to catch herself and crashed onto the ground.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna was thankful for Cecilia's smoke cover for a moment, until she heard the voraptus that had been keeping pressure on her flap away. That meant that it had chosen a smaller, easier target. Thinking of the young nobles in their group, Lenna burst from the smoke. She briefly considered engaging the scarecrows, but then realized where the final voraptus had gone. Lenna let out a bestial warcry before racing for her white mage ally. As the voraptus knocked Elisha over, Lenna dived on it. It couldn't fly away with her weight pressing on it, and Lenna began wrestling with the bird on the ground. Lenna pinned the bird, making it a clear target for one of her companions.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia heard commotion from the other bird, looking in time to see Elisha getting knocked back. A protective urge moved Cecelia's feet in that direction. Cecelia passes the bird and checks on Elisha. Out of breath, she asks "are you... Alright?" and pulls out a small bandaging kit she originally brought to bandage herself. "Need any... Help?" still trying to catch her breath, she continues asking questions. She looks over at the well-dressed lad with the rapier "can you take out the bird?"</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière "Yes" Louis answered, although that was really unlikely. Getting into the stance once more, he readied himself to attack the bird. All at once, he moved forward towards his target, hand ready to end it's life. Once he was in range, he lashed out with his weapon, striking the prone beast in the torso. Badly wounded, it quivered under Lenna, no longer able to muster up any strength to escape. With it unable to fight back and slowly dying, Louis walked over and shoved his weapon in it's skull, ending it just like the last one. The creature didn't even know what hit him... ...Mostly because he didn't even notice Louis, and it was already trapped under a large bunnykin...but still "Is she badly hurt?" He asked Cecelia, regarding Elisha. As of right now, Louis was feeling pretty good about himself 'This is far easier then Crow made it out to be...perhaps I simply have a knack for it.' It's too bad that he didn't consider dumb luck a possibility</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana Miercoles managed to get signed up at the last minute and yet he managed to get into a group. Still he was late as by the time he rushed to the northernmost gate one of the group members was already in combat with some bizarre looking creations. Definitely not animal, vegetable, or miner but scarecrows? While he didn't want to say they were going to be easy, it could be a lot more worse. Even if enchanted it was enchanted wood, straw, and cloth is no match for a keen blade and an even more keen hand. A small group of the possessed scarecrows fell apart in the time it took for him to re-sheathe his blade as it cleaved through them with the ease of gust of wind kicks dust up. Dramatic entrance now complete he spoke to the armored man with a tip of the hat, "We can exchange names after this. For now let us focus on destroying these pests quickly." He then set down his box as it would be a bit of a nuisance in this fight as well out of a desire to minimize any possible damage that could be inflicted on it.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia "Man, I am really out of shape." Elisha thinks to herself as she desperately catches her breath. The impact she made blew all of the wind out of her. Before long, she could hear Cecelia and Louis coming to check up on her. "I-I'll be OK... Cecelia... I just need... to calm down for a few." Elisha slowly forces herself to stand back up. "Get a hold of yourself, Eli. You told yourself you won't be a burden anymore." As she says that to herself, she closes her eyes and begins channeling the spell she was going to use moments earlier once more. "The three scarecrows are... there... there... and there..." Envisioning where her targets are, Elisha envelops the three remaining demons in a cloak of flame. Being made out of straw, they were quick to catch on fire and were shortly burned into a crisp, but not before loudly wailing out into the skies one last time.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia stands in silence for a few seconds. She- she just burnt them to a crisp. Seeing how much force Elisha put into standing back up, Cecelia stands about a foot in front of her, asking "are you sure you're alright. You look pretty drained. Especially after that spell. Do you need to sit down or something? Please don't overdo yourself." Cecelia notices that all of the enemies are dead. Well, at least we got rid of them, along with the possible coin. She realizes how different her thoughts were before, during, and after the fight. She smiles at Elisha, adding "you did a great job. Thanks for taking care of those last few scarecrows, Elisha. Was that your first time fighting?" She turns to the rapier-boy, continuing her gratitude "and thank you for taking care of that last bird. I'm Cecelia, known in some parts as 'The Shadow'" adding her alias in a tone that somewhat mocks the name itself, to keep from sounding too serious about the fact that she's the one people send out for to steal others' things and all sorts of random stuff at night. Cecelia turned towards the gates, where the mass of volunteer villagers stood just outside of, not having done any work. "Well, that was easy enough" Cecelia thought aloud as she surveyed the battlefield. I didn't even bloody my blade. Yet.</s>	<\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna shifted back into her human state, then appraised her allies with a smile. "Good job, guys. Especially you, miss," she noted Elisha, "That magic work was great. Those demons didn't stand a chance." She then looked at the dead birds. "It's a shame we couldn't take care of the demons first. The raptors would have likely calmed down." She shook her head, then listened to what Cecila said. "Good to meet you, miss Cecilia. I am Lenna Underwood, of the family and town that share that name." She smiled, "Thanks for the covering smoke, by the way." She glanced at Louis, "And decent rapier work by you, sir. Keep practicing, you'll make a fantastic swordsman."</s>
<\|description\|>Lenna Underwood Nicknames/Aliases: "That Horrifying Yet Slightly Adorable Mass Of Unending Fury" "The Queen of the Ring" Gender: Female Birthday: December 5th Age: 20 Class: Beast mothafucking Kin Occupation: Adventurer/Pugilist Species: Bunny Beastkin Appearance: Has a scar on her tummy that she sees as a mark of pride. Clothing Style: wears custom made formal clothing, suits usually intended for men. The suits are specially made not to restrict movement, and are enchanted to meld into her when she becomes a beast. When out on an adventure, wears green ranger's gear, with a leather breastplate, elbow caps and knee caps for minor protection. This outfit is also enchanted. In the ring, she wears shorts and a tank top. She has many beautiful dresses that she wears when she gets the chance. These are unenchanted. All of her clothes are tailored to let her tail poke through. She usually is wearing some gem or another. In particular, her beast stone is always on her,modified into a necklace. Personality: Lenna is very odd for a beastkin. For one, she has not an ounce of her culture. She is very polite, due to her noble upbringing. She is at the same time quite friendly, and sees it as her duty to make people feel welcomed. She is a very calm person, too. It is difficult to get her to show anger. That said, her temper control is more careful control of her anger than a lack of anger. She's careful to pick her battles, and then berserk rage dominate them. She tends to be irresponsible with money, and will spend it as fast as she makes it. She also highly enjoys pretty things. When she wears a beautiful dress, she often will outright refuse to become a beast, because of the simple fact that transforming would destroy the dress. She has an over arching sense of right and wrong, and always tries her best to do the right thing. She does not lie, steal, slander, or otherwise do harm. However, she is happy to inflict justice on ne'er dowells. Combine that with a ridiculous stubborness and refusal to ever give up, and you have an adventurer who is, at her best, a defender of the weak, and, at her worst, a bit of a zealot. Likes: Carrots Fighting Dresses Jewelry Doing the right thing Badass weapons (even though she can't wield them) Hiking Dislikes: Thieves Anti-beast weapons Bigotry Complacency Past/History: The Underwood family is well known for its charitable efforts. The Underwoods have been doing their best to help people in need, using their copious amounts of cash. It's more or less family tradition to care for the poor. So, it came as little surprise when Kyran Underwood married a commoner named Lee Cooper. What did come as a surprise was when it turned out Kyran was barren. The Underwood heiress was heartbroken, but ultimately decided that she was okay with it. If her husband would be a commoner, then by the gods, did it matter if her child was too? Thus, Lenna was adopted at the age of 2. Only later did her family learn about the whole "beastkin" thing. Lenna considers herself to be culturally human. As she's grown older, she has started resembling other beastkin of her variety, having to shave pretty damn often to maintain a normal human standard of beauty, and her nails turning to small claws and teeth becoming fangs. She has also sprouted a small bunny tail, which really gets in the way of her dresses, and two bunny ears that make her the most obvious person alive at masquerade balls. Lenna was a firecracker of a child. As she grew up, she constantly asserted her independence. She mellowed out with time, but still asserts herself as her own person. She works for a living, unlike most of her family, and truly goes among the poor to understand what they need. She also at one point joined what is basically fight club. The Pugilist Gang, as it was named, was Lenna's first taste of fighting. She excelled as a fistfighter once she learned how to balance her impressive speed and strength with actual technique. Eventually, she decided she wanted a taste of adventure. She attempted to find a beast stone in the market, but found her efforts frustrated. She was good at fistfighting, but she couldn't hold a candle to the adventurers that dedicated themselves to it. She was terrible with weapons to, and the only magic she could understand at all was blue magic. And even then, the only spell she ever successfully cast was "Bunny Blast", a weak, ticklish blast of energy from a small, magical rabbit creature. She did show minor talent with a rapier, but it...just didn't feel right. Evwntually, her salvation arrived. A group of beastkin adventurers contacted her, and allowed her the chance to prove herself on an adventure, an escort mission to protect a nature priestess. She was green as grass and made mistakes, but she showed an obvious talent. They didn't give her a beast stone for a while, so she had to subdue threats with her fists. She could handle bandits, who were usually poorly trained and just desperate for cash(which made subduing them an unpleasant business for her), but when trained assassins showed up, she almost died against one. He had attempted to shoot the priestess with an arrow, but Lenna managed to sneak up on and ambush him. They struggled for a while, and he stabbed her with a Beastbane dagger. Lenna fell to the ground, and the assassin thought she was dead. The moment her turned his back, she pounced, then slammed his face into the ground until he stopped struggling. After that, the beastkin thought she'd earned her beast stone. She bears the scar from the dagger as a mark of pride, and rather enjoys her life as a dual adventurer/aristocrat. She is currently a freelancer, though is looking for a permanent guild to join. Random Notes: Lenna is still very fast and strong in human form. So she's not as helpless as other Beast Kin might be without it. That said, she still can't face significant threats without it. Lenna's fistfighting is self taught. She focuses on barrages of punches and deadly grapples. Lenna is an incredible acrobat, unsurprisingly. Lenna has considered purchasing a pet bunny. For irony's sake.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Brennen Garron Brennen was disappointed by how many casualties on his side. I should have micromanaged them. If we'd had more help, I could have more directly commanded the villagers while the Cleric and other help took out the Screecher. Feeling frustration, Brennen launches an angry fireball off in the distance, away from town, shouting a long string of curses. It's my fault they're dead... With that, Brennen heads to this Tavern of Heroes that's been set up for the convenience of the Heroes and pays for a strong ale. Being asked how strong, Brennen's only response was "strong enough to make me forget today even happened." Once served his drink, he took to a small booth along the wall, just hoping to black out. Brennen has only had any alcohol once before this drink, and it was because he was testing his skills while impaired. He still beat his opponent in... whatever game it was, but by a much smaller margin than when he was sober. By the time he finished his glass, he was barely conscious, crying heavily yet quietly, head buried in his arms on the table. We won. We achieved the objective. Why don't I feel like it was a victory, though? It feels like I lost the battle. Twenty-fucking-four volunteers died because I was too involved with that parent-fukcing, ass-faced screecher. I should have focused on the people, not the enemy... Dammit. "Dammit, dammit, dammit." His last thought slipped through his mouth, but it wasn't more than a drunken, slurred mumble.</s> <\|message\|>Vance Meridian Inside the safety of the clinic, Vance was lying in bed. His armor and clothes were propped against the wall, next to the bed, and Eve was sitting on the edge of the bed near his shoulder. He tossed and turned a bit, dreaming as the painkillers that were administered started to take effect. He saw a man in black garb, and a mule, then a knife drawn, and put to his throat. One quick slice and the deed was done. As the man drew the knife across his skin in the dream, he awoke. His eyes were wide and he gasped, quickly sitting up in bed. The motion, and sound, had scared Eve to the point that she nearly fell off. His hand reached up to feel his neck, to make sure that it was just a dream. "Who was that?" he thought. He could have sworn that what he saw in his dream actually happened, but he wasn't far from gone when it did, so he couldn't be sure. When Eve recovered from her surprise, she quickly flew to him, hugging his neck as tightly as she could. "Oh gods, I thought you were gone! Don't you ever do that again!" She said with tears in her eyes, still clinging to him. Vance shrugged a bit, wincing at the pain in his newly readjusted shoulder. "It was either that, or die" he said with a 'matter of fact' tone. She gave him a look that said. "You better not die!" She still had tears running down her cheeks as she looked at him. "Were there any other survivors?" he said, looking from his shoulder to her. "Not many" she said, shaking her head. Vance was still too weak to fully heal his shoulder, so he would let the painkillers do their work. Eve explained to him where they were, and that when he was feeling better, he should go out to the tavern to meet the remaining heroes who survived their battles, and, of course get paid. As a priest walked through the clinic, blessing the survivors, he stopped at Vance, reaching into a small pouch and bringing out a small, silver cross on a chain, which he handed to Vance. The Templar looked at it for a minute before Eve snatched it away, unfolding the chain and putting it over his head. The metal was cold against his skin, but it looked good sitting against his bare chest. He needed a little while longer to recover before he could meet the other heroes, and collect his payment.</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana The following period of time the man spent was wandering the city and surveying the aftermath from the events that just recently happened. Truth be told he found himself quickly becoming bored as he continued prowling through the city. The city despite any damage to its citizens was still standing and in working condition although there was probably a large focus on manpower in tending to the wounded and dead as well as possibly tallying any damages incurred. These things which are all very important and not in his hands at all. His thought would be to relegate himself to the currents of his whim in much the same way a leaf gently travels through a breeze. He thought about the others people who had signed up and were along for the ride. And that most of them would be at some bar socializing and resting while awaiting the next set of orders. However for him it was still too early to hit the bar as to maximize the most of his profit he'd want it to be filled tighter and with the audience just liquored up enough to be properly lubricated. Tangentially to the subject of the others his mind quickly turn to his assigned group. He recalled that there are three people per group and that furthermore only one he saw. Speculating about the woman he did not see would be a waste of time; a thing he did not like to indulge in. It would be far more easier to seek the other man who'd he for the sake optimism was wounded and not dead and inquire about the whereabouts. Having made his way to the clinic where he heard the man was being held at. He slinked his way from out of the corner with his target in sight. There were many other beds each filled with different people. But only one of them had that same armor set he saw. There was a scent of some herbal concoction in the air as he spoke to the man, "We meet again. I'm just here to get some information, so tell me of the other person assigned to tour group. You happen to know her or something about her?" This conversation terse thought it maybe served two purposes: one being the obvious practical aspect and the other just sating his curiosity and giving him something to do.</s>	<\|message\|>Lenna Underwood The door to the tavern of heroes slammed open, and a short woman with bunny ears wearing a beautiful dress stood on the other side. She lowered her foot, having kicked the door open. In each shoulder she held a youth, her companions Elisha and Louis. Both were blasted as all hell, as was her companion Cecilia, stumbling after her. Lenna looked around the tavern for a moment, and smiled. "My, what a lovely establishment," she remarked, "Don't you think so, lady Elisha? Sir Louis?" Without waiting for a response, Lenna quickly strided over to a table, depisiting the drunken youths each in a chair. "Beat that you guys not drink anything more," she suggested, "Lady Elisha, perhaps, but, sir Louis, I'm afraid if we let you sniff another drop of weak fruity drink, you may die of alcohol poisoning." She paused, "Are either of you hungry? I know bread neutralizes alcohol to an extent. Perhaps a bit of food could help." She smiled. Her team was crazy, but she liked it. Louis was especially odd, the little dork. She certainly wasn't going to tease the boy when he was drunk anymore though. She still blushed a bit, remembering his lips on her. My, that had been embarrassing. The tsundere little dork had even rubbed her bunny ears. He had no idea how intimate that was! The only people that had rubbed her ears were her father, her mother, her lovers, and Greg that one time that some boy had made fun of her for being beastkin. And that had been a special occasion, and Greg was basically dad#2 to her anyways! She briefly wondered if there was a local version of the Pugilist club. "Cecilia, you know about illegal stuff, right?" Lenna said, "is there a Pugilist Club in town?"</s>
<\|description\|>Lenna Underwood Nicknames/Aliases: "That Horrifying Yet Slightly Adorable Mass Of Unending Fury" "The Queen of the Ring" Gender: Female Birthday: December 5th Age: 20 Class: Beast mothafucking Kin Occupation: Adventurer/Pugilist Species: Bunny Beastkin Appearance: Has a scar on her tummy that she sees as a mark of pride. Clothing Style: wears custom made formal clothing, suits usually intended for men. The suits are specially made not to restrict movement, and are enchanted to meld into her when she becomes a beast. When out on an adventure, wears green ranger's gear, with a leather breastplate, elbow caps and knee caps for minor protection. This outfit is also enchanted. In the ring, she wears shorts and a tank top. She has many beautiful dresses that she wears when she gets the chance. These are unenchanted. All of her clothes are tailored to let her tail poke through. She usually is wearing some gem or another. In particular, her beast stone is always on her,modified into a necklace. Personality: Lenna is very odd for a beastkin. For one, she has not an ounce of her culture. She is very polite, due to her noble upbringing. She is at the same time quite friendly, and sees it as her duty to make people feel welcomed. She is a very calm person, too. It is difficult to get her to show anger. That said, her temper control is more careful control of her anger than a lack of anger. She's careful to pick her battles, and then berserk rage dominate them. She tends to be irresponsible with money, and will spend it as fast as she makes it. She also highly enjoys pretty things. When she wears a beautiful dress, she often will outright refuse to become a beast, because of the simple fact that transforming would destroy the dress. She has an over arching sense of right and wrong, and always tries her best to do the right thing. She does not lie, steal, slander, or otherwise do harm. However, she is happy to inflict justice on ne'er dowells. Combine that with a ridiculous stubborness and refusal to ever give up, and you have an adventurer who is, at her best, a defender of the weak, and, at her worst, a bit of a zealot. Likes: Carrots Fighting Dresses Jewelry Doing the right thing Badass weapons (even though she can't wield them) Hiking Dislikes: Thieves Anti-beast weapons Bigotry Complacency Past/History: The Underwood family is well known for its charitable efforts. The Underwoods have been doing their best to help people in need, using their copious amounts of cash. It's more or less family tradition to care for the poor. So, it came as little surprise when Kyran Underwood married a commoner named Lee Cooper. What did come as a surprise was when it turned out Kyran was barren. The Underwood heiress was heartbroken, but ultimately decided that she was okay with it. If her husband would be a commoner, then by the gods, did it matter if her child was too? Thus, Lenna was adopted at the age of 2. Only later did her family learn about the whole "beastkin" thing. Lenna considers herself to be culturally human. As she's grown older, she has started resembling other beastkin of her variety, having to shave pretty damn often to maintain a normal human standard of beauty, and her nails turning to small claws and teeth becoming fangs. She has also sprouted a small bunny tail, which really gets in the way of her dresses, and two bunny ears that make her the most obvious person alive at masquerade balls. Lenna was a firecracker of a child. As she grew up, she constantly asserted her independence. She mellowed out with time, but still asserts herself as her own person. She works for a living, unlike most of her family, and truly goes among the poor to understand what they need. She also at one point joined what is basically fight club. The Pugilist Gang, as it was named, was Lenna's first taste of fighting. She excelled as a fistfighter once she learned how to balance her impressive speed and strength with actual technique. Eventually, she decided she wanted a taste of adventure. She attempted to find a beast stone in the market, but found her efforts frustrated. She was good at fistfighting, but she couldn't hold a candle to the adventurers that dedicated themselves to it. She was terrible with weapons to, and the only magic she could understand at all was blue magic. And even then, the only spell she ever successfully cast was "Bunny Blast", a weak, ticklish blast of energy from a small, magical rabbit creature. She did show minor talent with a rapier, but it...just didn't feel right. Evwntually, her salvation arrived. A group of beastkin adventurers contacted her, and allowed her the chance to prove herself on an adventure, an escort mission to protect a nature priestess. She was green as grass and made mistakes, but she showed an obvious talent. They didn't give her a beast stone for a while, so she had to subdue threats with her fists. She could handle bandits, who were usually poorly trained and just desperate for cash(which made subduing them an unpleasant business for her), but when trained assassins showed up, she almost died against one. He had attempted to shoot the priestess with an arrow, but Lenna managed to sneak up on and ambush him. They struggled for a while, and he stabbed her with a Beastbane dagger. Lenna fell to the ground, and the assassin thought she was dead. The moment her turned his back, she pounced, then slammed his face into the ground until he stopped struggling. After that, the beastkin thought she'd earned her beast stone. She bears the scar from the dagger as a mark of pride, and rather enjoys her life as a dual adventurer/aristocrat. She is currently a freelancer, though is looking for a permanent guild to join. Random Notes: Lenna is still very fast and strong in human form. So she's not as helpless as other Beast Kin might be without it. That said, she still can't face significant threats without it. Lenna's fistfighting is self taught. She focuses on barrages of punches and deadly grapples. Lenna is an incredible acrobat, unsurprisingly. Lenna has considered purchasing a pet bunny. For irony's sake.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Hearing the crier's information, Cecelia rolled her eyes. "Great. Typical nobles." Realizing who all was in her team, she immediately regretted her words. Looking around at her team, she babbles "I- I mean, I've had bad experiences with high nobles and loyalty stuff. Sorry..." Her embarrassment was cut short by someone short: the owner. Hearing the name 'Finny', Cecelia giggled and couldn't stop. Once he was done, she noticed Elisha's face as she got up and rushed to the bathroom. Not seeing that as a good sign, Cecelia attempted to pursue, getting up ever so gracefully as her drunken body allowed. About halfway to the door Elisha had gone through, Cecelia tripped over... Well, she's pretty drunk, so she just tripped and got a face full of floor. Elisha emerged as Cecelia was finally able to pick herself up, and went over to her, but before she could get close enough, a boy hit the door like it hit him first, monologuing. Cecelia was frozen during his speech, until a cat that was presumably his, interrupted him, pissed him off, and spat a hairball in the boy's face. Cecelia couldn't help but giggle madly at the sight. Once she was able to dial her giggling fit down, she turned back to Elisha "Hey, you alright, sweetie?" Still using family-esque names due to her drunken mind not filtering her mouth, she continued after placing her hand on Elisha's shoulder "Did you have too much to drink? Was it your heart condition? Or was Louis' gesutre that bad?" Adding the last question with a smile, she rubbed Elisha's shoulder with her thumb in an attempt to comfort the younger girl. "I just saw you running and got worried. I would've been there sooner, but the floor wanted to have a chat with me." Brennen Garron Brennen heard the crier's announcement about them having to help again and, just over a mumble, commented, ever so delicately "Fuuuuuuuuuuhuhuhuuuck" just before letting his head drop back onto one of the few non-dampened spots on his scarlet robe's sleeve. Most of it looked like he had been using it to play tic-tac-toe, with his snot in place of ink. With the owner having introduced himself and his staff, he now at least knew a name to call the bar man who would serve him his final two ales before he passed out at the table. He tried to think positively I'm a good tactician. Great even! I can use any number of trained men to protect a villag- and that's where the positivity stopped. Brennen's brain resumed its grief for those he had lost. This time, he didn't cry as badly. Just silent tears as he stared through his darkened scarlet jacket sleeve into the distance. That's when some... kid barged in. He was yammering about himself and how great he is, and at the exact moment Brennen thought about throwing a bottle at the kid's head, the young 'un was interrupted by a cat he referred to as shin. After the human had given his rebuttal to the cat's interruption, it promptly spat a hairball in his face. Laughing, Brennen said "good job, shin."</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière "Elishaaaaaaaaaa..." Louis moaned "don't...don't try to escape the hugz. You can't run from them; they will find you" he cried out to the fleeing girl, unable to muster up the motor function to pursue her "is doesn't matter...sheeee can't run for long...the hugz shall catch her." He said to himself "oh well...I still feel like hugz. Oh Lenna" he sang her name as he hobbled over to the beastkin and, for lack of a better word, 'fell' into hug with her "u like hugs right? Ha, what'm I saying, of course you do! You're a sexy bunny lady, and bunnies are cute little balls of fuzzy that love cuddlez. Therefor! you must love cuddlez too. Is science" he then passed out while still managing to keep a hold of Lenna</s> <\|message\|>Vance Meridian "Tell ya what, this one's on me. I also got the reward gold over in the back. It's available in full upon request, but I'm also agreein' to keep hold of it if ya don't need it now. No need to pay bar tabs whilst there's gold in yer pouch in the back. I take tabs out of the pouch if it's not paid up front" Vance nodded to finny as he took the bottle of ale, taking a big swig of it after raising it towards the bartender. "Thanks" he said. He turned his back to the counter, looking at the other patrons. His expression was that of worry, and it got worse as he looked at each of the heroes that was left after the first mission. There was a drunk girl, who raced into the bathroom, with a female friend helping her. A Rabbit-girl who had carried her already-drunk companions in. A man who looked to be depressed from the battle. A seemingly horny drunk that was eying the girl who ran into the bathroom. After hearing the banter between the newcomer, and his cat, the last thing he heard was the cat hacking up a hairball onto it's companion's cheek. "Great.." Both Eve, and Vance thought in unison. "This is our fighting force? We're putting our lives in the hands of.... them?" Vance said to Eve, as the hairball slid off of Bartholomew's cheek, and onto the counter with a squishy "thud". With a heavy sigh, he took another swig of ale. "Cheers" he said in a less than subtle tone to the room.</s>	<\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna held Louis, and giggled. "I wonder if he's being serious or not about the bunny stuff. I wonder if he even knows I'm mostly just telling rabbit jokes at my own expense," Lenna said with a fond smile, "Ah, well. Either way, you are a riot, my drunk and unconscious companion. I just hope you stay safe on the battlefield." Lenna trusted Cecilia to take care of Elisha, and so stood up to carry Louis to a room. Lenna didn't know where his room was, so she figured she'd share a bed with him. The beds were supposed to be decently large, so she didn't see a problem with that. Then she heard Vance speak, and smiled as she walked over. "Now, sir, have some confidence in your allies. I mean, true, this guy," Lenna gestured to the unconscious dork in her arms, "is a bit of a dork, and...I don't even know what's going on with Catman over there." Lenna gestured with her ears at Bart. "But people will surprise you," she said to Vance. She then glanced at Eve, "By the way, you are very pretty, miss. Would you guys tell me your names? I'm Lenna Underwood."</s>
<\|description\|>Serena Nuias Nicknames/Aliases: None Gender: Female Birthday: September 5th Age: She appears to be in her mid 20's Class: Templar Occupation: Exorcist for Hire Species: Human/Beastkin Raven Hybrid Appearance: Serena is a lithe, tall woman with a very toned, semi-muscular figure. Her eyes are a dark shade of blue and she has jet black hair that she keeps in a loose ponytail. She usually keeps them concealed but she also has a pair of raven wings that stretch out 8 feet from tip to tip. There are also jet black feathers on her arms, legs, and chest. She used to have smaller feathers growing on her cheeks, but she has torn the feathers out so many times that they don't grow back anymore. In the place of those feathers are two long scars that run down from just below her cheekbones to her chin on each side of her face. She also has a long scar that runs down her shoulder and one on her leg from an accident she had when she was still a child. Clothing Style: She doesn't wear the helmet unless she's in battle. She also wears a tan cloak that covers up her armor and conceals her wings. Personality: Serena is a hardened fighter on and off the battlefield. Discriminated against by humans for her wings and feathers she has a disdain for most people and will not open up and become friendly to others unless she really knows them. When she does make friends though, she becomes extremely loyal to them and will give her life to protect those she cares about. She has a strong faith in the Gods that was instilled in her by the monks that raised her, and she still prays to them on her journeys. She has a bit of a sharp tongue and will almost always say what she thinks about a person. Likes: The Summer time, sweet and savory food, people with open minds, praying, flying Dislikes: Bitter food, large dogs (she was attacked by one when she was younger), ignorant people, Red Hand Past/History: Serena was raised on the Filicarius Monastery in the Mountains of Shoria after stumbling upon them as a little girl. She was abandoned by her mother and was left as a street urchin, unwanted by anyone. Not even the orphanages would let her in because of her wings and feathers. She was chased out of the city by a mob and wandered into the mountains where she survived on her own for several weeks. When she finally came upon the Monastery, she was starving to death. The monks treated her with compassion and didn't care about the fact she wasn't fully human. They taught her how to read and write and about the Gods, and eventually their own style of demon hunting. At first she was rebellious and tried escaping by flying away, but the attempt went horribly wrong and crashed in the middle of nowhere during the winter. The monks spent 3 days looking for her in below freezing temperatures, trekking a dangerous and steep mountain. When they did finally find her, she was near death. After nursing her back to full health, she began to realize that the monks did truly care about her and took her studies seriously. She was a prodigy in exorcism, and soon after she reached maturity she left to go out into the world and help others by fighting demons wherever they may be. Years later, the Red Hand took an interest in the Monastery where she grew up and in one night wiped them all out. When Serena learned of this, she swore to destroy them all. Her mission is now to kill all demons and all Red Hand.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna was thankful for Cecilia's smoke cover for a moment, until she heard the voraptus that had been keeping pressure on her flap away. That meant that it had chosen a smaller, easier target. Thinking of the young nobles in their group, Lenna burst from the smoke. She briefly considered engaging the scarecrows, but then realized where the final voraptus had gone. Lenna let out a bestial warcry before racing for her white mage ally. As the voraptus knocked Elisha over, Lenna dived on it. It couldn't fly away with her weight pressing on it, and Lenna began wrestling with the bird on the ground. Lenna pinned the bird, making it a clear target for one of her companions.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia heard commotion from the other bird, looking in time to see Elisha getting knocked back. A protective urge moved Cecelia's feet in that direction. Cecelia passes the bird and checks on Elisha. Out of breath, she asks "are you... Alright?" and pulls out a small bandaging kit she originally brought to bandage herself. "Need any... Help?" still trying to catch her breath, she continues asking questions. She looks over at the well-dressed lad with the rapier "can you take out the bird?"</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière "Yes" Louis answered, although that was really unlikely. Getting into the stance once more, he readied himself to attack the bird. All at once, he moved forward towards his target, hand ready to end it's life. Once he was in range, he lashed out with his weapon, striking the prone beast in the torso. Badly wounded, it quivered under Lenna, no longer able to muster up any strength to escape. With it unable to fight back and slowly dying, Louis walked over and shoved his weapon in it's skull, ending it just like the last one. The creature didn't even know what hit him... ...Mostly because he didn't even notice Louis, and it was already trapped under a large bunnykin...but still "Is she badly hurt?" He asked Cecelia, regarding Elisha. As of right now, Louis was feeling pretty good about himself 'This is far easier then Crow made it out to be...perhaps I simply have a knack for it.' It's too bad that he didn't consider dumb luck a possibility</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana Miercoles managed to get signed up at the last minute and yet he managed to get into a group. Still he was late as by the time he rushed to the northernmost gate one of the group members was already in combat with some bizarre looking creations. Definitely not animal, vegetable, or miner but scarecrows? While he didn't want to say they were going to be easy, it could be a lot more worse. Even if enchanted it was enchanted wood, straw, and cloth is no match for a keen blade and an even more keen hand. A small group of the possessed scarecrows fell apart in the time it took for him to re-sheathe his blade as it cleaved through them with the ease of gust of wind kicks dust up. Dramatic entrance now complete he spoke to the armored man with a tip of the hat, "We can exchange names after this. For now let us focus on destroying these pests quickly." He then set down his box as it would be a bit of a nuisance in this fight as well out of a desire to minimize any possible damage that could be inflicted on it.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia "Man, I am really out of shape." Elisha thinks to herself as she desperately catches her breath. The impact she made blew all of the wind out of her. Before long, she could hear Cecelia and Louis coming to check up on her. "I-I'll be OK... Cecelia... I just need... to calm down for a few." Elisha slowly forces herself to stand back up. "Get a hold of yourself, Eli. You told yourself you won't be a burden anymore." As she says that to herself, she closes her eyes and begins channeling the spell she was going to use moments earlier once more. "The three scarecrows are... there... there... and there..." Envisioning where her targets are, Elisha envelops the three remaining demons in a cloak of flame. Being made out of straw, they were quick to catch on fire and were shortly burned into a crisp, but not before loudly wailing out into the skies one last time.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia stands in silence for a few seconds. She- she just burnt them to a crisp. Seeing how much force Elisha put into standing back up, Cecelia stands about a foot in front of her, asking "are you sure you're alright. You look pretty drained. Especially after that spell. Do you need to sit down or something? Please don't overdo yourself." Cecelia notices that all of the enemies are dead. Well, at least we got rid of them, along with the possible coin. She realizes how different her thoughts were before, during, and after the fight. She smiles at Elisha, adding "you did a great job. Thanks for taking care of those last few scarecrows, Elisha. Was that your first time fighting?" She turns to the rapier-boy, continuing her gratitude "and thank you for taking care of that last bird. I'm Cecelia, known in some parts as 'The Shadow'" adding her alias in a tone that somewhat mocks the name itself, to keep from sounding too serious about the fact that she's the one people send out for to steal others' things and all sorts of random stuff at night. Cecelia turned towards the gates, where the mass of volunteer villagers stood just outside of, not having done any work. "Well, that was easy enough" Cecelia thought aloud as she surveyed the battlefield. I didn't even bloody my blade. Yet.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna shifted back into her human state, then appraised her allies with a smile. "Good job, guys. Especially you, miss," she noted Elisha, "That magic work was great. Those demons didn't stand a chance." She then looked at the dead birds. "It's a shame we couldn't take care of the demons first. The raptors would have likely calmed down." She shook her head, then listened to what Cecila said. "Good to meet you, miss Cecilia. I am Lenna Underwood, of the family and town that share that name." She smiled, "Thanks for the covering smoke, by the way." She glanced at Louis, "And decent rapier work by you, sir. Keep practicing, you'll make a fantastic swordsman."</s>	<\|message\|>Serena Nuias Serena Nuias had been in the city of Maplestead after hearing that there was an unusual amount of demonic activity affecting its surrounding regions. She had wandered the city for a few days trying to glean information from the inhabitants, but in the end she didn't have to pry too far. Maplestead wasn't just suffering from a small demon outbreak. It was under siege. It wasn't just demons either, there were other beasts running rampant in unusual ways. Even she was aware that she couldn't face this level of demonic activity alone. Then came the crier with his announcement of rewards going to those who could kill the creatures attacking Maplestead. She immediately realized that this was a suicide mission for most, and knew that she had to assist. One of the oaths she had taken when she became a Templar was to protect the weak. Even if the individuals themselves were ignorant, greedy, and detestable; it was her duty. She cared nothing for the gold. When she arrived at the town square to sign up, she had noticed that more than a few intriguing characters were abreast. Some seemed experienced and cautious, like the tactician and cleric who obviously had several years of experience under their belt each. She had heard what the cleric Aldrial had to say about the pains of healing another, and she shared some of his sentiments but also felt that it was the duty of a healer to bear that pain and anguish. Of course, she didn't think that fools who rushed into the heat of battle should be rewarded for their stupidity, but leaving them to die was like turning one's back on their own calling. She had also seen several with far less experience but the potential for greatness, and many who simply should not have been risking their lives as it would be fruitless and wasteful. She steeled herself for the horror that would come soon. Earlier in the day she had watched a young girl collapse after running for just a short while and was shocked when she realized that that same girl was going to be facing the horror of battle alongside her. She was almost dead set on protecting that girl, as her kind spirit shone brightly even though her body was weak. In the end she left protection of the girl to the thief who had helped her up in the first place. It seemed apparent that the thief known as Cecilia was attempting to propose to the other girl, as strange as that was. In any case, she was not Serena's responsibility. She stayed out of sight, and silent for almost the entire morning. When the town crier finally appeared to announce the various teams that would engage the monsters, she was placed with three absolute imbeciles who had no combat experience. She decided it was better to just fight on her own. She paid them off with the bit of gold that she carried on her for emergencies, and they happily obliged after hearing how soon the battle would begin. They were smarter than most, but still cowards. She did not judge them for this though. ~~~~~ The time came for the battle to begin. Serena watched the various teams make their way to the various gates that protected the city, and chose to follow the group heading for the Eastern gate as she felt the presence of a creature that was far more deadly than what any of these peasants were capable of handling even on a good day with the correct equipment and a plan. It had taken several minutes to convince those farmers to return to their homes, and by that time the crowd had scattered and gone to the gates. She rushed as fast as she could to the East Gate, hoping that not too much damage had been done and that the villagers had at least some of their wits about them, but her hope was soon to be crushed. On the other side of the gate, dozens of the lightly armed villagers ran screaming as a Basilisk tore through the crowd, crushing all in its wake. Several other villagers were being lit on fire by the Lava Demons and the stench and cries of pain that emanated from them lit an anger in Serena's soul at the nobles who sent these villagers to die like dogs. She watched the Beast Whisperer Jere bravely try to save a villager from being trampled, and then noticed the elegant Archer Veltis set up his greatbow to lay siege to the Basilisk. In utter amazement, she saw him loose arrow after arrow into the demon's many eyes, and it finally collapsed to the ground. She stood there stupefied by the sheer skill of the man, but the cries of the maimed and dying villagers brought her back to her senses. She needed to help in whatever way she could. She ran to Veltis who was now on his knees from the exhaustion of firing that greatbow so many times and helped him to his feet. She then hastily introduced herself so she would not seem rude. "Hello good Sir, I am Serena Nuias. I would like to further introduce myself, but I feel that now is not a good time. Excellent work with the Basilisk," She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "That is quite a feat you just pulled off." She then gripped his shoulder tightly and muttered unintelligible words in another language under her breath. A white glow came off of her hand and spread to the tuckered out archer. "That spell should revitalize you just enough so that we may deal with these Lava demons together. The villagers need our help." With that, she drew her sword from its sheath on her waist and mounted her shield and ran forward towards Jere and his Wolf.</s>
<\|description\|>Alexandra Hertz Age: 18 Gender: Female Appearance: Personality: Calm, not easily angered, Alexandra believes in stability and order above all else. She finds warfare and violence distasteful, though she will still engage it in necessary. To those who have earned a friendship with her, she will stand with them to the end when they are in need. To those who aren't she is a position of stability, to be respected and feared for her position. Resolute once she has made her mind up, she doesn't mind the scheming of her underlings, so long as it doesn't result in open fighting. She likes her peace, and she will keep it. Bio: Alexandra has lived in Aurora her whole life. Originally only an average girl, she grew up as a single child in a moderately well off family, one that had made itself useful as part of the government. There was resentment as a result, but that never seemed to be an issue, and Alexandra enjoyed a relatively peaceful childhood. The concerns of Witches and magical girls were none of hers, beyond how it impacted her life. That all changed with an attempted assassination and a crackdown, purges running through the government as supposed traitors were eliminated. Her father was caught up in them, and the purges themselves only served to further opposition. Alexandra's peaceful life was shattered, and she found herself increasingly isolated. And with that hardship, when Kyubey approached her, she took the deal, and became a magical girl. Her life restored itself, her father returned, but things wouldn't be the same for her. She worked her way through the ranks from the bottom up, proving herself as a fighter, and as someone competent, as she rose in the process. It was during this time that she met Caroline, and they established a firm friendship that would last to the present. She also met Kolya, though he would not join until later. Eventually, she made her move. Drawing on a coalition of nobles and lower ranking magical girls, she staged a coup and overthrew the cities old leadership, placing herself in power. Land and positions were doled out to supporters, and she went about restoring stability to the city, cracking down on organized crime, as well as open conflict. Since then she has enforced peace, preventing encroachment by her neighbors and keeping things under control. The Shadow Compact has been pushed back, and she is very much satisfied with the way things have been maintained. It is a state of affairs she plans to have endure for some time. Allegiance: Aurora City Authority Skills: Diplomacy, Administration, Singing, Proficiency with her magical girl abilities Weapons: None Other: Nothing Magical Girl Section: Magical Girl Appearance: Wish: "I wish things would just go back to the way they were." Weapons: She wields a magical Great Sword, that can also shift into a kite shield. Powers: Gravitic manipulation. She can alter the affect of gravity on any object she touches, making her able to effectively render any object weightless if she so desires it, or as heavy as a neutron star (Though that would take an incredible amount of power, and it would atop the second she let go.) She can also use this power on herself.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Eponine certainly had set herself up for a difficult task, with no leads to go on besides those she had already reported to Maria. There were methods she could follow if she wanted, such as staking out Witches Barriers and waiting for a magical girl to arrive, but that would be time consuming, and there was no guarantee that the person she was looking for would ever show up at all. But that would have to wait for a moment as her phone rang, caller id revealing who it was. It would be Adrian, one of the higher ranking people in the militia she had created to help her fight Witches. It was a group that undeniably took losses, but he had been one of the better ones at surviving it all, and if he was calling, then it had to be important. That was revealed soon enough to her, once she had answered the phone. "Hey boss, remember that effigy thing with the grief seed people've been talking about? Well, some rogue magical girl decided to bust through one of the checkpoints into the city a little while ago. Thought you might want to know." --- The Shadow Compact were not the easiest group to find, as Chloe would be able to attest to as she made her way through Aurora. They worked underground, were deeply suspicious of magical girls or collaborators, and took precautions accordingly. Then again, as someone who had managed to work herself into a partnership with that organization, she would know as much, and have planned accordingly to deal with it, especially when moving on to a new area. Her knowledge would guide her along in her search for Compact assistance, directing her away from downtown and towards the rougher areas, the places that had missed out on the economic development present, and were home to crime, poverty, and dirty dealings. The places that one would usually find the Mafia, and where government control was weakest. That wasn't to say that they Compact didn't operate in nicer parts of Aurora, because they did, but it would be easier to find a safe house in one of the less important (from the perspective of the government) neighborhoods. But for someone like her, ferreting out a safehouse shouldn't be that hard.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe Maria changed once again into something darker and brooding as she started to speak. "Indeed. We become nothing but screams of despair in the air, to be violently taken and then thrown away by those with purpose, scattered to the winds and consumed by strangers. To live without hope is to accept all the pain you have endured as having been for naught, to throw away any semblance of human will and to welcome complete oblivion." Maria realized what she was saying and reverted back to her 15-year-old self. "Oh, I was starting to talk silly stuff. Never mind that, Fantine. I'll be at the study now, so don't disturb unless it's something important." She turned her wheelchair around and headed for the study. It was a room with shelves packed to the brim with books of all sorts of topics and genres. However, she rarely read them; her main use for the room was in the green laptop she had sitting on a small table at the center of the room. Once she closed the room, she began to work on the various sheets and profiles she had already open on it, from small things such as grief seed farming charts to bigger files like intelligence she has collected on the city and the areas outside it. With nothing else to do, she continued working on it, managing and scheming with no set difference.</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane "Track her, but keep a safe distance," Eponine ordered, "We want this one...alive. And unharmed, as much as possible." Eponine hopped in the jeep that had taken her here and ordered the soldier to drive her to the checkpoint. Speaking to the survivors, Eponine was able to glean a general idea of what this rogue looked like, as well as her magical weapon. What was troubling, but nonetheless expected due to the need to conserve magic, was the fact that the rogue seemed not to have revealed what her magical ability was. Apparently the rogue had also been shot in the leg, if she didn't use magic to heal the wound, she should be hobbling at a slower pace, but if she did use magic, she might be more desperate to find a grief seed. Eponine asked if the trail was still hot. She wiped blood from her mouth with her forearm, noticing that, once again, she had bitten the inside of her mouth without noticing. "Understood, Lady Maria," Fantine replied, letting Maria head off to her library. However, Maria's words made Fantine worry more about Eponine, so she quickly dried the tears that had started welling up at the corners of her eyes. Certain that she was no longer visibly sad, she headed down to the kitchen to help out with chores.</s> <\|message\|>Chloe Hartmann Chloe had spent as little time as possible patching up her leg. Without any convenient cloth on hand, and lacking the desire to tear up a good shirt or skirt for something like this, she had needed to take a quick 'peek' inside some stranger's home, where she managed to find a few bandages. Hopefully the delay wouldn't cost her much time, but at least she wouldn't be bleeding out everywhere. The tradeoff for her magical powers was a body that was close to being indestructable, but the body couldn't move without blood, and if she bled all over the streets and rooftops she might as well be leaving a trail of bread crumbs. After taking care of herself and dodging through the streets of the inner city, she found what she was looking for. One of the few safehouses of the Shadow Compact that she had been in contact with before. She was no stranger to the poverty-stricken areas of Aurora, having grown up in such areas since birth, and hiding herself away in dirty rat-holes like this since forming her contract. Not only were they good places to hide away from the prying eyes of the government, but the despair here was strong, which made it a great place to hunt for witches. Few people here were happy to see her, but she was able to get the medical attention she needed from a street doctor who had been hiding away here. Nothing else was particularly important to her, and she was a long shot from caring about the opinions of any other urchins here. "Haah, what a pain in the ass. You think you guys would be a little more grateful. I might just be taking the heat off your doorstep so you can do your own little things, whatever they are. I keep telling you, we both have the same goal, don't we?"</s>	<\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz By the time Eponine arrived at the checkpoint in question, she would find most of the affair over, medics taking care of the injured men while a clean up crew dealt with the property damage. Of that there was very little this time, though that was not always the case in these sorts of things. Given what the apparent intent was, it wasn't unreasonable though. She'd find Adrian there already, a tall man with black hair and more than his share of battle scars, a former mercenary that had joined up with her. He was of a particular breed, but that made him very good at what he did. "Hey Boss," he said with a nod, glancing over to the men getting treated currently, pitying them just a bit for what they had suffered. "Everything was all settled by the time I got here. You can talk to them if you want, but at this point we don't have any leads. They're looking, but given that it was a magical girl, there isn't much hope for picking up her trail." He shrugged, a hand resting on the pistol strapped to his waist. "Still, none of the other checkpoints have reported seeing her, so odds are that she's still in this section of the city, unless she happens to have some kind of illusion magic." It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. --- There were currently two men present in the safehouse that Chloe had found herself at, one the doctor who had patched hr up, and the other one of the men who worked with the Compact, and someone decently important, in terms of this local cell. Luckily, the doctor had had it easy given the nature of his patient, and it hadn't taken much work to deal with the wounds she had received. Now she could spend the time to heal up, if she so wanted. The safehouse was a bit small, more cozy than anything, and it was certainly well stocked with food, weapons, medical supplies, and the like. From the outside it would look like a place to be avoided, but inside it wasn't too bad. Then again, given its purpose that probably wasn't a surprise. The contact, Oscar, a pretty average fellow who preferred to look that way, with close cropped brown hair and casual garb to match, sighed as he watched Chloe from his position, leaning against a counter top. "Yeah yeah, so you say. And you had the code words, and the name drops to get in here. But we didn't survive this long simply on blind faith." He watched her with thinly veiled distrust, not that he'd have much of a chance if she actually tried to do anything. It was a reminder that not even her nominal allies trusted her all that much. "SO what's your plan now that you're here? They're going to be looking for you." --- The knowledge of all the plans Maria had was generally well confined, as was to be expected from someone like her. While there might have been rumors, there was no solid proof to accompany them, and as long as that remained the case it seemed that she would be allowed to make her plots in peace and security. Certainly rumors were not enough to act on, at least under the current ruler of Aurora. In the past that might have been another matter, but that was not the present moment. For some time she would be undisturbed, until a voice spoke to her in her head, a familiar tone that she may have viewed with some disdain, yet that also served a valuable purpose, here and elsewhere. Hello Maria Goethe, Kyubey said as he emerged from around a corner as if by magic itself, which it was in all likelihood. You appear to be well.</s>
<\|description\|>Alexandra Hertz Age: 18 Gender: Female Appearance: Personality: Calm, not easily angered, Alexandra believes in stability and order above all else. She finds warfare and violence distasteful, though she will still engage it in necessary. To those who have earned a friendship with her, she will stand with them to the end when they are in need. To those who aren't she is a position of stability, to be respected and feared for her position. Resolute once she has made her mind up, she doesn't mind the scheming of her underlings, so long as it doesn't result in open fighting. She likes her peace, and she will keep it. Bio: Alexandra has lived in Aurora her whole life. Originally only an average girl, she grew up as a single child in a moderately well off family, one that had made itself useful as part of the government. There was resentment as a result, but that never seemed to be an issue, and Alexandra enjoyed a relatively peaceful childhood. The concerns of Witches and magical girls were none of hers, beyond how it impacted her life. That all changed with an attempted assassination and a crackdown, purges running through the government as supposed traitors were eliminated. Her father was caught up in them, and the purges themselves only served to further opposition. Alexandra's peaceful life was shattered, and she found herself increasingly isolated. And with that hardship, when Kyubey approached her, she took the deal, and became a magical girl. Her life restored itself, her father returned, but things wouldn't be the same for her. She worked her way through the ranks from the bottom up, proving herself as a fighter, and as someone competent, as she rose in the process. It was during this time that she met Caroline, and they established a firm friendship that would last to the present. She also met Kolya, though he would not join until later. Eventually, she made her move. Drawing on a coalition of nobles and lower ranking magical girls, she staged a coup and overthrew the cities old leadership, placing herself in power. Land and positions were doled out to supporters, and she went about restoring stability to the city, cracking down on organized crime, as well as open conflict. Since then she has enforced peace, preventing encroachment by her neighbors and keeping things under control. The Shadow Compact has been pushed back, and she is very much satisfied with the way things have been maintained. It is a state of affairs she plans to have endure for some time. Allegiance: Aurora City Authority Skills: Diplomacy, Administration, Singing, Proficiency with her magical girl abilities Weapons: None Other: Nothing Magical Girl Section: Magical Girl Appearance: Wish: "I wish things would just go back to the way they were." Weapons: She wields a magical Great Sword, that can also shift into a kite shield. Powers: Gravitic manipulation. She can alter the affect of gravity on any object she touches, making her able to effectively render any object weightless if she so desires it, or as heavy as a neutron star (Though that would take an incredible amount of power, and it would atop the second she let go.) She can also use this power on herself.</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane "Have this area placed on lock-down, no one leaves or enters without my permission, and have her physical description circulated to each checkpoint. And if anyone sees her, they are to attempt to inform her that I wish to parley with her." While Adrian went about fulfilling her orders, Eponine gathered three more of her best. When Adrian returned, Eponine said, "Adrian, we're going on a manhunt."</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Kyubey, how nice to see you," Maria responded as she turned around to greet the white creature with her trademark cuteness. "Why yes, I am most fine as you can see. Now, what brings you to my humble abode?" In truth, Maria didn't actually care about the creature's purpose behind his visit, but decided to enjoy a bit of small talk while she had the chance, since Kyubey tends to leave magical girls alone after the contract, only appearing to dispose of grief seeds. While she does appreciate the gifts that his kind have given to her, she also knows their true nature, and, given her mood, would have no qualms with making his small head explode with her magic, since she is also aware of their apparent immortality.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz "Got it," Adrian confirmed with a nod. It wasn't exactly a surprise, though the fact that she apparently wanted to parley with this girl was. But he wasn't going to question a decision of hers. On tactical matters he would, but he didn't get paid enough to interject in the higher affairs of magical girls. If she said she wanted to talk, that was what he would do. She was left to collect others for the hunt as Adrian went to fulfill her orders, those being two women and another man, with a varying assortment of weaponry Most of it was oriented around fighting Witches, but it would serve well enough against humans and magical girls as well. And they had been trained well in that regard to boot. When he returned, he nodded in approval of her orders. "Alright boss," he replied, falling into line as they moved away. He had his own weapon ready, an assault rifle, and he glanced over at her as they walked. "So what's the plan?" --- Kyubey padded over with her greeting, taking up a position on one of her bookshelves as he watched her, tail flicking all the while. What sorts of plots and schemes the Incubator might be hatching were hard to say, for while the group helped those magical girls who ruled, it was also well known that they had their own agenda, and would work for their self interest at the same time. Nothing incredibly urgent by your standards, Kyubey responded in a happy tone. I merely wished to check on your status and see how you were doing. After all, each magical girl is important. Important to the grand scheme of saving the universe from entropy, a goal so far off that no one here could care about it when faced with the realities and necessities of power. And even moreso when one knew the truth of the system. He tilted his head as he dropped the other shoe. I'm also curious to see how you plan to ride out the oncoming storm. Of course Kyubey would have one than more motive to his visit, a tantalizing bit of information that she could pursue at her leisure.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Oh, isn't that sweet of you," Maria said as she opened a jar of cookies she kept in a shelf. She then offered a cookie to the creature in an endearing manner. "Would you like one?" Disgusting rat, Maria thought. Thinks he can barge in any time he wants and spout nonsense like that? Fine, I'll tolerate his presence for a bit more, before I'll have to call Fantine to clean his remains off the walls. Oh, you sly bastard. Trying to pique my interest so you can catch me in a trap of yours? Alright then, let's partake of this game. Feigning ignorance, Maria responded by mimicking Kyubey's head tilt and saying: "A storm, huh? I didn't see anything like that in the weather reports. Sure sounds scary."</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane Eponine sighed silently to herself. It wasn't a very elegant plan, but then again, she wasn't a very elegant person as she was given to tackling obstacles straight on, like a bulldozer. "We start at where our soldiers last sighted her, we scan for blood. We ask the locals if they saw anyone suspicious running by that matches the physical description we have, or if they know of a place where such a person could hide." She wanted to just get a megaphone and make an attempt to call out the magical girl, hoping that if she made it clear that she had no intention of harming her, she might come quietly, but she was already making this way more open than she felt Maria wanted; after all, if Maria wanted to speak with a magical girl from outside the city, the other nobles would probably view such an act with suspicion.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Kyubey shook his head, ringed ears somehow defying gravity and momentum to move without swaying. I have no need of material sustenance, unlike your species, he replied from his bookshelf. Doubtlessly she had expected such an answer though so it didn't really matter in the end. If he seemed annoyed by her mimicry, Kyubey didn't show it as he provided a following answer. You would consider it as such.He paused, padding over to the end of the bookshelf before. Someone is toying with powers they don't understand, putting the entire system as it stands in jeopardy. Naturally, allowing it to proceed would not be in your best interest. If it was a concern for Kyubey, then it would probably be an issue for her as well. Assuming that he was being completely frank anyway.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Okay then, I'll just have these for myself then," Maria said cheerfully as she threw one up in the air and caught it with her mouth. It would have actually been amusing if he accepted. Oh, now this is what I wanted to hear: ominous portents from a white rodent, probably trying to lead me on a goose chase. Still, coming from him, it does sound serious. Maybe I shouldn't outright dismiss it. Let's test the waters. "Oh my!" Maria placed her hands over her cheeks in a dramatic manner. "Is Aurora City in danger? What could I possibly do, Kyubey?"</s> <\|message\|>Chloe Hartmann Chloe shrugged noncommitally. "Don't worry about things you can't control, man. Stress is a good way to cut your lifespan short. Nowadays more than ever. Well, for humans anyway." She didn't miss the looks she had been given. Rather, she had been expecting (and had, in the past, received) far worse. Oscar's distrust wasn't totally unfounded either. "As for my plans? You've gotta be kidding me. It's real simple. If they follow me here, I'll beat them until they never come back. I don't care if the whole damned city falls down around this building. If I'm here, these walls will stay standing... But I won't stay here for long. Hiding's never done me any good." Thinking about it for a moment, she decided on a course of action. Which is to say, she picked a whim from the ether. "In fact... You can go ahead and talk to the higher ups. If ever you fellas had any plans of world domination, any buns in the oven just waiting for the bread to rise, now might just be your time. I think I'm done waiting around. You lot can join me, take advantage of me, use me, or just sit there and watch me die for all I care. Like you said, you didn't survive this long on blind faith. I've got faith that the Compact will do whatever's best for the Compact. So I hope great things will come of this. But I think the time for a good hearty offensive is coming real soon. We'll just have to see." Her little speech concluded, Chloe stepped down on her wounded leg a few times, testing different weights, before nodding, satisfied. "It's not perfect, but it'll do. Thanks Doc. Here's to seeing you alive on the other side. I'm out!" Tossing her headphones on again, she peered out a crack in the door to make sure she wasn't being followed, gave a thumbs-up to the people behind her, and darted out the door, closing it softly behind her. They would prefer she left no trace, probably, so she did her best to hide her presence until she was a little further away. After reaching a safe enough distance, Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. She was back on the streets, and away from the judgmental stares. For now, that would have to be good enough. And if she ran into anybody else, well, hopefully nobody wanted to shoot her.</s>	<\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Indeed, it was not the most amazing plan, but given what they were trying to do it would most likely suffice. It might take some time, but if the girl they were looking for couldn't escape, then it would eventually succeed. Excluding, again, illusion magic. "Got it," Adrian replied as they moved away from the checkpoint. Sure, he knew that they wanted to talk, but nonetheless he was still on alert. More in case said girl wasn't willing to talk when they asked. He much enjoyed being in one piece, and wanted to keep doing so for as long as he could. And on they went. The trail of blood was scattered, but it provided the beginnings of a lead and a general direction. It became harder to track once she had dropped off the roof and into the inner city streets, but then it was easier to find people who had seen her. It was a promising start, when they had the time to spend, and Eponine could be grateful that so many people were willing to help out based on her status. --- While emotions were beyond him, Kyubey was cognizant enough to recognize the melodramatic overacting directed his way, though it wasn't unsurprising. With the prevalence of magical girls, it was a reaction he got often from them, when it wasn't disdain or happiness. Honestly, humans could be so unpredictable. At the very least, they still needed him to deal with Grief Seeds, which ensured he would always be around. One could say that, he replied. If it is replicated, it will most likely be a threat to the world in general. It would make more sense to prevent it before it can happen in the first place. You merely need to find those responsible and stop what they are planning before they can finish what they are trying to do --- "Alright," Oscar replied, tone laced with a healthy bit of skepticism. She might have all the bravado in the world, but he was a bit less confident that she could stand up to every other magical girl in the city if they came after her. Ideally she wouldn't attract that much attention anyway, but given the way she was talking it wasn't impossible, at least form his point of view. "Good luck," he said as she departed, before muttering under his breath. "And good riddance." She might have heard as she left, but it didn't seem to make a difference. Chloe was able to make it away from the safehouse without drawing notice, before she emerged onto the city streets, to wander and do as she wished. It only remained to be seen whether she would slip past the patrol searching for her, or if there would be a confrontation. Indeed, she and the group would be drawing nearer even now, though it would be hard for her to not notice the approach of another magical girl, and avoid her if she so wished.</s>
<\|description\|>Alexandra Hertz Age: 18 Gender: Female Appearance: Personality: Calm, not easily angered, Alexandra believes in stability and order above all else. She finds warfare and violence distasteful, though she will still engage it in necessary. To those who have earned a friendship with her, she will stand with them to the end when they are in need. To those who aren't she is a position of stability, to be respected and feared for her position. Resolute once she has made her mind up, she doesn't mind the scheming of her underlings, so long as it doesn't result in open fighting. She likes her peace, and she will keep it. Bio: Alexandra has lived in Aurora her whole life. Originally only an average girl, she grew up as a single child in a moderately well off family, one that had made itself useful as part of the government. There was resentment as a result, but that never seemed to be an issue, and Alexandra enjoyed a relatively peaceful childhood. The concerns of Witches and magical girls were none of hers, beyond how it impacted her life. That all changed with an attempted assassination and a crackdown, purges running through the government as supposed traitors were eliminated. Her father was caught up in them, and the purges themselves only served to further opposition. Alexandra's peaceful life was shattered, and she found herself increasingly isolated. And with that hardship, when Kyubey approached her, she took the deal, and became a magical girl. Her life restored itself, her father returned, but things wouldn't be the same for her. She worked her way through the ranks from the bottom up, proving herself as a fighter, and as someone competent, as she rose in the process. It was during this time that she met Caroline, and they established a firm friendship that would last to the present. She also met Kolya, though he would not join until later. Eventually, she made her move. Drawing on a coalition of nobles and lower ranking magical girls, she staged a coup and overthrew the cities old leadership, placing herself in power. Land and positions were doled out to supporters, and she went about restoring stability to the city, cracking down on organized crime, as well as open conflict. Since then she has enforced peace, preventing encroachment by her neighbors and keeping things under control. The Shadow Compact has been pushed back, and she is very much satisfied with the way things have been maintained. It is a state of affairs she plans to have endure for some time. Allegiance: Aurora City Authority Skills: Diplomacy, Administration, Singing, Proficiency with her magical girl abilities Weapons: None Other: Nothing Magical Girl Section: Magical Girl Appearance: Wish: "I wish things would just go back to the way they were." Weapons: She wields a magical Great Sword, that can also shift into a kite shield. Powers: Gravitic manipulation. She can alter the affect of gravity on any object she touches, making her able to effectively render any object weightless if she so desires it, or as heavy as a neutron star (Though that would take an incredible amount of power, and it would atop the second she let go.) She can also use this power on herself.</s> <\|message\|>Kolya Lukoshenko Far away from the glamour of the inner city, a disobedient lordling was being punished. Despite being one of the few normal humans to be granted his own land, Mayor Geier's estates were in arrears on their rent; without a magical girl to harvest Grief Seeds, the town instead produced smelted iron for the city's reconstruction work and was therefore vital to the continued viability of the Aurora City Authority. Unfortunately for the good Mayor, this meant that any late deliveries would not be looked upon kindly. '... and so by the decree of Her Ladyship Alexandra Hertz, Lord of Aurora and associated territories, I hereby sentence you to ten years hard labour.' The poor man begged for clemency as a pair of burly militiamen dragged him away, eliciting a tired sigh from his judge. Chasing up taxes wasn't his usual area of expertise and it dragged him down. 'The next mayor will be chosen by the City Authority; in the meantime, a magical girl will be dispatched to the area to oversee production. Obey her. Dismissed.' He left his speech short as he stared out over the massed population of the town, finding the glum mood somewhat to his satisfaction. These people were little more than serfs, tied to the land and foundries; a low ranked magi would have little trouble keeping them in line and might even snag herself the odd Witch. For him though, the morning's work was done. Calling up his handful of troops, the officer began the long journey back to the city. --- It always amazed Kolya how varied the city was. One could walk for half an hour in either direction and pass though modern parks, into rotting slums and then elegant high-rise flats. Aurora was a true metropolis, if a small one. Leaving his guards outside, he entered Hertz' private building, a particularly massive skyscraper in the centre of the city. If nothing else, she had a good eye for décor. Kolya ignored the stylish architecture and such, preferring instead to see to building for what it was; a statement of power, proof of exactly who ruled this city. In days past, the former administration had preferred a more subtle centre of operations, but he appreciated the need to grandstand in the face of constant encroachment from rival magi, not to mention the ever-present threat posed by traditional nation-states. Before long he arrived at his mistresses' door and gave a sharp rap on the woodwork. 'My Lady, Lukoshenko with the taxation and border reports.' He wasn't sure if she was aware of the change in management at the former Mayor's estates, but he also had other issues that required her attention.</s> <\|message\|>Violetta FitzCarraldo. (Veee oh-let-ter, not Vayyy-oh-let-ter. She gets annoyed if you mispronounce it.) The girl in the blue dress clutched at the egg in her hands, feeling it's cold weight in her numb fingers. She felt empty, drained of something far more important then just her soul. Kyuubey was nowhere to be found, having slipped somewhere down a alleyway or up a chute or anywhere that wasn't here. Michelle could feel something on her back. Something cold, and they kept twisting, making singing noises against the gentle breeze. Ice crystals, she was sure of it. She could see them in the corner of her eyes, always moving away when she turned to look at them, and she could see their weird shadows right next to hers, and every time they bumped into a wall they screamed at her in a language no one else seemed to hear. She'd curled into a ball and tried to freeze herself to death, somewhere quiet where nobody else would intervene. Which is why she blanched when she heard the footsteps. First a loud SLAM, like jackboots hitting concrete. Then a rhythm, regular thumps as someone or something walked towards her. They stopped. Michelle turned her neck, trying to ignore the coat of ice coating her cheek. The other girl was tall, almost menacingly so. In the evening light, the harsh shadows and glare got in the way of everything, and all she could make out was shadows and flashes of red and black, and a mouth somewhere high up and fleshing out words. "Who're you?" Michelle opened her mouth, trying to sound out words through a cold and aching jaw. "C-c-cirn-" She began, then stopped. That wasn't her, was it? She'd wished for it, but she hated herself, now. Hated the fever, hated the dress, hated the bow tie, hated having made the stupid pact with the bunnycat, hated hated hated it. Something touched her cheek, and it took a few seconds of burning for her to realize it was a pilot light. "Y'know" the girl said, casually. "If it was anyone else, they probably would've killed you by now. Or have they already?" "I'm Michelle." "Ah, so you can speak." "Mmm." "I assume you contracted pretty recently? Yeah? The wish wasn't everything you wanted it to be?" Michelle just nodded, and a thousand little ice shards over her neck cracked at once, making a Clink-clink sound. "I won't ask you what you wished for. Breach of contract. But I will tell you this is an awful place to die in. there's a turf war going to happen in a few minutes. Girls with guns, and back alley tactics. They'll probably just shoot you and ask questions later. Not that it matters much, since you're already dead." The strange girl crouched down, on her haunches. Her breath fogged up when it passed over Michelle's shoulder. "That's stuff you don't see in the fine print, see? That pretty little egg of yours, it's more then just a trinket. It's the bit of you that's alive and makes you laugh, or cry, and they take it out and give yous some pretty little wings and they think it's fair. But it really doesn't matter, does it, since a dead bird won't fly. You've made your mistake, Michelle. But I think you don't have to make another one. Come with me, and i'll show you something worth living for." Michelle turned, glaring into the sun. And in it, a figure in a pompous hat almost all in shadow, and she nodded. ---- The witch roared, and bit down. It tore open Michelle's chest, tearing up the blue dress and several important-looking sinewy bits. She weakly flailed at a familiar, but the pick found nothing but air. The noise and the fury of the witch's lair swam in and out of focus, The witch, a serpentine draconic woodcut, snarled at something out of her sight, but recoiled in a flash of blinding blue steam as something fought back at it. The figure turned away from the dragon as more women --her comrades-- went at the beast with lightning and mirrors and staves. The girl crouched down, and her face swam into view. From her expression alone, Michelle could gather that she wasn't going to make it. Even as the pain was a mild buzzing sensation in the back of her head, her limbs weren't responding as they should. All she could move was her head. She gasped out something, and let an arm flop at her chest. The girl, in between the tears, grabbed at the red bow and grasped at the knot, pulling at the ice-white gemstone. She took it, and turned away. And for Michelle, everything went dark. --- "Role call, ladies. Did everyone make it out okay? Elaine, that's a nasty gash on your arm, you might want to have that checked out back at base. Catherine, get to Elaine and work your stuff. We're moving out of here as soon as we confirm the seeds, we don't wanna spend any more time then we need to." The voice of command rang out as soon as the witch's lair had spat them back out. Antsy soldiers, Violetta thought, were inefficient soldiers. People needed order in their lives, and she was all too happy to provide that, in the form of a shouty young lady with a massive hat and and even larger ego. "Wait. Where's Chell?" One glance at her squadron, and her heart dropped. The company was one short. And it didn't take a genius to work out what had happened. Even then, amidst the quiet realization, she still had to play the shouty Sargent card. "Well, come on then, it's almost morning. I'm sure you all have comfortable beds in which to mope in, so get a damn move on, already!" They picked up two grief seeds that night. One with a tiny motif of snowflakes dancing around its edge. Violetta grabbed at the tray of fast food and deposited it gently on the table. Then she picked up her phone, and spoke, disinterestedly into the mobile phone. "Hey? Valkyrie squad? This is Violetta." She said, balancing the talk with a small soda. Once upon a time,they'd used codenames and secrets to hide their gang of magical girls. It led to so much confusion and doublechecking they simply dropped the codes and talked normally to confirm they had got it right the first time, and it wasn't like anybody cared about the Valks. She sneaked a fry into her mouth, chewed and swallowed with all the signs of enjoyment, and half-yawned into the receiver "Be on your guard, ladies. It's a good night for something fishy." She cut the communication, and glanced at the screen. Somebody wanted her to go patrol some dark and dirty corner of the city to find a rogue magical girl. Didn't sound like her cup of yerba mate. She and her battalion had already met their quota for today. But she threw aside the unopened burger and stood up to leave, anyway. Whenever there were magical girls fighting, there were impressionable kids ready to contract at a moment's notice and a suspicious plague of disappearing Ferretweasels. And her squad was still one down. She left the shop, and transformed into her fighting clothes. No sense in going unprepared.</s>	<\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz It was obvious that Kyubey would have grinned had he been able to do so, or had he felt the sort of emotion that prompted that sort of action. He had chosen her for a reason after all, just like there was a reason behind everything that the Incubators did. Maria would just have to figure out what it was along the way. Kyubey hopped down off the bookshelf, sitting in front of the wheelchair as he watched her with unblinking eyes. It seems to be a magical girl, he said at last, providing some information. Normal humans would find it incredibly difficult to do what they appear to be trying to do. If a Noble is involved though, it is only indirectly, given that you yourself have no knowledge of any illicit magical research. Another seeming mental shrug then. I would provide more help, but they have done quite a bit to hide their activities from our attention. They had just been fortune that the impact of the ongoing experiments, whatever they were trying to do, had been easier to pick up. But it still left no clue as to who was doing it, much less what they were trying to do. --- Lukoshenko's arrival wasn't entirely a surprise beyond the exact time of his arrival, when he did show up. Alexandra had been expecting him, since she insisted on receiving general reports so she could keep up to date on the state of her nation. She would not let herself be overthrown like she had done before, and she would not allow her nation to fall in dire straits. Aurora would be maintained as it had been, if she had any say in it. "Enter," she called, and Lukoshenko would find the door unlocked. that would permit him entrance into the tastefully decorated penthouse, not ostentatious in its display of wealth but rather subtle about it. It exuded power and an aura of strength that was made to either intimidate, or to console, depending on the intentions of the person who entered, and Alexandra was glad that she had found that particular decorator. Kolya would find Alexandra in the living room, relaxing on the couch with a glass resting nearby. Caroline stood in the corner watching him, though there was less suspicion than had he been someone who hadn't proven his loyalty. She was not a permanent fixture at these meetings by far, but it appeared she had nothing else to do at the moment. "So, how fairs our border today," she asked once he came to a rest, having earned her full attention. Relaxed though she might be, she was all business nonetheless.</s>
<\|description\|>Alexandra Hertz Age: 18 Gender: Female Appearance: Personality: Calm, not easily angered, Alexandra believes in stability and order above all else. She finds warfare and violence distasteful, though she will still engage it in necessary. To those who have earned a friendship with her, she will stand with them to the end when they are in need. To those who aren't she is a position of stability, to be respected and feared for her position. Resolute once she has made her mind up, she doesn't mind the scheming of her underlings, so long as it doesn't result in open fighting. She likes her peace, and she will keep it. Bio: Alexandra has lived in Aurora her whole life. Originally only an average girl, she grew up as a single child in a moderately well off family, one that had made itself useful as part of the government. There was resentment as a result, but that never seemed to be an issue, and Alexandra enjoyed a relatively peaceful childhood. The concerns of Witches and magical girls were none of hers, beyond how it impacted her life. That all changed with an attempted assassination and a crackdown, purges running through the government as supposed traitors were eliminated. Her father was caught up in them, and the purges themselves only served to further opposition. Alexandra's peaceful life was shattered, and she found herself increasingly isolated. And with that hardship, when Kyubey approached her, she took the deal, and became a magical girl. Her life restored itself, her father returned, but things wouldn't be the same for her. She worked her way through the ranks from the bottom up, proving herself as a fighter, and as someone competent, as she rose in the process. It was during this time that she met Caroline, and they established a firm friendship that would last to the present. She also met Kolya, though he would not join until later. Eventually, she made her move. Drawing on a coalition of nobles and lower ranking magical girls, she staged a coup and overthrew the cities old leadership, placing herself in power. Land and positions were doled out to supporters, and she went about restoring stability to the city, cracking down on organized crime, as well as open conflict. Since then she has enforced peace, preventing encroachment by her neighbors and keeping things under control. The Shadow Compact has been pushed back, and she is very much satisfied with the way things have been maintained. It is a state of affairs she plans to have endure for some time. Allegiance: Aurora City Authority Skills: Diplomacy, Administration, Singing, Proficiency with her magical girl abilities Weapons: None Other: Nothing Magical Girl Section: Magical Girl Appearance: Wish: "I wish things would just go back to the way they were." Weapons: She wields a magical Great Sword, that can also shift into a kite shield. Powers: Gravitic manipulation. She can alter the affect of gravity on any object she touches, making her able to effectively render any object weightless if she so desires it, or as heavy as a neutron star (Though that would take an incredible amount of power, and it would atop the second she let go.) She can also use this power on herself.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe Though Maria didn't show it on the outside, she was furious. She was outraged at the insolence of the rogue for completely defying her threats on Shadow Compact and her life and talking back to her with reckless abandon, but more than that, she was angry at herself for making a mistake like she said. It never occurred to me that a Shadow Compact agent wouldn't have any loyalty to them. Or a sense of justice for that matter. How could I have been so blind? Maria's rage started to take the forms of fantasies: they were about dragging her to the basement and torturing her, making her slowly bleed until the floor pooled with her blood. However, she managed to take a hold of herself once she remembered that she was actually willing to co-operate in a certain fashion, and Maria had a policy of not turning down the help of useful people, as loathsome as they could be. There was also the fact that Maria finally had a means of communication with Shadow Compact that was unknown to the rest of the Authority, which meant she now had as good chance as ever of actually achieving her objectives. Still, she couldn't believe how little value the rogue placed on her own life or the life of anyone else, and wondered for a moment if she was actually a witch in human form, so alien did her thinking seem to her. After a moment of sitting silent and staring at the rogue like an overweight man would look at a plate of salad, she finally spoke, in a low voice: "Take these." She called Fantine over and had her deliver two items to Chloe: a flash drive and a cellphone. She explained the items: "The cellphone is in case I need to contact you or Shadow Compact. It only has my number listed, but you can call other numbers with it too. The second item is a flash drive: it contains important data on all the territories and personnel of Aurora City with the exception of mine or my people. It also has a list of weak points: buildings, locations and the like. Attacking these weak points is sure to destabilize the government and loosen Alexandra's grip over the city. Shadow Compact would sacrifice several magical girls to get their hands on that, so treat it with care." She paused for a moment, and then said: "In return, I only ask for one thing: the name of the one who would stand up to me without fear."</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane When Chloe stood up, Eponine did the same, wordlessly grabbing her hammer in preparation for a surprise attack from Chloe. All this talk of rebellion confused Eponine, and not only was tension rising between Chloe and Maria while they negotiated, Eponine felt an increased tension between herself and Maria. But when Chloe told Maria to 'discuss her plans with her restless subordinates', Eponine retorted, falling back to her default thinking, "How dare you question my loyalty to Lady Maria?!" For Eponine, it was more of an emotional release; it was so much simpler to not have to think, to fall back on habit, on programmed behavior. Of course, Eponine would have to ask Maria about it later, but for now, Eponine took comfort in her zealotry, solidarity, loyalty, ignorance, and blindness. Fantine did as commanded, while Eponine shifted from foot to foot nervously until Fantine was a good distance from Chloe. Eponine worried now more than before since Maria was actually sharing vital information with an unstable deviant, but resolved to hold her tongue until after Chloe had left. When Maria asked Chloe for her name, Eponine stared at Chloe with a look of judgment, mixed in with a slight smugness. Of course, Eponine already knew Chloe's name since she ahd told her, but Eponine wanted Chloe to say it herself as Maria had ordered. For Chloe to tell Maria to ask Eponine to tell her her name would be an act of incredible insolence that Eponine was not going to tolerate. She gripped her hammer tightly, waiting for Chloe to make that mistake and give Eponine a justifiable reason to smear her bloody corpse-paste along the estate grounds.</s> <\|message\|>Yume Fubuki At the Incubator's response, Yume felt her anger be snuffed out by shame. "You are correct. Forgive my childish temper." She now spoke quietly, shifting back into her normal form. Betraying her lingering feelings, she let out a small sigh and tucked her platinum hair up under a baseball cap. This coupled with a regular shirt and pants made her appear a young boy, something that freed her from any suspicions of being magical girl when it be dangerous to be one. That's just how she liked it. "Fly under the radar and no one will hassle you." was her continual motto. It could be dangerous for a rogue like herself in this world of nobles and their subordinates, and she had no intention of making her situation worse, what with the whole "despair" thing and all. "I'm honestly surprised to have gotten a response out of you, Kyubey." she said breezily. "Which makes me regret having wasted your time." As she started off, however, someone caught her eye. A man. Sneaking glances at her. She shuddered and turned toward him, maintaining a good distance so as not to appear threatening. "May I help you?" She asked politely.</s> <\|message\|>Chloe Hartmann Chloe took the items from the serving girl, listening to Maria's explanation, and seeming to completely ignore Eponine's outburst. In truth, she was now more interested in the mental state of the uptight girl than the political proceedings happening in front of her, but it wasn't the right time to shift topics. It seems like her terms had been accepted after all. It was a bit of a relief that she was even still alive. Maria wasn't happy. Eponine wasn't happy. Chloe was on the fence, as usual. She'd fight against Alexandra and her law enforcement. She'd give this info to Oscar back at the safehouse. As much as it made Chloe happy to knock down buildings by herself, there was too much work to do. Work better suited to humans and their bombs. "Cooperation really is something, huh?" Chloe remarked casually, as though she was coming across some kind of revelation. Ever terrible at reading a room, she was back to her usual casual demeanor. "My name... your knight's got the priveledge of that info already... but it's Chloe. Chloe Hartmann." She scratched her head lightly with a huge steel finger. "Dunno if maybe you're overstating my accomplishments there, but whatever floats your boat. Good to be working with you. I look forward to the day you try to bump me off. Might just be the best day of my life, heh." Just a little gallows humor as she stood staring past such a dangerous situation. "I hope we can get along until then. Though I guess maybe that's just in the definition."</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe There was a moment where Maria was starting to lose her cool and turn uneasy, feeling like she has lost control of the situation. However, the moment Eponine defended her Maria once again felt relaxed and reassured. She definitely needed to consult the recent turn of events with her once the rogue left, not only to secure her loyalty, but also to clear her own feelings on the matter. Though she had planned for this to happen, having it actually happen is a completely different thing, and something she also needed to cope with. Feeling like the situation was in her grasp again, Maria returned back to her cheery self, like her previous episode was just a dream. For a moment, she thought of rewarding Chloe with a chance to leave the city once she has become queen, but knew that it would be pointless, and there was nothing she could do to avert their eventual confrontation. She smiled. "Chloe Hartmann...let's do our best together." She then turned around on her wheelchair, not wanting to see her face for a moment longer. "You may now leave," she said, and made a call to confirm that order to the guards at the gate outside.</s> <\|message\|>Chloe Hartmann Chloe nodded. Their business was finally concluded. She didn't say another word, smart enough to realize that was probably the best course of action in the tense room. Her self-defense instinct told her than any wasted words might chip away at her life. Instead, she turned and left the room, leaving the other two magi alone to discuss what would surely be some sort of plot. But that, as she had told Maria, was not any of Chloe's business. She knew these political types enough to know they were never trustworthy, but Chloe herself was just as bad, if not worse. Chloe had never met a predictable magical girl. The guards at the gate had been told of her arrival, and she waved jovially to a few who were standing stiff, their fingers on the triggers of their guns. Now free and uncaring as she was of being followed, she reverted back to human form and grasped her soul gem tightly in her hands. She would need a grief seed, and soon. But for now, she had a delivery to make. Knocking on the door of the safehouse she had so recently left, she forced her way in the door after giving all the proper safe words and planted the items she had received on the table. "Brought you a gift, to solidify a new friendship. Up for a little sabotage?"</s>	<\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Kyubey didn't react as Yume calmed down from her anger, his purpose essentially accomplished by that. While he was busy, as were his brethren, the means and methods were still in place to harvest despair from this world. The Incubators shepherded along magical girls to their inevitable fate and they became Witches, as they had for so long. One might wonder why Yume had no inquired as to the exact reason for her friends fall to despair, but Kyubey would not complain. It is no problem, he replied calmly from where he was. I had nothing immediately pressing to deal with. Thus consoled, he would wander off as she turned to address the man watching her, vanishing back into the shadows from which he had come from. --- Oscar looked back up as Chloe returned, surprise evident on his face as she entered the safehouse. "Welcome back. I'll be honest, I didn't think you'd come back, much less in one piece." He'd known that there hadn't been a fight, since a full on battle between magical girls would have been a relatively hard thing to miss if not in the confines of a Witches Barrier, but there was no way for him to know of the deal she had struck. As far as he was concerned, she was either very lucky, or very crazy. Or both. He picked up the flash drive after giving the cell phone a look, examining it for a moment before moving over to a nearby laptop. "I'm just not going to ask where you got this," he said without looking back as he booted the thing up. If it was a trap, they would not be caught unawares and ratted out. But as Chloe knew, it was not a trap, which would be the better for them all. That would become apparent as he opened the first file and practically froze, simply stuck reading what was there before him. "Okay then, if this is legitimate then I'm definitely not going to ask where you got it from. But my apologies for doubting you. This is going to be very helpful. If it was legitimate. But only time would tell that.</s>
<\|description\|>Maria Goethe Age: 15 Gender: Female Appearance: Maria uses a wheelchair to feign the appearance of a paraplegic. She uses her magic to move the wheelchair around. Personality: Maria casts an outward appearance of a cheery, kind girl, always smiling while talking in a bubbly voice. However, beneath this social mask lies a mind broken by years of abuse into a dark and ruthless girl, her empathy withered away and her trust in other people hard to come by, devolving into paranoia when she is stressed. She has a fear of inferiority, and combats this by being driven by her lust for power, her ambition being her escape from the creeping despair that silently clutches her heart. While she keeps a sociable appearance about herself, in truth she doesn't have a lot of friends, and keeps her relationships with other people strictly as business. However, she has started to grow fond of her maid Fantine, and won't tolerate any cases of her mistreatment. Bio: Maria was thrown into an orphanage before she could even remember the faces of her parents, who died shortly after her birth. She was brutally beaten and abused at a regular pace by the personnel there. However, before she was driven to an abyss of despair, she met a boy by the name of Klaus there, who promised to protect her and get them out of the orphanage. In time, she developed feelings for the boy. One night they attempted an escape, but were about to be caught when Maria met an Incubator. Seeing that Klaus was caught, she made her wish and the two of them escaped successfully. Later, Klaus was caught by an anti-MG mob and tortured to death due to his connections to Magical Girls after following Maria. Maria found out about this, and became determined to rule the world and take revenge on the people who took Klaus away from him, by any means possible. Over the following years, Maria managed to worm her way to the position of a lieutenant in the Aurora City Authority through her persuasion skills, guile and political maneuvers, even resorting to underhanded tactics such as backstabbing and using torture to squeeze valuable secrets out of any hapless victim she managed to capture alive. Of course, she doesn't plan on stopping there, either... Her domain includes the territory of a magical girl named Eponine, who has requested her home to be placed under Maria's, and by extension, Aurora's protection and rule and that her sister is given a place of refuge in Maria's HQ. In return, Maria demanded Eponine to swear fealty to her, and that Fantine will serve as her personal maid. Allegiance: Aurora City Authority Theme: A Stranger I Remain Skills: Maria could be said to have a silver tongue, for she is very convincing and manipulative with her words, sprouting seeds of doubt and despair in any heart she can pierce with her angelic voice. She also has a profound knowledge of politics and tactics, and specializes in psychological warfare. Weapons: Maria keeps a small dagger under her dress as a paranoid measure, though due to her status as a Magical Girl, rarely uses it. Other: Maria loves sweet things such as cakes and cookies, and spends a lot of her free time snacking on them. Magical Girl Appearance: Maria keeps her eye-design and creepy demeanour while as a Magical Girl. Her costume also has more shades of dark-green and black. Wish: "I wish to move Klaus away from his fate." Weapons: A scythe with an intricate, flowery design going from the hilt all the way to the blade's end. Can be manipulated to change the position of the blade, making for a surprisingly adaptive weapon despite its unwieldiness. Powers: Telekinesis. Maria may use her magic to control the movement of any object or person in her line of sight, including herself. For example, she can fly through the air, throw and draw distant targets and even freeze people in place. However, she needs to have one of her hands unoccupied and spread open for her to cast the magic from her palm and her fingers for multitasking and subtle movements, making her unable to use this power if her hands are unusable or occupied. Breaking her focus also results in the spell's canceling. She may also perform a Force Choke-like spell on normal humans which Magical Girls are immune to.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Eponine certainly had set herself up for a difficult task, with no leads to go on besides those she had already reported to Maria. There were methods she could follow if she wanted, such as staking out Witches Barriers and waiting for a magical girl to arrive, but that would be time consuming, and there was no guarantee that the person she was looking for would ever show up at all. But that would have to wait for a moment as her phone rang, caller id revealing who it was. It would be Adrian, one of the higher ranking people in the militia she had created to help her fight Witches. It was a group that undeniably took losses, but he had been one of the better ones at surviving it all, and if he was calling, then it had to be important. That was revealed soon enough to her, once she had answered the phone. "Hey boss, remember that effigy thing with the grief seed people've been talking about? Well, some rogue magical girl decided to bust through one of the checkpoints into the city a little while ago. Thought you might want to know." --- The Shadow Compact were not the easiest group to find, as Chloe would be able to attest to as she made her way through Aurora. They worked underground, were deeply suspicious of magical girls or collaborators, and took precautions accordingly. Then again, as someone who had managed to work herself into a partnership with that organization, she would know as much, and have planned accordingly to deal with it, especially when moving on to a new area. Her knowledge would guide her along in her search for Compact assistance, directing her away from downtown and towards the rougher areas, the places that had missed out on the economic development present, and were home to crime, poverty, and dirty dealings. The places that one would usually find the Mafia, and where government control was weakest. That wasn't to say that they Compact didn't operate in nicer parts of Aurora, because they did, but it would be easier to find a safe house in one of the less important (from the perspective of the government) neighborhoods. But for someone like her, ferreting out a safehouse shouldn't be that hard.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe Maria changed once again into something darker and brooding as she started to speak. "Indeed. We become nothing but screams of despair in the air, to be violently taken and then thrown away by those with purpose, scattered to the winds and consumed by strangers. To live without hope is to accept all the pain you have endured as having been for naught, to throw away any semblance of human will and to welcome complete oblivion." Maria realized what she was saying and reverted back to her 15-year-old self. "Oh, I was starting to talk silly stuff. Never mind that, Fantine. I'll be at the study now, so don't disturb unless it's something important." She turned her wheelchair around and headed for the study. It was a room with shelves packed to the brim with books of all sorts of topics and genres. However, she rarely read them; her main use for the room was in the green laptop she had sitting on a small table at the center of the room. Once she closed the room, she began to work on the various sheets and profiles she had already open on it, from small things such as grief seed farming charts to bigger files like intelligence she has collected on the city and the areas outside it. With nothing else to do, she continued working on it, managing and scheming with no set difference.</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane "Track her, but keep a safe distance," Eponine ordered, "We want this one...alive. And unharmed, as much as possible." Eponine hopped in the jeep that had taken her here and ordered the soldier to drive her to the checkpoint. Speaking to the survivors, Eponine was able to glean a general idea of what this rogue looked like, as well as her magical weapon. What was troubling, but nonetheless expected due to the need to conserve magic, was the fact that the rogue seemed not to have revealed what her magical ability was. Apparently the rogue had also been shot in the leg, if she didn't use magic to heal the wound, she should be hobbling at a slower pace, but if she did use magic, she might be more desperate to find a grief seed. Eponine asked if the trail was still hot. She wiped blood from her mouth with her forearm, noticing that, once again, she had bitten the inside of her mouth without noticing. "Understood, Lady Maria," Fantine replied, letting Maria head off to her library. However, Maria's words made Fantine worry more about Eponine, so she quickly dried the tears that had started welling up at the corners of her eyes. Certain that she was no longer visibly sad, she headed down to the kitchen to help out with chores.</s> <\|message\|>Chloe Hartmann Chloe had spent as little time as possible patching up her leg. Without any convenient cloth on hand, and lacking the desire to tear up a good shirt or skirt for something like this, she had needed to take a quick 'peek' inside some stranger's home, where she managed to find a few bandages. Hopefully the delay wouldn't cost her much time, but at least she wouldn't be bleeding out everywhere. The tradeoff for her magical powers was a body that was close to being indestructable, but the body couldn't move without blood, and if she bled all over the streets and rooftops she might as well be leaving a trail of bread crumbs. After taking care of herself and dodging through the streets of the inner city, she found what she was looking for. One of the few safehouses of the Shadow Compact that she had been in contact with before. She was no stranger to the poverty-stricken areas of Aurora, having grown up in such areas since birth, and hiding herself away in dirty rat-holes like this since forming her contract. Not only were they good places to hide away from the prying eyes of the government, but the despair here was strong, which made it a great place to hunt for witches. Few people here were happy to see her, but she was able to get the medical attention she needed from a street doctor who had been hiding away here. Nothing else was particularly important to her, and she was a long shot from caring about the opinions of any other urchins here. "Haah, what a pain in the ass. You think you guys would be a little more grateful. I might just be taking the heat off your doorstep so you can do your own little things, whatever they are. I keep telling you, we both have the same goal, don't we?"</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz By the time Eponine arrived at the checkpoint in question, she would find most of the affair over, medics taking care of the injured men while a clean up crew dealt with the property damage. Of that there was very little this time, though that was not always the case in these sorts of things. Given what the apparent intent was, it wasn't unreasonable though. She'd find Adrian there already, a tall man with black hair and more than his share of battle scars, a former mercenary that had joined up with her. He was of a particular breed, but that made him very good at what he did. "Hey Boss," he said with a nod, glancing over to the men getting treated currently, pitying them just a bit for what they had suffered. "Everything was all settled by the time I got here. You can talk to them if you want, but at this point we don't have any leads. They're looking, but given that it was a magical girl, there isn't much hope for picking up her trail." He shrugged, a hand resting on the pistol strapped to his waist. "Still, none of the other checkpoints have reported seeing her, so odds are that she's still in this section of the city, unless she happens to have some kind of illusion magic." It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. --- There were currently two men present in the safehouse that Chloe had found herself at, one the doctor who had patched hr up, and the other one of the men who worked with the Compact, and someone decently important, in terms of this local cell. Luckily, the doctor had had it easy given the nature of his patient, and it hadn't taken much work to deal with the wounds she had received. Now she could spend the time to heal up, if she so wanted. The safehouse was a bit small, more cozy than anything, and it was certainly well stocked with food, weapons, medical supplies, and the like. From the outside it would look like a place to be avoided, but inside it wasn't too bad. Then again, given its purpose that probably wasn't a surprise. The contact, Oscar, a pretty average fellow who preferred to look that way, with close cropped brown hair and casual garb to match, sighed as he watched Chloe from his position, leaning against a counter top. "Yeah yeah, so you say. And you had the code words, and the name drops to get in here. But we didn't survive this long simply on blind faith." He watched her with thinly veiled distrust, not that he'd have much of a chance if she actually tried to do anything. It was a reminder that not even her nominal allies trusted her all that much. "SO what's your plan now that you're here? They're going to be looking for you." --- The knowledge of all the plans Maria had was generally well confined, as was to be expected from someone like her. While there might have been rumors, there was no solid proof to accompany them, and as long as that remained the case it seemed that she would be allowed to make her plots in peace and security. Certainly rumors were not enough to act on, at least under the current ruler of Aurora. In the past that might have been another matter, but that was not the present moment. For some time she would be undisturbed, until a voice spoke to her in her head, a familiar tone that she may have viewed with some disdain, yet that also served a valuable purpose, here and elsewhere. Hello Maria Goethe, Kyubey said as he emerged from around a corner as if by magic itself, which it was in all likelihood. You appear to be well.</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane "Have this area placed on lock-down, no one leaves or enters without my permission, and have her physical description circulated to each checkpoint. And if anyone sees her, they are to attempt to inform her that I wish to parley with her." While Adrian went about fulfilling her orders, Eponine gathered three more of her best. When Adrian returned, Eponine said, "Adrian, we're going on a manhunt."</s>	<\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Kyubey, how nice to see you," Maria responded as she turned around to greet the white creature with her trademark cuteness. "Why yes, I am most fine as you can see. Now, what brings you to my humble abode?" In truth, Maria didn't actually care about the creature's purpose behind his visit, but decided to enjoy a bit of small talk while she had the chance, since Kyubey tends to leave magical girls alone after the contract, only appearing to dispose of grief seeds. While she does appreciate the gifts that his kind have given to her, she also knows their true nature, and, given her mood, would have no qualms with making his small head explode with her magic, since she is also aware of their apparent immortality.</s>
<\|description\|>Maria Goethe Age: 15 Gender: Female Appearance: Maria uses a wheelchair to feign the appearance of a paraplegic. She uses her magic to move the wheelchair around. Personality: Maria casts an outward appearance of a cheery, kind girl, always smiling while talking in a bubbly voice. However, beneath this social mask lies a mind broken by years of abuse into a dark and ruthless girl, her empathy withered away and her trust in other people hard to come by, devolving into paranoia when she is stressed. She has a fear of inferiority, and combats this by being driven by her lust for power, her ambition being her escape from the creeping despair that silently clutches her heart. While she keeps a sociable appearance about herself, in truth she doesn't have a lot of friends, and keeps her relationships with other people strictly as business. However, she has started to grow fond of her maid Fantine, and won't tolerate any cases of her mistreatment. Bio: Maria was thrown into an orphanage before she could even remember the faces of her parents, who died shortly after her birth. She was brutally beaten and abused at a regular pace by the personnel there. However, before she was driven to an abyss of despair, she met a boy by the name of Klaus there, who promised to protect her and get them out of the orphanage. In time, she developed feelings for the boy. One night they attempted an escape, but were about to be caught when Maria met an Incubator. Seeing that Klaus was caught, she made her wish and the two of them escaped successfully. Later, Klaus was caught by an anti-MG mob and tortured to death due to his connections to Magical Girls after following Maria. Maria found out about this, and became determined to rule the world and take revenge on the people who took Klaus away from him, by any means possible. Over the following years, Maria managed to worm her way to the position of a lieutenant in the Aurora City Authority through her persuasion skills, guile and political maneuvers, even resorting to underhanded tactics such as backstabbing and using torture to squeeze valuable secrets out of any hapless victim she managed to capture alive. Of course, she doesn't plan on stopping there, either... Her domain includes the territory of a magical girl named Eponine, who has requested her home to be placed under Maria's, and by extension, Aurora's protection and rule and that her sister is given a place of refuge in Maria's HQ. In return, Maria demanded Eponine to swear fealty to her, and that Fantine will serve as her personal maid. Allegiance: Aurora City Authority Theme: A Stranger I Remain Skills: Maria could be said to have a silver tongue, for she is very convincing and manipulative with her words, sprouting seeds of doubt and despair in any heart she can pierce with her angelic voice. She also has a profound knowledge of politics and tactics, and specializes in psychological warfare. Weapons: Maria keeps a small dagger under her dress as a paranoid measure, though due to her status as a Magical Girl, rarely uses it. Other: Maria loves sweet things such as cakes and cookies, and spends a lot of her free time snacking on them. Magical Girl Appearance: Maria keeps her eye-design and creepy demeanour while as a Magical Girl. Her costume also has more shades of dark-green and black. Wish: "I wish to move Klaus away from his fate." Weapons: A scythe with an intricate, flowery design going from the hilt all the way to the blade's end. Can be manipulated to change the position of the blade, making for a surprisingly adaptive weapon despite its unwieldiness. Powers: Telekinesis. Maria may use her magic to control the movement of any object or person in her line of sight, including herself. For example, she can fly through the air, throw and draw distant targets and even freeze people in place. However, she needs to have one of her hands unoccupied and spread open for her to cast the magic from her palm and her fingers for multitasking and subtle movements, making her unable to use this power if her hands are unusable or occupied. Breaking her focus also results in the spell's canceling. She may also perform a Force Choke-like spell on normal humans which Magical Girls are immune to.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz "Got it," Adrian confirmed with a nod. It wasn't exactly a surprise, though the fact that she apparently wanted to parley with this girl was. But he wasn't going to question a decision of hers. On tactical matters he would, but he didn't get paid enough to interject in the higher affairs of magical girls. If she said she wanted to talk, that was what he would do. She was left to collect others for the hunt as Adrian went to fulfill her orders, those being two women and another man, with a varying assortment of weaponry Most of it was oriented around fighting Witches, but it would serve well enough against humans and magical girls as well. And they had been trained well in that regard to boot. When he returned, he nodded in approval of her orders. "Alright boss," he replied, falling into line as they moved away. He had his own weapon ready, an assault rifle, and he glanced over at her as they walked. "So what's the plan?" --- Kyubey padded over with her greeting, taking up a position on one of her bookshelves as he watched her, tail flicking all the while. What sorts of plots and schemes the Incubator might be hatching were hard to say, for while the group helped those magical girls who ruled, it was also well known that they had their own agenda, and would work for their self interest at the same time. Nothing incredibly urgent by your standards, Kyubey responded in a happy tone. I merely wished to check on your status and see how you were doing. After all, each magical girl is important. Important to the grand scheme of saving the universe from entropy, a goal so far off that no one here could care about it when faced with the realities and necessities of power. And even moreso when one knew the truth of the system. He tilted his head as he dropped the other shoe. I'm also curious to see how you plan to ride out the oncoming storm. Of course Kyubey would have one than more motive to his visit, a tantalizing bit of information that she could pursue at her leisure.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Oh, isn't that sweet of you," Maria said as she opened a jar of cookies she kept in a shelf. She then offered a cookie to the creature in an endearing manner. "Would you like one?" Disgusting rat, Maria thought. Thinks he can barge in any time he wants and spout nonsense like that? Fine, I'll tolerate his presence for a bit more, before I'll have to call Fantine to clean his remains off the walls. Oh, you sly bastard. Trying to pique my interest so you can catch me in a trap of yours? Alright then, let's partake of this game. Feigning ignorance, Maria responded by mimicking Kyubey's head tilt and saying: "A storm, huh? I didn't see anything like that in the weather reports. Sure sounds scary."</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane Eponine sighed silently to herself. It wasn't a very elegant plan, but then again, she wasn't a very elegant person as she was given to tackling obstacles straight on, like a bulldozer. "We start at where our soldiers last sighted her, we scan for blood. We ask the locals if they saw anyone suspicious running by that matches the physical description we have, or if they know of a place where such a person could hide." She wanted to just get a megaphone and make an attempt to call out the magical girl, hoping that if she made it clear that she had no intention of harming her, she might come quietly, but she was already making this way more open than she felt Maria wanted; after all, if Maria wanted to speak with a magical girl from outside the city, the other nobles would probably view such an act with suspicion.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Kyubey shook his head, ringed ears somehow defying gravity and momentum to move without swaying. I have no need of material sustenance, unlike your species, he replied from his bookshelf. Doubtlessly she had expected such an answer though so it didn't really matter in the end. If he seemed annoyed by her mimicry, Kyubey didn't show it as he provided a following answer. You would consider it as such.He paused, padding over to the end of the bookshelf before. Someone is toying with powers they don't understand, putting the entire system as it stands in jeopardy. Naturally, allowing it to proceed would not be in your best interest. If it was a concern for Kyubey, then it would probably be an issue for her as well. Assuming that he was being completely frank anyway.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Okay then, I'll just have these for myself then," Maria said cheerfully as she threw one up in the air and caught it with her mouth. It would have actually been amusing if he accepted. Oh, now this is what I wanted to hear: ominous portents from a white rodent, probably trying to lead me on a goose chase. Still, coming from him, it does sound serious. Maybe I shouldn't outright dismiss it. Let's test the waters. "Oh my!" Maria placed her hands over her cheeks in a dramatic manner. "Is Aurora City in danger? What could I possibly do, Kyubey?"</s> <\|message\|>Chloe Hartmann Chloe shrugged noncommitally. "Don't worry about things you can't control, man. Stress is a good way to cut your lifespan short. Nowadays more than ever. Well, for humans anyway." She didn't miss the looks she had been given. Rather, she had been expecting (and had, in the past, received) far worse. Oscar's distrust wasn't totally unfounded either. "As for my plans? You've gotta be kidding me. It's real simple. If they follow me here, I'll beat them until they never come back. I don't care if the whole damned city falls down around this building. If I'm here, these walls will stay standing... But I won't stay here for long. Hiding's never done me any good." Thinking about it for a moment, she decided on a course of action. Which is to say, she picked a whim from the ether. "In fact... You can go ahead and talk to the higher ups. If ever you fellas had any plans of world domination, any buns in the oven just waiting for the bread to rise, now might just be your time. I think I'm done waiting around. You lot can join me, take advantage of me, use me, or just sit there and watch me die for all I care. Like you said, you didn't survive this long on blind faith. I've got faith that the Compact will do whatever's best for the Compact. So I hope great things will come of this. But I think the time for a good hearty offensive is coming real soon. We'll just have to see." Her little speech concluded, Chloe stepped down on her wounded leg a few times, testing different weights, before nodding, satisfied. "It's not perfect, but it'll do. Thanks Doc. Here's to seeing you alive on the other side. I'm out!" Tossing her headphones on again, she peered out a crack in the door to make sure she wasn't being followed, gave a thumbs-up to the people behind her, and darted out the door, closing it softly behind her. They would prefer she left no trace, probably, so she did her best to hide her presence until she was a little further away. After reaching a safe enough distance, Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. She was back on the streets, and away from the judgmental stares. For now, that would have to be good enough. And if she ran into anybody else, well, hopefully nobody wanted to shoot her.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Indeed, it was not the most amazing plan, but given what they were trying to do it would most likely suffice. It might take some time, but if the girl they were looking for couldn't escape, then it would eventually succeed. Excluding, again, illusion magic. "Got it," Adrian replied as they moved away from the checkpoint. Sure, he knew that they wanted to talk, but nonetheless he was still on alert. More in case said girl wasn't willing to talk when they asked. He much enjoyed being in one piece, and wanted to keep doing so for as long as he could. And on they went. The trail of blood was scattered, but it provided the beginnings of a lead and a general direction. It became harder to track once she had dropped off the roof and into the inner city streets, but then it was easier to find people who had seen her. It was a promising start, when they had the time to spend, and Eponine could be grateful that so many people were willing to help out based on her status. --- While emotions were beyond him, Kyubey was cognizant enough to recognize the melodramatic overacting directed his way, though it wasn't unsurprising. With the prevalence of magical girls, it was a reaction he got often from them, when it wasn't disdain or happiness. Honestly, humans could be so unpredictable. At the very least, they still needed him to deal with Grief Seeds, which ensured he would always be around. One could say that, he replied. If it is replicated, it will most likely be a threat to the world in general. It would make more sense to prevent it before it can happen in the first place. You merely need to find those responsible and stop what they are planning before they can finish what they are trying to do --- "Alright," Oscar replied, tone laced with a healthy bit of skepticism. She might have all the bravado in the world, but he was a bit less confident that she could stand up to every other magical girl in the city if they came after her. Ideally she wouldn't attract that much attention anyway, but given the way she was talking it wasn't impossible, at least form his point of view. "Good luck," he said as she departed, before muttering under his breath. "And good riddance." She might have heard as she left, but it didn't seem to make a difference. Chloe was able to make it away from the safehouse without drawing notice, before she emerged onto the city streets, to wander and do as she wished. It only remained to be seen whether she would slip past the patrol searching for her, or if there would be a confrontation. Indeed, she and the group would be drawing nearer even now, though it would be hard for her to not notice the approach of another magical girl, and avoid her if she so wished.</s>	<\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Okay. But I don't know where to start looking," she said, and tightened her lips to make a goofy expression. "This is a big city, and I could get lost if I search everywhere." I figured that much on my own. If you're not going to cough up any more info on this 'impending doom' I'm going to stuff it in my 'Don't Care' folder, along with your gutted carcass.</s>

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<\|description\|>Katsu Takumi Age: 18 Gender: Male Nationality/Birthplace: Fire Nation, Khimori Village Current Residence: Republic City, Panther Lily Residential District Appearance: Occupation: Thief, Avatar Elemental Affinity: Fire Theme: Thief - Imagine Dragons History: Katsu's birth presented a bit of a conundrum for the Order of the White Lotus; an Avatar born in an era of peace wasn't needed quite as much as before. What should they do then? Take him from his home? Or leave him be and let him grow up in a normal life. It was a hard decision, but a choice needed to be made and ultimately a compromise was reached. Katsu would indeed be trained, but in the comfort of his own home village rather than being whisked away. His parents liked the idea, and initially Katsu had no problems with the arrangement. As he got older however he began to have quite a different opinion on the matter. How was he supposed to keep his identity as the Avatar a secret when these strange men followed him everywhere? His family wasn't well off and yet he had escorts, was waited on like nobility and provided for whatever he needed. Any other child may have been enamored with the treatment and yet Katsu came to resent it immensely. He had no autonomy like this, and it was near impossible to get away to have some time on his own. Pretty quickly being in the comfort of his own village meant little, it was every bit a prison as moving away would have been. The only solution in his mind then was to leave, abandon the Lotus' training and his parents in favor of a freer lifestyle, a lifestyle he would find in Republic City. It was an ideal plan on paper, but upon arriving in Republic City it became quickly apparent he hadn't thought things through entirely. Here he was, hundreds of miles from home, with hardly a coin to his name and nowhere to stay. What little money he'd saved up over the years had near all been spent on the boat ticket, so now Katsu found himself in a dilemma. He unsuccessfully tried getting jobs here and there but was turned down constantly, and returning home was not an option. At the age of 13 he settled on doing the only thing he could in order to survive: theft. Republic City certainly had its fair share of criminals, so he would only be one amongst the crowd. Or he might have been if he didn't have something of a superiority complex. He was going to be a thief, but he wanted to be the thief. He would join whatever group he could find and work his way up, and from there he'd be somebody. He'd live life how he wanted, do what he wanted, and get what he wanted without the meddling of the Order of the White Lotus. Much as he might have resented the White Lotus he had to be grateful for all the training they had given him. With both bending and martial training of the highest caliber he was an exceptional fighter, a fact that helped him climb the ranks of the gang he eventually joined. Nimble, strong and a capable bender he ascended to the second hand of the gang within two years, and not long thereafter he succeeded the previous leader. Granted… The gang had all of twenty members, many around his own age, but he still managed to succeed them all. Renaming the gang the Khimori Bandits after his hometown, Katsu began a life of "luxury". The Khimori Bandits amassed a fair fortune in a matter of a year, and yet Katsu kept very little of the coin for himself. It was never the money he was after, he'd argue, but the thrill and delight that came along with the act of theft. Even now he remains one of the poorer members of his gang in spite of being the leader, and he tends to carry out as many jobs as his best associates.</s> <\|message\|>Grand Lotus Hideki Yakedo "Disbanding? Not so much. They're likely going to move on without me. It's my hope they won't look at this as abandonment and more as a professional accident. I've been getting the feeling my Grand Masters don't want me in charge anymore either... Rather than wait for the coup, I'm getting ahead of it." Hideki nodded solemnly and watched Katsu over, "Katsu, I can't say enough how sorry I am for all you went through - that I couldn't be there for every minute of your training or oversee how they all treated you. I wanted you to have the organic life, so I made sure they didn't catch you when I knew you were planning to leave... But like I said, the White Lotus is about the preservation of balance... and years ago, somebody decided that the only way to do that was to become your caretakers and trainers... I can't see how that's possibly the right route. The Avatar has always found their own path, and I want you to do the same, Katsu." Yakedo placed a hand on Katsu's shoulder as he lamented for the events of the day and shook his head. "Listen to me and listen good... You have no control over these things. And no Avatar would be where they got to alone. Nobody ever has - not truly. Asha and Siku will be more than fine... They may have difficulty adjusting at first, but Siku is both an amazing probender and a powerful young woman. And air benders begin their training young - Asha may be far from a master, but she's certainly a very talented young girl. She's also reaching an age where it will be left to her whether she wishes to remain at the island, go at her own in the world, or move to one of the temples to continue her training... Or any of those. She's adventurous at heart - some of the elders here on the island think that the world's a bit small for her," The Grand Lotus smiled warmly, "They will be okay... I really have a confession to make." He sighed and met the Avatar's gaze seriously, "I know Siku's father. When he told me how excited Siku was to be here in Republic City, I put in the recommendation for his spot on the council. I'll admit, I didn't think Siku would even come to know you at all... But I'm glad she does - I'll speak with her father myself. In fact, I'll be with you tonight, to help you gather her and Asha's things. You don't have to leave today, like I said, but they need to be ready." Katsu's thoughts moved on their own rather quickly and Hideki cleared his throat, "No, hush, Katsu... Your family is fine. They're taken care of, they never lived in the compound nor did they need protection from my guards. They've their own in the Fire Nation and there is little they could offer to this other group... whoever they are. They worry about you, yes, but they're likely less aware then these renegades do." It didn't seem to take long, but the two had returned to the small shack sometime during their walk and Yakedo sighed quietly. "Do you want to speak with them, Katsu, or do you want me to?" ----- Hiresh rotated a couple of stones hovering over his hands, calming him down. The Avatar... This delinquent was the Avatar... It was crazy. He nodded to Asha, "Yeah, I don't get much time off on the force, but if you're ever going out that way, I'll see if I'm off, maybe I'll see you guys there. You airbenders travel a lot, right? So I'm sure you'll get to see it. Wonderful place." Siku then came out of the bathroom and Hiresh looked over to her, "Yeah, he went with a... Yakedo," He said, recalling the name before straightening up. "Yakedo! He's the Grand Lotus. God, I was trying to figure out where I'd heard that before... He leads the entire... thing, the Lotus. God... Stupid..." ---- Siku nodded to Asha's explanation, "Wait, wait... Yakedo? Hideki Yakedo?" She perked up with a bright smile, "Uncle Yakedo? He's one of papa's friends - I used to see him all the time when I was little, but he's been really busy lately..." She nodded, "Good - I'm glad he was here. If anyone knows what to do, it'll be him. He'll get the whole thing figured out."</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled over at Hiresh and shrugged, "Most air benders do, but I am not of that age right now. The elders like us to wait until we are a certain age so that we have all the basic training down. They don't want really young kids flying around..." she replied with a small giggle. She could understand why the elders didn't want young children running around out on their own, but it was kind of nice to be able to adventure out alone at times. "Yeah that would be awesome! We could all go together and have fun," The brunette said in response to Hiresh. He seemed to really love his job but it appeared that maybe he did want a little time off to go and do as he wished. Asha frowned at the thought that people were so tied down to their jobs. She remembered hearing about the past and how most people traveled around the world, their job unable to tie them down. Maybe she only liked the thought of travel because she was an air bender. Asha looked up at Siku and cocked her head to the side. Uncle Yakedo? So she knew that man. "I hope he will help Katsu find out what to do from here on out," she said with a nod of her head. She obviously didn't know Katsu very well, but could tell that he was a nice person and only wanted to live life how he wished. She moved her gaze over at the door as she heard mumbling of voices and footsteps from outside the hut. "Oh! They must be back."</s>	<\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "Heh... And here I was thinking I finally got away from it all... I was never free, was I?" Katsu asked bitterly, giving a short, curt laugh before looking away. "It's not like I have a choice in the matter do I? My own route was going to be to live how I wanted, but obviously that's not going to happen anymore. Fine... If I have to do this then I'll get it over with." At the very least he supposed he'd do his training if he must, but after that it was back to doing what he pleased. Just because he was the Avatar didn't mean he'd be behaving like a saint, not so long as he wanted to have fun and live as a thief. No doubt there would be complications in the days to come, but he did really hope he could return to that life, or at the very least something similar to it. Being consoled and told his friends should be able to handle this did little to alleviate his stress; handle it or not the fact remained the same, their lives were going to change drastically because of him. Maybe he just didn't want to deal with the guilt, but he'd prefer to go this alone than drag anyone else along with him. Talent meant jack all when you had no desire to train, he was a testament to that much. How much motivation might the others have, he wondered, once they were made to leave their homes and follow him wherever he went? That was a lousy part of it too, they basically were going to end up shadowing him, whether any of them liked it or not. "They could stay and train... Then they could protect themselves," Katsu suggested lamely, knowing even as he spoke his words were moot. The members of the White Lotus, or what formerly was the White Lotus anyways weren't pushovers; the men they had fought today must be out of practice or something, he certainly didn't think he was capable enough to take on a handful that easily. The mention of family brought a horrid realization to the Avatar: what had become of his own family? Neither of his parents had any part in this, yet if these people were after him it was only natural they may go through his mom and dad. Fearing for their lives he nearly had an episode when addressing Yakedo about it, feeling a proverbial weight lifted from his shoulders when he was reassured they were okay. Releasing the old man's shirt he nodded his head slowly, managing a faint smile as he closed his eyes, "Good... Good... I'm glad to hear that..." In the state he was in Katsu loathed to face the others, but knowing they had to be informed and given the news he couldn't well put it off. Following alongside Yakedo they made way back to the hut, pausing outside the door and looking at the handle somberly. "No, let me do it. It's my fault they're in this situation, it's only right I'm the one to tell them." Taking a deep breath Katsu opened up the door slowly, partly hoping that everyone might be asleep and he could put it off. When he stepped inside however he saw all three of them sitting there, feeling himself becoming uneasy again as they all looked at him. Sending one brief glance back at Yakedo he swallowed nervously, closing the door behind himself and forcing a smile as he stood along the wall. "Hey... So uh, about today..." he began, having to avert his gaze as he rubbed at his neck, struggling to find the words to break it to them. "Those people that attacked us, they're dangerous, and they uh... Might try coming after you, which means people might get hurt. So uh... Oh jeez..." Shaking his head disdainfully the Fire Bender let out a deep sigh, rubbing at his head before glancing between Siku and Asha respectively. "You two have to leave home and come with me! I don't even know where we'll go, but we can't stay here. Hiresh is safe, but we can't live in or near Republic city, at least for a while. I'm so sorry things worked out this way," he added, bowing down as he'd been taught as a young boy, holding the pose as he felt his eyes sting slightly again, "You can even just leave me after we get away, that's fine. I just can't let either of you stay here and be hurt because of me, so we have to leave tomorrow."</s>
<\|description\|>Katsu Takumi Age: 18 Gender: Male Nationality/Birthplace: Fire Nation, Khimori Village Current Residence: Republic City, Panther Lily Residential District Appearance: Occupation: Thief, Avatar Elemental Affinity: Fire Theme: Thief - Imagine Dragons History: Katsu's birth presented a bit of a conundrum for the Order of the White Lotus; an Avatar born in an era of peace wasn't needed quite as much as before. What should they do then? Take him from his home? Or leave him be and let him grow up in a normal life. It was a hard decision, but a choice needed to be made and ultimately a compromise was reached. Katsu would indeed be trained, but in the comfort of his own home village rather than being whisked away. His parents liked the idea, and initially Katsu had no problems with the arrangement. As he got older however he began to have quite a different opinion on the matter. How was he supposed to keep his identity as the Avatar a secret when these strange men followed him everywhere? His family wasn't well off and yet he had escorts, was waited on like nobility and provided for whatever he needed. Any other child may have been enamored with the treatment and yet Katsu came to resent it immensely. He had no autonomy like this, and it was near impossible to get away to have some time on his own. Pretty quickly being in the comfort of his own village meant little, it was every bit a prison as moving away would have been. The only solution in his mind then was to leave, abandon the Lotus' training and his parents in favor of a freer lifestyle, a lifestyle he would find in Republic City. It was an ideal plan on paper, but upon arriving in Republic City it became quickly apparent he hadn't thought things through entirely. Here he was, hundreds of miles from home, with hardly a coin to his name and nowhere to stay. What little money he'd saved up over the years had near all been spent on the boat ticket, so now Katsu found himself in a dilemma. He unsuccessfully tried getting jobs here and there but was turned down constantly, and returning home was not an option. At the age of 13 he settled on doing the only thing he could in order to survive: theft. Republic City certainly had its fair share of criminals, so he would only be one amongst the crowd. Or he might have been if he didn't have something of a superiority complex. He was going to be a thief, but he wanted to be the thief. He would join whatever group he could find and work his way up, and from there he'd be somebody. He'd live life how he wanted, do what he wanted, and get what he wanted without the meddling of the Order of the White Lotus. Much as he might have resented the White Lotus he had to be grateful for all the training they had given him. With both bending and martial training of the highest caliber he was an exceptional fighter, a fact that helped him climb the ranks of the gang he eventually joined. Nimble, strong and a capable bender he ascended to the second hand of the gang within two years, and not long thereafter he succeeded the previous leader. Granted… The gang had all of twenty members, many around his own age, but he still managed to succeed them all. Renaming the gang the Khimori Bandits after his hometown, Katsu began a life of "luxury". The Khimori Bandits amassed a fair fortune in a matter of a year, and yet Katsu kept very little of the coin for himself. It was never the money he was after, he'd argue, but the thrill and delight that came along with the act of theft. Even now he remains one of the poorer members of his gang in spite of being the leader, and he tends to carry out as many jobs as his best associates.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku nodded enthusiastically, "He will. He's brilliant," She said without a modicum of doubt. The door opened and she beamed at a man she'd known most of her childhood, giving a wave. "Uncle Yakedo, how are you?" She asked. The man gave her a somber smile and replied with a wave, but gave no more. He was going to respect Katsu's wish and allow the boy to speak. Once he'd said his piece, Siku snorted slightly, a grin on her face. "Yeah, right, and as it turns out, there are two Avatars. I'm the other one," She said, waving her hand and looking to the Grand Lotus. "Hideki has a plan to get this all straightened out, Katsu. No worries," She reassured him, shaking her head, "Besides, you're the Avatar. People can't really run you out of town, can they? They'd sooner move the whole town than you." Her eyes caught the look of sympathy coming to her from Hideki and she furrowed her brow... He shook his head. "N-no... Uncle Yakedo, we've... We've guards and officers and all sorts of things at that house - nobody would think of coming after us..." She couldn't help but blurt the first things that came to her mind, "What kind of danger could I possibly be in?! Or Asha, for that matter? We were just witnesses! We didn't even know he was the Avatar!" She stamped her foot to the ground aggressively, "Send them here, after me, I'll tell them myself. I'm not afraid of those... Bullies." That was... the dumbest choice of word she thought she'd ever made. Hideki's face became serious as he stared her down, "That's the understatement of the century, Siku. You're not staying here and you're not staying at home. I'll help you guys get back to your house to get some things and talk to your family, but you're not going to stay in Republic City. Not when nobody even knows who the enemy is. Hell, apparently they've been under me for years and I didn't notice it. So no, I'll not let you be subject to this place. At least if you leave, they won't have any clue how to find you. Here, they can easily surround you and ambush like in the restaurant. Nobody knew anything was going on until you were all attacked - they could do that again, with more people... stronger fighters. They'll learn from these mistakes and not make them again," He explained flatly. "This is not up for debate, do you understand?" Siku's gaze remained defiant as she squared off with the man... "Ugh! Fine." She looked at Katsu and saw the desperation on his face. It was his fault, she knew that, and he knew that. Pointing it out now would only make things worse. So what did she do? She lied, "Stop apologizing. It's not your fault, it's theirs, whoever these people are. The world just forgot how stupid it is to piss off the Avatar... And they certainly don't realize how stupid it is to piss me off." She took a breath, sighed, looked to Hideki once more and nodded, "Fine. I need to grab some things from home too, then." Hideki hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck, "It might be better if I go alone and get them, I know what you're looking for..." "No. I'm not disappearing without a trace." Siku glanced to the side, "Sesi wouldn't forgive me if I did, anyway..." ----- Hiresh remained a silent observer through the exchange. He didn't even know that Hideki was close to their family, but something caught him off in Katsu's explanation. "Wait, wait... what do you mean 'Hiresh will be safe?'" He asked after Siku's exchange with Yakedo. "So it's too dangerous for a talented bender and swordswoman of high esteem, but for a single cop living on his own, it's fine? Look, I don't want to leave either, but... Why am I allowed to stay?" The Lotus nodded, "You're correct. Under normal circumstances, I'd probably have you leave as well. However, I have no doubt the chief will want you helping the force get to the bottom of this, at least here in Republic City, to stop anything like it from happening again. My recommendation carries quite a bit of weight, I'm sure you're not long for guard duty either way." He then turned to Asha, "Are you okay with this? I'm sure we could speak to the other elders of the island... And even if you're not a master, I'm sure at the very least, Katsu could learn the fundamentals of air bending from you. Nomadic at heart; from the sounds of it, you've been itching to leave for a while anyway, right? What better way than with the Avatar?" Asha's youth made her both the biggest liability and the probably the easiest to convince that this was fine. Not to mention, folks of the Air Nation who were part of any monastery didn't usually have too many problems leaving home and making a brand new one. However, she was young, which meant she might just be as hard-headed as Siku. Katsu had to be ready to deal with either of them, at least until they separated. If they did. The Lotus looked to all of the people in the room... Children, all of them, even Hiresh in his eyes. "I promise, as soon as we can, I'll find each of you and personally see to it that you're safely returned home. And yes, Siku, we'll go and get your things... Soon. Once everybody's ready to go - we're not coming back here, so... Asha, gather anything you want to pack."</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha watched as Mr. Yakedo and Katsu came through the door; Katsu looked rather unsettled as did the older man, but not as much as the boy. She cocked her head to the side in curiosity, wondering just what had transpired between the two as they took a walk. Her gaze flickered between all of the people in the room as they talked, things becoming more and more clear with each word. "So wait...those guys think of Siku and us as accomplices? Yeah...I suppose that makes sense," the brunette said with a small shrug, getting up from her seated position and dusting herself off. So they weren't allowed to be in Republic City anymore because of some Grand Lotus members who turned bad? She sighed to herself before looking at the others and putting her hands behind her back. Her gaze settled on Hiresh, who seemed a bit put off by being left behind in the city; she certainly hoped he would be able to join them sometime in their travels. "I'm fine with leaving. Air benders are taught to leave worldly possessions behind and be free," Asha replied with a small smile. She tried to live by those teachings, but there was one possession that she just couldn't possibly leave behind: A plush Catowl stuffed animal. It was her most prized possession and she wouldn't leave without it. She looked over at Katsu and smiled at him, hoping to convey that she was honestly fine with what was happening. Life was constant, so that meant things were subject to change.</s>	<\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu really didn't want to have to tell the others this, but it felt better if he did; Yakedo was essentially a stranger to them far as he knew, it should come from someone they knew at the very least. Like before when he'd tried to tell Siku he was the Avatar, she once again did not believe him. Sighing to himself he looked at the Water Bender somberly, watching as she looked to Hideki for confirmation and her expression immediately changed. Just as he had worried, she was not taking the news of having to leave well at all, fighting against it however she could. Ashamed of bringing this upon them, Katsu looked away from the group and closed his eyes, letting his former master explain everything while he tried to brace for the inevitable guilt-ing he was going to get. Cringing when he heard Siku snap, Katsu finally and reluctantly turned back to face her, his expression one of pain and apology. There was nothing he could say to make this better, not to Siku or Asha or anyone. Families were going to be disrupted because of him, and they may not even be able to say why they were leaving; reasons like this were precisely the reason he had tried to keep his true identity a secret. Matters were made worse when Siku tried to play off his role in all of his, his chest feeling tight as he shook his head wordlessly. No, it wasn't their fault, it was his, all his. If he just hadn't been born, or had just sucked it up and stayed in training then none of this would be happening. No bystanders getting hurt, no friends losing their families, and no one would be at risk because of him. It was a selfish reason that he was here in Republic City to begin with, and it was that selfsame reason that had ruined things for everyone now. Today had begun with Katsu not giving much care for anyone else in this room, but now he felt terribly guilty and in service to them. Even if Siku could bring things with her, or if Asha said she was fine with leaving he sincerely doubted that both were a hundred percent okay. It was his fault this was happening, and as such he should be trying to correct things to get them back home, but how? What could be done to help that along? At most he could try and protect them, something he'd done marginally back in the sewers. The world may not need the Avatar right now, this much was true, yet these two girls could probably use him. Wherever they ended up then he'd be certain to keep them out of harm's way, safe from anyone that might try to do him or them harm. A burden perhaps, but one he should have to carry for his role in all of this. "If there's anything I can do for you two, anything at all, just name it..." Katsu offered weakly, looking between Siku and Asha. Hearing a soft whimpering he glanced down to his feet, watching Koinu as he rubbed against his leg, begging to be held. Smiling sadly and obliging his companion he lifted the small animal up, hugging him before letting out a sigh. "I don't know where we can go... But I know some people in the Fire Nation, maybe we can start there? Unless you don't want to travel all that way." Of all the nations, the Earth Nation was probably the closest to them, if he had to guess. As things stood currently the nations really weren't quite as dividing as they had been in the past, but they still existed in at least name. "I'll uh... I'll try and get in touch with someone, so we have a place to stay. If you think that would be okay, Yakedo?"</s>
<\|description\|>Katsu Takumi Age: 18 Gender: Male Nationality/Birthplace: Fire Nation, Khimori Village Current Residence: Republic City, Panther Lily Residential District Appearance: Occupation: Thief, Avatar Elemental Affinity: Fire Theme: Thief - Imagine Dragons History: Katsu's birth presented a bit of a conundrum for the Order of the White Lotus; an Avatar born in an era of peace wasn't needed quite as much as before. What should they do then? Take him from his home? Or leave him be and let him grow up in a normal life. It was a hard decision, but a choice needed to be made and ultimately a compromise was reached. Katsu would indeed be trained, but in the comfort of his own home village rather than being whisked away. His parents liked the idea, and initially Katsu had no problems with the arrangement. As he got older however he began to have quite a different opinion on the matter. How was he supposed to keep his identity as the Avatar a secret when these strange men followed him everywhere? His family wasn't well off and yet he had escorts, was waited on like nobility and provided for whatever he needed. Any other child may have been enamored with the treatment and yet Katsu came to resent it immensely. He had no autonomy like this, and it was near impossible to get away to have some time on his own. Pretty quickly being in the comfort of his own village meant little, it was every bit a prison as moving away would have been. The only solution in his mind then was to leave, abandon the Lotus' training and his parents in favor of a freer lifestyle, a lifestyle he would find in Republic City. It was an ideal plan on paper, but upon arriving in Republic City it became quickly apparent he hadn't thought things through entirely. Here he was, hundreds of miles from home, with hardly a coin to his name and nowhere to stay. What little money he'd saved up over the years had near all been spent on the boat ticket, so now Katsu found himself in a dilemma. He unsuccessfully tried getting jobs here and there but was turned down constantly, and returning home was not an option. At the age of 13 he settled on doing the only thing he could in order to survive: theft. Republic City certainly had its fair share of criminals, so he would only be one amongst the crowd. Or he might have been if he didn't have something of a superiority complex. He was going to be a thief, but he wanted to be the thief. He would join whatever group he could find and work his way up, and from there he'd be somebody. He'd live life how he wanted, do what he wanted, and get what he wanted without the meddling of the Order of the White Lotus. Much as he might have resented the White Lotus he had to be grateful for all the training they had given him. With both bending and martial training of the highest caliber he was an exceptional fighter, a fact that helped him climb the ranks of the gang he eventually joined. Nimble, strong and a capable bender he ascended to the second hand of the gang within two years, and not long thereafter he succeeded the previous leader. Granted… The gang had all of twenty members, many around his own age, but he still managed to succeed them all. Renaming the gang the Khimori Bandits after his hometown, Katsu began a life of "luxury". The Khimori Bandits amassed a fair fortune in a matter of a year, and yet Katsu kept very little of the coin for himself. It was never the money he was after, he'd argue, but the thrill and delight that came along with the act of theft. Even now he remains one of the poorer members of his gang in spite of being the leader, and he tends to carry out as many jobs as his best associates.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "Well, yeah... I beat most of those creeps, so I protected you," Katsu retorted, frowning when he saw Siku's dao, "And you're bringing a sword with you..." There was no reason to have a weapon on them, not when they were all benders. Bending could be used for defense or offense, sure, but it wasn't always as lethal as a sword. What was the point in bringing along a blade anyways when the way they fought was likely to put them at distance from their opponents? Siku tried to justify her having the dao but he wasn't a fan of it still, frowning and letting out a huff before shaking his head. "If they get close then you can still bend, it's not like you lose bending in close quarters," the Avatar said, "Besides... If someone else is chasing us with a weapon can you really use it that well? If they're using one then they're bound to be really good with it, can you match them?" Made more sense in his mind to just put distance between themselves and their attacker and keep bending. This was going to be one abysmal trip, if only because they had just begun and were already exhausted. Katsu hadn't slept terribly much the day earlier to begin with, having been busy on a job, and today hadn't allowed him more than a moment's reprieve. Much as he wanted to take a break and settle down he didn't want to be the one to say it, both pride and reluctance playing into it. When Siku mentioned taking a quick nap he tried not to jump at her decision, giving a small shrug instead. "We can do that, we've come a decent ways already," Katsu remarked, stifling a yawn with his hand before rubbing at his head, "Planning would be good... Don't want to wander around aimlessly." He had a few places in mind he might be able to go, places which would be easily accessible had they a vehicle; ferries and cars had gotten him around before, this would be the first time he really had to do extensive walking. The thief wasn't going to complain, he didn't mind the exercise, but it sure did make traveling take a bit longer. Taking to the cover of the trees, the trio had sought refuge along the tall vegetation, just barely out of view from the road. They could have gone in deeper if Katsu hadn't objected, wanting to be able to keep an eye on the road to know if anyone was on their way up. Finding the only clearing they could, bedrolls were laid out and everyone got ready for a brief if much needed respite. Siku and Asha had fallen asleep fairly quickly, as had Koinu, yet Katsu found himself sitting up and awake for some time longer. There were too many thoughts swirling around in his head, too many concerns and ideas that things would only get worse from hereon out. It was probably lack of sleep and stress doing this to him, but for a good while he could only sit and stare down at the road, a bit paranoid that someone was going to come up on them while they slept. Eventually however his eyelids grew heavy and he found himself drifting off, and when next he'd open his eyes he would hear Siku's voice calling to him. "Nnn... 'M up... 'M up..." the Avatar grumbled, already having been half awake by the time he was called for. Groaning as he sat up from his spot he raised his arms above his head in a stretch, popping his back before glancing down at Koinu, smiling as his companion woke too and greeted him with a happy yip. Scratching at the fox's head he moved over to join Siku and Asha, glancing down at the former's map curiously. "Gung-Li... Never heard of the place..." Katsu said through a yawn, sitting down on his rear and scratching at Koinu's fur habitually, "If we can get a ride there then let's get one there, no sense in more walking, right?" If they could find a ride then they'd make far better time, and more importantly put more distance between themselves and anyone that may be chasing them. If given the chance to get their own vessel should they take it? He'd been on boats before, sure, but he'd never actually piloted one on any kind of journey. Siku could water bend, Asha could air bend, so they'd have an easy enough time of making it he figured. "It might be better to get our own ship, come to think of it... Less people know about us that way and we're not relying on anyone else. If we're trying to keep out of view then we should avoid making any kind of transaction, you know?" he asked, smirking as he glanced at Siku and Asha, "I know something about flying under the radar, we should be fine."</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko "Well," Siku started, pointing to a small island off the Fire Nation. "This is Iwa here and Gung-Li is... Here," She moved her finger to a peninsula where the city was marked, about a few miles from where they were now. "It's not exactly on the coast closest to the Fire Nation, but it's on the Eastern front of this peninsula here, so they might have some way to get there. However, it might be faster to find something to get us closer to the south-western border and cross there..." She mused, scrutinizing the map. "We'll have to see what options we've got when we get there and decide then." She looked at Katsu when he mentioned getting on their way privately and she nodded, "On the other hand, if we go like that, then there's a more specific trail to follow. If we take a public route with lots of people, at least there will be witnesses and other people there to follow us in case something goes wrong. It'd be harder to track names, at least." The girl made sure she had all of her equipment before rolling the map up again and rising to her feet. "Alright, well... I guess we won't know until we get there, at least, yeah? So let's move." Siku shouldered her pack and rubbed her eyes again. Four hours was not enough, no, but hopefully it would last her through the night. They needed food even more, though. "When we get there, I'm gonna eat... and eat... and eat..." She said as they found the road and started walking once more. "I'm so freakin' hungry... We could have planned our food and this walk a little bit better, I suppose." A thought occurred to her as they walked and she looked at Katsu, "Wait... Katsu... In the sewers... You only used earth and fire bending..." She noted, furrowing her brow, "Have you tried air or water yet... at all?" It still baffled her that he could even think of having the power over all four and not at least have a grasp on all four.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha just listened to her two other companions as they decided the right route to take. Feeling a bit uncomfortable with all the zig zags swirling around the map, the brunette took to gathering her things up and placing them neatly in her backpack. She walked back over when it sounded like the two had settled on things and clasped her hands behind her back, "So, have we decided how we are doing things?" she asked, remembering she overheard something about their own boat...how were they going to buy their own boat? Weren't they expensive? She giggled at Siku when the other girl mentioned food and how she was going to gorge when she was in sight of some; their food supply wasn't much since they had decided to pack light and with the older girl talking about food, made her tummy grumble in agreement. Asha held her stomach in slight embarrassment and laughed a little, "Sorry, guys. Guess I am hungry, too!" The brunette looked over at Siku when she mentioned to Katsu that she had only seen him use Earth and Fire bending. She blinked when Siku asked the Avatar if he even knew how to use Water or Air. That would make sense as to why he hadn't used either or...but maybe he just didn't like them as much as earth and fire. Either way, his answer was sure to startle the both of them.</s>	<\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Whichever way they decided to travel it was going to take some time, Katsu knew that much. They had a destination, getting there was another matter entirely; shame he didn't have something like a flying bison, they could make the trip in no time at all. Koinu couldn't even carry him, let alone the three of them, so riding an animal was out of the question. The fact they were going to have to rely on public transit, a boat of all things, hardly thrilled him. What Siku said about it made sense, that being in a crowd might help obscure them. Yet the opposite might be true too, they could stand out in a crowd like a sore thumb. Not only that, but being in a mass of people it would be almost impossible to tell who might mean them harm; if they chose the sneakier route, then anyone they came across would more likely than not be against them. "However we do it, we should do it soon. Nothing worse than sitting around while someone's searching for you," Katsu said aloud, frowning as he rose to his feet, "So we'll head to Gung-Li, and worry about getting to Iwa when we get there." If he'd learned anything in life, it was to be flexible. Even the best laid plans could be ruined by just one instance, so better to prepare to change than to stick to some routine. Improvising was something he was particularly good at, yet goodness knows if the same might be said for Siku or Asha. Giving Koinu's head a gentle rubbing, the Avatar began following alongside the Water Bender, smirking somewhat amused when she brought up food. "You'd never survive in the kind of life I've lived, you're too spoiled," Katsu teased, placing a hand on his stomach, "I can go for a while without eating, I guess it pays to be poor sometimes." Not that he was particularly poor now, but he had been for a while. He would be fine without food, but Katsu did worry about Koinu. Still being a pup he really should eat regularly, and without any food really packed for travel, there wasn't much for his furry friend. Worst case he supposed he could go and hunt something, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done so. Glancing over to Siku when she started to question him, the Avatar's cheeks flushed slightly at what she had asked, looking away abashed and clearing his throat. "Well... Uh... No... Not really," he admitted, scratching at his nose casually with his index finger, "Never really had a chance to learn, or a teacher. Most of what I know now is self-taught too." He didn't really bend all that often, there was typically no reason to do so. It wouldn't be totally unfair to say he was out of practice, not that he'd ever admit such a thing. "But hey, I can get on just fine without those two! I mean there's no big apocalyptic event going on, or some war threatening the world, it's just me running from some oppressive jerks. I don't see a reason to need all four elements for that," Katsu continued, grinning as he reached over and put an arm around both Siku's and Asha's shoulders, "That's what I've got you two for, right? My water princess and my little air nomad, you can make up for what I didn't learn." More than anything he just really had no desire to learn. Learning another element was difficult, that went without saying, and also immensely time consuming. It could take up to a few weeks to even grasp the basics, depending on his teacher, and longer still to have some semblance of a mastery. Much as he'd like to think they could teach him, Katsu had serious doubts about his companions being good teachers.</s>
<\|description\|>Katsu Takumi Age: 18 Gender: Male Nationality/Birthplace: Fire Nation, Khimori Village Current Residence: Republic City, Panther Lily Residential District Appearance: Occupation: Thief, Avatar Elemental Affinity: Fire Theme: Thief - Imagine Dragons History: Katsu's birth presented a bit of a conundrum for the Order of the White Lotus; an Avatar born in an era of peace wasn't needed quite as much as before. What should they do then? Take him from his home? Or leave him be and let him grow up in a normal life. It was a hard decision, but a choice needed to be made and ultimately a compromise was reached. Katsu would indeed be trained, but in the comfort of his own home village rather than being whisked away. His parents liked the idea, and initially Katsu had no problems with the arrangement. As he got older however he began to have quite a different opinion on the matter. How was he supposed to keep his identity as the Avatar a secret when these strange men followed him everywhere? His family wasn't well off and yet he had escorts, was waited on like nobility and provided for whatever he needed. Any other child may have been enamored with the treatment and yet Katsu came to resent it immensely. He had no autonomy like this, and it was near impossible to get away to have some time on his own. Pretty quickly being in the comfort of his own village meant little, it was every bit a prison as moving away would have been. The only solution in his mind then was to leave, abandon the Lotus' training and his parents in favor of a freer lifestyle, a lifestyle he would find in Republic City. It was an ideal plan on paper, but upon arriving in Republic City it became quickly apparent he hadn't thought things through entirely. Here he was, hundreds of miles from home, with hardly a coin to his name and nowhere to stay. What little money he'd saved up over the years had near all been spent on the boat ticket, so now Katsu found himself in a dilemma. He unsuccessfully tried getting jobs here and there but was turned down constantly, and returning home was not an option. At the age of 13 he settled on doing the only thing he could in order to survive: theft. Republic City certainly had its fair share of criminals, so he would only be one amongst the crowd. Or he might have been if he didn't have something of a superiority complex. He was going to be a thief, but he wanted to be the thief. He would join whatever group he could find and work his way up, and from there he'd be somebody. He'd live life how he wanted, do what he wanted, and get what he wanted without the meddling of the Order of the White Lotus. Much as he might have resented the White Lotus he had to be grateful for all the training they had given him. With both bending and martial training of the highest caliber he was an exceptional fighter, a fact that helped him climb the ranks of the gang he eventually joined. Nimble, strong and a capable bender he ascended to the second hand of the gang within two years, and not long thereafter he succeeded the previous leader. Granted… The gang had all of twenty members, many around his own age, but he still managed to succeed them all. Renaming the gang the Khimori Bandits after his hometown, Katsu began a life of "luxury". The Khimori Bandits amassed a fair fortune in a matter of a year, and yet Katsu kept very little of the coin for himself. It was never the money he was after, he'd argue, but the thrill and delight that came along with the act of theft. Even now he remains one of the poorer members of his gang in spite of being the leader, and he tends to carry out as many jobs as his best associates.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Whichever way they decided to travel it was going to take some time, Katsu knew that much. They had a destination, getting there was another matter entirely; shame he didn't have something like a flying bison, they could make the trip in no time at all. Koinu couldn't even carry him, let alone the three of them, so riding an animal was out of the question. The fact they were going to have to rely on public transit, a boat of all things, hardly thrilled him. What Siku said about it made sense, that being in a crowd might help obscure them. Yet the opposite might be true too, they could stand out in a crowd like a sore thumb. Not only that, but being in a mass of people it would be almost impossible to tell who might mean them harm; if they chose the sneakier route, then anyone they came across would more likely than not be against them. "However we do it, we should do it soon. Nothing worse than sitting around while someone's searching for you," Katsu said aloud, frowning as he rose to his feet, "So we'll head to Gung-Li, and worry about getting to Iwa when we get there." If he'd learned anything in life, it was to be flexible. Even the best laid plans could be ruined by just one instance, so better to prepare to change than to stick to some routine. Improvising was something he was particularly good at, yet goodness knows if the same might be said for Siku or Asha. Giving Koinu's head a gentle rubbing, the Avatar began following alongside the Water Bender, smirking somewhat amused when she brought up food. "You'd never survive in the kind of life I've lived, you're too spoiled," Katsu teased, placing a hand on his stomach, "I can go for a while without eating, I guess it pays to be poor sometimes." Not that he was particularly poor now, but he had been for a while. He would be fine without food, but Katsu did worry about Koinu. Still being a pup he really should eat regularly, and without any food really packed for travel, there wasn't much for his furry friend. Worst case he supposed he could go and hunt something, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done so. Glancing over to Siku when she started to question him, the Avatar's cheeks flushed slightly at what she had asked, looking away abashed and clearing his throat. "Well... Uh... No... Not really," he admitted, scratching at his nose casually with his index finger, "Never really had a chance to learn, or a teacher. Most of what I know now is self-taught too." He didn't really bend all that often, there was typically no reason to do so. It wouldn't be totally unfair to say he was out of practice, not that he'd ever admit such a thing. "But hey, I can get on just fine without those two! I mean there's no big apocalyptic event going on, or some war threatening the world, it's just me running from some oppressive jerks. I don't see a reason to need all four elements for that," Katsu continued, grinning as he reached over and put an arm around both Siku's and Asha's shoulders, "That's what I've got you two for, right? My water princess and my little air nomad, you can make up for what I didn't learn." More than anything he just really had no desire to learn. Learning another element was difficult, that went without saying, and also immensely time consuming. It could take up to a few weeks to even grasp the basics, depending on his teacher, and longer still to have some semblance of a mastery. Much as he'd like to think they could teach him, Katsu had serious doubts about his companions being good teachers.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku's face twisted into one of disgust and mockery as she mimicked Katsu, "You'd never survive the life I lived... I'm the Avatar and a scrappy vagabond! Nobody's had a life as tough as mine!" She laughed, grinning at herself before involuntarily releasing a single snort. Her hand instantly covered her mouth as her face turned beet red. "Shut up, I can live without food for a bit... But in case you don't remember, a certain Avatar made us run out of a restaurant in the middle of a meal," She muttered, crossing her arms. What she didn't expect was his legitimate answer to her question. She was only teasing... he really hadn't even tried, or successfully attempted, the other two elements? The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she felt his arm come in contact with her shoulder. Her lip curled in contempt as he continued to blather away. Her mind echoed back to her the words 'water princess' as soon as he said it. Water princess... Water princess... Her brow furrowed gradually... Princess. The girl crouched quickly, ducking under the Avatar's arm, before taking one decisive step forward and placing her foot into the back of his knee. The soft scraping of metal against sheath sounded as she pulled her blade a mere two inches from its home without drawing it. "You wanna find a better way to phrase that..? Stick possession in front of a reference to me ever again and I'll carry you back to Republic City on a platter myself," She offered, leaning forward with a small growl in her voice. She paused for a moment, just long enough to ensure he wouldn't be able to answer before she pressed her weapon back into the sheath. Siku stepped around him and kept walking as though she hadn't just falsely threatened his life... again. One hand rested cautiously on the hilt of her dao. "Hm... If I have the cycle correct, Asha, he'll need air bending once he actually learns fire... Maybe you can show him the basics, at least. Of course... to do that, he'd actually have to be a skilled firebender..." She shook her head, "So maybe it'd be better not to clear your calender just yet. "It's sad really... What kind of Avatar doesn't at least try on their own..? I understand not mastering or even caring to master the elements... but to completely pretend like two of them aren't in your repertoire... Pfft, I'd say that makes it sound like you're more afraid of failure than you are death."</s> <\|message\|>Asha The small brown haired girl hummed to herself as the other two in her group conversed. Asha's mind was somewhere else completely, as she wondered about what all they might see during their travels. She had been born and raised in Republic City and even then she hadn't seen much of it. This whole traveling and adventuring the world was an exciting new prospect for her and that was all that was going on in her mind, before she felt a hand around her shoulder which caused her to jump. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink when she had seen just who it was who had their arm around her shoulder; Asha giggled softly and nodded at Katsu's words, him saying she was his little air nomad...she sort of missed the other part of the conversation, though. It was then that Asha realized that the avatar had said something that ticked off her water bending friend and she just watched with amusement at how easily Siku threatened Katsu's life yet again over something she was assuming was petty. Still though, it was funny to see how the two interacted and despite how much they fought, how close they seemed. The brunette smiled at the others before turning her attention back towards the road they were traveling, hoping to watch out for anything suspicious. Since the Avatar was wanted and now on the run, one could never be too cautious. "Hm?" Asha turned her attention once again towards her comrades, more directly to Siku, "Oh, yeah, I think that is how it goes. So, whenever you want to learn some air bending, lemme know!" the girl said with zeal, forming a fist with one hand and throwing it in the air. "It really is a fun element..." Asha trailed off, not knowing whether or not Katsu was ready to even attempt air bending. Since Katsu had taken more of a liking towards fire (obviously) and earth, she feared that the boy would have a very troubling time with the other two elements.</s>	<\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu bit his tongue and refrained from snapping at Siku, not at all appreciating her taunting behavior. His life hadn't been easy, not that he expected her to know, and the fact she was joking about it annoyed him to no small end. Did she know what it was like to not eat for days on end? To sleep on a bench in the park in the pouring rain? He doubted it, yet he wasn't going to sit here, get on a box and cry his troubles out to the world; she could go on thinking he was just complaining, he didn't really care enough to correct her. All of that was behind him anyways, and even on the run now his life was better than it had been. Rolling his eyes at the complaint about the restaurant, Katsu smirked slightly amused and gave a dismissive shrug, just to egg on Siku. "Food sucked anyways, too overpriced if you ask me," he responded calmly, looking away as though he were disinterested. Heh, two could play at that game, he'd rile her up just as she had him. When asked about whether he'd practiced other elements or not he answered honestly, a bit ashamed to say he hadn't yet seeing no reason to hide it. There was no need for him to, it wasn't like there was some great war or anything going on; aside from his problems with the Lotus defectors the world was in a relative time of peace, there was next to no reason for an Avatar to even exist. Seriously, if he only learned fire and nothing else then he should be perfectly fine! Heh, water princess, he figured that was a pretty good one. Obviously he didn't mean it and made it in jest, but given Siku's sometimes haughty nature it fit. Chuckling to himself at her expense, Katsu gasped when he suddenly felt his support leave him, and soon was knocked to his knees with a rather angry Water Bender looming over him. Blinking just once when she began threatening him he glanced at her dao silently, doubtful she had any real intention of using it but not wanting to test his luck. Watching as she retracted the weapon and left him be, the Avatar breathed a sigh of relief before climbing back to his feet. "Jeez Siku, someone sleep on the wrong side of the ground last night?" he joked, rubbing at his neck before grinning at her cheekily, "You're kinda hot when you're mad though, anyone ever tell you that?" He really didn't know better it seemed, or maybe he was calling her bluff with her weapon being drawn, who knows. "You said it, I don't care to master them. Why should I when I can use two already?" Katsu asked in turn, placing his hands into his coat pockets as he strode along. At least Asha was plenty supportive and not at all being a pain in the neck, unlike some women of the group. Seriously, two days thus far and Siku had already threatened him twice, what gives? If she was going to draw her weapon on him every time they spoke then he'd just leave her be, see if she preferred that! She could have a pet rock if that was better for her, then he'd not be at risk of getting shanked for speaking.</s>
<\|description\|>Katsu Takumi Age: 18 Gender: Male Nationality/Birthplace: Fire Nation, Khimori Village Current Residence: Republic City, Panther Lily Residential District Appearance: Occupation: Thief, Avatar Elemental Affinity: Fire Theme: Thief - Imagine Dragons History: Katsu's birth presented a bit of a conundrum for the Order of the White Lotus; an Avatar born in an era of peace wasn't needed quite as much as before. What should they do then? Take him from his home? Or leave him be and let him grow up in a normal life. It was a hard decision, but a choice needed to be made and ultimately a compromise was reached. Katsu would indeed be trained, but in the comfort of his own home village rather than being whisked away. His parents liked the idea, and initially Katsu had no problems with the arrangement. As he got older however he began to have quite a different opinion on the matter. How was he supposed to keep his identity as the Avatar a secret when these strange men followed him everywhere? His family wasn't well off and yet he had escorts, was waited on like nobility and provided for whatever he needed. Any other child may have been enamored with the treatment and yet Katsu came to resent it immensely. He had no autonomy like this, and it was near impossible to get away to have some time on his own. Pretty quickly being in the comfort of his own village meant little, it was every bit a prison as moving away would have been. The only solution in his mind then was to leave, abandon the Lotus' training and his parents in favor of a freer lifestyle, a lifestyle he would find in Republic City. It was an ideal plan on paper, but upon arriving in Republic City it became quickly apparent he hadn't thought things through entirely. Here he was, hundreds of miles from home, with hardly a coin to his name and nowhere to stay. What little money he'd saved up over the years had near all been spent on the boat ticket, so now Katsu found himself in a dilemma. He unsuccessfully tried getting jobs here and there but was turned down constantly, and returning home was not an option. At the age of 13 he settled on doing the only thing he could in order to survive: theft. Republic City certainly had its fair share of criminals, so he would only be one amongst the crowd. Or he might have been if he didn't have something of a superiority complex. He was going to be a thief, but he wanted to be the thief. He would join whatever group he could find and work his way up, and from there he'd be somebody. He'd live life how he wanted, do what he wanted, and get what he wanted without the meddling of the Order of the White Lotus. Much as he might have resented the White Lotus he had to be grateful for all the training they had given him. With both bending and martial training of the highest caliber he was an exceptional fighter, a fact that helped him climb the ranks of the gang he eventually joined. Nimble, strong and a capable bender he ascended to the second hand of the gang within two years, and not long thereafter he succeeded the previous leader. Granted… The gang had all of twenty members, many around his own age, but he still managed to succeed them all. Renaming the gang the Khimori Bandits after his hometown, Katsu began a life of "luxury". The Khimori Bandits amassed a fair fortune in a matter of a year, and yet Katsu kept very little of the coin for himself. It was never the money he was after, he'd argue, but the thrill and delight that came along with the act of theft. Even now he remains one of the poorer members of his gang in spite of being the leader, and he tends to carry out as many jobs as his best associates.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku's knuckles turned bone-white as her nails dug into the flesh of her palm. He was insufferable and how she managed to get stuck with him was beyond her. She and Asha were in the wrong place at the wrong time, that was all there was. Now her whole family was left behind and she had no idea when she'd see them again. Her little sister would have to be escorted to school and spend her days under watch until all of this was cleared up... The hot, salty particles of water gently slid down her cheeks before she knew it. At this point, she wasn't even listening to Katsu's incessant blathering; she was only trying to prevent the tremors from overtaking her body as she walked point, her back to both of her compatriots. She crossed her arms and let out a sigh as the weight of danger she had put her own family into came down on her. She had to blame Katsu, but where would that get any of them? Getting angry with the already hard-headed Avatar could only exacerbate the situation. He was sorry enough as it was, the last thing she needed was The Bridge groveling at her feet... She smirked through her tears at the thought. That idiot. The girl cleared her throat and used her hand to "itch" her eye and, without turning around, responded with a roll of her eyes, "Fine then. Don't learn them. You'd probably just waste all of the water anyway, then what would I have to bend?" She taunted. It took the remainder of the day, but finally they arrived in Gung-Li. Siku used her hand as a visor, the sun was just about set, but the sliver that was still on the horizon decided that her eyes were a fine target. The small coastal town was quiet, as she imagined it often was, and many of the shops were already closed and turning in for the night. It was so different from Republic City and even from the North Pole... She'd never had time or reason to visit the smaller tribes up north, the ones that lived peaceful, nomadic lives of simple tasks like hunting, fishing, and sleeping around fires. Father always said it was too uncivilized a life, but Siku had always wanted to see what it was like. Now it was a life she had no choice in. Her eyes scanned the different wooden buildings; they were all so quaint, they looked like homes, not houses. Like livelihoods rather than franchises. Some people were carrying baskets of food home and even a few children went running by, obviously chasing each other. Siku smiled a little bit - what would her life have been like here, had she been raised in a small Earth nation home with no ridiculous customs or courtesies? Then again, she loved being a water bender and she used to love being an Ice Wolf. Oh well, life goes on. She placed her hands on her hips, "Ugh... I'm taking a guess that the transit is closed, so let's go find a place to eat dinner and sleep then we'll get moving in the morning, yeah?" They wandered the streets for a few minutes, looking for a sign mentioning restaurant or inn of any kind, but it was slim pickings. The town likely got very few visitors, as it wasn't a major harbor, and she was beginning to grow more sure that "chartering" anything to Iwa was going to be more of a hassle than they bargained for. The girl looked around and bit her lip in thought. Each moment that passed it seemed less people were outside, but god dammit to ask for directions would feel so foreign. She never needed directions... Then, she heard it. Likely, Koinu would have heard it first, but it still wouldn't take long for them all to. It was a soft sobbing sound coming from just around the corner a couple of roads ahead... It sounded like a child - either lost or in some kind of distress.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha watched the two interact with one another, her heart picking up pace when she thought that her two companions were going to get into a fight. She hated fighting between two friends and was hoping that neither Katsu or Siku was going to instigate one, or give one another the cold shoulder. It seemed that just as quickly as they had spat out their arguments, did they quiet down and forget the whole ordeal. The young brunette shook her head to herself and walked alongside Katsu, seeing as Siku was on point. Katsu and Siku had such strong personalities that they clashed, but she was sure when the time called for it, they would be there for each other. They finally found Gung-Li and the air bender was happy that they have reached their destination for the day. "Ah...Yes! You're so right, let's find some food and then make sleepy," Asha replied, putting her two cents in. She covered her mouth with one of her hands, her tiredness showing through. While it would be great to get some food, it seemed that many of the restaurants and businesses were closing for the night, which made sense in a small village. "Hm...we should probably hurry," she added, looking at Katsu and then Siku for direction; she wasn't quite sure what to do and was very unused to doing things all on her own. It made her feel extremely young and inexperienced, but that was just what she was...she hoped she would still be able to contribute and help her friends through this. Just as they were looking for someplace that was still open, they heard the sobbing of a young child just a few roads down. Asha glanced up at her friends, wondering if they were thinking what she was thinking: they should see what's wrong.</s>	<\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "What, can't pull moisture from the air? Any half decent Water Bender can manage that," Katsu shot back, sticking his tongue out childishly even if Siku couldn't see him. Tch, maybe he would learn them now just to spite her, wouldn't that be fun? He'd be better than she was and then he could rub it in her face, that alone made it worth putting in the effort. Seriously though could Siku just come off of her high horse for one moment and learn to take a joke? It's not like he was being lecherous and grabbing her or anything, he'd made a comment in jest and got a sword to the neck as a result, talk about overreacting. Maybe he'd just be better off talking with Asha from hereon out, worst she could do was blow some wind and ruffle his hair. Gung-Li was a beautiful place to live, Katsu surmised as much just from his first glance alone. Despite being a resident of Republic City for many years now he vastly preferred rural spaces like this, where everyone knew one another and got on well. It was reminiscent of his own home actually, a thought which gave the Avatar a slight pang in his chest at considering. Someday he would have to return home, even if unannounced, just to see how his parents were doing; would they be happy to see him? Angry? Disappointed? It would be a very uneasy meeting to be sure and there would be dozens of questions to be answered, yet he felt he needed that peace of mind at some point. For now though this was good enough to act as a stand-in, however temporary it might be. After being in the city for so long he'd forgotten how warm a small town was, and Katsu almost wanted to suggest they spend the night, leave in the morning instead. Or maybe even tomorrow night, just to have some more time here. "Sure thing, I could use a good meal right about now," Katsu said with a grin, glancing down as Koinu poked his head up through the neck of his shirt, "So can my little buddy, we'll get you a big steak! Siku's treat!" Heh, if it was for him she'd sooner skewer him with that dao than feed him, but surely she wasn't going to refuse his pet? Smirking smugly at the Water Bender he followed along as they descended into the town, being taken in by the sights and sounds of a bustling little village; vendors peddling their wares in the final moments of business, families running to and fro to get home or to fetch dinner, children enjoying the weaning sunlight. He'd love to be able to just live like this again, not have to worry about any Avatar crap or any of that nonsense. Maybe later he'd sneak off just to walk around a little, enjoy himself some. "There is nothing around here! Even my home town had some stuff worth seeing," Katsu voiced aloud, unknowingly speaking to Siku's woes as they wandered about. Not a single inn yet, and no large charter ships like those in Republic City for transit. At best they could probably get a fisherman to take them across, though that was asking an awful lot for such a small vessel. If they could just get lucky enough and find a decent craft then they could somehow pay for it, yet so far there was no obvious signs of anything they could use. Sighing to himself he wondered it they should consider traveling further inland, maybe they could find a larger town and go from there. That might be a decent plan, but it would have to wait. A distressing sound grabbed the group's attention just then, the sound of a child crying, and it simply could not be ignored. Were it an adult or even someone their age he might turn a blind eye, but Katsu didn't have it in him to ignore some kid. Frowning uncertainly he started walking towards the source of the crying, taking cautious glances down each street they passed as if paranoid something more might be going on. "Hey kid...? What's wrong, why you crying?"</s>
<\|description\|>Siku Tsukiko Age: 17 Gender: Female Element: Water Birthplace: Northern Water Tribe Current Residence: Republic City Occupation: Pro-bender ("The Ice Wolves") Appearance: Child Grown History: Siku grew up in the Northern Water Tribe, spending her first ten years of life in the icy habitats of the distant North. Her family lived quite well-off, as her father was the chief's cousin, thus providing an environment for young Siku to thrive easily. From a young age, she showed a capacity for water bending and a curiosity beyond even the other children in the tribe. She was always exercising her abilities, absolutely fascinated by the way water reacted to even her very presence. Having acquired the ability to bend from her father, the man was the first to jump on a chance to train his only daughter. He was one of few water benders who wielded a weapon from time to time to accompany his art. Much to his chagrin, Siku had grown rather attached to their television on certain nights of the week. It was like pulling her out of a coma when her eyes glued to that screen to watch the pro-benders of Republic City, champions of their craft, dueling. The girl wanted nothing more than to see one match, in person, and learn to diversify her own talents, no matter how small their manifestation still was at the time. After months of begging, pleading, groveling, and extra chores, her parents gave in to her incessant requesting and took her to the arena in the city. Hoping to satisfy her, they left within just a few days and spent a week in the city, leaving her in awe of everything from the cars to the music to the three matches they attended. The plan backfired quite noticeably because within only a year or two the chief offered her father the recently opened position of Ambassador for the North Pole and when Siku heard… well, there was no shutting her up. Her bags were packed before the decision was made and by the time she was ten, they were unlocking the doors to their new, and admittedly quite lavish, house in the center of the city. It had a yard and a garden, granted due to her father's position. They had not purchased it, but rather it was owned by the Northern Water Tribe. Siku's mother had always stayed at home, maintaining the house and caring for Siku and their new two year-old daughter Sesi. Siku started going to school in the city and her father continued their training sessions, waiting until she was old enough before starting to teach her how to use a dao, just as he incorporated one into his own training. They began with wood, and by the time she was finishing school, she could flourish the blade as though it were naught but air. She acquired her spot with the Ice Wolves amateur pro-bending team after their water bender took a nasty fall off the platform, forgetting to catch himself properly in the water below. He was only temporarily out of commission, but he decided to leave pro-bending behind after the injury. Siku leapt at the opportunity, despite how crunched for time she already was, proving herself to be a worthwhile gamble. Somehow, with a packed schedule, she managed to give herself at least a little bit of time each week to stroll the streets of Republic City and clear her mind or spend recreational time with her friends. Name: Hiresh Sudhir Age: 19 Gender: Male Element: Earth (Affinity for Metal) Birthplace: Zaofu, Home of the Metal Clan Current Residence: Republic City Occupation: Metal Corps Officer Appearance: History: Hiresh was born and raised in the city of Zaofu of the Earth Kingdom. He was a natural earth and metal bender, though he displayed little talent in much else, he was content with his bending prowess. By the time he was sixteen, he knew he wanted to join the Metal Corps in Republic City. On recommendation of many of the city's guardsmen, he was accepted into the academy, where he trained rigorously until he was finally a full-fledged officer. He was assigned to duty as one of the Tsukiko family's guard and escort to start with a basic job. It was the Northern Water Tribe's ambassador and his family, the job was plenty important, he told himself. He spent so little time hunting Triple-Threat members and actually doing good, however, that he sometimes felt underappreciated in the force. His superior officers have been promising him for months now that they would post him elsewhere as soon as they could, but he has yet to see any kind of paperwork pushed for it. Guard duty be damned, he joined to be an officer, not a security guard. Was it just because he had a generally protective attitude? Rather than being outspoken for justice in particular? !!! WARNING: Early Pages Spoilers !!! Name: Grand Lotus Hideki Yakedo Gender: Male Age: 54 Element: Fire Appearance: Background: Grand Lotus Yakedo is the head of the White Lotus organization. He was a part of the group from a very young age; his father was an agent who gave his life in the line of duty for the previous Avatar from the Earth Kingdom. Having grown up in the society made becoming an official member rather easy. Of course, he set his goals much higher. While he loved the group, he saw countless flaws with how institutionalized it was; the White Lotus was an "official" faction nowadays, but he knew that in history they were once a secret society which protected the balance of the world alongside the Avatar, they weren't guards for the Avatar. Hideki did not make it his life's goal to become the leader of the Lotus, he wanted to change it - to get it back to its roots before somebody turned its tides against their charge. The Avatar should be in charge of their own training, watched over and supervised by the sages and elders of each kingdom. No government, no politics, and no full-time protection. The Avatars of old were so great because of the trials and tribulations they faced in their travels - an Avatar couldn't be trained, they had to be grown. Now, his worst nightmare has come to pass: even as he tries to pull the White Lotus out of the Avatar's life (hence why Katsu was able to avoid them for so long), there were double agents and infiltrators in his midst who meant to bring the boy harm.</s> <\|message\|>Asha The small brown haired girl hummed to herself as the other two in her group conversed. Asha's mind was somewhere else completely, as she wondered about what all they might see during their travels. She had been born and raised in Republic City and even then she hadn't seen much of it. This whole traveling and adventuring the world was an exciting new prospect for her and that was all that was going on in her mind, before she felt a hand around her shoulder which caused her to jump. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink when she had seen just who it was who had their arm around her shoulder; Asha giggled softly and nodded at Katsu's words, him saying she was his little air nomad...she sort of missed the other part of the conversation, though. It was then that Asha realized that the avatar had said something that ticked off her water bending friend and she just watched with amusement at how easily Siku threatened Katsu's life yet again over something she was assuming was petty. Still though, it was funny to see how the two interacted and despite how much they fought, how close they seemed. The brunette smiled at the others before turning her attention back towards the road they were traveling, hoping to watch out for anything suspicious. Since the Avatar was wanted and now on the run, one could never be too cautious. "Hm?" Asha turned her attention once again towards her comrades, more directly to Siku, "Oh, yeah, I think that is how it goes. So, whenever you want to learn some air bending, lemme know!" the girl said with zeal, forming a fist with one hand and throwing it in the air. "It really is a fun element..." Asha trailed off, not knowing whether or not Katsu was ready to even attempt air bending. Since Katsu had taken more of a liking towards fire (obviously) and earth, she feared that the boy would have a very troubling time with the other two elements.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu bit his tongue and refrained from snapping at Siku, not at all appreciating her taunting behavior. His life hadn't been easy, not that he expected her to know, and the fact she was joking about it annoyed him to no small end. Did she know what it was like to not eat for days on end? To sleep on a bench in the park in the pouring rain? He doubted it, yet he wasn't going to sit here, get on a box and cry his troubles out to the world; she could go on thinking he was just complaining, he didn't really care enough to correct her. All of that was behind him anyways, and even on the run now his life was better than it had been. Rolling his eyes at the complaint about the restaurant, Katsu smirked slightly amused and gave a dismissive shrug, just to egg on Siku. "Food sucked anyways, too overpriced if you ask me," he responded calmly, looking away as though he were disinterested. Heh, two could play at that game, he'd rile her up just as she had him. When asked about whether he'd practiced other elements or not he answered honestly, a bit ashamed to say he hadn't yet seeing no reason to hide it. There was no need for him to, it wasn't like there was some great war or anything going on; aside from his problems with the Lotus defectors the world was in a relative time of peace, there was next to no reason for an Avatar to even exist. Seriously, if he only learned fire and nothing else then he should be perfectly fine! Heh, water princess, he figured that was a pretty good one. Obviously he didn't mean it and made it in jest, but given Siku's sometimes haughty nature it fit. Chuckling to himself at her expense, Katsu gasped when he suddenly felt his support leave him, and soon was knocked to his knees with a rather angry Water Bender looming over him. Blinking just once when she began threatening him he glanced at her dao silently, doubtful she had any real intention of using it but not wanting to test his luck. Watching as she retracted the weapon and left him be, the Avatar breathed a sigh of relief before climbing back to his feet. "Jeez Siku, someone sleep on the wrong side of the ground last night?" he joked, rubbing at his neck before grinning at her cheekily, "You're kinda hot when you're mad though, anyone ever tell you that?" He really didn't know better it seemed, or maybe he was calling her bluff with her weapon being drawn, who knows. "You said it, I don't care to master them. Why should I when I can use two already?" Katsu asked in turn, placing his hands into his coat pockets as he strode along. At least Asha was plenty supportive and not at all being a pain in the neck, unlike some women of the group. Seriously, two days thus far and Siku had already threatened him twice, what gives? If she was going to draw her weapon on him every time they spoke then he'd just leave her be, see if she preferred that! She could have a pet rock if that was better for her, then he'd not be at risk of getting shanked for speaking.</s>	<\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku's knuckles turned bone-white as her nails dug into the flesh of her palm. He was insufferable and how she managed to get stuck with him was beyond her. She and Asha were in the wrong place at the wrong time, that was all there was. Now her whole family was left behind and she had no idea when she'd see them again. Her little sister would have to be escorted to school and spend her days under watch until all of this was cleared up... The hot, salty particles of water gently slid down her cheeks before she knew it. At this point, she wasn't even listening to Katsu's incessant blathering; she was only trying to prevent the tremors from overtaking her body as she walked point, her back to both of her compatriots. She crossed her arms and let out a sigh as the weight of danger she had put her own family into came down on her. She had to blame Katsu, but where would that get any of them? Getting angry with the already hard-headed Avatar could only exacerbate the situation. He was sorry enough as it was, the last thing she needed was The Bridge groveling at her feet... She smirked through her tears at the thought. That idiot. The girl cleared her throat and used her hand to "itch" her eye and, without turning around, responded with a roll of her eyes, "Fine then. Don't learn them. You'd probably just waste all of the water anyway, then what would I have to bend?" She taunted. It took the remainder of the day, but finally they arrived in Gung-Li. Siku used her hand as a visor, the sun was just about set, but the sliver that was still on the horizon decided that her eyes were a fine target. The small coastal town was quiet, as she imagined it often was, and many of the shops were already closed and turning in for the night. It was so different from Republic City and even from the North Pole... She'd never had time or reason to visit the smaller tribes up north, the ones that lived peaceful, nomadic lives of simple tasks like hunting, fishing, and sleeping around fires. Father always said it was too uncivilized a life, but Siku had always wanted to see what it was like. Now it was a life she had no choice in. Her eyes scanned the different wooden buildings; they were all so quaint, they looked like homes, not houses. Like livelihoods rather than franchises. Some people were carrying baskets of food home and even a few children went running by, obviously chasing each other. Siku smiled a little bit - what would her life have been like here, had she been raised in a small Earth nation home with no ridiculous customs or courtesies? Then again, she loved being a water bender and she used to love being an Ice Wolf. Oh well, life goes on. She placed her hands on her hips, "Ugh... I'm taking a guess that the transit is closed, so let's go find a place to eat dinner and sleep then we'll get moving in the morning, yeah?" They wandered the streets for a few minutes, looking for a sign mentioning restaurant or inn of any kind, but it was slim pickings. The town likely got very few visitors, as it wasn't a major harbor, and she was beginning to grow more sure that "chartering" anything to Iwa was going to be more of a hassle than they bargained for. The girl looked around and bit her lip in thought. Each moment that passed it seemed less people were outside, but god dammit to ask for directions would feel so foreign. She never needed directions... Then, she heard it. Likely, Koinu would have heard it first, but it still wouldn't take long for them all to. It was a soft sobbing sound coming from just around the corner a couple of roads ahead... It sounded like a child - either lost or in some kind of distress.</s>
<\|description\|>Siku Tsukiko Age: 17 Gender: Female Element: Water Birthplace: Northern Water Tribe Current Residence: Republic City Occupation: Pro-bender ("The Ice Wolves") Appearance: Child Grown History: Siku grew up in the Northern Water Tribe, spending her first ten years of life in the icy habitats of the distant North. Her family lived quite well-off, as her father was the chief's cousin, thus providing an environment for young Siku to thrive easily. From a young age, she showed a capacity for water bending and a curiosity beyond even the other children in the tribe. She was always exercising her abilities, absolutely fascinated by the way water reacted to even her very presence. Having acquired the ability to bend from her father, the man was the first to jump on a chance to train his only daughter. He was one of few water benders who wielded a weapon from time to time to accompany his art. Much to his chagrin, Siku had grown rather attached to their television on certain nights of the week. It was like pulling her out of a coma when her eyes glued to that screen to watch the pro-benders of Republic City, champions of their craft, dueling. The girl wanted nothing more than to see one match, in person, and learn to diversify her own talents, no matter how small their manifestation still was at the time. After months of begging, pleading, groveling, and extra chores, her parents gave in to her incessant requesting and took her to the arena in the city. Hoping to satisfy her, they left within just a few days and spent a week in the city, leaving her in awe of everything from the cars to the music to the three matches they attended. The plan backfired quite noticeably because within only a year or two the chief offered her father the recently opened position of Ambassador for the North Pole and when Siku heard… well, there was no shutting her up. Her bags were packed before the decision was made and by the time she was ten, they were unlocking the doors to their new, and admittedly quite lavish, house in the center of the city. It had a yard and a garden, granted due to her father's position. They had not purchased it, but rather it was owned by the Northern Water Tribe. Siku's mother had always stayed at home, maintaining the house and caring for Siku and their new two year-old daughter Sesi. Siku started going to school in the city and her father continued their training sessions, waiting until she was old enough before starting to teach her how to use a dao, just as he incorporated one into his own training. They began with wood, and by the time she was finishing school, she could flourish the blade as though it were naught but air. She acquired her spot with the Ice Wolves amateur pro-bending team after their water bender took a nasty fall off the platform, forgetting to catch himself properly in the water below. He was only temporarily out of commission, but he decided to leave pro-bending behind after the injury. Siku leapt at the opportunity, despite how crunched for time she already was, proving herself to be a worthwhile gamble. Somehow, with a packed schedule, she managed to give herself at least a little bit of time each week to stroll the streets of Republic City and clear her mind or spend recreational time with her friends. Name: Hiresh Sudhir Age: 19 Gender: Male Element: Earth (Affinity for Metal) Birthplace: Zaofu, Home of the Metal Clan Current Residence: Republic City Occupation: Metal Corps Officer Appearance: History: Hiresh was born and raised in the city of Zaofu of the Earth Kingdom. He was a natural earth and metal bender, though he displayed little talent in much else, he was content with his bending prowess. By the time he was sixteen, he knew he wanted to join the Metal Corps in Republic City. On recommendation of many of the city's guardsmen, he was accepted into the academy, where he trained rigorously until he was finally a full-fledged officer. He was assigned to duty as one of the Tsukiko family's guard and escort to start with a basic job. It was the Northern Water Tribe's ambassador and his family, the job was plenty important, he told himself. He spent so little time hunting Triple-Threat members and actually doing good, however, that he sometimes felt underappreciated in the force. His superior officers have been promising him for months now that they would post him elsewhere as soon as they could, but he has yet to see any kind of paperwork pushed for it. Guard duty be damned, he joined to be an officer, not a security guard. Was it just because he had a generally protective attitude? Rather than being outspoken for justice in particular? !!! WARNING: Early Pages Spoilers !!! Name: Grand Lotus Hideki Yakedo Gender: Male Age: 54 Element: Fire Appearance: Background: Grand Lotus Yakedo is the head of the White Lotus organization. He was a part of the group from a very young age; his father was an agent who gave his life in the line of duty for the previous Avatar from the Earth Kingdom. Having grown up in the society made becoming an official member rather easy. Of course, he set his goals much higher. While he loved the group, he saw countless flaws with how institutionalized it was; the White Lotus was an "official" faction nowadays, but he knew that in history they were once a secret society which protected the balance of the world alongside the Avatar, they weren't guards for the Avatar. Hideki did not make it his life's goal to become the leader of the Lotus, he wanted to change it - to get it back to its roots before somebody turned its tides against their charge. The Avatar should be in charge of their own training, watched over and supervised by the sages and elders of each kingdom. No government, no politics, and no full-time protection. The Avatars of old were so great because of the trials and tribulations they faced in their travels - an Avatar couldn't be trained, they had to be grown. Now, his worst nightmare has come to pass: even as he tries to pull the White Lotus out of the Avatar's life (hence why Katsu was able to avoid them for so long), there were double agents and infiltrators in his midst who meant to bring the boy harm.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha watched the two interact with one another, her heart picking up pace when she thought that her two companions were going to get into a fight. She hated fighting between two friends and was hoping that neither Katsu or Siku was going to instigate one, or give one another the cold shoulder. It seemed that just as quickly as they had spat out their arguments, did they quiet down and forget the whole ordeal. The young brunette shook her head to herself and walked alongside Katsu, seeing as Siku was on point. Katsu and Siku had such strong personalities that they clashed, but she was sure when the time called for it, they would be there for each other. They finally found Gung-Li and the air bender was happy that they have reached their destination for the day. "Ah...Yes! You're so right, let's find some food and then make sleepy," Asha replied, putting her two cents in. She covered her mouth with one of her hands, her tiredness showing through. While it would be great to get some food, it seemed that many of the restaurants and businesses were closing for the night, which made sense in a small village. "Hm...we should probably hurry," she added, looking at Katsu and then Siku for direction; she wasn't quite sure what to do and was very unused to doing things all on her own. It made her feel extremely young and inexperienced, but that was just what she was...she hoped she would still be able to contribute and help her friends through this. Just as they were looking for someplace that was still open, they heard the sobbing of a young child just a few roads down. Asha glanced up at her friends, wondering if they were thinking what she was thinking: they should see what's wrong.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "What, can't pull moisture from the air? Any half decent Water Bender can manage that," Katsu shot back, sticking his tongue out childishly even if Siku couldn't see him. Tch, maybe he would learn them now just to spite her, wouldn't that be fun? He'd be better than she was and then he could rub it in her face, that alone made it worth putting in the effort. Seriously though could Siku just come off of her high horse for one moment and learn to take a joke? It's not like he was being lecherous and grabbing her or anything, he'd made a comment in jest and got a sword to the neck as a result, talk about overreacting. Maybe he'd just be better off talking with Asha from hereon out, worst she could do was blow some wind and ruffle his hair. Gung-Li was a beautiful place to live, Katsu surmised as much just from his first glance alone. Despite being a resident of Republic City for many years now he vastly preferred rural spaces like this, where everyone knew one another and got on well. It was reminiscent of his own home actually, a thought which gave the Avatar a slight pang in his chest at considering. Someday he would have to return home, even if unannounced, just to see how his parents were doing; would they be happy to see him? Angry? Disappointed? It would be a very uneasy meeting to be sure and there would be dozens of questions to be answered, yet he felt he needed that peace of mind at some point. For now though this was good enough to act as a stand-in, however temporary it might be. After being in the city for so long he'd forgotten how warm a small town was, and Katsu almost wanted to suggest they spend the night, leave in the morning instead. Or maybe even tomorrow night, just to have some more time here. "Sure thing, I could use a good meal right about now," Katsu said with a grin, glancing down as Koinu poked his head up through the neck of his shirt, "So can my little buddy, we'll get you a big steak! Siku's treat!" Heh, if it was for him she'd sooner skewer him with that dao than feed him, but surely she wasn't going to refuse his pet? Smirking smugly at the Water Bender he followed along as they descended into the town, being taken in by the sights and sounds of a bustling little village; vendors peddling their wares in the final moments of business, families running to and fro to get home or to fetch dinner, children enjoying the weaning sunlight. He'd love to be able to just live like this again, not have to worry about any Avatar crap or any of that nonsense. Maybe later he'd sneak off just to walk around a little, enjoy himself some. "There is nothing around here! Even my home town had some stuff worth seeing," Katsu voiced aloud, unknowingly speaking to Siku's woes as they wandered about. Not a single inn yet, and no large charter ships like those in Republic City for transit. At best they could probably get a fisherman to take them across, though that was asking an awful lot for such a small vessel. If they could just get lucky enough and find a decent craft then they could somehow pay for it, yet so far there was no obvious signs of anything they could use. Sighing to himself he wondered it they should consider traveling further inland, maybe they could find a larger town and go from there. That might be a decent plan, but it would have to wait. A distressing sound grabbed the group's attention just then, the sound of a child crying, and it simply could not be ignored. Were it an adult or even someone their age he might turn a blind eye, but Katsu didn't have it in him to ignore some kid. Frowning uncertainly he started walking towards the source of the crying, taking cautious glances down each street they passed as if paranoid something more might be going on. "Hey kid...? What's wrong, why you crying?"</s>	<\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku refused to give him the time of day. He clearly didn't know the first thing about water bending, let alone science. The amount of water in the air was so slight that harnessing it was an ability acquired only by masters and only useful when there were no other options. Katsu was off before she had even heard the child. She furrowed her brow at the sound as it finally reached her - the hell was it? She placed a hand on her sheath and started after the Avatar, hoping to God they weren't already facing a trap in the form of a child. She came to a halt just behind Katsu. A young boy of no more than six rested in the back street, his face buried between his knees. It sounded like he was holding his breath every few moments before it was let out raggedly. He looked up, wiping at his face when he saw Katsu, though his eyes remained bloodshot. "O-oh... Uh... I..." He sputtered, flinching as though each word hurt to say. "M-my dad... he said to run... So I did... There were men... He tried to tell them to leave..." He tucked his face back into his knees, "But... they just came in. I don't know what they want... I think my family's in trouble..." Siku's lip curled back slightly, a gentle scraping sound coming from her sheath as she drew her dao. "Let's get going, then," She said, still wary of a possible trap. She felt paranoid, but it wasn't like she was going to abandon the boy either. In this quiet town, though? Who would be attacking his home? She lowered her voice beside Katsu, "Right behind you." The boy flinched, staring at her sword and starting to crawl away slightly. The intimidating glint of the bright steel was off-putting as the set sun and already-bright moon struck its surface. When he noticed Asha, however, he lightened up, feeling calm when he realized that a young person trusted these two enough. And the white-haired man gave him a sense of security too, though he knew not why. Siku, on the other hand, was giving him chills and he shakily rose to his feet. "This... this way," He said, moving at a brisk walk down the road. He led them out into the open street, down a few roads, and right outside the edge of the town on the coast. The ocean stretched far off into the distance, shimmering under the light of a million stars. Beneath its surface, countless fish of countless varieties swam, blissfully unaware of how easy it could die within the next few minutes. The water lapped hungrily at the shore's edge, never getting any nearer to swallowing it than it was with the previous lick. "It's the one on top of the hill," The boy stated, pointing ahead. It didn't seem like much from the outside, but looks could be deceiving. He took off up the hill for the home, but as he was about to shout, Siku grabbed his arm and put a finger to her lips. "Sh." She hushed, releasing him and bending a stream of water over her left arm as she started up the hill, looking at Katsu before nodding toward the front door. She was going around back. "Asha, up top," She instructed, "See if you can find a way in up there, or come through a window when you hear us going in, alright?" The swordswoman crouched and gave the house a large radius as she moved around the house, coming up to the rear door. For a moment, she debated knocking, but finally decided to just slowly open the door. The little boy stood directly behind Katsu, however, feeling safer with him. Siku crept through the door with her blade at the lead, taking small steps into the first dark room. Her eyes narrowed in the darkness, Where... is everybody?</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Today went the same as any other day as a resident at Air Temple Island. Asha got up, did her morning routine, went to her classes, then after that practiced her air bending; in all honesty the routine was getting a bit boring, especially after years of doing the same thing, day after day. Of course there were other days that weren't so scheduled, but since most of her life was about discipline and respect, there wasn't much to do to ramp up the excitement...Until she turned thirteen. Once at that age, the monks of the Island decided that boys and girls were allowed to go into Republic City to visit and do other activities, but not without a strict curfew. Asha was grateful to be an air bender and really did enjoy it, but getting to go and experience other things off the Island was a real treat; she got to see all sorts of things and all different kinds of people, even if some were sketchy; but hey, that was life right? It was later in the evening now and she was getting ready for her dinner out with a friend in the city, at a nice Fire Nation restaurant. She had never been before and was rather excited about getting to go. She put her hair into her usual hairdo, in low pony tails. As she made her way off of the Island on the boat, she thought about asking the monks of the Island to extend her curfew, so that she could experience more of the night life that Republic City had to offer. Nothing too extreme of course, but just to walk around during the night seemed fun. Once she got off of the boat (she could have glided but it would have been a bit more tiring) she immediately began her trek to the district the restaurant was in. She knew the name of it, thankfully, and was going to meet her friend there. The brunette looked around as she walked, taking in the sights the city had to offer; it never seemed to get old as the city was constantly changing as well as it's residents. Asha spotted the restaurants glowing sign and smiled happily and quickly walked over towards the door and stood near it, waiting. She looked up from the ground when she heard a loud thud, as if someone had hit the hard concrete, and spotted her friend. "Siku!" she exclaimed, running over towards her and the boys who she seemed to be acquainted with. The older boy looked familiar, but sadly she couldn't remember his name; the boy on the ground however she had never met in her life. "Uh...is everything okay?" Asha asked, looking up at Siku and the older boy, glancing between the two. She glanced down at the boy on the ground and cocked her head to the side. "Are you hurt?" she then asked him, bending down to help him up.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu was feeling pretty darn good about today's job, having gotten away from the officers easily and now being on his way to pawn off his haul. Of all the things he'd ever taken a badge was a bit on the stranger side, if only because it was so oddly specific. He didn't know who was buying it or why, nor did he particularly care. Alfonso found him clients and he grabbed the goods, it was a nice little arrangement that saw everyone taken care of and, more importantly, gave him something to do. Smiling proudly as he stuck the badge back into his picket he began a jog back to his hideout, in no particular rush to get there. Maybe he was being a little overconfident in that regard, as his attire stuck out in a crowd; a brown, short sleeved jacket with golden cuffs on the arms and a high collar, a pair of gloves of a similar color scheme, a set of pants which fell just to his shins and a pair of black sandals. Coupled with a bag on his waist that was filled with tools of the trade and he wasn't exactly making any efforts to conceal his identity, and why should he? If anyone tried stopping him he'd get away again, he always did. Well, someone had in fact managed to stop him, but not in the sense he was thinking of. Rounding a corner and being in a bit of a daydream he hadn't noticed a pair coming out of a building, tripping over something and getting a good smack to the back to boot. Letting out a surprised yelp Katsu fell forward, rolling awkwardly right into a mailbox and wincing as his head audibly bounced off of the metal. What in the world had he just run into? Wincing as his hands shot up to his head he turned around annoyed, glaring up at the pair he'd run across. "Hey, watch where you're going you-" he began, shutting up immediately recognizing who it was. "Heh... H-Hey Siku, long time no see! Me? Oh I'm just... Getting some exercise in, that's all! Gotta stay in shape, you know?" Laughing uneasily he rubbed the back of his neck, wishing that for once Siku would be daft enough to take his lame excuse and just let it go. Well she didn't criticize him for it this time, but only because Hiresh had that front covered. Glancing over at the metal-bender his expression changed, frowning as he crossed his arms stubbornly and turned his head away. "Get off your high horse, Hiresh, I've done nothing wrong. Like I said, I'm out for a jog, that's all." What a pain in the ass cops could be, always harassing him like this. Okay, so maybe he had technically done something illegal just now, but even when he was just out and about they still bothered him! Shifting to get up from the ground Katsu froze when the sound of metal hitting the ground confused him, turning his head to see the badge had fallen out of his pocket. Staring at it dumbfounded for a moment he glanced back at the others, a sheepish grin appearing on his face before he hurried and stuck it back in his bag. "Oh that? It's just a toy, you see. Yeah, a replica. I got a job to uh... Get this kid a toy badge, so they can play. See the kid's sick and all so his folks are busy caring for him and can't get him the toy, so I was asked..." Oh jeez, he just couldn't win today could he? Now someone else was coming over to the group, but at least it was someone he didn't recognize. Kind of cute actually, though his hopes sort of deflated when he heard her calling for Siku. Great... She knows her! Evidently however she didn't know him, which could play to his advantage if he was careful. Watching as she came over and offered him a hand he lowered his head to hide a grin, pretending to dust himself off. "Oh I'm fine, thanks. I just tripped is all, and these two were making sure I'm alright," Katsu explained, smiling charmingly as he took Asha's hand and got to his feet. Hm, a little young maybe, definitely younger than any of them. Would it be safe trying to charm her with Siku standing right there? If he could get in good with the girl then he'd have a cover, this could work to his advantage. Reaching out he took one of Asha's hands in his, bowing slightly to her before giving a playful wink. "But I should ask how are you, my charming beauty? My day just became a whole lot better once you graced us with your presence. What's your name?"</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku beamed at the smaller girl headed their way, "Asha! Glad you could make it, punctual as always," She pointed out pleasantly, patting the girl's head before scowling back down at Katsu. She released the girl and smacked the back of his head, leaning forward to glare closely at him, "Don't even try to play it smooth you antagonizing dolt. Get off the ground, dust yourself off, we're going to eat. You damn well better be hungry," she warned him before softening her gaze and looking to Hiresh, "Is there a problem with that?" "Many..." The guard pointed out with more than a little irritation, "I saw that badge - you try anything, kid, you're dead. And I'll be confiscating that right now for inspection. Hand it over," He said without joking, his palm reaching out for the badge. Siku rolled her eyes, "You're not working right now, Hiresh. You're with us, c'mon," She said, pulling the boys along to the restaurant, "The food here is simply divine." Katsu could escape the police, but she'd be damned if he were going to get away from them. The four were lead into a very busy, but clearly expensive dining hall which would make both of the boys feel painfully underdressed. Namely because neither was actually invited. The lady at the podium was dressed in fiery orange and red, greeting them with a warm smile. "Reservations?" She asked, looking to her list as she waited for a name. "Tsukiko. And I know it says two on there, but we each got a plus one, sorry for not calling ahead, can I reserve a four-top?" The water bender asked curiously, looking up to the surprisingly tall hostess with pleading eyes. However, the woman didn't even look at her. "T-tsukiko, right," she started, scrolling down the list as if she didn't know the exact details behind the name already. "You wouldn't happen to be the ambassador's daughter, would you?" The woman asked, clearly nervous. "Yeah, papa's always working, so he's not here tonight. This is just me and my friends." It was now that Siku noticed the woman's slightly tanned skin and she stifled a small giggle - a Water Tribe woman working in a Fire Nation restaurant in Republic City. This place was full of anomalies. "Well, I'm more than happy to find you a larger table," The woman replied, shifting some things around in her list, giving it another look, and finally nodding approvingly. "Perfect! You're all fixed up, follow me." The quartet was led to a round booth in a private corner of the restaurant. They wouldn't feel excluded from the floor and it would be easy for a waitress to see them, but it was certainly more secluded. "Thank you, ma'am," Siku chirped, sliding into the comfy padded bench to the middle, followed by Hiresh. She rolled her eyes as they all took a seat and were passed menus. "Doesn't it get a little... I don't know, awkward? How just your name gets you anything you want?" Hiresh asked finally, his eyes not leaving his menu. "Huh?" Siku asked, put off by the question as she rubbed the back of her neck. "N-not really... I mean, it's not like I'm always using it to get ahead, right? It's just my name. What people do with that is up to them, not me. I like to think that being nice to them makes them nice back. A charming smile goes a long way, 'Reshy," She teased, poking his side. He snorted with a frown, "I think there's more privilege there than you realize, Miss Tsukiko." The girl shook her head and looked to Asha, puffing out her chest and mocking him with lip-syncing and crossed eyes for a moment before scanning her menu again. "Let's see here... Ooh, I know what I'm getting," She said, folding up her menu and setting it down. She'd eaten here several times, so it was really just a decision between a couple of items. To Katsu, it was quite clear that Hiresh was going out of his way to watch him over the edge of his menu as he picked his food, the glare almost palpable between them.</s>	<\|message\|>Asha When Asha walked over she smiled a bit shyly when Siku patted her head, then when she went to help the boy up from the ground, Siku smacked him on the back of the head, which made her eyes widen. Did he really deserve that? Woah, city life was tough if this was a typical night out! She smiled apologetically at the boy who had just gotten smacked as they walked inside. The boy seemed very charming, if him using his 'smooth moves' on her was anything to go by. She blushed a little, which she hid behind her hand, covering it up with a small giggle. She then noticed that the boy who had a little squabble with Siku was now joining them for dinner. Asha didn't mind, but she did not know this boy and was inclined to at least get to know his name, for informational purposes, of course. When they were seated with a four person table instead of two, Asha was forced to sit next to the stranger, which made her back stiffen in anxiety. How was she supposed to act, now? A cute boy was sitting right beside her and she had never had lessons on how to deal with this kind of situation. Play it cool? Was that what all the other kids said at the Island? Yeah...that was right, just play it cool! "So, what is your name? I don't think I got it?" She asked the boy who was getting stared down by the other man who was currently sitting next to Siku. Ah, Hiresh was his name. She would definitely have to remember his name as well. The brunette smiled at Siku when she said she knew exactly what she was getting. "I have no clue what I am getting...is there anything that is vegetarian?" she asked her water bending friend. She would know what was on the menu, the other two she wasn't quite sure; she assumed they were in the same boat as her when it came to knowing this restaurant's delicacies. Asha glanced over her companions at the table to steal a quick view of everyone else at the restaurant. Wow, so many people! They were all dressed up so nicely, which made the brunette feel a bit under dressed...she was in a pair of tan shorts and a simple orange top. If they were to come here again, she would have to remember dress up a bit more.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled a little over at Siku when she said there were plenty of dishes to accommodate for vegetarians; it was nice that the restaurant took those who did not eat meat into consideration. She wouldn't have made a big deal out of it or anything, she would have just munched on some bread, but still, she was really looking forward to trying something on the extravagant menu. She turned her attention again to the boy, who she learned was named Katsu, and giggled a little when Siku said her name for her. Siku didn't seem very approving of how Katsu was talking to her, but she didn't mind, it was interesting to see how everyone interacted differently towards one another. Asha looked into Katsu's eyes and blushed a little, "Nice to meet you, Katsu." Asha briefly wondered if anyone found it odd that she didn't carry a last name. Some air benders who lived a more modern life style had one, but since she was taught in the ways of the older teachings, she did not have one. It was always sort of funny to be introduced to someone new and always have them ask for her full name, not realizing that she had honestly just given all of it. Siku had seemed to notice her fidgeting and her face turned a bit red again in embarrassment. "Thanks, I appreciate the offer," she said with a small smile. She did feel very under dressed in this establishment, but tried not to let it get to her so much. Like Siku said, most people understood a traditional air bender way. Finally she found something on the menu she was excited to try, and noticed the server was already at their table, waiting to take their orders. She told the server what she would like politely and then waited for the rest to order, wanting to get back to talking to everyone; it was so much fun to be able to chat with other people. Of course she loved her family and friends back at the Island, but it was always refreshing to get to meet someone new and get to know their life story.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu was trying really hard to be civil here, but Siku wasn't making it easy for him. He would hardly go into a fit of rage or anything when provoked, but while trying to put on a front to trick Asha he couldn't be saying anything off color. So long as he behaved the right way and said the right things the Air bender ought to have no reason to suspect anything of him, and already he could see he was having an effect on her. "Hey, I am clean and proper. The only bit of dirt on me is when I ran into Hiresh," the thief pointed out, smirking as he glanced across the table at the officer, "Sorry for that, by the way. I know neither of us have apologized for the accident but I figured I'd take the first step." Heh, and paint himself in a better light by seeming the bigger man while he was at it. Their server had been awfully prompt in retrieving their order, much to Katsu's delight. While he might not care terribly much for luxuries there was always time for food, and it made little difference to him whether it was five-star dining or a little sandwich shop on the corner, food was food. Of course the food here was less liable to make you sick, and you knew where the meats came from, but he couldn't see himself coming here often. The whole place just stunk of snobby people, like everyone here had something to prove. Another reason he rather disliked the rich, even with all they had they still felt a need to act like they needed more, or deserved more. A little humility wouldn't kill them, though then again considering how hard it was for some to get it perhaps it would. Just as swiftly as their server had seen to them did their food arrive, and loathe as he was to admit it the food looked very good. Probably cost a small fortune for every bite, but then when you weren't paying for it caring was well beyond the thief. Taste wise... Eh, honestly it was alright. Katsu had eaten better food before and at less reputable places, here it just seemed like you were in part paying for the name and all of the fancy surroundings. Nonetheless he cleaned his plate, having to very closely mind his otherwise voracious eating behaviors in front of Asha. Normally he'd go to his food like a wild animal to its first meal in a month, it was just how he learned to eat. When you sometimes had to run from wherever you were you learned to do things quick, and inhaling half a pound of food in about a minute just so happened to be one of those things. Thankfully though he managed to draw it out, still finishing before anyone else but doing so in an orderly fashion. By the time everyone had finished he sat lazily in his chair, a smile on his face and hands folded over his now full stomach. "Wow... Thanks for that Siku, it was great!" Katsu said, grinning as he looked across at the Water Bender. He'd not expected to be treated to a meal, in fact he was still a bit confused as to why he had been brought along at all. It would have been just as easy for Siku to send him off and explain things to Asha, he was certain that's what she would have done. So why take him along? Inevitably the Fire Bender's mind only settled on one possibility, squirming slightly in his seat as he hid a knowing smile behind his hand, coughing to mask it. She's totally into me... She just can't admit it! he thought smugly, glancing over at Hiresh. Tough luck for him, the officer probably had a thing for Siku. She was pretty, sure enough, and the fact that she had a bit of money didn't hurt either. Were it only the three of them here he might well flirt with Siku just for kicks, see how far he could take it in a public place before she snapped or attacked him for it. But he wasn't looking to cause a scene, and besides, there was Asha to see to. Belching quietly into his arm the Fire Bender turned to his side, smiling sweetly as he reached over and placed a hand on Asha's. "So... You're an Air Bender, that's really interesting. I've never met an Air Bender before, certainly not one as pretty as you are," he said, giving her hand a pat before folding both of his own on top of the table. "Tell me a bit about yourself, hm? I hear the Air Temple is supposed to be a really nice place. Lots of discipline, but really nice. Are you from there, or did you move there?" He couldn't quite care much really, but if it helped earn this girl's favor then hey, he'd ask about her dang pet Platypus dog or whatever she might have. Giving Asha a moment to gather her thoughts Katsu glanced back over at his gracious host, winking mischievously as he did so. In a way he was saying 'Go ahead, do something, make a scene.'</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko "That little runt over there?" A young man only a table or two away asked. "There's no way it's him..." "Shut up. Look, I know you're new, but try to be professional. We just watch," Their voices were rather low, but the older one seemed to be a bit agitated with his 'friend.' His voice returned to normal, "So how's your wife?" He asked with a laugh, "Still nagging you about taking care of the laundry this week?" The younger of the two seemed a bit confused before realizing his position, "Well, yeah," He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That honeymoon phase never lasts as long as you want it to, eh?" "Never!" He replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I got away without doing it this time, though. We have our days..." The conversation faded into the background as the waitress came back to Siku & co.'s table. The girl seemed slightly nervous as she placed the tray on a stand and began to set the dishes down at the table, naming each one as she passed it to their recipient. Siku, however, had heard the conversation nearby - she often heard other people talking about her with the assumption that she wasn't listening. It ended with some hurt feelings sometimes, when she'd hear her friends the moment she was gone, but it was something you learned to deal with when others were so jealous. Honestly, she didn't care until their conversation suddenly shifted... That was strange. "Hiresh," She started, looking over, "Keep your eyes up..." She was a little bit nervous, sure, but it wasn't like anybody would try anything out here, in front of a bunch of people. She'd been in similar situations before; her family had money, it wasn't really avoidable when she lived such a high profile lifestyle. She didn't have her waterskin with her... or her dao, she realized. Of course, she didn't carry it with her into public often, but she was allowed to wear it for ceremonies and in formal attire. Most people thought it was just a decoration, but she treasured it beyond what was likely considered 'normal.' The metal bender looked around, suddenly more alert as he tried to pick up suspicious conversation around them. Everybody seemed normal, but the air did feel a bit more tense when one paid close attention to it. Siku looked to Katsu as he reached for Asha's hand and sighed, she'd slap him if she wasn't more occupied otherwise. The tables around them began to shift and their waitress - in fact, most of the staff - was nowhere to be found. The pairs and groups around them started to rise and brush themselves off professionally, every door suddenly had somebody standing by it. Some of them had waterskins, others just looked ready for... something, it was hard to say. Siku looked to others at the table, "Hiresh, we gotta get out of here..." "The doors are blocked, Siku... If we make a scene now, they'll know we know, just eat." He ordered, leaning over his food, "So, Katsu, what do you do for a livi-" Four men stood in front of their table as the leader, the older man from a couple of tables away cleared his throat. Siku leapt to her feet despite the small space between her and the table, shocking most of the people around them as she pushed it forward to the men and it fell to the floor on its side. An aquarium nearby burst as she pulled the water toward herself and she blasted one of them in a surprisingly short moment. It was the youngest, newest guy who was thrown across the room into another booth. "Get the hell away from me you creeps!" She ordered, readying her next attack as the floor in front of Hiresh cracked and a small chunk of earth rose from the floor. "Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down!" The man exclaimed, putting his hands up and starting to laugh. "You okay over there, Hansa? Ha, rookies..." "Urgh... That chick packs a punch, man..." "Shut up and get on your feet." The older man turned to look at Siku, "My apologies, Ms. Tsukiko, we're not here for you though." The girl seemed honestly shocked, "W-what?" Hiresh snickered slightly. "We're from the White Lotus - some of the newer members that just joined in the last few years... We're here for Katsu," He explained, turning to look at the boy, "We were hired after you left... You need to come back - you've spent enough time out here goofing off." Siku furrowed her brow and looked over at her 'friend' ... acquaintance? Person she bumped into? She'd known Katsu for a couple of years - her parents didn't know she'd hung out with him; they'd probably have a hippo cow if they knew she had a friend from that circle. But now... what was the White Lotus doing here for him? Suddenly, her attack maneuver turned to him and she readied it, "What haven't you told me?" Hiresh was up for no joking, however, as the earth shifted and it moved to 'rock' Katsu's feet to the floor, if he didn't move first.</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha was really enjoying herself as she sat and ate a meal with her friends. Although she didn't know Katsu well enough yet, she figured if Siku was friends with him then it was alright for her to be his friend as well. The food came just as quick as it was ordered and she was honestly very surprised at the swiftness the cooks and servers managed everything. The brunette seen that Siku seemed rather preoccupied, her face having an interesting expression on it, meaning she was concentrating on something that wasn't in her direct presence; people at another table, perhaps? She looked beside them at the other tables and seen some older men who seemed to be glancing in their direction every so often. Asha didn't take this to be a threat at all, since Siku was a very rich and well-known person. Katsu asked her some questions and she smiled politely. Blushing when the boy put his hand on one of hers she laughed a little and shrugged. "Oh, it's not really anything too exciting..." Asha began, but was cut off when the men who Siku had been focusing on came closer, causing Siku to attack one of them. She blinked at how fast Siku had reacted and almost squeaked at the show of violence; it wasn't THAT violent, but when you live on an island where people find peace and harmony the only way to live, it is quite a shock. Asha felt very much like a bystander, unsure of whether or not to do anything, but thankfully the strangers put up their white flags as soon as Siku had attacked one of them, and said they were actually there for Katsu. Her eyebrows raised and her heart was pounding in her chest. What were they wanting him for? White Lotus? That sounded awfully familiar. Asha watched as the men talked to the boy about goofing off and the like and cocked her head to the side; this was a lot of excitement just for an evening out for dinner. Siku had turned onto Katsu then, as well as Hiresh, and she stood up. "Hey wait, why are you guys on the offensive towards Katsu? The White Lotus are here for him...I think that means that...he is..." her eyes widened when she had finally realized just why the White Lotus would be after Katsu.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi The meal had been pretty good, now all that was left to do was seduce Asha a bit more. It was probably some awful sin or something to put the works on an innocent temple girl like this, but Katsu really couldn't care less about that. He just needed a little insurance when around Siku, and what better way than to pull the wool over her friend's eyes? The only downside to this that he could imagine was if the girl really took to him, then she might turn up places and put him in really odd situations. Eh, he'd worry about that later though, one thing at a time. Questioning her innocently enough he gave a false smile as she spoke, wondering whether she actually even did anything out there or not; the response would have to wait, as it happened they had some visitors. Katsu had noticed it earlier as well, but he was more than used to being eyeballed by people by now. Cops, he assumed, probably looking for him over his theft not an hour ago. A bit odd they wouldn't be just coming for him here and now, though maybe they just didn't want to cause a scene. Heh, well that was fine then, if he just made a break for it then they'd have to chase, and he could easily escape as he always did. Curiously enough it looked like he wasn't the only one who caught wind of something amiss either, both Siku and Hiresh looked to be on alert. In no uncertain terms one of the men finally approached, and shockingly it wasn't him who reacted first, but the spoiled little Water tribe girl. Watching as she tossed the table then subsequently smacked the guy with water Katsu had to bite his tongue, trying not to burst out laughing at her reaction. Though he had begun to snicker at the scene unfolding before him it hardly lasted. Upon hearing the men identify themselves Katsu's whole demeanor changed, the smile wiping clean from his face as he looked down at the floor in disbelief. The White Lotus, all the way here in Republic City? Well that wasn't too surprising, he knew they operated here, but how? He had been so careful, never leaving a trail or anything and yet somehow they'd cornered him. Damn it, they were insane if they thought he was going back, back to all that training and mundane ritual. He hadn't run all the way here just to return to that boring life, he'd sooner die than do such a thing. Hearing Siku questioning him Katsu glanced up, eying her steadily as he remained silent. So she was going to help them now too, huh? Damn shame, he sort of liked her up until this point. He didn't want to hurt her or anyone here for that matter, but if push came to shove he'd do what he had to in order to escape. Smiling tightly as he shook his head he held up his hands innocently, letting out a faint chuckle. "Siku... Listen..." Before he got another word out Hiresh was making his move, attempting to pin him where he stood. Having none of it Katsu quickly pushed his chair back, knocking it and himself into one of the White Lotus members. Reaching back behind him he grabbed the man's shirt, flipping him over and onto his back before getting out of the chair, grabbing it and blocking a coil of wire with it. They had a metal bender with them, how annoying! Though maybe not... Fire melted metal. Smirking as he tugged on the chain he channeled a bit of energy to his palms, and with a sudden flash the chair lit up, the flames dancing down the length of the wire and forcing the man to sever it. Tossing the burning chair aside he grinned, darting back for the rear door through the kitchen. All around them people were becoming panicked, guests who were still there screaming and making a mad dash for the main exit. Tough luck everyone, come back some other time. Pushing the swinging doors open Katsu quickly stopped, turning around and kicking one to smack one of the White Lotus in the face and knock him away. Then, grabbing one of the tables he pulled it over, placing it before the doors and pushing past the confused kitchen staff as he raced through the room. To his dismay a pair of men came in through the only exit there, neither looking willing to budge for him. Seeing no other option he gathered fire in his hands, punching at them and sending flames in their direction. One was an Earth bender, and readily raised a slab of the floor to block the attacks. No sooner had he lowered it though was Katsu on them, ready to fight his way through. One of the men was much older than he was, with white hair and a long beard that looked deliciously susceptible to catching alight, and the other was maybe a few years his senior. Experienced yet frail and strong yet undisciplined, he had this in the bag, Ducking under one set of grabbing arms he pushed the younger man against the wall, leaning back to avoid a punch from the old man. Smirking smugly he grabbed his arm, pulling him forward and punching him hard in the gut. Katsu derived absolutely no pleasure from fighting, but between going back and doing this there was only one clear option. With the man winded just from one blow he swept his feet out from under him, quickly turning on the younger man and delivering a round house kick to his jaw, knocking him out. Hey, if you were going to sign up for this job you had better be ready for anything, including that. With his only opposition sprawled on the floor he jumped over them, pushing through the back door and into the rear alleyway. Now then... Where did he go from here? There were a few options that he could think of; the fire escape could be taken to the roof, though he loathed to have to get into a spot up there where he might be stuck; the alleys should be fairly safe yet there was no guarantee they didn't have a perimeter, so what was left? Looking around he spotted a manhole cover, immediately racing over to it and grabbing hold of the edge, and with a grunt of effort he managed to lift it off and move it aside. A few more White Lotus men were coming out to the street, but by the time they had gotten there he was already going down the ladder, having slipped the cover back over the manhole. So long as no one saw him do that he ought to be in the clear.</s> <\|message\|>Hiresh Sudhir "Oh, hell no!" The water bender exclaimed as Katsu pulled an escape maneuver from nowhere. He was actually pretty good, though his bending was sub-par. The form was all off and his execution was rough while his close-quarters fighting was far more impressive. Siku felt a hand wrap around her bicep and begin to pull her away. "Hands off, Hiresh!" She snapped, ripping away from him and using the small bit of water to splash his face as she took off after Katsu. Slipping between a few White Lotus members who were scrambling to regain their wits, she blew threw the kitchen doors. She made it just in time to see him fleeing another scene of groaning Lotus members. "Geeze, you guys must be new! Can't fight worth a damn," She muttered. "Well he'd recognize us if we weren't!" They argued, but she wasn't even listening. A grin spread across her lips as her friend took to the sewer and she followed closely behind. She came right up to the edge of it and, instead of even thinking of trying to lift it off, she let her bending do the work. Katsu was quite likely to notice the flow of the water as she drew it from the sewer and used it to raise the heavy cover before she herself dropped in. With a loud CLANG! the metal plate dropped back into place and before even dismounting the later, Siku had it frozen to the ground. Hiresh wouldn't be able to lift it and they'd only be able to get in if one of the water benders could tell how she sealed it. Asha could certainly find some way in here. Not that they'd be hidden long... As he feet touched the ground, she looked up one direction and down the other for Katsu, her voice bouncing so heavily off the walls that it shook even the rats to their very mangy core. "Katsu, get over here, NOW!" She heard his footsteps, took stock of direction, and chased after the sound. Spotting him just ahead, a wave of sewer water rose and aimed to tackle him into the wall, her arm sweeping out along her side with incredible precision. Honestly, she cringed at the thought of being doused in the water. This was his fault. "Don't tell me to listen, you little scumbag!" ----- Hiresh blinked as she took off, a bit shocked at her adamant resolve to get away from him. Was he really so bad? He looked to Asha with a small smirk, "So much for a nice dinner out, huh?" Just as he was about to chase after Siku, the older White Lotus member who had first confronted Katsu was thrown into the far wall by a rogue air current. "You old bastard, you can't even do your own job. Bunch of good this lot is, you guys can't even bring your own charge back to your 'super secret compound.'" Hansa snorted, clearly recovered from any move he'd been thrown. More than half of the other 'new' White Lotus members turned on the others, catching them by surprise with their own attacks of varying elements. Hansa grinned to the small airbender in the hall, "See? You don't have to be a goody-goody to airbend," He taunted as the restaurant erupted with elements blasting into one another and the warriors of the room. By now the entire clientele had made it the hell out of there, but Hiresh felt a need to do something. Siku would be fine and chasing her at this point would be pointless. "Hey, kid, get outta here, the Air Temple would find a way to have my badge if they knew I didn't try to get you out. Unless you think you can handle yourself here." His lips curled up slightly into a smirk, clearly excited to finally be able to do his job as a pair of cables blasted out from behind him and whipped the nearest aggressor directly in the chest, leaving a bright pink lash that would slowly turn red. Hiresh didn't care as much for apprehension as the others of the force - he wasn't murderous, but there was a certain fun to a fight that didn't require him 'tying up' his cables, as it were.</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Things happened so fast after the little encounter with the group of suspicious looking men coming to their table. She was surprised to see the White Lotus there, addressing Katsu. What could they have wanted with him? Was he really a criminal of some sort? Sure, he did look like he was someone liable to make a few illegal actions here and there, but he didn't seem bad conscious wise. For a split second, Katsu and Siku were standing right where they had been sitting, the next moment, they were gone, running off towards the kitchen, Katsu no doubt looking for an escape route. She was left staring blankly at the dust they left; it was just her and Hiresh and she was honestly a bit apprehensive on what was about to happen next. Some of these men seemed mean-spirited and she didn't trust all of them...especially when the air bender used his bending to hurt another person. The brunette took a small step back, uncertain on what to do. Hiresh joked about how their dinner had turned into a sour evening, and despite her fear, a small smile appeared on her lips at his attempt to make the situation a little lighter. "No, don't worry about me, I can't leave someone who is in need of assistance!" Asha told Hiresh, getting into an air bending stance that was typical of most air benders; the older man probably knew what she had up her sleeve, but damn it, she was going to try her hardest to help Hiresh out. "Come at me!" The brunette shouted, the adrenaline in her veins making her feel weird and a bit eccentric. A man, despite her young age, decided to give it a go and attack her, which she easily dodged and threw the man into the restaurant's wall with air so forceful it caused the wall to crack. Asha squeaked a bit at how hard she had hit the man with her attack and pressed her hands close to her chest. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" She said, but gasped when she seen another man coming at her with an attack that she knew she couldn't dodge.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Hiresh Sudhir "What am I doing?!" Her face turned red with sincere agitation, "I cannot believe you think you have the right to ask me what I'm doing! I'm not the one running from the White Lotus!" For every fireball coming her way, the girl effortlessly countered with an aqueous torrent of her own, causing the elements to dissipate mid-air. It simply left the sewers smelling more... sewer-y. She wasn't even running at this point; his focus was on that ladder and he was a fool for even thinking it. The moment he was on the third rung, Siku rotated a full three-hundred and sixty degrees, another simple blast of water following her movements aimed square for the space between his shoulder blades. "You're not going anywhere until you explain yourself," She spat venomously, "Where do you even think you're going? Do you know how long they've been around? Probably ages. Do you think you ever really left their sight? They're highly trained, professional protectors of the Avatar... idiot," her stride didn't break as she walked down the 'hallway' of the underground sewers. "Like you can run anywhere that they don't have eyes watching for you." She was starting to relax, rolling her eyes now, she was more than willing to help him to his feet if he wasn't going to bolt off again. "Look, I'm not trying to turn you over, Katsu, I just wanna know what the hell is going on. Why would the Lotus be chasing you?" Clearly, the truth hadn't quite clicked to her. In fact, it was obvious she was doing everything she could to reject the truth. Simply put: Katsu could not be the Avatar. He must have stolen something from the Lotus; there could be no other explanation. ----- Hiresh reeled back, a hand on his nose, "You ass!" He shouted, blood dying the skin of his palm quickly. "Ugh, disgusting..." Spitting on the floor, the metalbender regrouped and stepped forward, back into the fight with the up-close airbender. It was a pretty new experience for him, seeing as more often than not the Air Benders kept to their home lifestyle. There were many who didn't, they just weren't very common. What in the hell was happening here? Hiresh made contact with the man's solar plexus, doubling him over, before executing a well-practiced downward bow. His attacker was on the floor, unconscious, in the next moment. Who did he hear apologizing..? Oh, dammit! He stomped his foot just in time to bring a slab of rock up in front of Asha, causing a blast of fire to ricochet into the wall. It dropped to the floor and Hiresh took two rapid steps forward, launching both of his cables from his sides into the aggressor, binding him rather than striking this time. "Leave your work at home, she said... Don't bring your uniform, she said..." He grumbled in agitation, "I didn't even bring my radio... stupid!"</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "And I can't believe you think you have anything to do with this!" Katsu shouted back, growing a bit agitated as he threw a hand aside dismissively, "Stay out of my business, will you?" Seriously, what was she getting mad at him for? This had been his life for as long as he'd been away, so to him this was nothing new. It just seemed like whatever he did was wrong in Siku's eyes though, which begged the question of why in the heck she had to show up everywhere. It was like fate was being cruel to him by forcing the two of them to be around one another! Damn it, if she just stayed back in the restaurant then he would be long gone by now, but no, she just had to be persistent. In a bit of a fit Katsu struck out with his firebending, something he rarely did when fighting someone; fire was very dangerous, that went without saying, and most of those he dealt with were not benders. Even the police he generally tried to limit his bending, worried that he might cause some serious damage if it got out of hand. It wasn't going to stop Siku and he knew that, but all he needed was a bit more space to make a break for it. Could she keep up with him if he ran? He doubted it, he spent plenty of time slipping around the city and was awfully practiced in making quick escapes. With a flurry of blasts he made a bolt for one of the nearby ladders, hoping the fire would buy him enough time to scramble up and away. Unfortunately, it didn't, and he'd not even get halfway up before he'd come crashing back down. Katsu felt something powerful strike him right in the back, gasping as the force smacked him into the ladder, his head hitting one of the rungs and making him lose his grip as he fell back down onto his feet. A bit winded from the blast he slunk down to a sitting position, soaked and sore as he stared up at Siku. What an annoying girl, just what was she trying to accomplish by doing this? Did she want some reward for turning him in, was that it? She already had it all, what the hell more could she need? Or did she just genuinely dislike him so much that she was going to jump at the first chance to do him in? Hearing her berating him now made his insides boil, having to look away as he worried that he might lash out. "Just shut up already..." the firebender hissed, clenching his hands into fists as he turned his eyes onto the ground, refusing to look at Siku. "Of course I know who they are, I know more than you do. Look at how I live, you think I'm not familiar with them?" There was more to it than that though, he had intimate experiences with the White Lotus that no one else in the world did. Hearing Siku speaking to him as though he was clueless really pissed him off, she had no idea. Did people think the Avatar got a cushy life? That because you were chosen you had the White Lotus provide and wait on you constantly? They did to a point, but there was also the training. Hard, grueling, unforgiving training. That aside some members resented their service to the Avatar, and he'd more than had his fair share of attacks and problems with some people. This life he led now, being a thief, at least now he was happy. She wasn't going to turn him in? Seriously? Then why chase him all the way down here? If she wanted to know she could have asked them, or found him when all of this blew over. No, instead she had to mess it all up, get in his way and potentially cost him his freedom. And for what? Curiosity? Katsu was glad to know what little his personal wants was worth to Siku, that she would put him in such a bad position just to learn what was going on. Clenching his teeth angrily he forced a bitter smirk, a shadow obscuring his eyes as he lifted a hand and wiped his face clean of some water. "You want to know why they're after me...? You did all of this just to know why?" Katsu asked, finally glancing up with venom in his gaze as he looked at Siku disdainfully. "Because they want to drag me away. Because they want to force me into a life I don't want to live, to do things I don't want to do. I'm happy here Siku, living how I live. I like the people that I work with and I enjoy what I do for a living. If they catch me then all of that goes away, everything I've done over the last few years means nothing. So do you get it yet? Do you know why they're after me?" Shaking his head angrily Katsu climbed to his feet, taking a step towards Siku as he pointed to himself, "It's because I am the Avatar!"</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko The girl paused, visibly flinching at his exclamation. A few awkward moments of silence passed before she snickered. A hand instantly shot to her mouth as the giggle grew to a laugh and she shook her head. "Oh, no, don't... Katsu, that's... Heh... That's not funny," She said, still trying to fight the laughter. "Seriously..." However, his expression didn't change. Oh, god, he wasn't being serious, was he? Did he really think he was the Avatar? Was that why the Lotus was here? She calmed down and shook her head again, "Really? If you're the Avatar why didn't you fight with anything but fire? You could have easily overpowered me. An Avatar would have better bending form than that too, I would hope. Plus, you've been here for years now... I mean, I know you've been here since at least shortly after I got here, maybe longer, I just know we met around then. So how could you be the Avatar? That would mean you 'escaped' the Lotus like they were some kind of... prison guard. Plus, you're a thief! Why wouldn't you want to be out learning anything new? That'd be lazy and dumb," She said blankly, shrugging her shoulders. "Do you know how much fun that would be? There's so much, and an Avatar can learn all the elements - anything. Even you aren't that stupid," The girl explained, crossing her arms with a smug grin. "To answer your first question - yeah. To know why. I love why, thank you very much." She met his gaze... Why did he look so agitated? "You know as well as I do how bad you are at lying - you couldn't pull this one off in a million years. I'm sure you barely convinced Asha that badge is a toy; nobody else bought it. Now c'mon, what're they doing coming aft-" "THERE HE IS!" Three men had come running down into the sewers after them, and none of them looked like the nice White Lotus fellows from upstairs. A small block of wall blasted from beside one of them as set his feet and launched it down the corridor as the one directly beside him picked up the pace, readying a punch as a small flame was ready just in front of his fist, prepared to launch. The third man was on the other side of the water way - he was likely the one that made it possible to get down here. It was a bit obvious as he targeted Siku herself, creating a small flurry of sewer-made ice spikes, launched promptly for her. Sure that Katsu was reacting as quickly as she was, the girl sidestepped. However, one small miscalculation caused her to slip off the edge and into the water between the walkways. Resurfacing quickly, she spit out a mouthful of water and shook her head. "Oh my fucking god, what the hell?! Ew, it was in my mouth... Ew, ew...." She cried out, making a small spinning motion to lift and hop out of the canal onto the side of the hall with the opposite water bender. Her face was more determined than her whining had made it seem as the man across from her readied another attack.</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha almost felt the brutal heat of fire, if it weren't for Hiresh and his quick reflexes. She sighed in relief when the older boy threw up some earth to protect her from the flames. "Thank you so much, Hiresh! I would have been a melted human being!" she exclaimed, her heart fluttering faster than it had ever ran before. The brunette heard Hiresh talking to himself after that little rescue and decided to try and finish off the mean fire bender that tried to cinder off her existence. "Take that!" she yelled, throwing a whirlwind of air towards the man, picking him up off the floor and twirling him through the air, dizzying him; he didn't get up after that. "And stay down, butthole," she murmured before looking over at Hiresh, who had seemingly taken care of the others. "I believe that Siku chased after Katsu, following him into the sewers. Don't ask how I know that...I just...can feel them," Asha said, a little bewildered at her own knowledge. It was true that some air benders were capable of spiritual projection...but Asha honestly didn't think that she would ever be someone who would be able to do such an ability. She motioned for Hiresh to follow her lead, down into the nasty sewers in pursuit of his charge. "I think they went down this way," Asha added, following the path that she felt knew to be correct. Sooner than later, they began to hear sounds of people yelling and then sounds of water splashing, indicating a fight. "It's them!"</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha This was just supposed to be a fun dinner evening out with a friend and now it had turned into a very weird chase after a young boy whom she didn't even fully know yet. Asha almost felt like this was way too much excitement for someone who had lived a life more or less in solitude. Although the young brunette wasn't quite sure how she could feel where the two they were looking for were at, but Hiresh decided to believe in her, so they went towards the entrance of the sewers. Apparently this was the right way, since when Hiresh attempted to take off the manhole cover, he discovered it was frozen tight; Asha had a pretty darn good guess of who was responsible for that, and her suspicions were correct when Hiresh muttered Siku's name in irritation. She waited patiently while the older of the two pried open the cover, allowing her to jump down first. It was an extremely easy task for her, but she waited for Hiresh to slide down the latter so that they could continue their search together. Finally, they found two forms in the sewer, along with a few unconscious bodies. Asha sighed in relief at the sight of both of her friends (yeah she more or less decided that Katsu was a friend) and ran up to them, the sewage water sticking to her shoes. "Oh thank goodness, you guys are okay!" she exclaimed, almost wanting to give Siku a hug, but was afraid that it wasn't the time for such affections. After seeing that the two were more or less alright, she glanced down at the men who were laying in the nasty water, watching as Hiresh cuffed them up. She had some guesses as to why these men were after Katsu, but didn't want to assume anything before hearing from the boy first. Well, it appeared that Siku was willing to tell them just what was going on, as she had exclaimed that Katsu was the Avatar. Asha cocked her head to the side, staring at the boy with calculating eyes. It was odd that she had not heard of who exactly was the Avatar, seeing as there was always one around. Asha was honestly a bit surprised when Hiresh turned into super cop mode, wanting to get Katsu to safety as soon as possible. She smiled at the older boy with respect, seeing as how he could put aside his own dislikes when it came to someone's well being. "We could always go to Air Temple Island...no one really patrols that area and not many people can come and go as they please. Well, not without the whole island knowing," She said, the smile still on her face. She knew the other air benders on the island would welcome the Avatar. "I can glide there, but there is a ferry waiting for me to get back. Captain Jin won't leave until I show up...So what do you guys say?" She supposed right now she was grateful to have people looking after her to get back to the island safely...this way everyone could get onto the island without so much as anyone batting an eye; Gliding and carrying one person at a time would look a bit suspicious and weird.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi The combination of Siku messing up his escape, these creeps attacking him and being covered in sewage had Katsu all kinds of agitated right now. All he had wanted to do was go home after today, sell his latest steal and have some dinner with the guys. Instead he was down here in the sewers, crawling around like a rat and fighting with the White Lotus. Honestly, he'd just as soon have taken off if he wasn't sure they would attack Siku too, damn him for having a conscience. The fight between himself and the cronies of the White Lotus didn't last long, and within moments all three men were laying out unconscious from their duel; Katsu reeked of sewage, was hungry still, and now he had a bumbling Water Bender to contend with as well. "Oh, NOW you believe me?" Katsu asked, his annoyance plain in his tone as he looked at Siku, "Yeah, I Earth Bended, and I'm a Fire Bender. Come on Siku, you're smart, what does that mean, hm?" He'd only just made the big reveal moments before, now it kind of felt lackluster. He couldn't even enjoy having shown the girl up either, he was much too annoyed to. Glancing down at himself he scowled, giving his arms and legs a shake fruitlessly to try and get some of the nasty water off. Damn Water Benders, he'd never had a pleasant interaction with them; back when he was training they were always his least favorite, always soaking him and ruining his clothes! "Hey, how's about you make it up to me and dry me off? I'm kind of dripping who knows what over here." Just when things seemed to be calming down some another pair of people decided to joint he party. Katsu very nearly got ready to begin fighting again until he saw who it was, both relieved and annoyed at who he saw. Asha was fine, though he really wished she didn't see him down here, covered in someone else's filth. Having that annoying cop down here though was really just another thorn in his side, he was sure Hiresh wouldn't make this any easier. Sure enough the Metal Bender began questioning him about what went on. I don't have to tell him anything... Just lie, say we were attacked and leave it at that, he told himself, forcing a smile as he got ready to start lying to Hiresh's face. Before he could even get a word out edgewise though Siku started up again, telling the others exactly what he'd wanted to keep from them. "Siku! Really?!" "You might as well go plaster that on a billboard at this point! Or better yet, go ahead and tell your father so the whole world can find out! Hell, we can even go get one of those megaphones, get in the back of a car and go around Republic City screaming 'Hey look, we found the Avatar! Anyone who wants to capture him or kill him come over here!' Jeez!" He just couldn't win today could he? Just one thing after another, and all he'd done was steal a stinking little badge. Seriously, was this all karma for that little theft? Out of annoyance he dug into his pocket and removed said item, reeling back and giving it a toss into the sewers, hearing it clunk off the wall before dropping into the water. "Oh what, you're going to help me now, chief?" Katsu asked incredulously, "Come on, you hate me, why should I expect help from you? Just because I'm the Avatar suddenly I'm not such a bad guy, is that it?" This was exactly why he avoided people finding out, he hated this! He just wanted to be Katsu the thief, not Katsu the runaway Avatar. In the middle of all the discussion he had kind of forgotten that Asha was present, looking over at the Air Bender surprised when she spoke out. "Air Temple Island? You mean where you guys live as monks or whatever? No way, not happening," Katsu replied, shaking his head, "I'm going back to my hideout, relaxing and waiting for this mess to blow over. You all can go home too, do whatever, just... Don't go telling people who I am, got it?" Giving himself one last shake the thief groaned in annoyance, turning and trying to leave. Now he didn't even have his loot for the day, having thrown it in his fit. They didn't exactly need the money anyways, but it felt like a big waste to just throw it away like that.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku crossed her arms, "Make it up to yourself, ass. I've known you for years!" She exclaimed, "You think I'd go tell my dad on you? Please, I could have had the Avatar as my friend all this time - could've taught you waterbending myself!" She pointed out in agitation, "But no, that ship sailed! Goodbye, best teacher ever. Hello pain-in-the-ass-friend-you-like-to-lie-to-about-your-entire-life-as-she-knows-it!" The girl took a deep inhale, clearly running out of breath mid-sentence. As she spoke and the next plan was discussed, the girl lifted an orb of water from the sewer line and it began to bubble in the air, giving off a lot of wretched smelling steam. However, it quickly turned to a perfect, clear complexion and formed into a long, curved shape before flashing to ice in the form of a blade which she artfully caught and hooked through the belt of her dress. It didn't look quite so ceremonious as her real one, but it would hold up well and, as she had no waterskin, made a nice substitute for carrying the water. She turned to Katsu, "You're not going anywhere without guard. How do you know who you can trust apart from the ones that fought with you - whose lives you already put in danger, I might add, without them even knowing who you were." Her arms crossed once more in irritation as she stared daggers at him. She brushed a hand through her hair, fruitlessly shaking it out. Still damp... Ironic how water could make life so much harder than it needed to be, but so much easier. While Siku was making her blade, Hiresh shook his head at Katsu, "You're a VIP now, at least... while Siku vouches for who you are." The metal bender clearly didn't like it any more than Katsu did, "No, it doesn't make you some perfect guy. It makes you some dude who needs to be protected while he's still a little pipsqueak weakling who can bend on what looked like barely a beginner's level up in the restaurant... So yes, I'm going to work toward helping you, but no, I don't like it. You don't want my help? Too bad, it's my job. You don't want to go to the station? Fine, I can't make you anyway, but until this is sorted out, you're life is my responsibility, Avatar Katsu," He almost physically shuddered at the boy's new title, "I don't work for you, I'm just here to make sure nobody gets the better of you." The man didn't care about the badge that was thrown away anymore either. "You want to risk going back to your hideout? Fine, but I'm going too," He said with absolute certainty. Siku looked at the small airbender and nodded, "She's not wrong, that'd be a pretty good place to go... Or just outside the city... I don't see how going to a hideout of thieves is going to be a very good idea..." She shrugged and stared at him, "Wherever you wanna go, Bridge Boy." Finally, she turned to her shorter friend with a look of concern, "Asha, are you sure you're okay? Can't believe this night turned into such a disaster..."</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha just listened to everyone else after her suggestion of going to Air Temple Island. It was predictable that Katsu was not thrilled with the idea, but what better place to be than out of the city's limits? Well, she knew that Air Temple Island was technically still in Republic City, but it was cut off from everyone else, making it a nice secluded spot. Siku seemed to like her idea of going to her home and she was happy that her friend put such trust in her. Sure, they knew each other for quite a while, but they never really got to become really close friends; this made it feel like their relationship was beginning to become more of a real one, which made the brunette pleased. "I am not trying to control your life, Katsu...I am just worried about you. Can you really trust anyone in the city anymore?" she asked, wondering just how many people underground were already aware of Katsu's title in just the short amount of time it was revealed. No doubt the word was spreading from how many people were in the restaurant, and the obviousness of the White Lotus gang. The brunette raised an eyebrow at Hiresh, amused by how much of a trooper he was being at wanting to protect the Avatar, as it was his duty. She was impressed as much as she was amused. Siku and Hiresh were good people, and she was glad to have met them. Asha was startled out of her thoughts when she heard Siku address her concern. "Oh! Yeah, I'm fine...thanks for asking. Just never had so much excitement in my life, and only in one day." The girl smiled and clasped her hands behind her back, waiting for the three of them to make their decision on what to do; if one thing seemed clear, it was that they were going to be a group for a little while.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha giggled a little when Siku had asked if there was a bath or something that she could use; they all could use some soaking after being in the sewers for such a long time. "Sure, there is one in the hut, just let me go and start a fire outside, it will warm the water up." Asha smiled as she went to go to the door to go out back and start the flames, but was interrupted by three knocks on the door and the sound of a man, asking for Katsu. The brunette cocked her head to the side and quickly turned around and looked at everyone else. How did someone know they were here? Were they that noisy coming down here? Asha was at a loss for words, as she didn't want to tell the man no, Katsu wasn't here if it was someone who Katsu held in high regards...she was just downright confused. "How did anyone know we were here? Ugh...did Bo tell them?" Asha smacked a hand against her forehead and puffed her cheeks out in irritation; if something seemed suspicious at all, of course there would be someone to snitch. Bo wasn't a bad person by any means...so someone must have asked him for information...someone must have known that they were coming over here in the first place. "I'm sorry, Katsu," She whispered before standing back from the door to let Katsu make his decision on whether or not to take the old man up on his offer. She briefly wondered what this Yakedo man looked like, but was also scared that this man was going to force Katsu to do something he didn't want to.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu could see what the Water Bender was trying to do for him, he wasn't blind, but no words were going to cheer him up right now. Whether he went back to his home in Republic City wasn't the question, it was whether he ever could have a peace of mind again. He'd thought perhaps foolishly that he was free from the White Lotus, free from their prying eyes, yet evidently they'd known he was there all along. What had they seen? How much of his life had been observed? Feeling uncomfortable he crossed his arms tighter, grabbing at his biceps as he looked out over the water somberly. "That's just the thing though, I hid. All I can do is run and hide..." Katsu responded, sighing as his eyes drooped half-closed, "Adaptable or not, it takes time, Siku, and time may not be a luxury I have if they're after me..." The clock was ticking to get as far from the White Lotus as he could, and he doubted that just being out on the island was going to be enough. How long until they made it out here, he wondered. Minutes? Hours? The discomfort of being hunted made him terribly anxious and paranoid. --- The girls could go bathe first, Katsu was in no particular hurry. At current he was simply sitting along the wall of the hut, legs crossed and away from everyone else. Only Koinu kept him company for the time being, curled up in his lap and occasionally lapping at his master's hand or nuzzling against him to try and cheer him up. He felt even worse than he already did upsetting his pet, if such a thing were possible, but he couldn't do much to lift his mood. What a lousy day this had turned out to be, and he'd barely gotten to say farewell to his gang either; a few members he wouldn't miss too much, but most of them were quite close, like family, and it hurt to have to vanish for an indefinite amount of time without saying goodbye. He didn't know who was going to run things in his absence, but he knew he couldn't worry about that now, it was well out of his hands. Katsu's eyes had begun to grow somewhat heavy from exhaustion when he heard Koinu yelp in alert, lifting his head and frowning disconcertingly. Was the White Lotus here already? Damn it all, they had only been here for about half an hour, how had they been tracked so quickly? Holding his pet against his chest protectively he rose to his feet, eying the door uneasily as he pepped himself up just enough to fight. Expecting the door to simply be blown down he frowned when someone instead knocked, eyebrows raising hearing the voice on the other side. Master Yakedo? But how? When? Of course the old man somehow found him, he should know better than to think he could escape Yakedo. While he held no personal grudge against his former teacher he felt wary due to his association, and therein of itself was enough reason to not respond at first. Looking over at Asha when she apologized he shook his head, a hard line forming on his lips as he slowly approached the door. "Don't be... Not your fault." There was probably no helping this confrontation, and it was best that he just go along with it if they really were here for him. These three were already in the thick of it, he couldn't well get into a brawl and start destroying things to save his own skin, not on the island. Pausing at the door briefly he psyched himself up for potentially being taken away, inhaling deeply before finally reaching out and opening the door. Katsu expected an entourage of White Lotus, yet to his surprise only Master Yakedo stood there. A bit baffled by this he stepped out of the hut, looking around curiously as Koinu seemed to be sniffing the air for the same purpose. When neither could find anyone else he relaxed, if only slightly, looking back to the old man warily. "Okay, I'm coming, but you had better not let your goons attack them, wherever they are. They have nothing to do with this." He felt crappy enough already, no reason to get someone else hurt because of him.</s> <\|message\|>Grand Lotus Hideki Yakedo Siku smiled brightly, "Thank you, Asha," She said, leaving the room to prepare for the bath. Closing the door to the bathroom behind her, she shed her clothing and folded it neatly, setting it aside. It was unlikely that she would ever really get that smell out of them... A shame too, she really liked them. The girl looked around the room and found a towel, wrapping it around herself as she gave Asha and the water a few minutes to start heating before reaching out and dipping a toe in. "Gah!" She exclaimed, keeping her voice low despite the shock. It was so cold - maybe Asha forgot or it was taking longer than usual. Siku hated to be impatient, but she really hated the feeling that those sewers gave her, so she took a deep breath and brought her hands together and low before swinging them out wide and up to her sides, releasing the breath. The water hissed as steam filled the room. A bit more motion and the steam thickened to a fog-like mist clouding the entire bath. Of course, that was only the surface of the water; the bender had to spend at least another minute focused on the entire bath to get it heated. This wasn't like firebending - water could be cooled in an instant, but heating it took time and concentration. Finally, she felt comfortable enough to set the towel aside and lower herself gently into the bath, letting out a long sigh of relief as the water gradually engulfed her entire frame. She tipped her head back and gently submerged the rest of her body, spending a moment under the surface to ensure that her face and hair were soaked properly. This was paradise - she was so content that she hadn't even heard the knock at the door at the front of the shack. ----- Hiresh stared daggers into the door as Katsu answered it, but the face on the other side was an unfamiliar one to him. The White Lotus might be an official organization, but that didn't mean they broadcast all of their information to everybody. The earthbender only relaxed when Katsu displayed at least a modicum of trust for the man. Yakedo... Where had he heard that name before..? Hideki, on the other hand, watched Katsu's apprehensive approach, allowing the boy all the time he needed. Of course, he lowered himself to a knee and offered his hand to Koinu, giving the small Sabre Fox a chance to recognize his scent. When Katsu finally agreed to join him, Yakedo smiled and gave him a small bow, "Thank you. I promise no harm will come to your friends here. I only know of your arrival because... Well, secrets of the trade." The Lotus teased, though it was hardly a secret... Obviously, somebody on the island had told him. Nobody would be caught being the one who didn't inform the Grand Lotus on any news they had. Once he and Katsu were taking their stroll, leaving the shack behind them, Hideki took a few moments to collect his thoughts before looking down to his young trainee. "You left without finishing your training with me," He observed rhetorically. "Was my teaching style not to your liking?" The discussion was more of a pleasantry, but one that he wished to have nonetheless. "I know I'm a bit stern, but firebending is an art that we cannot take lightly..." ----- Again, Hiresh let out a slightly irritated sigh, watching as the door shut. If that guy took off with Katsu, he could kiss being a cop goodbye... Forever. Looking over to Asha, he shrugged, clearing his throat a bit awkwardly. "So... Airbending..." He observed with a nod, "Cool..." There was a brief, but incredibly awkward pause which followed as he scratched his neck, "You can handle yourself in a fight, I noticed. How far along are you in your training, then?"</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha watched the whole scene unfold between Katsu and his Grand Lotus guy and shifted her weight from foot to foot, an unconscious fidget she did when she was uncomfortable. Koinu seemed a bit uncomfortable as well, but also knew who this man was and wasn't immediately trying to bite the older man, so she figured it was okay for Katsu to be alone with the guy...even if she didn't want him to. She straightened up when she remembered that she had forgotten to heat up the water for Siku. "Ah! Be right back!" She yelled, before running outside the back of the hut, fixing the fire wood and lighting it up, watching as the flames slowly caught onto the wood. She sighed a sigh of relief and silently apologized to Siku for the wait, not knowing that the water bender had already heated up the water for herself. Just as she was going back into the house another thing sparked her memory and she quickly ran into another room, sifting through some drawers. "Aha!" the brunette exclaimed to herself when she found some clothes for Siku to wear; they weren't anything fancy, but it was enough to be considered clothes. She seen Hiresh look a bit uncomfortable as she ran through the hut on her many missions...She was about to open the door to the bathroom when Hiresh began to try and talk to her. This distracted the young girl and she simply set the clothes in front of the door on the outside, not realizing that she hadn't said a word to Siku about it. She walked back out into the main room and couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her lips. "Thanks, your metal bending is pretty awesome, too," she replied, sitting down on a cushion on the floor to continue the conversation. "I don't know how different it is for other forms of bending, but air benders start out learning their craft at a really early age...so I guess I am proficient at air bending? What about you, Hiresh? How far along in your training are you?" the brunette watched as the older boy seemed a bit awkward at trying to keep conversation.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled when she noticed how enthused Hiresh was as he talked about earth bending; he really seemed to love the craft and wanted to become one of the best. She didn't know Hiresh all that well and was happy that she was getting to know him better, even in the face of future danger. "Wow...yeah, I am grateful to have been able to train at an early age. The sooner the better, right?" the brunette said with a small giggle. "The Sudhirs, huh? I will keep that in mind if I go...but I hope we can all go together sometime," Asha replied. She had a strange sense that they were going to be together for quite a while, but didn't want to just out and say that. She didn't want to worry Hiresh over those kinds of things that she only had a 'feeling' over. These feelings were sometimes right, but the future always had a chance to change, so she mostly kept those thoughts to herself. She supposed air benders could have spiritual connections that ran a bit deeper than other benders, but she didn't want to be too confident in that type of thinking; it could be dangerously miscalculated. Asha heard Siku come out of the bathroom and thank her, for which she smiled a huge smile and clapped her hands together. "Of course, Siku! Sorry for starting the fire outside so late, someone kind of came for Katsu..." she said, her smile faltering a bit. She wasn't sure if this man was out to harm him or not, but judging by the way that both Katsu and Koinu perceived the man, she felt that he was harmless, at least for now. "They went out for a walk on the shore," She added, not sure what else to say, since she didn't know the man personally. She just hoped that Siku wouldn't go out and follow them; she was worried too, but she knew that Katsu needed time alone with the man, to talk things out.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "As if I had a choice on that, all of my teachers there were awful," Katsu remarked, frowning as he looked out towards the waterfront, "They were impatient, like they expected me to pick it up right away just because I was the Avatar. Fire Bending is easy, Earth bending I've been practicing, but even then it hasn't been much. So yeah, I'm my own teacher." He still really didn't understand the finer points of Earth Bending at all, and he likely wouldn't until he got a proper teacher; Republic City probably had a whole slew of potential masters for him, but with the recent events driving him from his home he couldn't well go seek them out now. Hearing Yakedo make an apology for everything that had happened, the thief showed little interest at first, perking up only when he mentioned his resignation from his position. "What...? You're disbanding? But then... What's going to happen to the organization? And what do you mean it's two separate things? Just what's going on?" This was all horribly confusing, there was the overwhelming notion something bigger was happening and it was frustrating that he didn't know what it was. Furrowing his brow as he folded his arms he tried to think of the fights today, trying to pick out anything that might support what his former master was saying. Sure, he'd dealt with some lousy White Lotus members before, but they'd never tried to borderline kill him. Was it really possible that their organization was so corrupted? And why target him like that, what were they after? None of this made any sense, his head was beginning to ache simply under the pressure of trying to understand it all. Unnerving as everything else already was, what Yakedo had to add to it made Katsu feel a hundred times worse. Hearing that his friends couldn't stay at their homes either made his heart sink, his breath catching in his throat as he stared down at the sand at his feet. So not only could he not go home, but now neither could they? Sure, maybe he wasn't exactly close with any of them, but he knew how lousy it was to not be able to go home and would never wish that on anyone else. What was he to tell them then? 'Hey, sorry you got mixed up with me but you're not allowed home anymore! Also your family might be in danger!' Great way to thank the people who had helped you escape capture today, there was no easy way for him to tell them this. "Great... So I ruined Siku and Asha's lives then, all because of being the damn Avatar..." Katsu said, his tone thick with disdain as he clenched his hands into fists, "See? Every time word gets out what I am, something bad happens. I had to leave home the first time, now other people are paying for it too. This is why I shouldn't be the Avatar, this is why I can't be the Avatar. The world doesn't need one, and all I've done so far is cause trouble for everyone." Tch, just a suggestion, sure. Siku and Asha could be dragged off and interrogated, maybe worse if they stayed, like hell it was just a suggestion. How awful he felt for uprooting their lives like this... Yakedo was telling him everything he knew already too, just how much he owed to the others for making it out today. Sure, he could fight off a few members on his own, but goodness knows how many there had been and how well trained they were; chances were more likely than not that he would have been beaten and taken away were it not for their intervention, and for what? He was just a thief up until earlier, a common criminal and a punk who stole because he thought it was fun, so why did they stick their necks out for him? He didn't deserve that, and after forcing them to leave their lives behind he definitely didn't deserve it now. With an unbearable weight setting upon him, Katsu slowly sat down in the sand, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them as he stared out at the ocean for a silent moment. "It's all my fault... They're going to have to run away because of me, they don't deserve that..." Hiresh could stay, but he was likely going to be in danger now because of his involvement. What if something happened to him? Katsu knew nothing of the people that were after him nor how strong they might be, but there was a very frightening and real possibility someone may be killed to get to him. The thought of anyone having to suffer for him to remain free was a gut-wrenching thought. "Wait! My parents!" the Avatar exclaimed, getting to his feet abruptly and looking at Yakedo frightfully, "What about them, are they okay?! Have these people done anything to them?!" No no no, they had to be okay! But they had tracked him all the way here, tried to capture him in broad daylight, so what stopped these people from going after his family? Trembling slightly he felt tears threatening the corners of his eyes, reaching out and grabbing his master's shirt, "Please tell me they're okay..."</s> <\|message\|>Grand Lotus Hideki Yakedo "Disbanding? Not so much. They're likely going to move on without me. It's my hope they won't look at this as abandonment and more as a professional accident. I've been getting the feeling my Grand Masters don't want me in charge anymore either... Rather than wait for the coup, I'm getting ahead of it." Hideki nodded solemnly and watched Katsu over, "Katsu, I can't say enough how sorry I am for all you went through - that I couldn't be there for every minute of your training or oversee how they all treated you. I wanted you to have the organic life, so I made sure they didn't catch you when I knew you were planning to leave... But like I said, the White Lotus is about the preservation of balance... and years ago, somebody decided that the only way to do that was to become your caretakers and trainers... I can't see how that's possibly the right route. The Avatar has always found their own path, and I want you to do the same, Katsu." Yakedo placed a hand on Katsu's shoulder as he lamented for the events of the day and shook his head. "Listen to me and listen good... You have no control over these things. And no Avatar would be where they got to alone. Nobody ever has - not truly. Asha and Siku will be more than fine... They may have difficulty adjusting at first, but Siku is both an amazing probender and a powerful young woman. And air benders begin their training young - Asha may be far from a master, but she's certainly a very talented young girl. She's also reaching an age where it will be left to her whether she wishes to remain at the island, go at her own in the world, or move to one of the temples to continue her training... Or any of those. She's adventurous at heart - some of the elders here on the island think that the world's a bit small for her," The Grand Lotus smiled warmly, "They will be okay... I really have a confession to make." He sighed and met the Avatar's gaze seriously, "I know Siku's father. When he told me how excited Siku was to be here in Republic City, I put in the recommendation for his spot on the council. I'll admit, I didn't think Siku would even come to know you at all... But I'm glad she does - I'll speak with her father myself. In fact, I'll be with you tonight, to help you gather her and Asha's things. You don't have to leave today, like I said, but they need to be ready." Katsu's thoughts moved on their own rather quickly and Hideki cleared his throat, "No, hush, Katsu... Your family is fine. They're taken care of, they never lived in the compound nor did they need protection from my guards. They've their own in the Fire Nation and there is little they could offer to this other group... whoever they are. They worry about you, yes, but they're likely less aware then these renegades do." It didn't seem to take long, but the two had returned to the small shack sometime during their walk and Yakedo sighed quietly. "Do you want to speak with them, Katsu, or do you want me to?" ----- Hiresh rotated a couple of stones hovering over his hands, calming him down. The Avatar... This delinquent was the Avatar... It was crazy. He nodded to Asha, "Yeah, I don't get much time off on the force, but if you're ever going out that way, I'll see if I'm off, maybe I'll see you guys there. You airbenders travel a lot, right? So I'm sure you'll get to see it. Wonderful place." Siku then came out of the bathroom and Hiresh looked over to her, "Yeah, he went with a... Yakedo," He said, recalling the name before straightening up. "Yakedo! He's the Grand Lotus. God, I was trying to figure out where I'd heard that before... He leads the entire... thing, the Lotus. God... Stupid..." ---- Siku nodded to Asha's explanation, "Wait, wait... Yakedo? Hideki Yakedo?" She perked up with a bright smile, "Uncle Yakedo? He's one of papa's friends - I used to see him all the time when I was little, but he's been really busy lately..." She nodded, "Good - I'm glad he was here. If anyone knows what to do, it'll be him. He'll get the whole thing figured out."</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled over at Hiresh and shrugged, "Most air benders do, but I am not of that age right now. The elders like us to wait until we are a certain age so that we have all the basic training down. They don't want really young kids flying around..." she replied with a small giggle. She could understand why the elders didn't want young children running around out on their own, but it was kind of nice to be able to adventure out alone at times. "Yeah that would be awesome! We could all go together and have fun," The brunette said in response to Hiresh. He seemed to really love his job but it appeared that maybe he did want a little time off to go and do as he wished. Asha frowned at the thought that people were so tied down to their jobs. She remembered hearing about the past and how most people traveled around the world, their job unable to tie them down. Maybe she only liked the thought of travel because she was an air bender. Asha looked up at Siku and cocked her head to the side. Uncle Yakedo? So she knew that man. "I hope he will help Katsu find out what to do from here on out," she said with a nod of her head. She obviously didn't know Katsu very well, but could tell that he was a nice person and only wanted to live life how he wished. She moved her gaze over at the door as she heard mumbling of voices and footsteps from outside the hut. "Oh! They must be back."</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled over at Hiresh and shrugged, "Most air benders do, but I am not of that age right now. The elders like us to wait until we are a certain age so that we have all the basic training down. They don't want really young kids flying around..." she replied with a small giggle. She could understand why the elders didn't want young children running around out on their own, but it was kind of nice to be able to adventure out alone at times. "Yeah that would be awesome! We could all go together and have fun," The brunette said in response to Hiresh. He seemed to really love his job but it appeared that maybe he did want a little time off to go and do as he wished. Asha frowned at the thought that people were so tied down to their jobs. She remembered hearing about the past and how most people traveled around the world, their job unable to tie them down. Maybe she only liked the thought of travel because she was an air bender. Asha looked up at Siku and cocked her head to the side. Uncle Yakedo? So she knew that man. "I hope he will help Katsu find out what to do from here on out," she said with a nod of her head. She obviously didn't know Katsu very well, but could tell that he was a nice person and only wanted to live life how he wished. She moved her gaze over at the door as she heard mumbling of voices and footsteps from outside the hut. "Oh! They must be back."</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi "Heh... And here I was thinking I finally got away from it all... I was never free, was I?" Katsu asked bitterly, giving a short, curt laugh before looking away. "It's not like I have a choice in the matter do I? My own route was going to be to live how I wanted, but obviously that's not going to happen anymore. Fine... If I have to do this then I'll get it over with." At the very least he supposed he'd do his training if he must, but after that it was back to doing what he pleased. Just because he was the Avatar didn't mean he'd be behaving like a saint, not so long as he wanted to have fun and live as a thief. No doubt there would be complications in the days to come, but he did really hope he could return to that life, or at the very least something similar to it. Being consoled and told his friends should be able to handle this did little to alleviate his stress; handle it or not the fact remained the same, their lives were going to change drastically because of him. Maybe he just didn't want to deal with the guilt, but he'd prefer to go this alone than drag anyone else along with him. Talent meant jack all when you had no desire to train, he was a testament to that much. How much motivation might the others have, he wondered, once they were made to leave their homes and follow him wherever he went? That was a lousy part of it too, they basically were going to end up shadowing him, whether any of them liked it or not. "They could stay and train... Then they could protect themselves," Katsu suggested lamely, knowing even as he spoke his words were moot. The members of the White Lotus, or what formerly was the White Lotus anyways weren't pushovers; the men they had fought today must be out of practice or something, he certainly didn't think he was capable enough to take on a handful that easily. The mention of family brought a horrid realization to the Avatar: what had become of his own family? Neither of his parents had any part in this, yet if these people were after him it was only natural they may go through his mom and dad. Fearing for their lives he nearly had an episode when addressing Yakedo about it, feeling a proverbial weight lifted from his shoulders when he was reassured they were okay. Releasing the old man's shirt he nodded his head slowly, managing a faint smile as he closed his eyes, "Good... Good... I'm glad to hear that..." In the state he was in Katsu loathed to face the others, but knowing they had to be informed and given the news he couldn't well put it off. Following alongside Yakedo they made way back to the hut, pausing outside the door and looking at the handle somberly. "No, let me do it. It's my fault they're in this situation, it's only right I'm the one to tell them." Taking a deep breath Katsu opened up the door slowly, partly hoping that everyone might be asleep and he could put it off. When he stepped inside however he saw all three of them sitting there, feeling himself becoming uneasy again as they all looked at him. Sending one brief glance back at Yakedo he swallowed nervously, closing the door behind himself and forcing a smile as he stood along the wall. "Hey... So uh, about today..." he began, having to avert his gaze as he rubbed at his neck, struggling to find the words to break it to them. "Those people that attacked us, they're dangerous, and they uh... Might try coming after you, which means people might get hurt. So uh... Oh jeez..." Shaking his head disdainfully the Fire Bender let out a deep sigh, rubbing at his head before glancing between Siku and Asha respectively. "You two have to leave home and come with me! I don't even know where we'll go, but we can't stay here. Hiresh is safe, but we can't live in or near Republic city, at least for a while. I'm so sorry things worked out this way," he added, bowing down as he'd been taught as a young boy, holding the pose as he felt his eyes sting slightly again, "You can even just leave me after we get away, that's fine. I just can't let either of you stay here and be hurt because of me, so we have to leave tomorrow."</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku nodded enthusiastically, "He will. He's brilliant," She said without a modicum of doubt. The door opened and she beamed at a man she'd known most of her childhood, giving a wave. "Uncle Yakedo, how are you?" She asked. The man gave her a somber smile and replied with a wave, but gave no more. He was going to respect Katsu's wish and allow the boy to speak. Once he'd said his piece, Siku snorted slightly, a grin on her face. "Yeah, right, and as it turns out, there are two Avatars. I'm the other one," She said, waving her hand and looking to the Grand Lotus. "Hideki has a plan to get this all straightened out, Katsu. No worries," She reassured him, shaking her head, "Besides, you're the Avatar. People can't really run you out of town, can they? They'd sooner move the whole town than you." Her eyes caught the look of sympathy coming to her from Hideki and she furrowed her brow... He shook his head. "N-no... Uncle Yakedo, we've... We've guards and officers and all sorts of things at that house - nobody would think of coming after us..." She couldn't help but blurt the first things that came to her mind, "What kind of danger could I possibly be in?! Or Asha, for that matter? We were just witnesses! We didn't even know he was the Avatar!" She stamped her foot to the ground aggressively, "Send them here, after me, I'll tell them myself. I'm not afraid of those... Bullies." That was... the dumbest choice of word she thought she'd ever made. Hideki's face became serious as he stared her down, "That's the understatement of the century, Siku. You're not staying here and you're not staying at home. I'll help you guys get back to your house to get some things and talk to your family, but you're not going to stay in Republic City. Not when nobody even knows who the enemy is. Hell, apparently they've been under me for years and I didn't notice it. So no, I'll not let you be subject to this place. At least if you leave, they won't have any clue how to find you. Here, they can easily surround you and ambush like in the restaurant. Nobody knew anything was going on until you were all attacked - they could do that again, with more people... stronger fighters. They'll learn from these mistakes and not make them again," He explained flatly. "This is not up for debate, do you understand?" Siku's gaze remained defiant as she squared off with the man... "Ugh! Fine." She looked at Katsu and saw the desperation on his face. It was his fault, she knew that, and he knew that. Pointing it out now would only make things worse. So what did she do? She lied, "Stop apologizing. It's not your fault, it's theirs, whoever these people are. The world just forgot how stupid it is to piss off the Avatar... And they certainly don't realize how stupid it is to piss me off." She took a breath, sighed, looked to Hideki once more and nodded, "Fine. I need to grab some things from home too, then." Hideki hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck, "It might be better if I go alone and get them, I know what you're looking for..." "No. I'm not disappearing without a trace." Siku glanced to the side, "Sesi wouldn't forgive me if I did, anyway..." ----- Hiresh remained a silent observer through the exchange. He didn't even know that Hideki was close to their family, but something caught him off in Katsu's explanation. "Wait, wait... what do you mean 'Hiresh will be safe?'" He asked after Siku's exchange with Yakedo. "So it's too dangerous for a talented bender and swordswoman of high esteem, but for a single cop living on his own, it's fine? Look, I don't want to leave either, but... Why am I allowed to stay?" The Lotus nodded, "You're correct. Under normal circumstances, I'd probably have you leave as well. However, I have no doubt the chief will want you helping the force get to the bottom of this, at least here in Republic City, to stop anything like it from happening again. My recommendation carries quite a bit of weight, I'm sure you're not long for guard duty either way." He then turned to Asha, "Are you okay with this? I'm sure we could speak to the other elders of the island... And even if you're not a master, I'm sure at the very least, Katsu could learn the fundamentals of air bending from you. Nomadic at heart; from the sounds of it, you've been itching to leave for a while anyway, right? What better way than with the Avatar?" Asha's youth made her both the biggest liability and the probably the easiest to convince that this was fine. Not to mention, folks of the Air Nation who were part of any monastery didn't usually have too many problems leaving home and making a brand new one. However, she was young, which meant she might just be as hard-headed as Siku. Katsu had to be ready to deal with either of them, at least until they separated. If they did. The Lotus looked to all of the people in the room... Children, all of them, even Hiresh in his eyes. "I promise, as soon as we can, I'll find each of you and personally see to it that you're safely returned home. And yes, Siku, we'll go and get your things... Soon. Once everybody's ready to go - we're not coming back here, so... Asha, gather anything you want to pack."</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha watched as Mr. Yakedo and Katsu came through the door; Katsu looked rather unsettled as did the older man, but not as much as the boy. She cocked her head to the side in curiosity, wondering just what had transpired between the two as they took a walk. Her gaze flickered between all of the people in the room as they talked, things becoming more and more clear with each word. "So wait...those guys think of Siku and us as accomplices? Yeah...I suppose that makes sense," the brunette said with a small shrug, getting up from her seated position and dusting herself off. So they weren't allowed to be in Republic City anymore because of some Grand Lotus members who turned bad? She sighed to herself before looking at the others and putting her hands behind her back. Her gaze settled on Hiresh, who seemed a bit put off by being left behind in the city; she certainly hoped he would be able to join them sometime in their travels. "I'm fine with leaving. Air benders are taught to leave worldly possessions behind and be free," Asha replied with a small smile. She tried to live by those teachings, but there was one possession that she just couldn't possibly leave behind: A plush Catowl stuffed animal. It was her most prized possession and she wouldn't leave without it. She looked over at Katsu and smiled at him, hoping to convey that she was honestly fine with what was happening. Life was constant, so that meant things were subject to change.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha's facial expression turned into one of sympathy as she seen how Siku was taking the whole situation; she could certainly understand why the older girl wouldn't want to leave, this was her home...and home was a hard place to leave. When she heard they were most likely going to go to one of the Fire Nation's Islands, she was pretty excited. This would be her first time ever leaving Republic City and despite the people after them she was eager to see the world. "Okay, just let me go and get some things really quick," The brunette mumbled before side-stepping Yakedo and Katsu on her way out to get her possessions. She quickly formed an air ball and rode it to her room, gathering a small bookbag and shoving a few clothes, extra hair ties, and of course her cat owl. She also grabbed a small amount of money that she had accumulated from her jobs of babysitting; it wasn't much, but it should be enough for food and the like. After she had packed up her things, she quickly explained the situation to her family and friends who were all awake and said her goodbyes. They were reluctant to let her go, but understood that this was what she needed to do. Asha gave them all bear hugs and waved behind her as they made their way back to the ferry to go to their next destination, which was Siku's house. ---- Siku's sister, Sesi, was not taking the information and situation well...at all. Asha cringed a bit at that look that Sesi was giving her older sister. Man, Sesi could be scary when she wanted to be, she had babysitted her a few times before, and while Asha really liked the little girl, she could be a handful at times. They all waited for Siku to gather her things and say her goodbyes, Asha standing a little awkwardly with her hands behind her back. She took a glance over at Hiresh and quirked her lips to the side; she really wished he could come along too...Hiresh was a strong warrior and would be a benefit to everyone's well being on their travels. That and Asha just liked the guy, he was nice. Once Siku was all set they all said goodbye and left the house, soon to be saying goodbye to Hiresh. "Bye, Hiresh. I'm sure our paths will cross again soon," the brunette said with a small smile before reaching out to give him a hug. She did it quickly, hoping that he didn't dislike her affections too much. Now they were on the road, the three of them, all unsure of what exactly was to come in the future. Asha smiled and laughed a little at Siku's comment. "I have you here to look out for me, of course!" she replied as she came to walk in between them; this adventure was going to hard, but Asha felt that she was right where she was supposed to be.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu really hadn't wanted to go to Siku's home, hating to face her family after what was happening with her. As if he hadn't felt guilty enough to begin with it was almost smothering once there, the Avatar trying to keep to the back of the group while they waited. Being in the same room as Siku's father was terribly awkward, as every time he looked up he swore he caught the man staring at him; did he know what he truly was? Yakedo may have filled in the man without his knowing, which given that Katsu was taking his daughter away it was only fair, in a way. Just another person to know the truth about him, and another to potentially get in trouble because of it. The Wait for Siku to get back was a rather long and uncomfortable one, and when she finally came back downstairs he almost let out an audible sigh of relief. Now hopefully they could get moving, he didn't want to stay here much longer and be scrutinized. So it seemed they would be heading to the Fire Nation after all, and a place Katsu knew no less. He'd only been to Iwa all of twice before in his lifetime, yet each visit had been pleasant enough; cherry blossoms, fields and a large set of mountains obscuring the northern shore were what he could remember the most, and of course the relatively friendly locals. It would be interesting going back to his home nation after so long, and Katsu couldn't help but wonder if word might have spread about him since then. So long as everyone just knew he had run away and not the reasons surrounding it then he'd be fine, otherwise they couldn't stay in Iwa for very long either. After some brief farewells they were back out on the road, the three of them carrying meager belongings to help them on their journey. The entire way to the edge of the city Katsu couldn't look anyone in the eye, a crushing feeling of guilt threatening to make him break any second. Siku wasn't fooling anyone when she said she was okay with this, and Asha probably would be more upset when the gravity of the situation finally hit her; there was no telling how long they might be gone for: Months? Years? Either way it seemed like a long time to have to leave home, something he knew from experience. Everyone he'd formed a band with since arriving in Republic City were now a memory, it was the second time he had to leave a family behind. Just how many times was this going to happen because he was the Avatar? Why did being what he was have to bring so much misery with it? Katsu gave Republic City one final glance back when they stopped on the western edge of the city. The sun was just beginning to rise, giving the cityscape an unmistakably beautiful gleam, the rays basking over everything in a soft glow. Almost poetic, in a way, to see the sun rising when they were to begin their journey; when he had left home all those years ago it had just been rising as well, and in some way it made this feel oddly familiar. Smiling somberly he turned to Yakedo when addressed, giving a small nod of his head in reply. Of course he would watch out for them, it was his fault they were even in this situation. While it may be true he didn't have mastery of bending yet he could still most certainly fight, and he'd protect both of them from any dangers they might face. "You could have bought us a car, you know..." Katsu offered weakly, slumping slightly when Siku poked fun at him. The only alternative they had was Koinu, albeit his companion was barely up to his knee, hardly something the three of them could ride on. Sure walking was bound to take a while, but they didn't exactly have much choice for the time being. Narrowing his eyes when Siku laid on the hurt and added "doofus" into the mix he let out a sigh, his face reddening in embarrassment before sniffing indignantly. "This doofus protected you in the sewers, you know, so watch it Siku," he retorted, managing a small smile. Something slowly dawned on him then too, something he didn't know how he'd failed to realize before. Glancing at an elongated item hanging at her hip. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was, especially considering she hadn't made any conscious effort whatsoever to hide the thing. Blinking owlishly as he stared at the dao for a moment he slowly looked up at Siku, frowning before pointing to the weapon. "Why the heck did ya bring that thing along with you?" he shouted, shaking his head in disbelief, "Since when do you use a sword? We aren't killing people you know, so why are you taking that?" He was somewhat back his regular self, now truly baffled why they had something as lethal as a dao in their midst. "I don't kill people Siku, I knock them out. We have no reason to need a sword! But now people are going to get the wrong idea and we'll probably scare someone away, sheesh!"</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko "Protected..?" She scoffed, her mouth hanging off. "I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, thank you. If anything, I'm coming along to protect you," Her observation was met with a remark about her sword. "That goes to show you just how much Mr. Avatar here knows about swordplay. I'm not a killer, Katsu, and I don't use my dao that way. But what if we were attacked by people with weapons? If they get too close, it's nice to have an alternative. Not to mention, it'll only scare away the kind of people we don't want around anyway." The small group was off and heading on down the road. Going by foot was not something a lot of people did anymore, but it wasn't entirely unheard of either. Lots of people traveled traditionally if only for the pilgrimage nowadays. Leaving at this strange hour, with only the sleep from the night before, the three were already rubbing their eyes and yawning after only a few minutes. Siku sighed, "How far do you think we should go before setting up camp?" She asked, adjusting the pack on her shoulders and yawning for what felt like the millionth time. The sun was already moving up and Siku was just glad that they were westbound, keeping it out of their eyes. "We could take a quick four-hour nap up here, the road had enough little twists in it that I can only see a couple of the tops of buildings... We could get past the treeline here and set up camp, sleep for a couple of hours, and then get back on the move for a while until we can get a good rest. We can take a look at the map I brought too, figure out where we want to stop for the night... Plan it all out, so we can relax for a minute." There was little enthusiasm left in the group as they stepped from the road and pushed past the trees, moving deeper into the woods for a few minutes. She dropped her pack to the ground and rolled out the bedroll from it. She didn't pack a tent, but she didn't see any need for one, at least not yet. "Alright, here's as good as anywhere else, right? Night... Morning... Whatever," She mumbled, sitting on the bedroll and laying back. She placed her sheath and sword by her side and put the pillow over her eyes. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. She hadn't had much rest at all since waking up the day before. Between practice and dinner and then... everything between, she was exhausted. A few hours later, the watch on her wrist began to beep and she rubbed her eyes. "Ugh... Please, just six more hours..." She mumbled, sitting up and looking at the time. Yup, they had to wake up now. She groggily reached for her bag and pulled out a map, "Hey, wake up you two," She ordered, clearing her throat and still trying to wake up fully. "Alright... Alright, c'mon over, let's look at this." The girl ushered the other two toward her and pointed to Republic City on the map, "So, we started here and left... West, right? yeah," She decided having to think for a moment to recall the day so far. "So... If we spend a few more hours walking, we can probably make it... Hm... It might be night time, but we could get to Gung-Li... And then either see if there's any kind of ride to Iwa from there. Or get a little boat and get ourselves there... It's open water, so we'll have to be careful if we don't charter it. Gung-Li might have something, but going farther would yield better results for options, I think..."</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled as she listened to the other two in her group bicker playfully back and forth about Siku's choice in taking her weapon with her. Although Asha didn't agree with violence, she knew there were times when it was needed, and if someone decided to attack them with steel, well, they had something for that. "Sounds fine with me, we can stop where you said," The brunette said, agreeing with Siku's choice for a camping site for a few hours. It was relatively out of the way of the road so that people couldn't easily spot them, but close enough that they wouldn't be too far away from the road. Once they were all settled, Asha took a small blanket out of her backpack and settled it over herself. Using her backpack as a pillow, she laid her head down and wished the two a good morning, or whatever time of day it was. Siku woke up first it seemed as she was trying to talk them awake. Asha rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms, trying to get her body to become more responsive to being awake. She crawled over to where Siku was with the map and tried to follow along with what Siku was saying, but she was a bit confused by it all; if there was one thing Asha was bad at, it was navigation. "I will trust in whatever direction you guys want to go in...I'm not so great with maps," the girl replied, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. She went back over to her things and packed them back up to get back on the road. Asha was fine with walking places, it let someone really take in their environment.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko "Well," Siku started, pointing to a small island off the Fire Nation. "This is Iwa here and Gung-Li is... Here," She moved her finger to a peninsula where the city was marked, about a few miles from where they were now. "It's not exactly on the coast closest to the Fire Nation, but it's on the Eastern front of this peninsula here, so they might have some way to get there. However, it might be faster to find something to get us closer to the south-western border and cross there..." She mused, scrutinizing the map. "We'll have to see what options we've got when we get there and decide then." She looked at Katsu when he mentioned getting on their way privately and she nodded, "On the other hand, if we go like that, then there's a more specific trail to follow. If we take a public route with lots of people, at least there will be witnesses and other people there to follow us in case something goes wrong. It'd be harder to track names, at least." The girl made sure she had all of her equipment before rolling the map up again and rising to her feet. "Alright, well... I guess we won't know until we get there, at least, yeah? So let's move." Siku shouldered her pack and rubbed her eyes again. Four hours was not enough, no, but hopefully it would last her through the night. They needed food even more, though. "When we get there, I'm gonna eat... and eat... and eat..." She said as they found the road and started walking once more. "I'm so freakin' hungry... We could have planned our food and this walk a little bit better, I suppose." A thought occurred to her as they walked and she looked at Katsu, "Wait... Katsu... In the sewers... You only used earth and fire bending..." She noted, furrowing her brow, "Have you tried air or water yet... at all?" It still baffled her that he could even think of having the power over all four and not at least have a grasp on all four.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha just listened to her two other companions as they decided the right route to take. Feeling a bit uncomfortable with all the zig zags swirling around the map, the brunette took to gathering her things up and placing them neatly in her backpack. She walked back over when it sounded like the two had settled on things and clasped her hands behind her back, "So, have we decided how we are doing things?" she asked, remembering she overheard something about their own boat...how were they going to buy their own boat? Weren't they expensive? She giggled at Siku when the other girl mentioned food and how she was going to gorge when she was in sight of some; their food supply wasn't much since they had decided to pack light and with the older girl talking about food, made her tummy grumble in agreement. Asha held her stomach in slight embarrassment and laughed a little, "Sorry, guys. Guess I am hungry, too!" The brunette looked over at Siku when she mentioned to Katsu that she had only seen him use Earth and Fire bending. She blinked when Siku asked the Avatar if he even knew how to use Water or Air. That would make sense as to why he hadn't used either or...but maybe he just didn't like them as much as earth and fire. Either way, his answer was sure to startle the both of them.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Whichever way they decided to travel it was going to take some time, Katsu knew that much. They had a destination, getting there was another matter entirely; shame he didn't have something like a flying bison, they could make the trip in no time at all. Koinu couldn't even carry him, let alone the three of them, so riding an animal was out of the question. The fact they were going to have to rely on public transit, a boat of all things, hardly thrilled him. What Siku said about it made sense, that being in a crowd might help obscure them. Yet the opposite might be true too, they could stand out in a crowd like a sore thumb. Not only that, but being in a mass of people it would be almost impossible to tell who might mean them harm; if they chose the sneakier route, then anyone they came across would more likely than not be against them. "However we do it, we should do it soon. Nothing worse than sitting around while someone's searching for you," Katsu said aloud, frowning as he rose to his feet, "So we'll head to Gung-Li, and worry about getting to Iwa when we get there." If he'd learned anything in life, it was to be flexible. Even the best laid plans could be ruined by just one instance, so better to prepare to change than to stick to some routine. Improvising was something he was particularly good at, yet goodness knows if the same might be said for Siku or Asha. Giving Koinu's head a gentle rubbing, the Avatar began following alongside the Water Bender, smirking somewhat amused when she brought up food. "You'd never survive in the kind of life I've lived, you're too spoiled," Katsu teased, placing a hand on his stomach, "I can go for a while without eating, I guess it pays to be poor sometimes." Not that he was particularly poor now, but he had been for a while. He would be fine without food, but Katsu did worry about Koinu. Still being a pup he really should eat regularly, and without any food really packed for travel, there wasn't much for his furry friend. Worst case he supposed he could go and hunt something, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done so. Glancing over to Siku when she started to question him, the Avatar's cheeks flushed slightly at what she had asked, looking away abashed and clearing his throat. "Well... Uh... No... Not really," he admitted, scratching at his nose casually with his index finger, "Never really had a chance to learn, or a teacher. Most of what I know now is self-taught too." He didn't really bend all that often, there was typically no reason to do so. It wouldn't be totally unfair to say he was out of practice, not that he'd ever admit such a thing. "But hey, I can get on just fine without those two! I mean there's no big apocalyptic event going on, or some war threatening the world, it's just me running from some oppressive jerks. I don't see a reason to need all four elements for that," Katsu continued, grinning as he reached over and put an arm around both Siku's and Asha's shoulders, "That's what I've got you two for, right? My water princess and my little air nomad, you can make up for what I didn't learn." More than anything he just really had no desire to learn. Learning another element was difficult, that went without saying, and also immensely time consuming. It could take up to a few weeks to even grasp the basics, depending on his teacher, and longer still to have some semblance of a mastery. Much as he'd like to think they could teach him, Katsu had serious doubts about his companions being good teachers.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku's face twisted into one of disgust and mockery as she mimicked Katsu, "You'd never survive the life I lived... I'm the Avatar and a scrappy vagabond! Nobody's had a life as tough as mine!" She laughed, grinning at herself before involuntarily releasing a single snort. Her hand instantly covered her mouth as her face turned beet red. "Shut up, I can live without food for a bit... But in case you don't remember, a certain Avatar made us run out of a restaurant in the middle of a meal," She muttered, crossing her arms. What she didn't expect was his legitimate answer to her question. She was only teasing... he really hadn't even tried, or successfully attempted, the other two elements? The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she felt his arm come in contact with her shoulder. Her lip curled in contempt as he continued to blather away. Her mind echoed back to her the words 'water princess' as soon as he said it. Water princess... Water princess... Her brow furrowed gradually... Princess. The girl crouched quickly, ducking under the Avatar's arm, before taking one decisive step forward and placing her foot into the back of his knee. The soft scraping of metal against sheath sounded as she pulled her blade a mere two inches from its home without drawing it. "You wanna find a better way to phrase that..? Stick possession in front of a reference to me ever again and I'll carry you back to Republic City on a platter myself," She offered, leaning forward with a small growl in her voice. She paused for a moment, just long enough to ensure he wouldn't be able to answer before she pressed her weapon back into the sheath. Siku stepped around him and kept walking as though she hadn't just falsely threatened his life... again. One hand rested cautiously on the hilt of her dao. "Hm... If I have the cycle correct, Asha, he'll need air bending once he actually learns fire... Maybe you can show him the basics, at least. Of course... to do that, he'd actually have to be a skilled firebender..." She shook her head, "So maybe it'd be better not to clear your calender just yet. "It's sad really... What kind of Avatar doesn't at least try on their own..? I understand not mastering or even caring to master the elements... but to completely pretend like two of them aren't in your repertoire... Pfft, I'd say that makes it sound like you're more afraid of failure than you are death."</s>	<\|message\|>Asha The small brown haired girl hummed to herself as the other two in her group conversed. Asha's mind was somewhere else completely, as she wondered about what all they might see during their travels. She had been born and raised in Republic City and even then she hadn't seen much of it. This whole traveling and adventuring the world was an exciting new prospect for her and that was all that was going on in her mind, before she felt a hand around her shoulder which caused her to jump. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink when she had seen just who it was who had their arm around her shoulder; Asha giggled softly and nodded at Katsu's words, him saying she was his little air nomad...she sort of missed the other part of the conversation, though. It was then that Asha realized that the avatar had said something that ticked off her water bending friend and she just watched with amusement at how easily Siku threatened Katsu's life yet again over something she was assuming was petty. Still though, it was funny to see how the two interacted and despite how much they fought, how close they seemed. The brunette smiled at the others before turning her attention back towards the road they were traveling, hoping to watch out for anything suspicious. Since the Avatar was wanted and now on the run, one could never be too cautious. "Hm?" Asha turned her attention once again towards her comrades, more directly to Siku, "Oh, yeah, I think that is how it goes. So, whenever you want to learn some air bending, lemme know!" the girl said with zeal, forming a fist with one hand and throwing it in the air. "It really is a fun element..." Asha trailed off, not knowing whether or not Katsu was ready to even attempt air bending. Since Katsu had taken more of a liking towards fire (obviously) and earth, she feared that the boy would have a very troubling time with the other two elements.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku's face twisted into one of disgust and mockery as she mimicked Katsu, "You'd never survive the life I lived... I'm the Avatar and a scrappy vagabond! Nobody's had a life as tough as mine!" She laughed, grinning at herself before involuntarily releasing a single snort. Her hand instantly covered her mouth as her face turned beet red. "Shut up, I can live without food for a bit... But in case you don't remember, a certain Avatar made us run out of a restaurant in the middle of a meal," She muttered, crossing her arms. What she didn't expect was his legitimate answer to her question. She was only teasing... he really hadn't even tried, or successfully attempted, the other two elements? The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she felt his arm come in contact with her shoulder. Her lip curled in contempt as he continued to blather away. Her mind echoed back to her the words 'water princess' as soon as he said it. Water princess... Water princess... Her brow furrowed gradually... Princess. The girl crouched quickly, ducking under the Avatar's arm, before taking one decisive step forward and placing her foot into the back of his knee. The soft scraping of metal against sheath sounded as she pulled her blade a mere two inches from its home without drawing it. "You wanna find a better way to phrase that..? Stick possession in front of a reference to me ever again and I'll carry you back to Republic City on a platter myself," She offered, leaning forward with a small growl in her voice. She paused for a moment, just long enough to ensure he wouldn't be able to answer before she pressed her weapon back into the sheath. Siku stepped around him and kept walking as though she hadn't just falsely threatened his life... again. One hand rested cautiously on the hilt of her dao. "Hm... If I have the cycle correct, Asha, he'll need air bending once he actually learns fire... Maybe you can show him the basics, at least. Of course... to do that, he'd actually have to be a skilled firebender..." She shook her head, "So maybe it'd be better not to clear your calender just yet. "It's sad really... What kind of Avatar doesn't at least try on their own..? I understand not mastering or even caring to master the elements... but to completely pretend like two of them aren't in your repertoire... Pfft, I'd say that makes it sound like you're more afraid of failure than you are death."</s> <\|message\|>Asha The small brown haired girl hummed to herself as the other two in her group conversed. Asha's mind was somewhere else completely, as she wondered about what all they might see during their travels. She had been born and raised in Republic City and even then she hadn't seen much of it. This whole traveling and adventuring the world was an exciting new prospect for her and that was all that was going on in her mind, before she felt a hand around her shoulder which caused her to jump. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink when she had seen just who it was who had their arm around her shoulder; Asha giggled softly and nodded at Katsu's words, him saying she was his little air nomad...she sort of missed the other part of the conversation, though. It was then that Asha realized that the avatar had said something that ticked off her water bending friend and she just watched with amusement at how easily Siku threatened Katsu's life yet again over something she was assuming was petty. Still though, it was funny to see how the two interacted and despite how much they fought, how close they seemed. The brunette smiled at the others before turning her attention back towards the road they were traveling, hoping to watch out for anything suspicious. Since the Avatar was wanted and now on the run, one could never be too cautious. "Hm?" Asha turned her attention once again towards her comrades, more directly to Siku, "Oh, yeah, I think that is how it goes. So, whenever you want to learn some air bending, lemme know!" the girl said with zeal, forming a fist with one hand and throwing it in the air. "It really is a fun element..." Asha trailed off, not knowing whether or not Katsu was ready to even attempt air bending. Since Katsu had taken more of a liking towards fire (obviously) and earth, she feared that the boy would have a very troubling time with the other two elements.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Katsu bit his tongue and refrained from snapping at Siku, not at all appreciating her taunting behavior. His life hadn't been easy, not that he expected her to know, and the fact she was joking about it annoyed him to no small end. Did she know what it was like to not eat for days on end? To sleep on a bench in the park in the pouring rain? He doubted it, yet he wasn't going to sit here, get on a box and cry his troubles out to the world; she could go on thinking he was just complaining, he didn't really care enough to correct her. All of that was behind him anyways, and even on the run now his life was better than it had been. Rolling his eyes at the complaint about the restaurant, Katsu smirked slightly amused and gave a dismissive shrug, just to egg on Siku. "Food sucked anyways, too overpriced if you ask me," he responded calmly, looking away as though he were disinterested. Heh, two could play at that game, he'd rile her up just as she had him. When asked about whether he'd practiced other elements or not he answered honestly, a bit ashamed to say he hadn't yet seeing no reason to hide it. There was no need for him to, it wasn't like there was some great war or anything going on; aside from his problems with the Lotus defectors the world was in a relative time of peace, there was next to no reason for an Avatar to even exist. Seriously, if he only learned fire and nothing else then he should be perfectly fine! Heh, water princess, he figured that was a pretty good one. Obviously he didn't mean it and made it in jest, but given Siku's sometimes haughty nature it fit. Chuckling to himself at her expense, Katsu gasped when he suddenly felt his support leave him, and soon was knocked to his knees with a rather angry Water Bender looming over him. Blinking just once when she began threatening him he glanced at her dao silently, doubtful she had any real intention of using it but not wanting to test his luck. Watching as she retracted the weapon and left him be, the Avatar breathed a sigh of relief before climbing back to his feet. "Jeez Siku, someone sleep on the wrong side of the ground last night?" he joked, rubbing at his neck before grinning at her cheekily, "You're kinda hot when you're mad though, anyone ever tell you that?" He really didn't know better it seemed, or maybe he was calling her bluff with her weapon being drawn, who knows. "You said it, I don't care to master them. Why should I when I can use two already?" Katsu asked in turn, placing his hands into his coat pockets as he strode along. At least Asha was plenty supportive and not at all being a pain in the neck, unlike some women of the group. Seriously, two days thus far and Siku had already threatened him twice, what gives? If she was going to draw her weapon on him every time they spoke then he'd just leave her be, see if she preferred that! She could have a pet rock if that was better for her, then he'd not be at risk of getting shanked for speaking.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko Siku's knuckles turned bone-white as her nails dug into the flesh of her palm. He was insufferable and how she managed to get stuck with him was beyond her. She and Asha were in the wrong place at the wrong time, that was all there was. Now her whole family was left behind and she had no idea when she'd see them again. Her little sister would have to be escorted to school and spend her days under watch until all of this was cleared up... The hot, salty particles of water gently slid down her cheeks before she knew it. At this point, she wasn't even listening to Katsu's incessant blathering; she was only trying to prevent the tremors from overtaking her body as she walked point, her back to both of her compatriots. She crossed her arms and let out a sigh as the weight of danger she had put her own family into came down on her. She had to blame Katsu, but where would that get any of them? Getting angry with the already hard-headed Avatar could only exacerbate the situation. He was sorry enough as it was, the last thing she needed was The Bridge groveling at her feet... She smirked through her tears at the thought. That idiot. The girl cleared her throat and used her hand to "itch" her eye and, without turning around, responded with a roll of her eyes, "Fine then. Don't learn them. You'd probably just waste all of the water anyway, then what would I have to bend?" She taunted. It took the remainder of the day, but finally they arrived in Gung-Li. Siku used her hand as a visor, the sun was just about set, but the sliver that was still on the horizon decided that her eyes were a fine target. The small coastal town was quiet, as she imagined it often was, and many of the shops were already closed and turning in for the night. It was so different from Republic City and even from the North Pole... She'd never had time or reason to visit the smaller tribes up north, the ones that lived peaceful, nomadic lives of simple tasks like hunting, fishing, and sleeping around fires. Father always said it was too uncivilized a life, but Siku had always wanted to see what it was like. Now it was a life she had no choice in. Her eyes scanned the different wooden buildings; they were all so quaint, they looked like homes, not houses. Like livelihoods rather than franchises. Some people were carrying baskets of food home and even a few children went running by, obviously chasing each other. Siku smiled a little bit - what would her life have been like here, had she been raised in a small Earth nation home with no ridiculous customs or courtesies? Then again, she loved being a water bender and she used to love being an Ice Wolf. Oh well, life goes on. She placed her hands on her hips, "Ugh... I'm taking a guess that the transit is closed, so let's go find a place to eat dinner and sleep then we'll get moving in the morning, yeah?" They wandered the streets for a few minutes, looking for a sign mentioning restaurant or inn of any kind, but it was slim pickings. The town likely got very few visitors, as it wasn't a major harbor, and she was beginning to grow more sure that "chartering" anything to Iwa was going to be more of a hassle than they bargained for. The girl looked around and bit her lip in thought. Each moment that passed it seemed less people were outside, but god dammit to ask for directions would feel so foreign. She never needed directions... Then, she heard it. Likely, Koinu would have heard it first, but it still wouldn't take long for them all to. It was a soft sobbing sound coming from just around the corner a couple of roads ahead... It sounded like a child - either lost or in some kind of distress.</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha watched the two interact with one another, her heart picking up pace when she thought that her two companions were going to get into a fight. She hated fighting between two friends and was hoping that neither Katsu or Siku was going to instigate one, or give one another the cold shoulder. It seemed that just as quickly as they had spat out their arguments, did they quiet down and forget the whole ordeal. The young brunette shook her head to herself and walked alongside Katsu, seeing as Siku was on point. Katsu and Siku had such strong personalities that they clashed, but she was sure when the time called for it, they would be there for each other. They finally found Gung-Li and the air bender was happy that they have reached their destination for the day. "Ah...Yes! You're so right, let's find some food and then make sleepy," Asha replied, putting her two cents in. She covered her mouth with one of her hands, her tiredness showing through. While it would be great to get some food, it seemed that many of the restaurants and businesses were closing for the night, which made sense in a small village. "Hm...we should probably hurry," she added, looking at Katsu and then Siku for direction; she wasn't quite sure what to do and was very unused to doing things all on her own. It made her feel extremely young and inexperienced, but that was just what she was...she hoped she would still be able to contribute and help her friends through this. Just as they were looking for someplace that was still open, they heard the sobbing of a young child just a few roads down. Asha glanced up at her friends, wondering if they were thinking what she was thinking: they should see what's wrong.</s>
<\|description\|>Asha Age: 14 Gender: Female Nationality/Birthplace: ? Current Residence: Republic City Appearance: Occupation: Student/Babysitter Elemental Affinity: Air Theme: Fireflies - Owl City Background: Asha is a young girl with a talent for air bending. She resides on Air Temple Island with the other air benders, spending her days learning of skills and techniques to come ever closer to becoming a master. Not much is known of her parents, other than they arrived in Republic City with their infant daughter to try and start a new life; they were not seen since dropping Asha off on the island. She often wonders where they are, or if they are even alive, but tries not to focus too hard on the issue. Asha is fairly young to be roaming the streets of Republic City, but likes to earn a little bit of income from babysitting jobs. She is good with children, probably because she is still a child herself. Despite this, she shows maturity and responsibility when looking after kids. She is often employed by the Tsukiko family, as they are busy people with hectic schedules and need someone to watch out for their youngest, Sesi. The brunette is a bit awkward and awfully innocent to the point that she seems oblivious to what is happening around her. Asha is sweet and honest, wanting nothing more than peace within the world. True to the air bending culture, Asha does not have many worldly possessions. The items most precious to her are her ancient but useful glider, a lemur plush, and a necklace with the air bending symbol. Asha hopes to explore the world someday. With so much out there, she feels she is missing out on the wonders of the world.</s> <\|message\|>Asha Asha smiled at the sisters. They got along so well, it was nice to see. Not too many siblings get along that well from what she observed on Air temple island. Fighting seemed natural for siblings...but she couldn't say from experience. The brunette focused her attention on Siku who had just greeted her. "Hey!" She said cheerfully, looking over at Sesi who looked a bit disappointed at the fact that she would be stuck at home; or so she thought. Just then, Siku whipped out three box seat tickets to the match today, and Sesi was ecstatic. Asha glanced down at the tickets, then back up at Siku with a huge smile. She was surprised but at the same time, she knew the other girl to be a bit rebellious at times. Sesi was still excited, bouncing up and down and begging Asha to go. "Yeah, definitely! Let's get going~!" The air bender said with a giggle, taking Sesi's hand as the group made their way to the arena. This was going to be a fun day; it wasn't often that Asha got to go to pro-bending matches and since Siku was participating in this one it made it all the more interesting. They made it to their seats up top and Asha gazed out from the balcony, admiring the view. She'd love to be able to glide around in here! Getting a huge head start from the height would be amazing; Asha felt a jolt of adrenaline rush through her as she thought about it. She sat down next to Sesi on the other side from Hiresh, so that the young girl was in the middle. Asha raised her eyebrows together in amusement when Hiresh ordered a beverage that wasn't non-alcoholic. Soon, the matches were about to begin so everyone got settled in for the games. The brunette wondered when the Ice Wolves would be playing and was a bit ansty, but she managed to enjoy the other teams. For a brief moment she gazed up along the rafters high above the arena, and thought she had seen something akin to a figure. Asha blinked, focusing her sight on that same area. "Huh..." she muttered to herself. It looked an awful lot like the figure of a person. Asha brushed it off completely when she heard Siku's team was up next, and all three of them were solely focused on the arena. It was an intense match and the air bender had clasped her hands together in anticipation, wondering just how this match would end. Unfortunately, the Ice Wolves ended up losing, but it was still a great match. She turned her head to look at Hiresh, who had mentioned something about cheating. Asha quirked her lips to the side in thought; that fire bender did seem like he held that one attack a bit too long. The trio made their way to meet Siku, who had just gotten out of the changing room. Asha smiled at her and nodded. "It was great, I enjoyed watching you play." She knew Siku had to be a bit disappointed at losing, but she had a strong will. She'd come back next year tougher than ever. "Thank you so much for bringing us today," Asha added and bowed politely to Siku. The tickets couldn't have been cheap, but even if the girl had gotten them for free since she is apart of the tournament, she still gave one of those to her. She was grateful and honored to be thought of in such a way.</s> <\|message\|>Katsu Takumi Well that was... Disappointing. Katsu had figured Siku was a sure win and yet somehow she'd managed to blow it. He placed the blame on the shoulders of her teammates though, they were definitely dragging her down. He'd even tried to influence the match a bit by bending the discs and even that hadn't been enough to help them. Clearly her team had been outclassed from the start but he'd hoped to get a big better of a show from her. Ah well, good thing he hadn't paid for tickets! With the match over and the teams retreating to their locker rooms Katsu decided he should go and meet Siku once she was out, if only to tease her a little. She would probably have his spine if she could after last night but they were in public, and while being out in the open was risky due to his... Extra-curricular activities it also meant she wouldn't attack him. Hopefully. He really didn't feel like fighting right now, he was hungry! Scaling down a nearby service ladder Katsu waited until most of the crowd was in the hallway before exiting the maintenance tunnel, using the swathes of people for cover from the security posted around the building. Sneaking past these idiots was child's play and with no trouble he was in the arena itself, scanning the few lingering audience members for traces of Siku and her little gang. It wasn't too hard to spot her thanks to that idiot Hiresh, even out of uniform the guy looked like he had a stick up his ass. Seriously did he have to follow her everywhere she went? What was going to the bathroom like for them? Getting closer to them he noticed there was a young girl with them too, Cecily or something like that, Siku's younger sister. The other girl he didn't recognize at all but she was kind of cute, that was a win in his book! "Well if it isn't the champions! Oh wait..." Katsu chuckled as he stopped a few feet away for his own safety, grinning as he held his hands up, "You lost, so sorry about that. But hey you gave it your best right! Maybe you just needed a lucky charm today." He accentuated the 'lucky charm' with a wink and he was certain Siku knew exactly what he was implying. Was she wearing them today? He hoped not because otherwise he wasn't going to be able to steal them. Not easily anyways. Since half of the group didn't quite know him Katsu felt certain he could act without impunity, and with dear little sister present and a friend he was positive Siku wouldn't lash out at him. Nope, she'd be the preppy, well-behaved little daughter she was supposed to be. "Really though tough break Siku, those guys were a joke! You should have beat them hands down. I mean did you see the Earth Bender's form? And the Fire Bender couldn't light a match if he tried, plus I'm pretty sure some of the crap he was pulling was illegal." As if he knew whether it was or not, the only rule Katsu was even positive of was no killing each other. And hell he'd seen some matches where even that was nearly breached, some Pro Benders could be real assholes! "Who is this young lady by the way? I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of meeting you before," Katsu said with a sweet smile as he reached out and took Asha's hand, "What's your name, my beauty? And why are you only now falling into my life?" Heh, Siku was going to absolutely murder him later but he just wanted to get under her skin right now. Payback for last night.</s> <\|message\|>Siku Tsukiko "You're welcome, Asha. I felt better having a few watchers in the stands," Siku responded with a smile. "I don't think we would've done so well if we didn't have so much support. We're ashooin' for a spot in the qualifiers next year." The girl was rather optimistic about their chances, but they were definitely a good team. Like nails on a chalkboard, Siku heard a voice coming from nearby, causing her to physically cringe. The previous night came rushing back and her fist clenched tightly by her side as he began to ramble on and she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or sincere. What did he mean by 'lucky charm,' anyway? If he was talking about what she thought he was talking about... Ooh, her face burned softly with redness, but upon remembering the presence of her friend and sister, she just let out a slow, deep breath. "To be fair, Katsu... I don't know where you were sitting or how well you could see, but you wouldn't be able to tell that from so far away. They were good, don't try to patronize me just because you don't know a talented bender when you see one," Siku snapped, crossing her arms over her chest with a sneer. It was now that Sesi looked up at her and frowned. "Siku, that's not nice... He was just trying to make you feel better," The small girl, who was almost a carbon copy of her older sister, "You shouldn't be so mean!" Siku was visibly shocked by her younger sister, at a loss for words for a moment. "Yeah, but... Sesi, you do- He's so... It's not what y-..." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before shaking her head, "You're right, Sesi... I'll be kinder," The girl finally ceded and gave her little sister a smile, still glancing at Katsu with a scowl afterward. "Watch yourself," she warned as he tried hitting on her younger friend. Hiresh clearly looked irritated by Katsu's appearance. The boy had been a thorn in his side for a while and the force struggled to catch him concretely on anything illegal. He sighed, "What's your game, Katsu? What're you doing here?" He asked, trying to take the boy's attention away from the young airbender. As he tried to divert Katsu, the young man also began working on herding his small flock back to the house they had come from. However, something caused the hairs on the back of his neck to prickle. Something was wrong. Hiresh furrowed his brow, "C'mon, let's just go... something feels off." As he looked around, he felt a few pairs of eyes on all of them - standing in the crowd of moving people, by the entrance to the arena... Some seemed to be alone and others still were in pairs or threes. Why did they keep glancing this way?</s>	<\|message\|>Asha Asha couldn't control the small giggle that escaped her lips when this boy (who obviously knew Siku) took her hand in his. He was an interesting fellow, to say the least. His eyes held this sort of fire within them, dangerous yet strangely comforting. The brunette smiled politely at the boy before letting their hands fall back to their sides, "My name's Asha, it's nice to meet you." She would have inquired about his name as well, but Siku didn't appreciate his presence and with her growing frustration had called him by his name, effectively giving Asha the information. Katsu appeared to be irritating Siku on purpose, a sort of playful flirting, perhaps? It was pretty entertaining to observe. Asha had a small feeling that the boy had only focused on her to get on Siku's nerve, but it felt nice to have the water bender try to 'protect' her from this guy; it felt like having an older sister. Hiresh even joined in the conversation, trying to derail whatever tactic Katsu was trying to use to get what he wanted. Asha had a pleasant smile on her face before the earth bender's expression turned a bit more serious, and her's followed suit. The air bender was now hyper sensitive to her surroundings, looking and feeling for any sort of hidden danger. She wasn't exactly trained for this sort of thing, but she was going to try her hardest to protect her friends from any danger...Even the new guy. Asha tightened her hold on her glider, trying to scope out the area without looking too obvious. She slowly reached out for Sesi's hand, grabbing it and giving it a small squeeze. The brunette wanted to bring comfort to the young girl, but also make sure it wasn't easy for Sesi to get lost...or if someone tried to grab her. Asha was still her baby sitter after all, so it was her duty to make sure she got home safe!</s>
<\|description\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV Appearance: Poor thing Ranger Color: Pink Age: 31 (chronologically) 20 (biologically) Bio: Alexis joined Time Guardian Academy when he was eighteen; he worked for the R&D for numerous years. One day an experiment went horribly wrong there was an explosion. He was bathed in all sorts of chemicals. When he woke up in a hospital he was no longer male and somehow regressed in age, with his natural hair color becoming pink. For the last four years he has worked tirelessly to find a way to restore his natural gender and hair color. He also had a team put on the age regression properties of his accident that would be secret to eternal life. Other: Is extremely weirded out by her current appearance. Appearance: Sexy Ranger Color: Quantum Name: 3rn Kh1l Age: 250 Bio: Four hundred years before 3rn's birth her species was enslaved and their planet destroyed. The species was separated all over the galaxy. 3rn was born to a slave master who was cruel. He would routinely beat and kill his slaves most slaves didn't live long enough to reach adulthood. 3rn however was able to gain his favor by becoming absolutely indispensable. She ratted out her fellow slaves; she threw herself into her work becoming the best worker possible. One day her master came under attack by pirates, she saved his life. He raised her from common slave to his personal guard. As his personal guard she had free reign of the place, she used that access to covertly sabotage everything. Her plan would undoubtedly lead to the deaths of slaves but they were acceptable losses in her mind. It took a decade but she was able finally to free all the slaves that remained. She killed him with her bare hands. She took his ship and used it to ferry the former slaves where ever they wanted to go. After unloading the last slave she travelled the galaxy for a decade, eventually landing stopping on Earth. She joined the Time Guardian Academy. Other: Took a vow of celibacy.</s> <\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV 3rn was in her room, she preferred to avoid people as much as possible. Inevitably some idiot would refer to her as an Elf, whatever that was. She was on probation for punching the last idiot who did that. To pass time she usually read about Earth or worked out. Today she was doing her usual exercise routine while she listened to recordings that taught Spanish. Alexis had her face buried into a microscope while writting notes on a tablet. John one of the lab technicians was supposed to be busy but he spent most of the time staring at Alexis. Alexis recieved a call from one of the members from the team working on the age regression, so she clicked a device imbedded in her head. "Cornwright. ...... Then order more. ..... Then be more careful. ........ No he can't test it on himself. .......... Then tell the drunk to go home and never come back. ......... " Alexis hanged up & rolled her eyes. "Imbeciles. John get me some more samples." John wasn't paying attention. Alexis turned around. "John what did I tell you the last time you were caught staring at my ass?" John mumbled an apology. Alexis grabbed his arm and injected him with a drug cocktail. "You will not be attracted to anyone until I give you the antidote. Now get back to work creep."</s> <\|message\|>Abagan Abagan was in the Legends Archives looking at the display for the Space Rangers. He was specifically interested in the Battlizer Gauntlet and couldn't believe no one was researching it, it was after all the source of a major power up. "Oh well, must be a reason for it." After a couple of minutes he left the museum and headed back for his room. Once he got there he started practicing his telekinesis using a fake Chrono Saber, since he believed it might give him an edge in battle. Without touching the fake weapon, he lifted it from the floor and made a couple of thrusts with it. It's movements were a lot sloppier than if he just did it by hand, but with the element of surprise on his side Abagan thought that this skill might still make a difference in combat.</s> <\|message\|>Crono Somewhere between time and space Crono drifts as he awaits his the first of his solider to awake from their timeless sleep. He stares into a time rift created by a machine he build searching for the perfect time to strike and rewrite history to his vision. As an alarm sounds he turned to see which one has finally awaken. "hmmm, its Bakki. An excellent choice to do and do my bidding." Crono walked over to the capsule and opened it with a push of a button. Smoke exited the capsule and Bakki was awoken. "Master Crono, how long as it been?" he asked still stiff but starting to get mobility again. "Too long, but it is time to put the plan into action. I am sending you to the year 1993 Go to the moon and look for the Evil there her name is Rita Repulsa, Help her crush the rangers there and rewrite that power rangers history, use these crono shards, enhance the monsters there." Bakki bowed, "yes lord Crono." Bakki turned towards the time rift and jumped threw. "Now it Begins." Crono said. 1993 Rita stormed around her castle, "NO! My Green ranger spell was broken! Goldar! I need a monster to crush those rangers! I need someone evil someone- Whats going on?" The castle started to shake and before Rita eyes the time rift opened. She stared at that it would be, was it Zedd? A wave of fear washed over her but soon turned to relief when it was Bakki who stepped threw. Rita blinked and rubbed her eyes. "Who or what are you?" She asked. "Goldar did you summon him?" Goldar drew his sword Bakki didn't even flinch. He walked towards Rita and she took a step back, Goldar went after him, "Step away from her!" He attacked and Bakki deflected it with his own sword, Goldar stumbled backwards, "What power," Bakki turned back to Rita and took a knee. "I am Bakki, I serve a God. He has sent me here to aid you in your conquest to take over this planet. I present you with this gift. These Are Crono shards. Embed them into a monster of your choosing and after a while the it will activate and it will gain power boost." Rita looked at him, "Who is this god you speak of?" Bakki looked up, "Master Crono, of course." She looked at Goldar, then back to Bakki. "Well if he can help me destroy the rangers then we shall use one of these shards. Goldar, A monster!" She give a shard to Goldar, he bowed and left. After a while he arrived at Finster lab. "Finster, Rita requires a monster and use this!" He gives the shard to him, Finster looks at it, "where did you get this? I can sense an power within it." Goldar replied, "We have a new ally and he brought goodies. Now HURRY UP!" Finster turnes, "I know just the monster to use it in, spit flower. lets see when we cook the clay with this crystal." He places the clay inside the Monster-Matic and after a while Spit flower is born. "I can't wait to see what the crystal does. lets go to Rita." Arriving at Rita Finster see's Bakki standing there looking at the earth. He then greets Rita, "Here is the Monster you requested, with the crystal inside him," Bakki turned to look. Rita looked him over. "GO DESTROY THE RANGERS!" Bakki walked up to spit flower. "Gather energy, the crystal will do the rest." Spit flower jumped up and down with excitement and was sent to earth. On earth he caused lots of problems eating flower and throwing out this chomper sucking up energy from anything he saw. In the command center "AY-yi-yi-yi-yi! Zordon what s that!" Zordon just looked, "I don't know Alpha but we need to summon the rangers stop that monsters Attack. After losing her Green Ranger who knows what she could be up to." No to long after the ranger was assembled. Jason, Zack, Tommy, Billy, Trini, and Kimberly. They all looked on at the monster, nodding to each other Jason yelled, "ITS MORPHING TIME!" One by one they called out their zords power. On the battle field "Dragon Zord, Mastodon, Pterodactyl, Triceratops, Sabertooth Tiger, Tyrannosaurus," The Ranger flipped into action doing battle with Spit flower. As a matter of fact they were winning. As Rita looked at Bakki, "whats happening? Why is Spit flower losing? You said he would be powerful." Bakki looked on, "it is almost awaken. give it a moment." The Ranger combined their weapons, and fired a beam at spit flower and it hit dead on target. Spit flower stumbled and fell back. The Ranger celebrated but that was cut short as Bakki entered the battle field and sent an energy wave towards the ranger knocking them all down except Tommy. "Who are you?" Tommy asked. Bakki didn't even answer he looked down to Spit flower, "How long are you gonna play dead?" Soon after spite flower body started to change, his body got covered in leaves and they soon fell off to reveled. "I am Gaeriel, Spit Flowers next form." Bakki looked at him, "Not enough power, but should be enough to defeat them. Defeat them and I will give you more power." Bakki turned and disappeared. Gaeriel bowed then turned to the Rangers. Please, when ever your ready." Tommy looked on, "We defeated you once we can do it again, Right guys." The Rangers stood and in unison said, "RIGHT!" Back at time for control As alarm went off, Jen rose to her feet and ran towards the window. "Finally, Assemble the time force Rangers!"</s> <\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV "This can't be good. Don't know when I will see you again, just in case I'll give you the antidote to the drug cocktail from before." Alexis injected the antidote but she mixed it wrong. Instead of returning John's attraction to women, it permanently altered his brain chemistry and made him attracted to men. Alexis rushed off to see what Jen wanted. 3rn dropped everything literally, the weights she was lifting left a dent and cracks radiating outward. 3rn didn't even bother to close the door to her quarters. She had nothing of value worth stealing plus everything in there was provided by her employers. She had no emotional need to gather stuff. 3rn arrived momentarily before Alexis.</s> <\|message\|>Abagan Just as Abagan was done practicing his telekinesis, his Chrono Morpher began flashing. Knowing what that meant he immediately left for the Command Center, leaving his replica Chrono Saber on the table. Despite his hurrying he quickly found that he was beaten there there by the Pink and Quantum Rangers, however since he wasn't last he didn't really care. "Timeforce Blue Ranger, reporting for duty."</s> <\|message\|>Recca Walker Recca was inside the Legend archive when lights started flashing. He already knew what it meant. He ran out heading to the command center. When he arrived three rangers were there already, 3rn, Alexis and Abagan. He wondered where the other three were. As Jen entered the command center he stood next to her and yelled out "Attention," He and everyone inside snapped in it. Jen looked around and "At ease," Jen said. "Finally, he has shown himself." Jen looked around at the three rangers. "Sadly the other three rangers are not fit for duty. But never the less you have to do and stop him. It will be difficult but i have faith in you all." Jen walked over to a huge screen and pressed a button. And the year 1993 popped up. "1993 Angle grove, He has chosen this time to show up. The ranger of that time faces an power they can't defeat alone. not even Zordon had the power to stop it. That is why you four will go back and stop them." Recca looked around, "Commander there is only three rangers," She looked over to him, "You will be joining them in the fight." Recca eyes almost teared up, "I'm going to be a Time force ranger?" Jen walked over to a silver case and grabbed it, "Not exactly," She walked up to him and opened it. He looked down confused. "This is an S.P.D morpher," Jen grabbed and gave it to him. "This belonged to Chief Anubis. The reason why you can't be a time ranger is because when the Morpher is activated; it imprints with the user's DNA. Your DNA is ever changing because of the genetic engineering to your body. Its forever rewriting your Genetic code. Use this power to aid them." Recca nodded, Jen then turned to the other three. "Now the four of you had to the Time shifter and prepare. Once we send you back you will be stuck there until who ever is causing the disruption is defeated and captured. Once they are captured the disruption should stop, if you need your zord for back up as can send them but they will have a tether on this time and will be pulled back if the time limit is reached. Until we figure out a more stable solution to making a two way time hole this is out only option. Keep in contact with us, we will do what we can from this end." Recca walked over next to Alexis and stood next to her. "Rangers, move out!" Recca snapped a salute and said "Right!" He then turned and Ran to the room next to the commander center that lead to the Time shifter. The room was huge and all white. And in the center stood a huge portal gate. Scientist from the R&D department was being lead by Trip as he gave the Recca a credit card, "This will work in that time era. Use this for logging and food. Good luck." Recca nodded and looked at the others. The gate roared to life and a blue like fluid shot out of it before going back inside. Recca looked on, kinda scared cause he didn't know what would happen. He looked back to see his mother there. She nodded, he tuned back and ran threw. It all happen instantaneous but to those who go threw it seem like 10second of the craziest thing you would ever experience. The color of light was almost disorienting. When he reached the other side he felt sick like he wanted to throw up. But that feeling quickly as he can hear the sound of battle not to far away. He looked around to see if the other had came threw yet and he didn't see anyone. He waited a moment then he saw a shimmer of light. Who was coming threw after him he wondered?</s>	<\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV Alexis had a crush on Jen, she became visibly uneasy being next to her. She rushed through the time portal as soon as possible. 3rn didn't hurry off to the time portal. She stopped by a reflective surface and covered her ears with her hair. When some random technician looked at her disapprovingly, she gave him a piece of her mind. The random technician became so scared he pissed his pants. 3rn was pleased. She ran through the time portal. Alexis was disorientated from the trip through the time portal, she ended up puking. 3rn felt buzzed by the trip, it felt like her skin was being stimulated by the universe itself.</s>
<\|description\|>Abagan Appearance: Ranger Color: Blue Age: 20 Bio: Abagan was born on Ko-49 a relatively newly colonized planet. For the most part his life was uneventful until his eighteenth birthday when he went to Earth to join Time Guardian Academy, hoping to follow in the footsteps of his childhood hero Andros the Red Space Ranger. For that goal he had been training his basic combat skills, focusing mainly on sword fighting. He also studied past ranger teams and their battles. When he arrived on Earth and joined the Academy he proved to be average at everything much to his dismay, as he hoped to show off at least a little bit. However while Abagan didn't excel at anything he didn't have anything he was terrible at either. Other: Coming from one of the KO colonies, he possesses minor telekinetic abilities.</s> <\|message\|>Abagan "If you don't me saying so, why don't we ask the rangers of this time for help? On that note I also think we should tell them what's broadly going on, if we can without changing too much." Abagan suggested after demorphing. It seemed after all that they would be working together for a while, and this way both teams benefited from it.</s> <\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV "We can't trust that one." 3rn said pointing to Tommy with her sword. Alexis knew what 3rn was referring to, his involvement in the creation of evil that threatened Reefside and his participation in the creation of Fossilador a monster capable of taking over a person's mind and that was when he was supposed to be a good guy. "I have to agree with her. His soul is tainted beyond redemption."</s> <\|message\|>Recca Walker Recca walked over to 3rn and Alexis, "Now now, what ever happened in history is suppose to happen. Remember Tommy is known to be the greatest ranger in history." He said in a soft voice. Recca looked over to Abagan, "I understand what you are saying, but we need to find our contact here first before we involve them in anymore stuff. So far nothing has changed cause spit fire was still beat by them." Hoping 3rn would lower her weapon even, but Recca was kinda puzzled by her action when she used him as a spring board to attack even tho she say she cant trust him. Women he figured. Recca turned to the rangers, "Well I suppose its time we introduced ourselves p... whats going on?" Recca had that feeling of teleportation from when they went threw the time shifter. And the same feeling over came the others as well. After a few seconds they all suddenly appeared in the command center, "Ai ay ay Zordon, They are Rangers. Looks they entered the command center." Alpha said, when Recca regained his composure he looked up at the huge floating head. "So, your Zordon." He said staring at him. He looked back to see if the others were ok.</s> <\|message\|>Abagan Abagan looked around the Command Center slightly impressed by the for the time advanced technology, but down right amazed by the historical value of the place where the first Power Rangers were born. "Wow" After a few seconds he regained himself though and quickly turned to face Zordon trying not to show how exited he was about all this. When he noticed how disrespectful Recca was, he was shocked, but of course didn't say or do anything at all since the Shadow Ranger was his superior officer.</s> <\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV 3rn was barely holding back her rage. "I will not tolerate the presence your species." 3rn said pointing to Zordon. She walked out of the building. Outside 3rn called for the TF Eagle and sped off. She wanted as much distance as possible from a member of the species that enslaved hers. Alexis wasn't really paying attention to anyone else she was studying Alpha. "You really should have been made with combat in mind. You know just in case Jason and the others can't get here in time or are busy in combat."</s> <\|message\|>Recca Walker Recca was not to surprised by the outburst of 3rn, apparently she was upset, but he was not to sure what that had to do with him. As she stormed out Recca continued to speak with him. "Don't worry about her, I will speak with her later." Recca looked at Zordon, "I have brought you here to talk. I am aware that you are not from this time, and there's another who has showed himself, he calls himself Bakki." Recca perked up at the name. He knew who he was, and how dangerous he was. Maybe he is who they need to get rid or to get back to their time. Things just got that much more complicated. "Bakki is here? This is bad, very bad. Bakki is one of the lieutenants for Chrono. If he is here he must be working with Rita, making her monster stronger then what they should be. I am sure it has something to do with that crystal we found on Spit Flower. After we removed it he seemed to have no memory. It's strange very strange." Recca walked around the room for a second, he pulled out his communicator and called back to HQ and he relayed the message back to them and was given more instructions. "Understood," Recca turned to Alexis and Abagan. "We are to work very limited with the Rangers here, we don't want to change to much of history. Also I have been told of a contact in the city we are suppose to meet with. But first we have to track down 3rn and see whats up with her." Recca turned to Zordon, "Please contact us before your rangers if anything comes up. Lets us try to take care of it first and if we need back up we will ask for help." "Very well, may the power protect you all." Recca looked at the other and walked out of the building. Once outside he looked around and sighed. "Alexis you know 3rn well right? you have any idea where she would go in this time?"</s> <\|message\|>Victoria Jung Jen was sitting at her desk when when Trip walked in, "Jen we have found a contact for the rangers. Do you remember Victoria Jung?" Jen sat there for a moment, and thought long and hard. "She is the one of the many we recruited for the Time Watch missions right?" Trip walked over and gave her some paper work, Jen shifted threw them and came across that she and Recca was an item at one point. "Are you saying we should have them make contact with her?" Trip took a seat, "I think a familiar face would be good for him and for her. Don't you think?" Jen nodded, she pulled out her communicator and called into the past. "TFP sub hub, Striker speaking." A voice came threw on the other line. "This is TF Commander, I need to speak with Victoria Jung asap." "Right away ma'am." The soldier turned, "You," he pointed to someone, "Go find Private Jung." Victoria looked around the room that she was sitting at, eating herself a ham and cheese sandwhich, well basically it was the lunch room. It was break time for the people who worked in the Time Watch missions. As soon as the girl was going to get a bite of her sandwhich, a soldier came up to her, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her into a room. This soldier told the Jung that she had a private call from the future. Whoever it was had to be important. "Next time.. be polite and speak to me, don't just grab me like if I am some rag doll or something." Victoria rolled her eyes heading to the room where she was going to communicate with the Commander. As soon as she got there, she was speaking to the future. "Commander." Victoria spoke professionally, wondering what this was all about. "Greeting Private, How are thing going over there in the year 1993... actually don't even reply to that. We have a group of agents back in that time and need your assistance. We need you to give them money and set them up with a place to stay either on base or somewhere close. And I am sure one of them will be very happy to see you. I could say more but why ruin the surprise." Victoria could not see but Jen had a huge smile on her face. "Either way, here is the comms contact information. We are counting on you." Jen out, and she hung up the phone before she could even get a reply in. Jen looked at Trip and he shook his head, "You loved that didn't you?" He asked, Jen smiled. Victoria just stared at the screen wondering what was the commander talking about. She couldn't see the girl but it seemed that she was up to something. But sadly, Victoria cannot question her so she just nodded her head and as soon as her lips opened up to reply back, the call was ended. "O...kay..." she sighed turning around remembering she has to call her contact now, wondering who it was. Victoria sighed grabbing the communicator and typing in the information, it was ringing. Who would it be? Did she know this person? Perhaps. Outside Zordons commander center Recca communicator was ringing, TFP showed up. "This must be our contact." He activated the video link, not looking at the camera yet looking at the rest of the team, "This is Recca walker, Shadow Ranger with Time Force Control. Are you our..." Suddenly he stopped talking finally looking at the screen. He was taken back for a moment. He could not believe who he was looking at. "W-w-...." He started to studder finding it hard to put the words together. He took a short moment to regain himself then spoke again. "Victoria Jung." The communicator kept ringing for a few seconds before hearing the voice of a very manly man. The voice was familiar, though the call was actually changed into a video type. Victoria looked at it, there seeing Recca, her eyes widened quickly covering the camera as she looked around the room she was in. Cursing to herself quietly. "D-Damn...I-It's him..." she stuttered a bit before taking her hands off the camera and acting professional. "...Recca Walker. Huh, glad to see you again..." Victoria tried so hard not to blush but she didn't so she spoke calmly once again. "Uhh, what's going on?" Recca looked so freaking sexy though! That chocolate skin that she loved so much, it was sad that they had to break up. "Good to see you as well," He replied. "You know just working out and shooting and stabbing bad guys," he said trying to be cool. He cleared his throat. "We need to meet. Can you give us the location of the base. The team and I will be there soon. We need to track down one of us... can you help with that? She left on a Time Flyer. Maybe you can track her?" He asked. Victoria giggled, he did look muscular he seemed to have been working out a lot! And his sense of humor never changed~ That was such a good thing that he hasn't changed. "I see you been working out, heh.." she said blushing a bit, day dreaming of his muscles being wrapped around her but she quickly snapped back to reality. "Okay! I am sending the coordinates to here now, see you in a bit.~ And yes.. I can help track her, don't worry.. leave it all to me, heh." Victoria blushed before closing the call, hanging up, she couldn't see him no more or else she would want to ask him more questions about his life AND the girl was already blushing. Though, maybe Recca has moved on..? They haven't seen each other in a while, it would be understandable. If he did.</s> <\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV "I know 3rn better than most but I still know next to nothing about her. She is extremely guarded. I have seen famous fortresses with weaker walls than her. I do know that she had a troubled past, she was enslaved for a long time, forced to betray & kill her own people on numerous occasions just to survive. I also know she went on a rampage, killed her owner. I also suspect a lot more happened than she is willing to divulge. Knowing her temper, I suspect a very large number of people died. If she recruited others into her cause and if they died she would blame herself regardless if she was actually responsible. I also suspect from micro expressions when she references her people that she is an outcast among them, even after saving all those that survived enslavement. She hates herself for what she did. I suspect her hatred for the green one is because she sees herself in him, though she does have plenty of valid points. As for her hatred of the big head, my best guess is that he reminds her of those that enslaved her and her people."</s> <\|message\|>Abagan Abagan couldn't believe 3rn's outburst nor the fact that she ran off. In fact part of him wanted to chase after her and tell her what he thought about her doing that, but he was still on duty and was more professional than that.That didn't mean he wasn't disappointed when Recca said their contact with the other rangers would be limited, he also took the chance to look around the Command center some more while Recca was talking with HQ and their current contract. Upon hearing about 3rn's past Abagan felt sorry for her. "I just hope she doesn't hate all aliens or that could prove problematic later on, seeing as technically I am one." After that he decided to do something he might not get another chance to do, he turned to the older team of Rangers to ask all six of them one single question. "Can I have your autograph?"</s> <\|message\|>Recca Walker Recca listen to what Alexis had to say about 3rn, "Well it seems we will have to split up. She has no Idea Bakki. She shouldn't have ran off like that. Regardless of her reasons, each and everyone one of us signed up for this job, we are professionals. There will be times when we don't want to work with or even associate with someone we despise but for the good of the entire world, sometime we have to make sacrifices." Recca punched in a code and a Delta Cruiser and two vector cycles came threw and stopped not far from them. "Looks like we are going to have to split up. I will go meet with Victoria our contact, you two start searching for 3rn. Once I reach the base I'll see if they made any progress on finding the TF eagle. All I can hope for is that she is safe." Recca Jumped into the Delta Cruiser, "If by chance you all find her before we can locate her, here are the coordinates to the base. You guys will be on your own for a while until i get to the base. The interference is blocking a lot of communications. Be careful Rangers, and Good luck." Recca sped off north.</s> <\|message\|>Alexis Cornwright XIV 3rn was somewhere over the ocean. She decided to go for a swim. She programmed the TF Eagle to fly an erratic path all over the globe. Then she jumped off and dived into the ocean. She demorphed. She swam deep in the ocean. During her swam she noticed a shark approaching. She stopped swimming and let it close in on her. She pulled a knife from the waistband of her pants. She allowed the shark to approach with in arm's reach, she was posed to strike at it's most vulnerable point. The shark didn't attack, she kept swimming.</s>	<\|message\|>Abagan Before any of the original Rangers could reply Abagan got his orders to look for 3rn. "Looks like that is gonna have to wait" After he got on his cycle, he turned to Alexis. "You know the best, so got any idea where she might be?" He honestly didn't expect too much out of it, but it was still better then randomly driving around Angel Grove.</s>
<\|description\|>Ella Reynolds Age 17 Photo This is her normal look without heavy makeup. Her hair is naturally pitch black and cut short like in the 1st picture. She normally wears heavy eyeliner and nothing else. She loves to be unique, so she tends to be creative with her style. Sometimes she will wear various color and style wigs, or have stands of her natural hair dyed different colors. She likes to wear dark colors for the most part. Background She has recently enrolled in a boarding school. Her parents thought it would be a good idea for her to change her scenery, even though they live an hour away from the boarding school, Ella will be living in the dorms there, instead of commuting. The reason they suddenly decided to change her schools in the last year is because of all the backlash she got at her last school when it got out that she was a lesbian. Her parents are very supportive of this fact and want to do what they can to make the rest of her high school life go as smoothly as possible.</s> <\|message\|>Ella Reynolds Ella waited for her classmates to pass her in the hallway, before secretly making her way to the old abandoned janitor's closet she had cleaned up in the beginning of the school year when she found it on accident. It was a good place for her to hide out during lunch and breaks; the door was even lockable from the inside. It felt like it had been made just for her. She placed her lunch on the card table that had already been in the room and looked around at the posters, and magazine articles she had taped to the walls. Ella couldn't help sighing as she thought about being caught someday and being forced to eat lunch with all the other students. Though until then, she was going to get the most out of her safe haven. It was just that she was a new student who had been enrolled in the last month of school last year. Now she was in the 12th grade and nobody seemed to know she was alive. They never talked to her, or made any indication that she even existed. She prided herself on being different and unique. Ella never wanted to look the same as someone else. At the moment, her fascination was with the Gothic Style and nobody at this school wore as much black as she did. While she did not label herself as a goth, people at her boarding school already put her in that category. It was a stereotype she should have expected. Ella wore mostly dark clothing, her favorite being black and dark blue. She had naturally black hair that was styled in a cute bob around her head, with the ends on each side being slightly longer than the rest of her hair. Though she liked to wear different color wigs and extensions, depending on her mood, she at the moment had her hair dyed with a couple red streaks. It was a natural dye and would wash out after a few washes. She hated putting anything in her hair that would damage it. With her back to the door, she leaned her forehead against the coolness of the wall. It was two months into twelfth grade and still nobody had made any effort to get to know her. Even the teachers seemed to snub her. Ella was smart, though they never called on her to answer questions. Her papers always came back with A's, but nobody had ever praised her for her hard work. She glanced over at her lunch. It was a sandwich and some grapes. She picked at it, eating a few grapes and a bite of the sandwich, but she had lost her appetite. In know it is pathetic, but is it so much to ask for one person to be nice to me. It's like I have the plague. She rolled her eyes and sighed again. But I am not going to change who I am for this school. Mom and dad already went through so much trouble to get me here and finding a school with a lax dress code, so I can be myself. The warning bell rang, making her jump out of her thoughts. She grabbed her trash and left the closet quickly, before anyone noticed her. Maybe I will have some luck with my new roommate. I can't believe they are making me move already. Her last roommate had put up with her for the month last year and the two months this year, but was rather stuck up and complained to the staff about wanting a single room. Ella got kicked out and was waiting to hear where she would be moving to. She was supposed to know by the end of her classes. It's two months into the school year. I wonder how many students need roommates. Most of them have been here since the beginning... Whoever it was, she hoped they wouldn't give her trouble.</s> <\|message\|>Reviera Adimari Reviera sat outside in the courtyard. Her earphones sat snuggly in her ears as she listened to music. Sunglasses covered her eyes as she read underneath the sun. American History. She never really cared too much for it, but there some pretty interesting moments. While she could do away with the colonization of America, she enjoyed the romantic feel of the wild west and the grittiness of the Civil War. Other than that, the rest of her textbook was a snooze fest. She wasn't interested in history. What was the point in learning something she had no ambition in pursuing? It was her free period - a luxury that seniors got. She had been at the boarding school for as long as she could remember. Freshman year to be exact. At first, she wasn't sure how she'd like it. Being away from home wasn't as exciting as she thought it'd be. Going to an all female school didn't make things easier either. However, as she got through the transition, she made friends and even made a name for herself. Swimming. It was the reason why she picked this place over the others. Unlike the other boarding schools she looked at, this institution supported their athletes as avidly as they did for academic perfection. It was the prestigious school for athletics and academics. Body and mind she supposed. While she had to work hard, it all paid off as a large 'C' was embroidered on her team warm-up jacket. There were three captains. She was one of them out of the twenty varsity girls. As Reviera flipped the page, she heard the bell ring as she ignored it while the younger years moved about their business. Admittedly, she was going to miss this place when she was gone. The courtyard. The facilities. The teachers. Everything. This was her home, and she dreaded the day when all of this would be over. Feeling a shadow cast over her, Reviera looked up. She smiled. "Hey Sam!" The blonde smiled at her as she sat her things down and settled on the grass. "Thought I'd find you here. Last year. You excited?" Reviera nodded as she marked her page and scooted the heavy tome away. "Totally," she said. "Trying for that conference record. Get that, and you're guaranteed an All-American!" "You're fast. You'll get it," Sam said. "Oh, by the way. What happened with Kerry?" Reviera frowned as she remembered the whole debacle. Due to an emergency - something about her family - Kerry had to take the year off and leave. She didn't really tell Reviera why she had to go, which miffed the swimmer slightly. They were friends. Roomies for the last two years. To have her just walk out without a word was ... rude. Now, some stranger - a transfer - was taking her spot. Reviera heard the talk on the grounds; and if they were true, her new roommate was a total weirdo. Maybe she could ask for a transfer if things didn't work out? Maybe a single if she had too. "She just left," Reviera said with a shrug. "Hasn't been answering my texts either. She just disappeared. Literally." "Sucks girl. Heard about your new assignment. Good luck." "Wow, thanks. Great. Now I can't think. I guess I'll have to get things moved." Packing her things, Reviera stood up as she brushed off some of the grass from her white shorts. "See you at practice Sam!" "See ya Revy!" Walking towards the dormitories, Reviera's thoughts centered around her new roommate and the season. Anxious didn't even come close to describing what she was feeling. --- Sitting in her room, Reviera had moved everything to her side. While her roommates stuff was settled, she had yet to decorate things. Sitting on her bed, Reviera had opened yet another book - this one for fun. Her life wasn't all sports and fame now. When she had the time, she was quite the bookworm. Dabbling in fantasy to contemporary, she liked to think she had diverse tastes when it came to literature. Stealing a glance at the clock, class should've gotten out for the day as she waited in silence. Even if her new roommate was some weirdo, a good impression could make this less awkward than it needed to be. Humming to herself, she sat there waiting reading about dragons. God, she loved the creatures. Childish she knew, but if people didn't like it, they could simply mind their business. She did her own thing regardless of what others thought. Always had and always will.</s>	<\|message\|>Ella Reynolds I can't believe I ran into Bonnie Beningsworth, the head cheerleader and she asked me to sit with her. They must want something from me. At least she told her friends I was cool. Ella inwardly grinned at the memory. This is Ella. She's cool. Those words played through Ella's head as she sat next to Bonnie and her two perfect blonde friends. Their names are also just as perfect and cute as Bonnie's name. Ashley and Melodi, spelled with an "I" they told her. "Hiya," one of them said. Ella couldn't remember who was who. They looked so much alike that they could very well be twins and most likely were. "So I haven't seen you around before?" She popped her cotton candy bubble gum with a loud smack. It was the most annoying sound Ella had ever heard. "Yeah, are you new?" The other one asked. She was also chewing gum that smelled of watermelon. They were not afraid to get right up in people's faces when they talked, making the popping and smells even more annoying. Ella might have been a lesbian and these girls might be very attractive and popular, but there was only so much one girl could handle. Trying not to show her annoyance, she smiled, while brushing some hair out of her eyes. "I guess you could say that. I started at the end of last year." Of course popular people like Ashley and Melodi, with an "I", wouldn't notice her. Bonnie placed a perfectly manicured hand on Ella's arm. "She's totally creative. Her style is a little different from ours, but she's got guts." Ella blushed, wondering why Bonnie was saying things like that after only just meeting. "Creative?" Ashley said, clicking her tongue against her teeth. Ella decided this one was Ashley and the other Melodi. The one she decided was Ashley had short, curled blonde hair and the one who was Melodi had very long; stick straight blonde hair, just like Bonnie did. "Then you can join the decoration committee for the school dance." What? Me on the school dance committee? I have never even gone to a dance before! How can they have a dance with no boys, not that I care? I guess there must be an all boy's school local to us... "We need more people with imagination. Nobody has any good ideas anymore." Melodi pouted. "Seriously? Why would you want me to help?" "You might have fun," Bonnie said, her eyes lighting up at the idea. "Look at the way you dress and the things you do to your hair." Bonnie smirked. "I bet you even draw." So the cat is out of the bag, they want me to do some dirty work for them... "How in the world can you possibly know I'm an artist?" Ella felt a little stunned. She did pride herself in her artwork, whether it was a drawing, painting or a written story. Bonnie leaned closer to Ella and grabbed across her to where Ella's notebook for English class set. She pointed a long, slender finger at the cover a couple times, while looking up at Ella and smiling. "You can't exactly buy this notebook in the store. I mean the cover doodles don't come on it." It was true that Ella's notebook was covered in doodles, from the likeness of her mother, to pictures of roses and crosses, to flowers and music notes. Melodi and Ashley leaned over and also looked at the notebook, wrinkling their noses at some of the doodles, because they were too dark for their taste, but they were well drawn all the same. "Fine, I doodle. Still doesn't mean I'm as good as Picasso." "Who?" The twins asked. Ella and Bonnie raised their eyebrows and then started to laugh, making the twins pout more than was necessary. --- When the last class of the day let out, Ella excused herself from the cheerleaders. People called her weird, well cheerleaders were the weirdest of the bunch. If she heard one more bubble popping, she was going to go crazy. She walked out the classroom and made her way out the building. She already had her new room assignment and was curious about who her roommate would be. "North dorm...hmmm..." Ella walked the short distance, past the courtyard and down the sidewalk, taking a turn to go toward the dorm. When she got to the door, she hesitated. Should she knock? Deciding it was silly to knock, she tried the doorknob. It opened. She walked in and looked around, finding the only person sitting and reading a book. She's a reader, that's 1 point for her already. Hmm, she's cute. Ella made sure her hair wasn't messy, running her fingers through the short black locks. She looked down at her outfit, wondering what the girl would think of her. Today she wore a short black lacy skirt, with black knee high tights and black wedge pumps. Her top was a front laced corset. It left her arms and shoulders completely bare, also showing off her figure. She subconsciously waited for the girl to look up and see her, knowing how much she hated when people interrupted her when she was reading. Corset top and skirt like this.</s>
<\|description\|>Ella Reynolds Age 17 Photo This is her normal look without heavy makeup. Her hair is naturally pitch black and cut short like in the 1st picture. She normally wears heavy eyeliner and nothing else. She loves to be unique, so she tends to be creative with her style. Sometimes she will wear various color and style wigs, or have stands of her natural hair dyed different colors. She likes to wear dark colors for the most part. Background She has recently enrolled in a boarding school. Her parents thought it would be a good idea for her to change her scenery, even though they live an hour away from the boarding school, Ella will be living in the dorms there, instead of commuting. The reason they suddenly decided to change her schools in the last year is because of all the backlash she got at her last school when it got out that she was a lesbian. Her parents are very supportive of this fact and want to do what they can to make the rest of her high school life go as smoothly as possible.</s> <\|message\|>Ella Reynolds I can't believe I ran into Bonnie Beningsworth, the head cheerleader and she asked me to sit with her. They must want something from me. At least she told her friends I was cool. Ella inwardly grinned at the memory. This is Ella. She's cool. Those words played through Ella's head as she sat next to Bonnie and her two perfect blonde friends. Their names are also just as perfect and cute as Bonnie's name. Ashley and Melodi, spelled with an "I" they told her. "Hiya," one of them said. Ella couldn't remember who was who. They looked so much alike that they could very well be twins and most likely were. "So I haven't seen you around before?" She popped her cotton candy bubble gum with a loud smack. It was the most annoying sound Ella had ever heard. "Yeah, are you new?" The other one asked. She was also chewing gum that smelled of watermelon. They were not afraid to get right up in people's faces when they talked, making the popping and smells even more annoying. Ella might have been a lesbian and these girls might be very attractive and popular, but there was only so much one girl could handle. Trying not to show her annoyance, she smiled, while brushing some hair out of her eyes. "I guess you could say that. I started at the end of last year." Of course popular people like Ashley and Melodi, with an "I", wouldn't notice her. Bonnie placed a perfectly manicured hand on Ella's arm. "She's totally creative. Her style is a little different from ours, but she's got guts." Ella blushed, wondering why Bonnie was saying things like that after only just meeting. "Creative?" Ashley said, clicking her tongue against her teeth. Ella decided this one was Ashley and the other Melodi. The one she decided was Ashley had short, curled blonde hair and the one who was Melodi had very long; stick straight blonde hair, just like Bonnie did. "Then you can join the decoration committee for the school dance." What? Me on the school dance committee? I have never even gone to a dance before! How can they have a dance with no boys, not that I care? I guess there must be an all boy's school local to us... "We need more people with imagination. Nobody has any good ideas anymore." Melodi pouted. "Seriously? Why would you want me to help?" "You might have fun," Bonnie said, her eyes lighting up at the idea. "Look at the way you dress and the things you do to your hair." Bonnie smirked. "I bet you even draw." So the cat is out of the bag, they want me to do some dirty work for them... "How in the world can you possibly know I'm an artist?" Ella felt a little stunned. She did pride herself in her artwork, whether it was a drawing, painting or a written story. Bonnie leaned closer to Ella and grabbed across her to where Ella's notebook for English class set. She pointed a long, slender finger at the cover a couple times, while looking up at Ella and smiling. "You can't exactly buy this notebook in the store. I mean the cover doodles don't come on it." It was true that Ella's notebook was covered in doodles, from the likeness of her mother, to pictures of roses and crosses, to flowers and music notes. Melodi and Ashley leaned over and also looked at the notebook, wrinkling their noses at some of the doodles, because they were too dark for their taste, but they were well drawn all the same. "Fine, I doodle. Still doesn't mean I'm as good as Picasso." "Who?" The twins asked. Ella and Bonnie raised their eyebrows and then started to laugh, making the twins pout more than was necessary. --- When the last class of the day let out, Ella excused herself from the cheerleaders. People called her weird, well cheerleaders were the weirdest of the bunch. If she heard one more bubble popping, she was going to go crazy. She walked out the classroom and made her way out the building. She already had her new room assignment and was curious about who her roommate would be. "North dorm...hmmm..." Ella walked the short distance, past the courtyard and down the sidewalk, taking a turn to go toward the dorm. When she got to the door, she hesitated. Should she knock? Deciding it was silly to knock, she tried the doorknob. It opened. She walked in and looked around, finding the only person sitting and reading a book. She's a reader, that's 1 point for her already. Hmm, she's cute. Ella made sure her hair wasn't messy, running her fingers through the short black locks. She looked down at her outfit, wondering what the girl would think of her. Today she wore a short black lacy skirt, with black knee high tights and black wedge pumps. Her top was a front laced corset. It left her arms and shoulders completely bare, also showing off her figure. She subconsciously waited for the girl to look up and see her, knowing how much she hated when people interrupted her when she was reading. Corset top and skirt like this.</s> <\|message\|>Reviera Adimari "No way!" Reviera flipped the book on its back. Why did the mentor have to die? Granted, she thought Halther was a grouch, but he was as close to a badass as any book character could get. He'd practically lost his whole entire family during the Dragon Wars. It wasn't fair. The main protagonist - some pompous little jerk - should've died instead. Reviera had half a mind to write a letter to the author, but she knew it'd never reach the woman. Reaching for the book yet again, she turned the page and continued to read on. The protagonist better get his act together she thought to herself. Engrossed in the plot, Reviera didn't hear the door turn as she flipped another page. It was only when she heard walking against the carpeted room did she look up. Her friends were right. The girl was absolute weird. However, not in the bad way. She was guilty of this too, but the normal dress etiquette was conservative upper class. There wasn't a dress code or anything, but it was a unspoken expectation of sorts. Reviera didn't really know how to explain it better than that. The girl's outfit left very little to the imagination, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Though she had a thing for sporty girls, her roommate wasn't that bad at all. Things could've been worse. Finding her bookmark, Reviera broke away from her rather deep staring as she closed the book. Hopping off the bed, she brushed her shorts as she walked towards the girl. "No need to be quiet silly," she said as she stood in front of her. Offering her a smile, Reviera placed her hands on her hips. "So you're taking Kerry's spot, huh? Swell. Suppose we should break the ice. I'm Reviera." Locking eyes with the girl, the make up pronounced her roommates eyes. It was kind of breath taking. "Need help setting up?" she asked. "Your side of the room is still a bit ... barren."</s> <\|message\|>Ella Reynolds Ella smiled, feeling overwhelmingly better when the girl turned out to be decent. She had been so scared that this would turn into another Holly moment. Holly had been her last roommate and the one who threw a fit and got her kicked out. She hated how some perfect, rich snobs always seemed to get what they wanted. Ella's parents were well off, but she never acted like she ruled the world. Her mother was a lawyer and her father was a doctor. They were workaholics, but they had a good family dynamic. "Sorry, I was only quiet because I saw you were reading. Some people will start wars if you interrupt." She smiled, though it turned into a small smirk. "I am one of those people. Reading is..." She trailed off, blushing, the crimson color a huge contrast to her naturally pale skin. "I'm rambling, aren't I?" She heard the rest of the girl's question and nodded. "Yep, I guess so. My last roommate didn't agree with sharing her breathing space with someone who dressed outside the cookie cutter standard this school seems to have." Her eyes widened, because that sounded a little harsh. She shook her head. "I mean no offense, not that you are one of them." She gave the girl an open up and down look. Reviera had style, maybe not as extreme as Ella, but she still seemed like an individual. Being cute did not hurt, either. "Oh sure, thanks. All my boxes are packed and waiting to be carried from my old dorm." She looked down at the black and pink Hello Kitty watch she was wearing. It was going on 3pm and Holly was most likely already out with her older boyfriend. The boyfriend Ella had to hear about 24/7. That is all the girl ever wanted to talk about. "It's not a long walk from here, so shouldn't take more than a few trips. Are you sure you don't mind?"</s> <\|message\|>Reviera Adimari "Start wars? Oh lord," Reviera said as she tried not to laugh. "I know whatcha' mean though. The last thing I need is some chick being obnoxious while I finish the chapter. But, still, I don't mind." Noticing the girl blush, Reviera rose an eyebrow. Was she that shy? Reaching over, Reviera patted her shoulder. "I'm one of the few people on this campus that doesn't mind. Trust me when I say, some of the other girls ramble about less exciting things." Reviera almost couldn't contain her laughter. She knew the unspoken dress etiquette, and she tried to add her little twist on things. Going to a school with scions from old money - she was somewhat on that band wagon - could be taxing at times. "No offense taken. I'll admit though, your style is really ... unique? Not a bad thing, we need more personalities here other than conservatively dressed," Reviera said as she winked, "Variety never kills. That's a lot of make up though. Does it take forever to do? I've only ever used eyeliner and mascara, but that's on the days I have time. Foundation never really sticks on for me. People have told me I don't need it though. So, never really explored cosmetics as much." Watching the girl look at her watch, Reviera remembered she didn't have all day either. She'd probably have to skip out to practice then come back and help. Couldn't be late not. "I don't mind at all! Been thinking of how to kill the time before practice. Oh! Speaking of that, I hope you're okay with the smell of chlorine? I swim, and it's a smell I've gotten used to but others don't really care for it. If you really do mind, I'll try to use the extra shampoo. But no promises." Walking over to her table, Reviera picked up her phone and keys and walked back. "I think I can help with one round. Ready? Oh, before we get moving, what's your name? It's better than me saying 'miss' or 'girl' right?"</s>	<\|message\|>Ella Reynolds "My makeup?" Ella put a hand on her cheek and thought for a moment, before shaking her head. "It doesn't take me long, but when I first started, I looked like a racoon, I assure you. It takes practice. I could do your makeup for you, if you want, of course I will keep in mind your style." She grinned teasingly. "I won't turn you into another me..." Unless you want, because you would look hot in a corset... Ella finished in her head, turning away from the girl and inwardly rolling her eyes at herself. She turned back toward Reviera when she heard the girl mention practice. Ella tried not to show her disdain. Was this girl another cheerleader? She sure did not look like she was, but looks could be wrong. Her expression brightened when she learned the other only meant swimming. Ella shook her head and smiled. "Of course not, no problem. If you don't mind my differences, I am not going to complain about something as silly as chlorine smells." She waved her hand. "I'm sure I can handle it." She was relived when she saw Reviera had a car. Ella had one, but it had been left back at home. Her parents saw no use for it on campus when it was not that big of a town and she could take a taxi if she needed to go off campus. "One round, great!" She blushed. "Oh, right. I'm Ella. It's very nice to meet you."</s>
<\|description\|>Reviera Adimari Nickname: Revy or Viera Age: 17 Sport: Swimming Appearance: This is close to her natural skin tone except for the minimal amount of eye liner she applies to her face. Being in a water sport, she doesn't really fuss to much about make up. She either wears her hair down or in a pony tail. She tries to do more complicated designs, but she hardly has the patience for it. Background: Riviera's parents enrolled her into the boarding school since freshman year. Selecting it because of her passion for sports, they offered the most comprehensive program in academics and athletics. The young woman has big ambitions, so they wanted to support her as much as possible. Riviera comes from a well off family, so financial aspects aren't too much of their concern. The one thing they don't know is their daughter's inclination to her sex. While Riviera won't advertise it, it may explain her aversion to finding a boyfriend.</s> <\|message\|>Reviera Adimari Reviera sat outside in the courtyard. Her earphones sat snuggly in her ears as she listened to music. Sunglasses covered her eyes as she read underneath the sun. American History. She never really cared too much for it, but there some pretty interesting moments. While she could do away with the colonization of America, she enjoyed the romantic feel of the wild west and the grittiness of the Civil War. Other than that, the rest of her textbook was a snooze fest. She wasn't interested in history. What was the point in learning something she had no ambition in pursuing? It was her free period - a luxury that seniors got. She had been at the boarding school for as long as she could remember. Freshman year to be exact. At first, she wasn't sure how she'd like it. Being away from home wasn't as exciting as she thought it'd be. Going to an all female school didn't make things easier either. However, as she got through the transition, she made friends and even made a name for herself. Swimming. It was the reason why she picked this place over the others. Unlike the other boarding schools she looked at, this institution supported their athletes as avidly as they did for academic perfection. It was the prestigious school for athletics and academics. Body and mind she supposed. While she had to work hard, it all paid off as a large 'C' was embroidered on her team warm-up jacket. There were three captains. She was one of them out of the twenty varsity girls. As Reviera flipped the page, she heard the bell ring as she ignored it while the younger years moved about their business. Admittedly, she was going to miss this place when she was gone. The courtyard. The facilities. The teachers. Everything. This was her home, and she dreaded the day when all of this would be over. Feeling a shadow cast over her, Reviera looked up. She smiled. "Hey Sam!" The blonde smiled at her as she sat her things down and settled on the grass. "Thought I'd find you here. Last year. You excited?" Reviera nodded as she marked her page and scooted the heavy tome away. "Totally," she said. "Trying for that conference record. Get that, and you're guaranteed an All-American!" "You're fast. You'll get it," Sam said. "Oh, by the way. What happened with Kerry?" Reviera frowned as she remembered the whole debacle. Due to an emergency - something about her family - Kerry had to take the year off and leave. She didn't really tell Reviera why she had to go, which miffed the swimmer slightly. They were friends. Roomies for the last two years. To have her just walk out without a word was ... rude. Now, some stranger - a transfer - was taking her spot. Reviera heard the talk on the grounds; and if they were true, her new roommate was a total weirdo. Maybe she could ask for a transfer if things didn't work out? Maybe a single if she had too. "She just left," Reviera said with a shrug. "Hasn't been answering my texts either. She just disappeared. Literally." "Sucks girl. Heard about your new assignment. Good luck." "Wow, thanks. Great. Now I can't think. I guess I'll have to get things moved." Packing her things, Reviera stood up as she brushed off some of the grass from her white shorts. "See you at practice Sam!" "See ya Revy!" Walking towards the dormitories, Reviera's thoughts centered around her new roommate and the season. Anxious didn't even come close to describing what she was feeling. --- Sitting in her room, Reviera had moved everything to her side. While her roommates stuff was settled, she had yet to decorate things. Sitting on her bed, Reviera had opened yet another book - this one for fun. Her life wasn't all sports and fame now. When she had the time, she was quite the bookworm. Dabbling in fantasy to contemporary, she liked to think she had diverse tastes when it came to literature. Stealing a glance at the clock, class should've gotten out for the day as she waited in silence. Even if her new roommate was some weirdo, a good impression could make this less awkward than it needed to be. Humming to herself, she sat there waiting reading about dragons. God, she loved the creatures. Childish she knew, but if people didn't like it, they could simply mind their business. She did her own thing regardless of what others thought. Always had and always will.</s> <\|message\|>Ella Reynolds I can't believe I ran into Bonnie Beningsworth, the head cheerleader and she asked me to sit with her. They must want something from me. At least she told her friends I was cool. Ella inwardly grinned at the memory. This is Ella. She's cool. Those words played through Ella's head as she sat next to Bonnie and her two perfect blonde friends. Their names are also just as perfect and cute as Bonnie's name. Ashley and Melodi, spelled with an "I" they told her. "Hiya," one of them said. Ella couldn't remember who was who. They looked so much alike that they could very well be twins and most likely were. "So I haven't seen you around before?" She popped her cotton candy bubble gum with a loud smack. It was the most annoying sound Ella had ever heard. "Yeah, are you new?" The other one asked. She was also chewing gum that smelled of watermelon. They were not afraid to get right up in people's faces when they talked, making the popping and smells even more annoying. Ella might have been a lesbian and these girls might be very attractive and popular, but there was only so much one girl could handle. Trying not to show her annoyance, she smiled, while brushing some hair out of her eyes. "I guess you could say that. I started at the end of last year." Of course popular people like Ashley and Melodi, with an "I", wouldn't notice her. Bonnie placed a perfectly manicured hand on Ella's arm. "She's totally creative. Her style is a little different from ours, but she's got guts." Ella blushed, wondering why Bonnie was saying things like that after only just meeting. "Creative?" Ashley said, clicking her tongue against her teeth. Ella decided this one was Ashley and the other Melodi. The one she decided was Ashley had short, curled blonde hair and the one who was Melodi had very long; stick straight blonde hair, just like Bonnie did. "Then you can join the decoration committee for the school dance." What? Me on the school dance committee? I have never even gone to a dance before! How can they have a dance with no boys, not that I care? I guess there must be an all boy's school local to us... "We need more people with imagination. Nobody has any good ideas anymore." Melodi pouted. "Seriously? Why would you want me to help?" "You might have fun," Bonnie said, her eyes lighting up at the idea. "Look at the way you dress and the things you do to your hair." Bonnie smirked. "I bet you even draw." So the cat is out of the bag, they want me to do some dirty work for them... "How in the world can you possibly know I'm an artist?" Ella felt a little stunned. She did pride herself in her artwork, whether it was a drawing, painting or a written story. Bonnie leaned closer to Ella and grabbed across her to where Ella's notebook for English class set. She pointed a long, slender finger at the cover a couple times, while looking up at Ella and smiling. "You can't exactly buy this notebook in the store. I mean the cover doodles don't come on it." It was true that Ella's notebook was covered in doodles, from the likeness of her mother, to pictures of roses and crosses, to flowers and music notes. Melodi and Ashley leaned over and also looked at the notebook, wrinkling their noses at some of the doodles, because they were too dark for their taste, but they were well drawn all the same. "Fine, I doodle. Still doesn't mean I'm as good as Picasso." "Who?" The twins asked. Ella and Bonnie raised their eyebrows and then started to laugh, making the twins pout more than was necessary. --- When the last class of the day let out, Ella excused herself from the cheerleaders. People called her weird, well cheerleaders were the weirdest of the bunch. If she heard one more bubble popping, she was going to go crazy. She walked out the classroom and made her way out the building. She already had her new room assignment and was curious about who her roommate would be. "North dorm...hmmm..." Ella walked the short distance, past the courtyard and down the sidewalk, taking a turn to go toward the dorm. When she got to the door, she hesitated. Should she knock? Deciding it was silly to knock, she tried the doorknob. It opened. She walked in and looked around, finding the only person sitting and reading a book. She's a reader, that's 1 point for her already. Hmm, she's cute. Ella made sure her hair wasn't messy, running her fingers through the short black locks. She looked down at her outfit, wondering what the girl would think of her. Today she wore a short black lacy skirt, with black knee high tights and black wedge pumps. Her top was a front laced corset. It left her arms and shoulders completely bare, also showing off her figure. She subconsciously waited for the girl to look up and see her, knowing how much she hated when people interrupted her when she was reading. Corset top and skirt like this.</s>	<\|message\|>Reviera Adimari "No way!" Reviera flipped the book on its back. Why did the mentor have to die? Granted, she thought Halther was a grouch, but he was as close to a badass as any book character could get. He'd practically lost his whole entire family during the Dragon Wars. It wasn't fair. The main protagonist - some pompous little jerk - should've died instead. Reviera had half a mind to write a letter to the author, but she knew it'd never reach the woman. Reaching for the book yet again, she turned the page and continued to read on. The protagonist better get his act together she thought to herself. Engrossed in the plot, Reviera didn't hear the door turn as she flipped another page. It was only when she heard walking against the carpeted room did she look up. Her friends were right. The girl was absolute weird. However, not in the bad way. She was guilty of this too, but the normal dress etiquette was conservative upper class. There wasn't a dress code or anything, but it was a unspoken expectation of sorts. Reviera didn't really know how to explain it better than that. The girl's outfit left very little to the imagination, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Though she had a thing for sporty girls, her roommate wasn't that bad at all. Things could've been worse. Finding her bookmark, Reviera broke away from her rather deep staring as she closed the book. Hopping off the bed, she brushed her shorts as she walked towards the girl. "No need to be quiet silly," she said as she stood in front of her. Offering her a smile, Reviera placed her hands on her hips. "So you're taking Kerry's spot, huh? Swell. Suppose we should break the ice. I'm Reviera." Locking eyes with the girl, the make up pronounced her roommates eyes. It was kind of breath taking. "Need help setting up?" she asked. "Your side of the room is still a bit ... barren."</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) A month has passed ever since the quest of the hero, Noboyuki, and the princess, Rena, started. Going from town to town, solving people's problems as it is the duty of the hero and collecting money and whatnot, the both await for Noboyuki's sacred power to finally arrive to him, as it was predicted by the ancient legend of the hero back in the kingdom. Still, and while he has been getting by with just physical abilities and the use of his sword, it proves to become harder and harder as they encounter different and larger enemies. Stopping in a little town between their travels to take a rest, Noboyuki sighs heavily, after going into a library to confirm some of the lore of the world he finds himself into. Former salaryman and graduate from a prestigious school in Tokyo, Noboyuki never actually did expect to be suddenly transported away. Yes, sure, it might seem like a pretty good adventure for any 16 year old in the middle of his youth, but for someone who has actually already gone past his prime and lived a boring, grey life in the suburbs with a boring job... Well, this quest to eliminate the demon lord wasn't actually all that exciting, in fact, it seemed like quite a pain, and his companion was pleasant to look at and nothing more. She had her moments when she was cute, but, well.... Noboyuki took one of the books and tried to read through it, but... "No use, huh?" He put the book right back into the shelf he took it from. The spoken language was the same, but the written? Heck, he didn't have an idea of what the hell it said. It all seemed like scribbles to him. He could always go to Rena and ask for her help, but whether she'd help him or not was an entirely different matter. He was in a little library of the quiet and peaceful town that had yet to be tarnished by the power of the Demon King Lucifer. Having been informed just the bare minimum, Noboyuki only knew that he had to slay such a being, but no more than that. Seemingly, his sacred power would open a path, but he didn't have a damn of that. He calmly walked out of the library with a hand in both of his jacket's pockets. Now, where was Rena? As much as he would have like to leave her somewhere else, he really couldn't. It'd mean dead for him, without her divine protection.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena thanked the elder as she stepped into the sun, beyond the thatched roof home. He'd been very helpful the information on demon movements throughout the region was surprisingly in depth, from the sounds of it they shouldn't have any troubles moving ahead, its always nice when fortune smiles. The royal girl clutched the album traverler's cloak tightly, despite what one may think with her status as a princess through and through, she was also much more pragmatic for quite frankly traveling by foot was no time to wear dresses. Besides she herself was a seasoned traveler anyway, in the past she spent years in other courts across the kingdom, and then a few located in nearby foreign allies. Of course none of that came easily, attempting to convince her father to allow such things certainly took some time. In the end Rena was thankful for the experience, and looking back those exact experiences were paying off. The last month was not easy for sure, maybe within the first week money ran out, although not to her surprise, honestly there wasn't much to give at all. This forced them, or really rather Noboyuki, to take on odd jobs for merger earnings. Sure there was the satisfaction of assisting the people, they needed the help without a doubt, Rena just hasn't expressed as much to the hero. While considering Noboyuki, he had actually proven to be resourceful, and apparently well educated ignoring his obvious ignorance of her world. What's more the hero had proven to be quite skilled as a swordsman, not everyone could take on a demon especially alone in his case. In reality Rena didn't mind the man at all, in fact she had a deep respect for him, as for saying as much that was far out of the deal. Noboyuki was still a commoner, even with his position as the hero of prophecy... she still had social norms to adhere to. They agreed on staying in the sleepy hamlet for at least a day, even if Rena in truth wanted to pass the opportunity up, mainly out of concern for whatever damage the Demon King may cause if they delay too long, she couldn't ignore the need for a proper rest. As a bonus due to their importance, the elder gave them free lodgings at the only taven for miles around, the owner wasn't too happy but ultimately overruled. First things first, Rena had to find her hero, he did say that he wanted to vist the local libary, a rare occurrence really, she doubted he managed to glean anything from the trip unfortunately his lacking the ability to read her language was well too known. When she approached the tiny stone building, Rena caught sight of Noboyuki, good looked as if he wrapped up whatever business he tried to take care of. "Finally, hope you're done wasting our time by looking at books, you know you can't understand them anyway, right?" She spoke with authority fitting for royal blood, "While you were struggling to grasp basic writings, I had a talk with the elder. Good news is he agrees to house us for a day, food and shelter of course."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) And there she was... her royal highness. She didn't seem to know the meaning of the word 'nice', and Noboyuki was sure most of her body was composed of pure, pure disdain for him. If she had even a shred of respect for him, well, he couldn't sense as it was. He was either too dense to feel her respect or it was truly inexistant. Noboyuki was sure it was the latter, at the very least, he knew he wasn't dense... probably. "Yes, I know that. I just wanted to see if there was something around a library that wasn't actually written with the feet of someone who actually thought they could write. My, my, doesn't anyone here know how to use the alphabet? It's way simpler than those crappy drawings in everything. And I say that as a Japanese man, our writing is kinda like that but with different drawings." Noboyuki sighed once again. Anyway, who the hell came up with so many different languages in the first place? At the very least, Rena was good enough as to secure them a dry and comfortable place to spend the night. Trying his very best, Noboyuki put on a smile on his face. "Great! It seems you don't only dally around while I try to make any sense of what you call writing here. Let's go right now, I'm a bit tired and my shoulders are soo stiff." He moved his head around, and it cracked a bit. A good idea came to his mind, looking at Rena with a bit of a perverted look in his eyes. "Why don't you give me a massage, Rena? I'm pretty sure that if I got a massage like that, I'd sleep like a baby tonight." He said happily. He liked to joke around like that, even though he didn't always come out with the upper hand after making a bad taste joke like that, neither when he was overly sarcastic. Well, it was just the wat the world had made him. For someone of his frame and look (he wore glasses), the only thing he could do about others was outwit them when they were way bigger than him. At the very least, this world had given him some kind of super boost to his strength, making him able to go against huge monsters all by himself, and using knowledge he got in his own world, handling a sword was really right up his alley. It was when he wielded his sword that he truly felt like a 'hero'. Regardless of Rena's response, no matter what kind of comeback she had for him, Noboyuki would make his way to the inn. If anything was true, is that he was really tired. And some guy told him that if he slayed a nocturnal monster for him, he'd give him a lot of money, so he wanted to rest up and go for it later. Extra money never hurt, and maybe he could buy something for Rena. She wasn't all that bad once you get used to her. If you ever do.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- "No." A flat retort from the girl. Deserving of respect or not Noboyuki had his faults, mainly his tendency to be "witty" and somewhat perverse... could be worse. Rena had gotten used to his strange mannerisms, and really his blatant lack of respect, which wasn't uncalled for honestly considering her own treatment, she was by no means a hypocrite in that sense. If anything else the hero was just a foreigner if one were to ignore his actual orgins, Rena spent enough time with other cultures that getting used to the unusual whims of her partner did not take long. The most she knew of Noboyuki was he came from "Japan" yet he'd never talked much of it, which was a shame since she loved hearing about far off lands. On that specific day Rena wasn't too talkative and followed silently behind the otherworldly companion. While she didn't admit it, she was in truth fairly fatigued it had been far too long since they've been able to find a proper bed. Rena imagined the brief silence from her wouldn't go unwelcomed... as much as she disliked being unpleasant, she couldn't take any risk showing favor, already she could hear the gossip weaving throughout the courts the very last thing she ever wanted to do was fuel those whispers. A crowned heir traveling alone with a holy hero of the same age at that left a lot in the way of rumors, in uh less savory ways. As the hamlet wasn't the largest of settlements the duo found their way to the taven relatively quickly. It was a simple establishment, respectable in both look and service yet nothing more than that, not like the owner had much competition. Without a word Rena delt with the said owner, a gruff man like most taven owners strangely enough, out of earshot from Noboyuki she negotiated for their room. Not long after they were standing in a single small space, clearly a very plain room which was fine for Rena, wouldn't have been fair to expect more. There were two separate beds, each one on opposing walls. Before the hero was able to make a move Rena had already claimed the left most one, she flopped down on the mattress cloak trailing behind her trajectory, fluttering like a cloth butterfly. "Haven't seen a real bed for so long..." Yay for actual beds.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Well... Not what he expected. Rena seemed to be a bit too tired today for his jokes. Noboyuki seemed a bit annoyed that she felt like that, but nevertheless, he'd leave her alone for the time being. He better than anyone knew just how much people hated being pushed around when they didn't feel all that well. So, he just walked to the hamlet alongside her, just as silent as she was. At the very least, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. They walked all the way there and Rena, being a little too secretive, talked to the owner. Well, now what the hell should he do now that Rena started flirting with the elderly owner of the inn? He leant against a wall, waiting for the next thing to happen while he waited for Rena. Still, it sure was nice to finally have some kind of actual place to stay in, unlike most of the times that they camped outside. Being a hero had its perks, every now and then. For instance, if he were to go to a bar and say he was the hero, a lot, and he meant, A LOT, of women would start swarming him. Whether they searched for political power, money, or simply liked a man with status, didn't matter. At the very least, it made Noboyuki feel relieved. Maybe he'd do it again one of these days. Not today, though. He was just as tired, and he needed some rest before the monster hunt for the night. Finally, Rena came out and they went to their room. It always disappointed Noboyuki immensely that there were two beds in the room, though. "Hey, Renaaa...." He protested, much like a child. "How much did this cost? I bet getting a double room was expensive. Why not have a single room so we can cuddle closely together?" Even though he said so, he was already making his way to the bed. "But, not that it matters anymore. You should also get some rest, we are busy during the night." He said, and didn't realize until later that what he said could be badly misunderstood. But he didn't care anymore. The fluffiness of an actual bed swallowed him whole and his eyes became heavier by the minute. Soon enough, he was asleep. Well, if the princess had something to thank Noboyuki for was his lack of snores during night time.</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- "The elder sent word of our arrival beforehand, two of us means two beds and before you ask I know this as the owner told me." Rena responded with her typical attitude, and she was ignoring his obvious, prevented comments on purpose, not at at willing to acknowledge them. Minutes of total silence passed before she decided to roll over trying to figure out why she was being ignored. She was more than ready to reprimand the disrespectful hero, already a notable scowl occupying her features, that is until the realization dawned upon her. The man must have been exhausted to have fallen asleep so quickly, instead the scowl feel away to a neutral, but soft expression. "Good, get some sleep. You have to work hard tonight, like always." Rena spoke quietly, perhaps not on purpose, maybe just so she wouldn't wake him up. Noboyuki needed to rest for some time, well the both of them really, but he's the one who fights not her. Rena slipped out of her cloak and hung it on the end of her bed, underneath was her normal clothing (What you see in her picture, minus the crown.) Pretty soon the princess herself fell asleep. Hours later Reba woke up, if one were to guess about an hour before midnight. She had a dreamless sleep, that said she was not the type of person who dreams often anyway. A momentary look revealed that Noboyuki hasn't awaken yet, great meant she could prepare for their trip without distraction. At the far end of the room the owner, or whoever may have worked at the taven, left them dinner on a plain desk present in the room. Beef stew, still warm, and a wedge of barley bread. Rena put her share to the side, she could eat it while working, as for the hero's bowl, well that was placed on the side table beside his bed. Rena found their bags and started to unload some of their contents onto the desk, these were bunches of papers and books. Seeing as Noboyuki couldn't read, she handled all the written work, she felt it was fair. Rena looked at various maps of the surrounding areas, earlier she got the details on the night job so with a stick of charcoal she marked where they should search first. It was a system of way points with a designated allocation of time in one area to comb before moving on. The plan was to follow this strategy until they come across the beast, or until dawn. Out in the field Rena's job was to keep them on track, being the guide of course. As a side note this style of planning was developed by the Eskar military, quite frankly had also shown to be effective during recon by scouts, so of course Rena payed attention to this much to their benefit. She continued to work diligently unaware as to wether or not Noboyuki had awoken yet.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Between dreams, Noboyuki was sure he heard something from Rena, but he was way too tired to be able to think about it anymore. Even so, he felt like making snarky retort like, 'damn, why don't people in this world tease us a bit more...' or something like that. Not that he wanted to be teased, but in animes back in his world, well, it was a common development having to sleep in the same bed with the firl you were in a quest in. Well, not that it mattered anymore. He went to sleep without a worry in the world. When Noboyuki woke up, it was already midnight, about half an hour after Rena herself, and he could hear her scribbling something. Well, she did have to do everything related to writing, since Noboyuki was about as useless as a rock when it came to that. It wasn't that he was an idiot, he liked to think he was quite a genius when it came to anything but writing the blighted alphabet of this world was just torture for him. He brought himself up, despite his body begging to be let to rest just another hour. He yawned, scratched his head and then stretched out a bit, before sitting on the bed's side. Well, he had just slept a bit, but he had certainly dreamed about things. Things from his world, how boring it all seemed, and how tedious his parents were to try and order him around. Yeah... it felt better being here, some times. He stood up and looked at Rena. Well, it wouldn't be nice to interrupt her when she seemed so concentrated in her work. Besides, eh felt like he needed a bath, real bad. He was kind of sweaty after the nap, not to mention that they hadn't been in a real inn for a while now. A bathtub that needed to be filled with buckets seemed like a better idea than to continue on like that. Some habits died hard, and his habit of bathing everyday would take the longest to die. It was a good thing in his world where just about everywhere had enough water to bath yourself, but here, where a lot of the country was woods and whatnot? Heck, he didn't even remember the feeling of water in his skin when he took a relaxing bath. He just hoped bathing wasn't a luxury only reserved for royalty like Rena. "Good morning, night might be better, but anyhow." Noboyuki simply said, in a bit of a low voice. Whether Rena took notice of him or not, well, it might be better if she didn't. Having to explain himself as to why he wanted a bath would just make him some more of a wuss than he seemed already just by the look and entire aura he gave. He stepped out of the room and went to where the owner was, asking for a bath. Of course, there was one in their room, but it seemed as if they had gave an open air bath a try. It was already filled and ready for use. Well, he'd be damned. He immedietly requested that one. Definitely having a bath like that would make wonders for him, even if he sounded like an old man. Settling down in the spacious bath, he let himself relax and letting out a relieved sigh as he felt the water by his chest. "Now, only if Rena-tan would come and wash my back, I could certainly die happily." He still felt hungry, though, and he was sure that he saw some food by his side when he woke up, but hadn't been smart enough to eat it first.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena barely registered Noboyuki getting up, too entrenched in her work to really notice anything but paperwork. It wasn't until later she happened to notice the empty bed, funny thing is he left the stew alone possible missed it or some other reason. Whatever, instead of concerning herself in something trivial, she got right back to planning, he'll probably eat later, hopefully. Rena found a star chart, fairly crude in reality, but accurate enough to use for broad navigation of course only useful at night. A few foot notes later, she was confident that they'll won't get lost long as nothing goes wrong. She still had no idea where the hero went off to, maybe to get some fresh air. Rena knew they had little bit more time until they set out, the creature is practicular for what times it ventures out. During her talks with the owner earlier she requested for a bath, the taven had one so taking advantage of such a thing wasn't about to be passed up. She whistled an improvised melody while outside of the bathroom, her clothes folded neatly by the door. A bath was one of those small luxuries Rena learned to forget since they've started to journey. She thought she heard some water splashing, it didn't make sense but in the end she opted to forget it. The next series of events were in a blur if Rena were ever to recall them, the best summary could be said to be "awkward", because she found where Noboyuki went. Nothing happened as Rena stood there, trying not to make the situation worse, just how did this happen? Did he tell her about a bath? If he did was it her fault? A high amount of self control and solid composure went into standing her ground, even with the view the known-to-be-prevented hero had. Hiding biological responses was something she couldn't do as a slowly her face turned red. Eventually Rena took the one action she could think of, and that was to turn around a leave. Finally out of sight, she for a lack of a better word, facepalmed. What just happened?</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Well... Noboyuki sure got a good show while in his bath. The only bad thing? That the princess probably saw things she shouldn't see. He was just as shocked as her, but he didn't have any time to try and stop his natural body reactions. And by that, he meant those a man has that will probably ashame him in society. Whether she saw or not was irrelevant right now. He was planning on relaxing while he was there, but any kind of relaxing he could've had was destroyed by the sudden arrival of Rena. He didn't even feel comfortable there anymore. Maybe the guy thought they had that kind of relationship and said that on purpose? Maybe he thought they'd ahppily share a bath like lovers? Well, damn, what an open minded geezer he was then. Or at the very least, a really malicious geezer. that got his kicks out of seeing people miserable. Not that he was miserable right now, mind you, in fact, he was quite satisfied with the turn of events. He quikcly gathered his things, put some pants on and left the bath, seeing Rena on his way out. He didn't even saw her, and merely continued on his way. "The bath is now all yours, Rena. Have fun." He said, jokingly while he walked away, before stopping and looking back at her with a lecherous smile in his face. "Also, thanks for the treat. I'll be dreamming some real good things tonight thanks to you." He said and gave her a thumbs up, before walking away towards their room. Well, he might as well get something to eat, whatever that thing left aside his bed was would make do for now. He hurried back to their room and started on eating the stew left beside his bed. He needed the energy anyways. He still wondered what kind of creature he'd be facing today, he only got that it was nocturnal from the guy that gave him the, 'quest', to call it something. It felt more and more like an RPG world the more he thought about it. He finished off the stew and quickly got dressed up and ready for action with his sword hanging around his waist. He then went out of the room and decided to wait for Rena in the lobby. Or he could go peek on her right now that she was taking her bath, probably. Decisions, decisions... He knew the sacred power would come in handy right about now.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- She so wanted to punch the arrogance out of him, so badly. Not that was an option, like at all, she had a feeling it was either her own fault... or maybe a certain gruff man whom they recently met, the audacity. The point is, she was the one who walked in and so the blame had to go to herself, it was only fair that way, at least that's what she thought. Even then Rena couldn't pass up the bath, despite the water being used, the thought of Noboyuki's... uh uncovered body once touching the exact same water was not comforting. She thanked her luck that it was an isolated incidence, not even in her worse nightmares could Rena imagine what sort of rumors would've been born from all this. The bath was anything but relaxing as she wanted, still she attempted to ignore the images floating in her mind, they're both adults meaning they were more than capable of moving on, Rena just couldn't ignore the initial shock that remained. Soon enough she was done and dressed, when she returned to their room it seemed that Noboyuki already gathered his equipment, plus he clearly ate the beef stew was probably cooled off by the time he gotten around to eating it. Rena donned her cloak, grabbed small a book that held all her field notes, and the map she prepared for the mission. In the dark it'll be harder to read any of it, with luck the moon would provide enough light anyway. They couldn't waste anymore time, if they were unable to find and slay the beast that very night they wouldn't be able to try again for a full day, a day that she felt couldn't be spared. Noboyuki was ready to move out it looked like as he waited in the main hall, Rena had already placed the bath event towards the very back regions of her memory, they had a job to do they had to remain on task. She marched up to the man, bringing forth the level of authority that came naturally to her. "If you're about done loitering about, we have to start the hunt right now. I don't need to tell how much of pain it'll be if the beast is not dead by dawn, we do not have to time to try again." Rena rolled out the map on a nearby table, pointing to it. "This is the nearby woods where the creature is commonly reported, hope I don't need to tell you that much. I tried to make it simple for you, these circles here are the search zones, we spend the appropriate amount of time before continuing onto the the next area, and so forth." Rena let out an exasperated sigh, "We're burning too much time, don't fall behind." With that the nightly hunt was on.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) She seemed all ready to go as well. Though she still wore that dress on her that seemed to be uncomfortable to no end. 'Well, to each their own, I guess...' He thought. Well, it seemed like some kind of damn important royal dress, but Noboyuki wasn't one to nitpick. Even less when her role in the whole adventure was protecting him and not getting any of the actual action. Even he would feel frustrated, but since he wasn't a woman, he couldn't look fabulous while he waited. He let out a giggle at the thought of that, and made it sound a bit as if he were mocking her. He cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm done loitering. The hunt can start whenever." He flashed a confident smile at her. He rested his hand on his sword's hilt and approached the table to see what his little strategist had planned out for the day, err, night. He merely nodded and said 'hm' while she gave out instructions. It still hurt his pride that she thought he couldn't understand more than just simple figures in the map. He was pretty intelligent, it was just the fact that he couldn't read that stopped him from showing that was the case. No, well, that isn't something someone intelligent would say, would it? Anyhow, back to the problem at hand.... "I see, I see. This beast won't last any longer. Not as long as the reknown hero Noboyuki has something to say about it!" Noboyuki said, pounding his chest with pride. It was the least he could do to show that he wasn't actually scared of whatever the hell it was. Noboyuki followed after Rena, increasing his pace to be walking right beside her. "As long as her highness does her part, I'm pretty sure we can get this over with before dawn." He said. It was going to be an easy hunt, something told him that. At the very least, it seemed to be his heroic power, or instinct, that made him think that. He started feeling like a hero for the very first time since he arrived there. Soon enough, the woods were in sight, and as soon as they went into them, Noboyuki took his sword out of its sheath and appeared to be ready for battle. "Be sure to stay behind me, princess. I don't want anyone getting on my bottom just cause you got slightly hurt." Noboyuki put himself in front of her while he walked towards the place she had told him about. He just hoped the first thing they'd see was the monster they had to eliminate. Going back to sleep was first priority.</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Well, this is a surprise." Noboyuki started, with a bit of a grin in his face. He never dropped his guard, though, and was ready for anything that might leap at them any second now. That didn't take away any of his sarcastic demeanor, though. "You are actually worried about me. It's nice for a change." Noboyuki finished with another big smile on his face. As if to demonstrate his prowess, he started rolling his sword around with a lot of ease in his hand. "There's no need for sacred power when you have cool skills like this. I've always been more of a DPS kind of guy rather than a mage." He said, talking in video game terms of his own world. Still, he soon noticed that Rena might not know what the hell he is talking about if he talks like that. They were terms only natural for him, since he liked to play games from time to time. "Ah, sorry. What I was trying to say I am not the kind to rely on powers like those. The support you give me is just magnificent." Noboyuki said to her, with a wink. While he was fooling around, though, they had already arrived to the desifnated spot before they even knew. Or at the very least, really near to one of those spots. It was something gigantic, that was walking on all four of its legs, wait, no, its steps said that it had more than just four legs, maybe six? It seemed just like something straight out of hell. It was a bit more of a surprise than what he initially thought it'd be. For something roaming the woods, it just seemed too feral and aggressive, aside from scary. "R-Rena, what is that? Is it even from around here?" Noboyuki readied his sword. While his initial appearance threw him off a bit, he was now ready to go at it. The fact that it may be a demon was still there, and that meant that it had some connection to their overall quest. "It doesn't even seem like an animal." Still, whatever the thing was, it was already on the offense. It slashed at Noboyuki and he barely deflected its sharp claws with his sword, sending it back a few steps. Its four arms spelled problems for Noboyuki, not to mention the tail. He wasn't as confident as before, and that last hit seemed to be more to test him rather than actually fighting him.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- None of this looked good for them, Rena didn't freeze up exactly although she felt somewhat numb. This... thing looked nothing like the description, still now she thought about it the pay was almost too good to be true. "I... don't know its nothing out of the demonology manuals I've studied." She threw her bag on the ground, already shifting through the many papers within. "Alright, listen me I need time to figure what this beast is, just do what you can and don't get reckless..." The last word trailed off, she caught herself before saying anything else. Rena struck a touch, here was hoping the extra light wouldn't attract the wrath of that abomination. She started with history texts, demons haven't plagued the earth for too long really, perhaps only appearing just before she was born. Even then these books had to be the most accurate as they were recorded by actual scholars. She quickly flipped through the yellow parchment, whatever it was the damned thing had to be notable somewhere, that is assuming any information was present in the first place. Five minutes later she slammed the book shut in frustration. During that time Rena tried to block out the sounds of conflict as Noboyuki tangled with the walking nightmare... alone. Rena knew the hero couldn't die, that wasn't her main concern. Despite being technically immortal he could still be critically wounded, or crippled, losing a limb was not out of the picture. What if he were to sustain a serious head wound? What kind of life would he even live at that point? Rena breathed deeply, losing her clam would be very deferential, well that was putting it lightly. Next set to search through, local legends she had bought and collected over time. Not nearly as reliable but should be more relevant. About halfway through Rena landed on a particular page, the top of which had the words Joungha the Corpse Taker. She read over the entry, the description of its subject matched the monster before them word to word. Her heart sank, this was bad, more than bad they were way out of their league. "Noboyuki, uh..." Rena couldn't stomp down the sheer panic creeping into her voice, "We are in huge trouble, this is not a demon... no its something more than only a demon."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Take your time!" Noboyuki jumped to the side, barely dodging the thing's claws directed at his face. He hadn't been injured in battle as far as they had come, there was never a thing like this around that actually seemed like a real problem before, so he just supposed the rest would be as easy. Grind some levels, get to the boss with a few more on you than you should and kick his ass. Of course, neither life nor games could be as easy. As he thought that, a double attack from the monster with two of its arms was deflected by Noboyuki's blade, making some sparks come out. It seemed the thing's claws were as sharp as metal, enough as to make friction. Yeah, life had things like this, while a game auto-adjusted the level of the last boss to your current leve. "Not fair, I tell you. Well, what can you do about it?" Noboyuki smiled, even if his smile was a lot smaller this time. The fact that the thing hadn't moved at all while they were battling and was just attacking when Noboyuki came near to it made him think it was certainly strange. Neither had it used all of its arms, he was using two, three at max, or its tail. It seemed to be more intelligent than he thought. And that head... it creeped him out of his mind. If he didn't think hard about his next move... And that was when the thing finally moved and dashed against him. A flurry of attacks fell upon Noboyuki as it used all four of its arms to ravage him. It was a relentless flurry of attacks. Noboyuki barely managed to avoid any kind of fatal damage, but he still had scratches all over him. Like that, Noboyuki would have been ready for a counterattack, had it not been that the beast took his head with its tail and lifted him. It was applying a lot of pressure and Noboyuki felt the claws it had stabbing his neck and the back of his head. "You....!" Feeling a bit more enraged now, Noboyuki stabbed his sword on its tail. Of course, it didn't go through its hide quite as planned, but it still stinged enough for it to let go of him. Noboyuki fell to the ground and coughed a bit, before squinting his eyes to look at the beast. "Then, what is it!? It doesn't seem like an angel to me!" He was pissed and was shouting now, but soon stood up and regained his composure. Well, damn, the fight didn't seem to be going well.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena was truly beginning to become fearful, Noboyuki wasn't looking good, still early in the battle and he was covered in scratches, nothing serious, she uttered a small prayer for their good fortunes, so far that is. "It is not an angel, we are facing Joungha the Corpse Taker, it used to be worshiped by the tribal people who used to reside near here. Joungha is not a common demon, he is a forgotten deity... a malicious one." Rena tugged on Noboyuki's arm, trying to pull him to eye level, she wanted to fully covey the dire situation they were in through the solem gaze in her own eyes. "You cannot fight this alone, especially without your divine powers, the better part of valor is knowing when to run. No amount of gold is worth this." Rena prayed beyond all hope that Noboyuki will listen to her wisdom, although he had been known to be stubborn, and there was their crafted relationship to consider as well...</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "If I were some kind of big shot hero like those you often see in animes, I'd refuse to back down." Noboyuki said, and quickly turned around, averting from Rena's gaze and barely deflecting another attack of Joungha. A god, huh? Well, that was troublesome. What kind of f'd up group would worship that, though? "But I have some more common sense than those guys. Any amount of hard work and guts won't get us out of this." Noboyuki jumped back, putting some distance between the two of them. "We'll run on my signal... 1...2...3, GO!" He shouted, turned around and started running full speed. He'd have taken the princess' hand, weren't it for the fact that he knew she was quite capable of running away by herself. Still, as he was running away, he felt something taking his leg and cutting off a big part of his ankle. It would be impossible for him to cure instantly, and maybe the fact that he was dragged back to where the beast was had deactivated the protection of Rena. He DID drag him around a good bit, after all. His tail was way larger than what one would think. Trapping Noboyuki under its body and roaring at him, Noboyuki somehow taught it was it for him. But there was no way he could let the princess get involved. Joungha approached him and opened what seemed to be its mouth. Noboyuki felt scared, but more than anything, he was angry. There was no way he would let it end like this. "Bastaaaard!" With his sword, he slashed right at its face, but before he could get to it, Joungha put its hand on the way. However, and somewhat miraculously, Noboyuki cut through its hand and it fell to the ground. It didn't wail, neither did it let out a loud voice of pain, but it merely looked at its hand, or where it used to be. It was surprised, at the very least, Noboyuki noted that. It was his chance. He slipped out of below it and ran away to the hamlet yet again. He'd be able to talk things with Rena after that.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Thank the Gods Noboyuki actually had the sense to run, Rena was worried she would've had to do something stupid and drastic to hold the hero back. She waited for his signal when to run, able to trust his judgement, after all he was the one who handled combat. She was ahead of the man as they fled from the scene, an after thought was what if Joungha decided to chase after then, he probably wouldn't have a hard time running them down. Whatever that didn't matter, she kept up her mad sprint through the thick underbrush, the rough growth tried its best to halt her progress but she didn't have any of that. Finally she stopped at the edge of the woods, the soft glow of the hamlet just on the horizon. Joungha was a being of darkness, even the simple candlelight would be more than enough to chase the god away. Rena turned to face Noboyuki... problem was that the man turned out to be missing. It was then she outwardly started to openly panic, somehow he must've gotten trapped by something, maybe even Joungha managed to capture him. The worse part is since he gotten separated from her... oh he was vulnerable without her protection. The thought drove Rena deeper into her panic, she paced back and forth anxiously debating on what she should do. She perked up at a distance roar, it had be that cursed creature, what did that roar mean? Could've meant nothing, or maybe frustration, or maybe even in victory. Rena stood in place, seemingly paralyzed, no, he wasn't dead. It would take a lot more to end Noboyuki's life, not with his spirit. She finally absolved to take some kind of action, the heir crouched down in order to grasp a branch, undoubtedly useless against Joungha, but it was something in her hand. Before Rena was about to rush back for her partner, there was nearby rustling before long the silhouette of a man appeared from beyond the forest, it took her a moment to register who it was, Noboyuki! "You're alive! Oh thanks the fortunes above, you're still alive!" Rena broke out into a laughter, of course one of relief, but also to discharge the large amount of nervousness that built up. "I..I lost you, I knew you didn't have your protection, and with Joungha out there I just assumed the worse. I'm relived, you didn't die." She fully knew her act was gone, she never expressed herself truthfully like this before, yet that didn't matter. Rena softly whispered at the end, being barely audible, "I wouldn't know what to do if you died...</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki was glad to hear Rena so earnestly worried about him, but, honestly, there was no time to be doing that. God only knows, pun intended, what that Joungha might try now that he sliced up his hand. Noboyuki didn't stop running even for a second and took Rena's hand and brought her with him inside the hamlet. "Doesn't matter right now! RUN!" It was just an instant action he pulled there, he didn't even really think about it. After a while from running while dragging Rena around with him, they finally arrived to the hamlet. The owner seemed worried, but Noboyuki just told him to back away as soon as he approached them. Now, being able to catch his breath, Noboyuki crawled to the nearest sofa he could sit on and then let himself just... relax there... The tension and adrenaline suddenly left all of his body and he became truly relaxed now. Seemingly, Jonghua didn't follow them there. He hoped, at the very least. "It's good that you were worried about me. Makes me feel-!" And now, without the tension and adrenaline from before, his foot finally started hurting as it should. "Craaaaap! Ow.... This hurts... like hell..." It was truly something, just how much it hurt. He didn't let even a tear escape his eyes, though. He hurried to take his pants off his wound. It was really fugly, definitely so. The whole back of his feet aside from his talon had been cut off. The claws of that thing weren't anything to toy with. He was surprised at how he could even run here. "Don't look, Rena." He said, covering his wound with his hand. "Go get some bandages. And maybe some alcohol."</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Hell.... I'm so sorry about this. If I had been faster, you wouldn't need to be looking at this. And I wouldn't need to be suffering like this. Dammit!" Noboyuki seemed to truly regret this turn of events. Well, there was nothing else he could do now but clench his teeth. The pain was just horrible and he could barely think about anything else but his slashed off leg. "Ugh.... This is why I can't be a hero... I get too damn conceited and this ends up happening. If we are slowed down for even a month, I'll consider us lucky." He started cursing and spouting curse words below his breath, as not to offend Rena. He took the alcohol the owner handed them and gulped it down in one shot. "Bring me another one. I need to numb my senses as much as I can." He said to the owner, who quickly complied and brought even more alcohol for him. He continued drinking until he felt he was enoughly drunk to not feel the pain of his wound. Still, that also made hima bit loose mouthed. "I'm... so sorry, Rena. That I had to drag you into this idiocy. It's all my fault. This wound and this nigh impossible quest. I bet you are right now regretting ever setting off with a loser of a hero. You'd be way more comfortable back in your castle." He said. It seemed to be his time of self pity, but at the very least, he wasn't wailing with pain.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- A drunk man certainly has loose lips, and all the more honest. Rena concentrated on her care, the owner gave her a tub of fresh water and more cloth. At the moment she was cleaning the wound mainly to get a better look at the damage, unseen problems could always go untreated due to severe obstruction by blood. Noboyuki looked to be drunk enough for her to start picking out the bone. Eskar, while being one of the most advanced civilizations in that world, they were still way behind the standards Noboyuki was used to. At the very least, medical advancement had an emphasis on battlefield medicine, obviously brought about by the war with the demons, as well as with other human kingdoms even. Rena carefully used a primitive pair of tweezers, cast iron without the precision of machined steel. The bone clattered on the floor, one due to the lack of tables, and two the concept of replacing the pieces back to the proper place, didn't exist. She, needless to say, was covered in blood splatterings, Rena didn't express any complaints anyway. "You know... I'm a traveler, I never told you that, well don't think I've had. As a traveler I love learning by worldly experience, and well... as far as journeys go, I have never regretted this one even once." Of course Rena knew what she was saying, and how a sudden shift from her normal demeanor would confuse the poor guy, that is if he weren't boozed out of his mind. "Don't beat yourself up, it was a chance encounter with Jonghua, and chance gets the best of all, it is not your fault."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The pain, though it did not completely fade, it had seriously weakened. He could feel the tweezers going into his meat and taking out bone fragments. It would have been much worse had it been not for the alcohol, as stupifying as it may have been. Still, Rena seemed to be getting just as sincere with him. Strange to see that, given how she always was. But Noboyuki was in no state to be making his usual sarastic remarks. Instead, he started tearing up. For the record, Noboyuki had never been good at holding his alcohol, even when in his world. People liked inviting him over for some drinks merely because it was funny seeing him so drunk that he could barely walk, or talk at that matter. Luckily, he wasn't so drunk that his words got confusing. "R-Rena..." He made the tears creeping up in his eyes go back a bit forcefully. He wasn't about to show Rena something that pathetic. "Ya know... I was a salaryman back in that world I was in. Before coming to this one, my life was inevitably grey. Nothing happened and nothing would have happened ever. I still don't know why the hell I was sent here, maybe I don't even care anymore. I don't know for real what the hell I am supposed to do, neither am I really sure that I am actually a hero. I was but a loser in the real world. I don't think I have the right of being called a hero now. A hero without power or anything else." While he was really sentimental now, there was one thing for sure. "I don't regret meeting you, Rena. Even if you are sometimes cheeky and unpredictable, I'm still very much grateful to destiny for letting me have the chance to meet you." He knew he was rambling. He just covered his eyes with his hand. He felt like falling asleep anytime now, even though he was still in pain from his foot. "Rena... finish this up anytime now. I'm done ashaming myself." Well, at the very least he knew that he was ashaming himself.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He had his own inner demons, made sense though, he was human with his own fears, well mostly human with a hidden cashe of holy might. Perhaps for the first time since she's met him, Noboyuki wasn't being himself none of that sarcasm and lack of urgency, in all honesty he was more like a mortality wounded warrior saying his final words. Rena would've believed just that if she didn't know better, he'll not die of course, being that he was back under her divine protection. "You're acting like a dying knight, but remember you're going to live beyond a ghost of a doubt. After all you're under my holy shield again." She comforted, with a never before seen smile, sure barely counted as such, but it was there. "Besides, I'm always here, and I know even if you were not immortal that it'll take much to end you. Now hold still, I'm going to start wrapping your foot." Half of her tags were bloodied already, but she still had enough to do the job. Rena worked quietly while dressing the gaping hole, she had to layer the cloth multiple times in order to absorb the blood. There were no stitches, the practice itself was uncommon, and it didn't matter anyway as Rena didn't have the skills to probably apply them, still with luck that wouldn't be needed. Finally that job was done, her quality of care wasn't too poor, about average at least the bandages wouldn't unravel at the slightest of movements. Rena kept applying pressure, the faster the bleeding stops the better, even if the wound was taken care of, Noboyuki had to still be losing blood.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Don't be like that. I'm pouring my heart out here, ya know?" The drunk hero said. Well, it seemed she was just about done with his patching up. Still, he sure missed the stitches that would have been normally applied to him back in his own world. But wait, stitches? With just two pieces of meat that had become his foot now? Nah, didn't seem at all good. In fact, it sounded more hurtful than good. Maybe he'd stay with his two pieces of foot undefinitely. "That holy shield of yours sure is handy at times like this. Wonder if it'll help me heal faster. It'd be fantastic if that did happen. Or maybe my holy powers will just now activate with the alcohol and I'll wake up with super cool powers." Noboyuki laughed at his own joke for a bit, until the pain started growing. Most definitely the effect of the alcohol was disappearing. In other words, he was becoming sober once again. Well, he should, at the very least, take full advantage of his improvised sedative method wile it still lasted. With wobbly legs, he stood up, even though his foot stinged like crazy. "Then, I'm going back to our room. Passing out in the main lobby would be just awful. And don't worry, they say that the devil looks after their own, so I'm pretty sure I've still got some ways until people get to see me die." Noboyuki said, with a confident smile. It was certainly something a hero should not be saying, given that the demon was his enemy, but no matter. He made his way towards their room, clearly supporting himself more on his good leg rather than on the one that he had just hurt. Not before long, he had already arrived. He practically passed out in front of the bed and fell towards it. He was tired, hurt and drunk. It was a definitely terrible combination. Something told him his dreams might be filled with nightmares.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Well that was somewhat of a relief, Noboyuki seemed closer to his old self again, the alcohol must've passed through his system, which was off considering how quickly he sobered up, she did not expect him to be walking around that soon as well. Guess people from his world are more resilient, not everyone can walk with am their Achilles Tendon almost torn. Rena thanked the owner for all his help, even offered some kind of reward, although the owner refused stating that helping the saviors of the kingdom was enough. Perks of being heroes and royalty once again. Even then Rena stayed behind to clean the mess, and herself to the best of her ability, which wasn't too difficult seeing as the blood was still relatively fresh having no time to dry. Soon enough she was able to return to their room, Noboyuki was asleep, amazing really that even in pain he could find peace like that, not that she'd mind, actually it made things a whole lot easier she almost thought they might've needed to find some sleep aid or painkiller first. Instead of going to sleep herself, Rena pulled up the desk's chair, after what they've been through there was no time to sleep. She had to document what they found out about Joungha through their brief encounter, that knowledge if there might save someone's life one day. She also wanted to continue doing some research, from local lore she only learned so much, there had to be more somewhere else. About an hour a half later, Rena about fell asleep on the wooden table, fatigue got the better of her. Across the surface of the desk, illustrations, notes, books, scrolls, basically all the materials they had on hand, and her own, were there. Guess in the morning depending on what happens, Rena would get back to work.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The next day came, and with the rising sun, Noboyuki slowly regained consciousness. He expected a horrible hangover, but, shocking enough, he didn't have a hangover of any kind. Maybe it was because of Rena's holy shield? Regardless of what the hell it was, Noboyuki felt even... fresh, as if he had taken a bath of some kind, a hot, relaxing bath. He went to the side of the bed and sit there, scratching his head a bit. He took his glasses off, since he had forgotten about it the last night, and put them in the night table beside his bed. It was pretty blurry. Well, what did he expect? To be suddenly clear like in Spiderman or something? He wasn't a super human, even if the fate of the world said he had to be one. He took a cloth out of his breast pocket and cleaned his glasses, before putting them on again. "Ah, just like the change from ol' SD to HD." He then moved his neck around, making it crack a bit, before putting his hand on it. It seemed to have hurt, that last thing he did. "Ugh, my neck should have twisted after I passed out in the bed or something. Too bad there isn't any kind of muscle relaxing cream in this world. I could use it right now." Well, he just had to put up with it. He stood up from the bed, and even felt like dropping to his knees out of sheer pain from his wound, however, it was more of a reflex than actual pain. It probably was the effect of Rena's holy shield, though. ...Speaking of the pampered princess, though.... He turned to see the desk, and found her collapsed there. Well, sleeping, but collapsed seemed more of an accurate description for her current state. He decided to get near to and try to wake her up. However, when he arrived to where she was, he found her sleeping so peacefully and soundly that he just couldn't bring himself to wake her up. He merely smiled as he looked at the beautiful girl in front of him sleeping. "Sleep well, sleeping beauty. Man, that was cheesy..." He said, before turning and leaving the room. Then again, he might not be able to walk all that well wiht the wound he had on his foot. He took his sword and started using it as a cane to help him walk. He would get a bath and perhaps order some breakfast. Maybe also try his hand at bargaining with the owner, given that they might need to stay there for a while longer than initially expected. It seemed like a busy day for Rena, regardless. He wasn't a politician or anything of the like like her, so maybe it was really the best option to leave everything to her. Well.... he would only take a bath, for the time being. Maybe also think of some way to compensate Rena for everything she does. Would she know of the concept of a date?</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena woke up, and not in graceful way, mainly by choking on her own saliva as people sometimes do when sleeping. She coughed heavily trying to discharge the unwelcome substance trapped in her throat, in her fit a bundle of pages was thrown off of the desk... that day didn't start all that great. While muttering to herself, something about gag reflexes or whatnot, she had to take perhaps five minutes to finally reorganize the local workspace. When done Rena found Noboyuki to be missing from his bed, knowing better this time she just assumed him to be in the bath, just to be safe, hate to have a repeat of yesterday. Breakfast sounded good to the rudely awaken princess, rather than asking for food to be brought up she opted to eat in the main hall, maybe have a chance to listen to gossip, and more importantly to take the chance to properly thank the owner, as well as figure out how they're going to arrange for more days because clearly they will not be leaving for a while. Rena tossed her rather dirty fancy dress on her own bed, after their previous adventures it was quite covered in dirt, instead she wore spare clothing, a rather plain white cotton dress but really comfortable. Down in the hall, Rena right away found the owner to thank him for all the help he had provided, thing is after bringing up that they'll have to stay for much longer than expected, the owner simply swiped the idea aside knowing full well that Noboyuki could not travel, especially when he was wounded while in service to the hamlet from hunting that cursed god. At the most he'll be able to afford to feed and house them for a month, after that there wouldn't be much else unless he wanted to go bankrupt, still Rena was thankful for his compassion. She sat at a table with a small breakfast of oatmeal, fresh cheese, and a tankard of diluted ale, so far the news going around was nothing of note, just talks about weather really after last night however, Rena didn't mind the peace, not at all.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) After a relaxing bath, Noboyuki came out and thanked the owner, and also the heavens for having such a convenient thing in there, and that it was just like those of Japan was also a huge advantage for him. It made him feel at home, one way or the other. After getting dressed up and everything else, he went back to the dining hall. He hoped to find Rena there, but if he didn't, well, he'd just have breakfast without her. Noboyuki, though, was just dressed with a shirt and a pair of pants, without the usual jacket he wore on him. It just seemed a bit too stuffy now to wear and made him feel uncomfortable. After arriving to the dining hall, he spotted Rena rather quickly, even though she wasn't wearing her usual fancy dress. Well, it wasn't a surprise, probably it got ragged and dirty yesterday during their escape. He decided to not even comment about it and just sit in front of her, to take his own breakfast. He had already asked someone to bring his food there, so they brought it little after he sat down. He started on eating it slowly, it was the same meal Rena was eating too, so he decided to take it a bit slowly. After a while of being in silence, Noboyuki finally let out a sigh and looked at Rena. "Good morning. Sleep well? I hope I didn't do anything in my sleep to wake you up." Of course, he was uncertain of whether or not he had sleep talked, screamed or groaned in pain last night. His dreams were fairly normal as well, so he didn't think he had any kind of reason to start screaming during the night, but one never knew. "Also, your power is a life saver. I'm guessing I would be screaming with pain if it weren't for your incredible holy shield thingy." He wasn't sure of whether or not it really had the power to do that, but he just assumed.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- More news here and there, again nothing too special fairly mundane overall. Interesting part is even if Joungha had made a very recent appearance, as in the night before, no one seemed to even acknowledge the being's presence. She was were, the creature was anything but subtle, the villages back in the hamlet should've heard his roars, Rena knew she did at the very least. There wasn't much to go on so she decided to forget the thought, perhaps there was an unspoken rule about never mentioning the god. She leaned back in the solid oak chair, nothing gained from a little eavesdropping it seemed. Suddenly there be Noboyuki, right out of the blue without warning or a greeting first before he sat down. Heartbeats later, a server brought him breakfast, funny thing was the meal was the exact same as her own, must've been the standard fare that morning. Rena was conflicted about how she should act, for the majority of their journey she had of course remained standoffish to the hero, as she wanted of course, but last night she broke that mean streak, the worse part is she wasn't too sure how much of the night Noboyuki actually remembered through the drunkenness and pain. For the second time that day she almost choked on something liquid, while taking a drink of ale, the hero talked and for some reason this threw her off big time. As luck had it she managed to resist going into another coughing fit by sheer willpower Rena fought against the urge to hack and wheeze in order to deal with the misplaced ale. She did listen intently to what Noboyuki had to say, maybe looking a bit more interested than she had in the past, her companion seemed to be fairing well all together yet that didn't fool her into believing him to be alright, there was still the issue of his injured foot. He did mention how he thought that her holy shield was helping to deal with the pain, although the shield was only deigned for its one specific purpose and shouldn't do any more than that, but still anything could be possible in the realm of the divine. "I slept well, maybe a bit restless considering I didn't find a proper bed in time, but well enough nonetheless." Rena looked off to the side as if thinking, which she was, "Interesting you bring up the shield as such, its power is not meant to treat pain as you know, but I suppose that anything could be possible, perhaps a side effect? Speaking about your pain... uh, how is your foot? I hope I managed to treat it correctly, medicine is not something I studied much... I possibly fear that I did something wrong."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) When she started coughing and suffocating on whatever she was eating, Noboyuki couldn't help but feel a bit worried. He'd had stood up to check on her, but given how his foot was, it wasn't something he wanted to do right now. Yes, the pain may be gone, but one never knew. The thing was a bit too exposed for it to be safe to be moving aorund without a worry in the world. He thought it'd be better for him not to stand up, Rena wouldn't kick the bucket just because of that. "H-Hey, don't go choking on me right now. We are still only halfway to wherever that guy is, ya know?" After she finally stopped coughing, Noboyuki let out a relieved sigh. "Oi, oi, the one that was about to be a goner is me, not you. Don't start choking over nothing, will you? You surprised even me." He said. Well, after that, Noboyuki felt relieved that he didn't wake up Rena at all, but when she let the bomb drop on him, Noboyuki almost felt like spitting out the juice he was drinking. He held off that urge and gulped it down with a lot of effort and even if a bit of exaggeration. "WHAT. THE. HELL! You don't try and fix up some guy when you know next to nothing about medicine!" While he was a bit mad, he was still grateful. As far as he knew, his foot was better, but that might as well be an effect of the girl's holy shield. "Ya know, let's just... let's just leave that aside for now. My foot is fine enough for me to walk, at the very least. See, let's go away from that. What would you like to do today?I've got an idea, if you don't mind hearing it. Do you know what a date is?" Nobyuki said, with a happy expression on his face.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Well wasn't that a least bit rude to say, going about as if she was some clueless girl without a sliver an idea how to wrap simple cloth around someone's foot... did she say that? Rena was obviously somewhat concerned for how Noboyuki healed over the night, and it was very possible that she could've tripped up somewhere when managing his wounds, as she was inexperienced in medical practices, not a complete idiot in any way. Rena glared at Noboyuki as she silently fumed over her thoughts, probably wouldn've have been best to say anything, despite how she wanted to verbally tear into the loose lipped hero, and that time those were her true feelings, none of that aloof act she had been maintaining. Then at the mention of a "date" her scowl turned into a look of confusion, not that she didn't know what a date was, Eskar was a civilized kingdom after all so the concept of courting someone wasn't usual and even expected, at least among the nobility. Now the question was why did Noboyuki want to date her? Was he joking? Rena thought she knew the man well enough to at least get a feeling about his true intentions, and well he looked earnest, strange as it might be. For a brief moment Rena almost panicked at the idea of him being romantically interested in her, which was the absolute opposite of what she desired, still before her shock could really show she decided it might be best to query a bit further, Noboyuki's definition of a date could be vastly different from her own, with his being from another world of course. "I... know what a date is yes. Its quite common for a man to court a woman as such in Eskar, I'll say that much, also I'm assuming a 'date' is the same from both our worlds... so." Rena stared into Noboyuki's eyes with conviction, "What is your reasoning behind asking for a date, hmm?"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki should have expected this. It seems Rena took it as him wanting to get closer to her, in a romantic way. Well, it was funny in its own way. Noboyuki let out a snicker at the sight of her, being a little flustered, even if it was over her usual demeanor. Noboyuki supported his head on his hand with a confident smile on. He seemed to be mocking her, in one way, but he was actually just interested in her vision of a date. "Coutship, huh? Back where I come from, it isn't uncommon for a man and a woman to go on one with those intentions. Though, you can also have one just as friends." Noboyuki explained, while moving his finger with his other hand. "In other words, miss princess, I just want to relax for a bit. It'd be nice to get acquainted with the town too." Noboyuki suddenly lost all of his spunk and looked a bit sadder. "After all, we are stuck in here for a while." Noboyuki felt ashamed of himself. He was supposedly the hero of legends and he was done in by a forgotten God. How pathetic was that? Jonghua or not, Noboyuki made it one of his goals to finish the thing once he was able. It was more of a grudge rather than actual worry for the village, though. He shook his head, before looking at Rena once again with his spunk restored and his confident smile again in his face. "Besides, wouldn't it be good for you too to get acquainted with people over here? Ya know, representing your father and whatnot? Loyal subordinates come from a friendly relationship with them, I hear."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- What he said did take sense, at least his last statement having a good personal relationship with common folk was never a bad proposition. Problem was it was hardly pragmatic, no human ruler could ever effectively do such a thing, the feudal system was in a place for a reason, a commoner reports to the mayor or elder, who reports the to local lord, who reports to the local duke, and so forth. Really a king was only expected to deal with twenty some odd direct vassals. Noboyuki probably didn't understand this system, again remembering he's not of her world, Rena decided that saying anything wasn't worth the effort. Plus after some consideration it was decided that she was overthinking the topic. Rena sat in silence only staring down Noboyuki, in all consideration she couldn't figure out why he wanted to go on this date. Now she had to admit there wasn't really a problem if it was only out of friendship, and certainly Noboyuki was considered to be a friend. In the end Rena conjectured that maybe something like his version of a date wouldn't be all that bad. "I suppose I see what you mean... maybe spending some time exploring this hamlet would not be a waste." In one movement Rena stood from her spot, determined to take part in this foreigner's brand of dating. "I hope your foot wouldn't be a problem if we walk about, right?" Now she couldn't help but not to look concerned, after all Noboyuki had only a night to heal, still the man should know his own limits.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki smiled, a bit arrogantly, if anything else, when Rena agreed to go on a date with her. If he ever went back to his world, he would be able to brag about this to his friends, if he ever went back, that is. After all, it isn't everyday that you get a date with a princess of a great kingdom like that. Well, should they get on with it? He had just finished his breakfast too. Noboyuki stood up as well, not before cleaning his mouth carefully with the handkerchief he kept inside his breast pocket. It was only bits and crumbs of bread, so it wouldn't get so dirty, otherwise, he wouldn't use it so lightly. It was one of his favorite things, after all. Made him seem classy. "Then, shall we get going?" Noboyuki simply said, while looking at the girl with a big smile. And then, she seemed to get worried about his foot. Well, it had hurt at first, but it was nothing right now. "Now, don't look so down like that. It makes me feel bad for my foot again. Anyhow, don't worry. Your shield is keeping anything bad at bay, I'm sure of it." Noboyuki said, before making his way towards the exit of the restaurant, before turning his head around at the girl with a smile. "You aren't going to just stand there and wait, right? Let's go. We'll worry about things once they happen, so let's just enjoy ourselves for now."</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki smiled, a bit arrogantly, if anything else, when Rena agreed to go on a date with her. If he ever went back to his world, he would be able to brag about this to his friends, if he ever went back, that is. After all, it isn't everyday that you get a date with a princess of a great kingdom like that. Well, should they get on with it? He had just finished his breakfast too. Noboyuki stood up as well, not before cleaning his mouth carefully with the handkerchief he kept inside his breast pocket. It was only bits and crumbs of bread, so it wouldn't get so dirty, otherwise, he wouldn't use it so lightly. It was one of his favorite things, after all. Made him seem classy. "Then, shall we get going?" Noboyuki simply said, while looking at the girl with a big smile. And then, she seemed to get worried about his foot. Well, it had hurt at first, but it was nothing right now. "Now, don't look so down like that. It makes me feel bad for my foot again. Anyhow, don't worry. Your shield is keeping anything bad at bay, I'm sure of it." Noboyuki said, before making his way towards the exit of the restaurant, before turning his head around at the girl with a smile. "You aren't going to just stand there and wait, right? Let's go. We'll worry about things once they happen, so let's just enjoy ourselves for now."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- His words were actually comforting, as it really did put here more at ease about Noboyuki's injury. The hero could be putting on brave front for all she knew, at least his strength was admirable. Rena didn't hold back a sigh, "You are a grown man of course, but... if you fall in the streets due to your wound, you will have to drag yourself home." She then turned on her heel to start leaving the hall and off to the outside world. All the same though, despite her words Rena was somewhat more soften spoken, and in other subtle ways more gentle, not even in ways she realized herself. The pair were walking just out of the taven, that is assuming Noboyuki decided to follow her lead, not that Rena would've expected him to run off to who knows where. That day was fair, clear skies without a wisp of a cloud. There was only a slight breeze hanging in the air, just enough to ruffle Rena's hair as it fluttered in time with each minute gust. Now that she wasn't rushing around, like before, Rena this time around took in the surroundings. Nearby fields were bountiful with heavy, golden grain, fortunately for the people the harvest was promised to be grand this year, in fact laborers were already beginning inital preparations for the scheduled week of harvest itself. It was now that Rena thought about how they really had been traveling for an entire month, when they started these very fields must've been only half its current height. Late autumn had arrived. The girl walk alongside her companion quietly, it was far from an awkward one, at least the way Rena perceived it, but just a simple calm, she didn't dare to ruin it. Now after say five minutes of continued silence, the princess looked up Noboyuki, "Its peaceful isn't it? Hard to believe this is almost the same place we encountered that momster... but I like it, this current calmness that is."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) As expected the princess took the lead and guided him through the town. It was a beautiful sight, and it made Noboyuki feel.... odd, to be honest. It wasn't nostalgy, because in the city he used to live before there wasn't anything quite like that. In fact, it was a rare sight. It was, yes, refreshing, it was refreshing. For a change of pace, nature was good. Noboyuki went on with the silence Rena didn't dare temper with. Noboyuki smiled with a lazy smile that was already an habit of his while he was in his own world. Speaking of changes of pace, this was a change of pace in his current lifestyle. A relaxing stroll through town, different to their everyday battles. When Rena finally spoke off, Noboyuki turned to see her with the same lazy smile still in his face. "Yeah, hardly seems like there was a monster that horrible before. God or not, I still find it hard to believe people actually worshipped that thing." Noboyuki said. Well, this was just about the right time for a smoke. He hadn't been smoking lately because he didn't have that many cigarettes in the first place. He had to make them last, otherwise he'd be stranded in that world without any way to entertain himself. Of course, also because it wasn't that healthy to be smoking like a damn chimney. He also had his very own, specially made lighter. A metal, shiny lighter of silver color with the kanjis for his name engraved on it. He searched through his breast pocket until he produced a single white cigarette and put it in his mouth, before lighting it and take a good smoke out of it. After that, he let the smoke come out of his mind with a relaxed sigh. It wasn't his favorite kind of thing to do, but damn, did it relax him like no other thing. "Do you smoke, Rena? Wait, do you even have cigarettes here?" He asked, curious of whether or not he'd be able to get more of them in that world. Still, he planned to guard those he was carrying with him with his life. It was his favorite brand, after all.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena coughed of the stench of the buring tobacco, not that she knew what it was seeing as the plant was not native to Eskar, or maybe even to that world. Whatever a... cigarette was it smelt like disease to her, really begging the question why Noboyuki would ever think of placing it in his month in the first place. The girl just marked this as another outlandish element from the hero's true home. "cough cough ...I don't know what a cigarette is but that smell alone makes me question you and your people. Ugh." Rena fell silent again, however after not too long she continued, the time just seemed right to ask something she had being dying to know for long while. "So, Noboyuki you... don't talk about your home that often, well really at all. Also..." Rena stopped mid sentence unsure if it was within her rights to ask, "...What about yourself? I'll admit even though we're a month along I don't know you. What I mean is every man has a history, even then you are still a blank book to myself." Rena looked thoughtful as she spoke her thoughts, staring at Noboyuki with curious eyes, obviously not exactly in line with her established character. "We have a long road ahead of us, and is there anything wrong with wanting us to finally start learning about each other?"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Since it seemed that Rena wasn't accustomed to the smell of the cigarette (as expected, and unfortunately, they didn't have cigarettes there), and also seemed to not like it, as expected of non-smokers, he quickly took another taste of his cigarette, quickly burning it out, but not quite quick enough to finish it, Noboyuki then went on to put it out in the sole of his shoe, out of respect of the people and things around him. He also put the remaining of it inside his breast pocket. He had at least the decency of not littering anywhere he was. "Haha, I wonder the same actually. It is just a bad habit I picked up in high school and haven't been able to get rid off. Maybe I don't want either, even though it is known to cause a lot of diseases. It.... relaxes me when I am stressed out." Noboyuki smiled at her. Well, wasn't this a surprise. He even told her so. "My, what a surprise. I never would have expected the princess of a grandiose fantasy world to be interested in my own." He laughed, a bit more hearty than the other times he had actually laughed while on this world. It made him feel relaxed, somehow. Was it the cigarette or was it the company? "Well, what can you say? My world is definitely a lot more advanced than yours. We've got a lot of technology. Maybe it is to make up for our lack of magic. Japan, from where I come from, is known for a lot of things, traditions and whatnot, technology, etcetera, etcetera. IT mostly known because of the anime we broadcast though. People from all around the world like to watch it. It is.... well, I think the best way to explain it is, several drawings in a sequence that make it seem as if it were moving... or something like that. Anyhow, it would be a lot to explain, electricity, tv's, circuits, computers, etcetera, etcetera...." Now that he thought about it, it really was complex, though it didn't appear to him that way because he had become used to them. He decided on a quick change of subject. "And about me? Well, I was a normal guy, normal as normal comes. I went to high school, finished college and then got a stable, boring job in a big company as a mere salaryman. I make enough for a living and to give me some luxuries every now and then, but other than that, my job isn't, well, you could call it, fullfilling. It was a boring everyday, definitely so. The most I could do was play something in a console to pretend my life hadn't become the cliche that is often seen in movies and whatnot. And then, I was plunged into this world. Well, at least here I have a purpose." Noboyuki finished with a smile. I felt somewhat good to be needed, even if he had to risk his life. "What about you, miss princess? Any interesting stories you can tell me about?" Though not as direct, Noboyuki was also fairly interested on what Rena had to say and what her life was like before all of this.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Noboyuki was a foreigner beyond a doubt, it wasn't so much as what he talked about, but the way he talked. To put in a way, the man would be in huge trouble in they were in a court proper for he didn't make out to be the best of diplomats. "You know, you would've angered many nobles with the way you talk, it is never wise for one to directly compare his own nation to another's, its how feuds start." Rena glared her usual glare at the man, but this time it didn't last when she started laughing lightly, a barely audible one, but still there. "Luckily you're only talking to me, so no true offense." He gave a lot of information, much more than she ever expected, though she was happy the hero was willing to share about himself just from her asking. Now she didn't understand a scrap of what he said, seeing as he used words and concepts not of her own world, but it was a good step up anyway. When he asked her to share of her history, Rena wasn't surpised since the question was fully expected. After a pause just to gather her thoughts, she jumped right in. "Where to start... I traveled a lot. Not as a wanderer of course, that would be stupid for someone such as myself. No I have spent the majority of my life in many other courts rather than my father's in the capital province. Now most of them are within the kingdom itself still, so the expectations were the same, perhaps variations depending on the liege in question." "Oh now foreign courts are a whole new beast, sometimes the difference between cultures is so vast, but the experience is worthwhile, especially learning to tolerate other peoples. I don't know how it is in your world, but here conflict is founded on such petty issues out of misunderstandings, despite the current age of the Demon King. My father, you know the king of Eskar, is known to be one of the most peaceful rulers in recent history, skilled diplomat with the military might and authority to back his claims. I plan on continuing what he started, using words to maintain good relations with our neighbors. Although... as for warfare, and well with the looming threat of the demons... I have doubts..." Rena trailed off, more lost in thought than ever. Soon after she shook her head as if pushing her own thoughts away. "Enough of my ramblings, the focus should be on what we are doing now, and not so far in the future." Rena looked back to Noboyuki, "You've told me about your home, but what else is going on in your world... I wonder with a much more advanced society as you say, do your people face the same problems as mine?"</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) It seemed the girl liked to mind her matters even while speaking unofficially to a companion. Noboyuki couldn't help but laught at that fact. "You should've heard me speaking with my boss then. I couldn't speak so casually or even treat him as a friend, in all honesty, he got pissed the moment I did so. Then again, he was a sourpuss and I am not exactly a 'by the book' kind of guy." For the first time, though, he thought that Rena was actually enjoying herself, and it made him happy as well. She seemed to even crave for knowledge. It was good to see that, even if it was in another world. Noboyuki simply nodded in acknowledgement as he heard Rena speak about herself. It was truly something how a princess was allowed to wander like that. Though he had already experienced her hardheadness first hand, so he could make out how that conversation with her father went. "Ha, in my world, every country is so different from the other. You would hardly be able to communicate between each other if the guys hadn't decided on a common language with which they could speak between each other. Still, I don't know how the big shots think, though. I am but another guy in the whole system." Noboyuki shrugged. He was always under the impression that, maybe, a monarchy wasn't so bad after all, despite what had happened in the past. "And our problems? Pfft, they are a lot bigger than yours, let me assure you." Noboyuki said, dismissing the motion with his hand. "I mean, you guys have it easier than us. I will not say your problems are smaller than ours, cause that'd be a lie. However, we have to deal with a loooot more of things. For example. We are on the verge of destroying ecosystems and what not with all the shit we do." He then noticed he had cursed in front of her. He scratched the back of his head, looking a bit flustered. "Sorry about that. Anyhow, there's still a lot of things. Corrupt politicians, drugs. There's a mythological tale in Japan that says that after a big fight, the Gods Izanami and Izanagi said to each other 'I am going to kill 1,000 men on the surface of earth every day', said Izanami to Izanagi and he answered, 'Then I am going to give birth to 1,500.' Sometimes it actually seems true though." Noboyuki explained to her, and couldn't help but smile sadly. "You guys are better off here, with all the nature there is here, maybe also better without technology and drugs like in my own world."</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Heh." Noboyuki let out when he heard Rena ask him whether or not he hated his own world. "Hey now, I didn't say I hated it. If anything, I thought it was boring, but that didn't really mean that I didn't like the world. I lived in blissful ignorance of all of those facts and, to be honest, it is easier to remember the bad things rather than the good things." Well, after all, it came to mind quicker the bad things about his world rather than the good things. Still, it seemed they had their fair share of problems. "As long as it didn't have anything to do with me, I was happy. Unfortunately, every human contributed to those problems, in one way or the other. Most people are like me, I'm sure. As long as it doesn't affect you, you can ignore it." Noboyuki gazed into the distance, thinking. Yeah, that was pretty much how he was in his own world, if a bit hypocritical. He shook his head. "Well, at the very least, I have a purpose here that I can't turn a blind eye to." Of course, he was talking about the prophecy of the hero. If he was chosen for one thing or the other, then he'd just have to fulfill that purpose and then get back to his own world, back to his dull life. "It's not that I didn't have any loved ones back in my own world, I had my family and a few friends, but, well, no matter what, I always thought my life lacked some thrill, ya know? I think here I've gotten a taste of that. Maybe, when I get back, I can finally settle down once and for all." He lifted an eyebrow when Rena said that about the village, and then took into a light jog. Noboyuki went behind her, though not jogging and merely walking at a bit faster pace. "All right, let's do it. I don't think my food has anything to comply about right now."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- The hamlet deserved to be called such, just a hamlet for good reason. Not only was this settlement's population on the sparse side, there were also a lack of any permanent structures made of real building materials, for most of the people made due in makeshift shacks that were barely held up by scrap wood. Although the idea of such a poor hamlet had been changing for the last decade, with a new trade route running directly through the land the small homestead brought about more in the way of traffic and especially traders who may have sought to offload extra merchandise for a guaranteed profit rather than risking to continue on. On top of that with the recent rise of demon encounters the hamlet eventually became the last bastion of humanity before entering demon infested lands, that is until reaching the next defensive settlement. As Rena and Noboyuki entered the town square it became clear what affect the considerably new found prosperity had, in a circle around the center were newly build stone buildings, and a few others that were still under the hammer. Another thing to note was the many people out and about, while most of them were not real residents, only merchants and other such travelers, the number of bodies added to a joyous atmosphere. All along the roads leading in, shrewd business men had set up stalls to pedal whatever valuable wares they may have had on hand. Rena decided to take a closer look at one of these stalls, this man was dealing in jewelry, while odd that one would sell luxuries out in a backwater settlement, they certainly looked to be of fine quality, necklaces, rings, bracelets, and uncut gems. The girl was honestly tempted to see about taking something with her, but through self discipline she held back. They didn't have the budget to allow for such purchases, now that didn't stop here from touching and examining the jewels. They spent half an hour simply exploring, mostly wandering with no real goal, after all they were taking some leisure time, it was a date. Rena at first was still somewhat tense, but as they continued on she gradually relaxed, and before long one could say she really was having fun. She was much more notably loose, not nearly uptight as normal, and perhaps more able to speak often engaging in small take with lot more frequency than before. Rena didn't talk about anything important other than going into detail into court life, what to say, and what not say, ways to remain diplomatic while dealing with higher society. It was not like she was giving instruction, rather it was more like just idle chatter in a friendly manner, even with a few minor jokes thrown in. Here the princess did stop worrying about keeping appearances, maybe forgetting to keep them, maybe sick of trying to lie, whatever the case is Rena, at least in the moment, enjoyed being able to be pleasant for once.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The little princess seemed a lot more tame and calm than the other days. Maybe it was the whole atmosphere of the little village that just screamed 'calmness'. Noboyuki could appreaciate it too, since his sarcastic comments went in a downward spiral to nothingness. It was nice not having to think on how he could answer people with a witty comment at least for a while. Rena also seemed to be quite interested in the stalls and whatnot. As the man he was, though, Noboyuki stopped in the weapon's shop to look at whatever new things they had. Swords and whatnot. Just then he started thinking, why did he choose a simple short sword in the ened? There were a lot more of weapons aside from that, but he still chose the most generic looking one. Mayeb it was just as per habit of not standing out? Now that he looked at them, there were a lot more weapons that he could use and, while his own wasn't exactly a katana, it was still slightly curved. Maybe he only felt more familiar with those kinds of weapons in general? Japanese blood and whatnot. He asked around for a bit, and was even about to turn to Rena to ask her if he could buy a new weapon. Even so, what he found was the girl gazing at the jewels and then going on with her journey, without buying anything. Well, he had enough money, and he hadn't done anything good for her lately, not to mention that she did cure his foot yesterday.... He approached the salesman and decided to buy one of the jewels she was looking at, to be honest, the cheapest he could find, well, he didn't really buy it because of the price, but because it was also pretty. A sapphire heart, a pink heart that shined brightly. While he said it was cheap, though... "Damn, that hurt my wallet." He looked at the inside of his rather modern looking black and blue wallet. It was now mostly empty with just a bit of this world's currency inside of it. "Critical hit to my exonomy, huh?" He sighed. Well, that girl should really appreciate what he was doing for her. Later on, they were just having bits and bites of small talk. Noboyuki answered Rena's jokes with some of his own, and laughed a bit more heartily than other times. Yeah, it was nice being like that. He felt in high school again, when he had the right to laugh at nothing and just because. As an adult, he didn't have as many opportunities to do so. He also included some of the funny and even outrageous stories of his past that he thought would entertain Rena, of course, taking care not to say any details that would confuse her since her world did not have such things. He told her about the time he mocked a professor behind their back but didn't notice the one in front of him and got suspended, another time when he fell off the stage in a school play and even the time when he laughed so hard that milk came out of his nostrils while drinking in front of his crush at the time. Now, he just had to wait. For a good moment he could give her the collar he had bought for her, and for her not to think he is creepy. It wasn't until later that he questioned why the hell he bought it in the shape of a heart.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- They were out of the market, for the most part while there were a few stalls left Rena left them alone, not as if they had the funds to entertain buying anything extra. Interestingly enough there appeared to small gathering area for discussions, these were more common in major cities and were actual meeting halls rather than the outdoor one present in the hamlet. Rocks and lugs must've been hauled from elsewhere, that didn't seem to matter much since the spot was crowded anyway. Rena pulled Noboyuki towards the meeting place, insisting that they could use information, but really in truth she just wanted to hear some stories. The way it worked at these gathering spots was everyone took part, one person takes a turn to share either a piece of information or a story, in Eskar it was a very social activity, an important one at that. Tales were varied, some were about actual events, very solem, down to earth about the continued invasion of demonic forces. Often times it brought the mood downward, but no one could deny the importance of such news. Others were boasting from hunters, kills of epic proportions, course most knew them to be false but it was all in good fun. One in particular was of Sir Roland quite honestly only children stories about the moral adventures of a fictional knight. Rena while, she didn't say anything, still had a love for these childish tales, despite the fact she long outgrew them. When it was her turn Rena decided to talk about one of the far off realms she visited years ago, Daldrom, a merchant republic more akin to Noboyuki's medieval Italy than a typical kingdom. While she wasn't considered to be a talented storyteller, Rena tried to be animated as possible throwing her arms about when described the vast vineyards to the best of her ability. She went into greater detail about the daily life of the common folk, about the brick homes they lived in, their cultural foods which mostly considered of fish. Then when it came to the court, she tried to paint a clear picture of the soaring palace walls, the well maintained lawn, the sophistication of the artists, the poets, of the best works displayed proudly within that ivory white castle. By the end Rena looked ecstatic, smiling brightly and even laughing occasionally. She turned to Noboyuki, seeing as it was his go, she proceeded to forcefully pull to guy to his feet. "Come on Noboyuki." Rena spoke in a teasing tone, almost singsonging, "I hope you got something good for these folk." She looked upon him practically grinning. This date was great, a single chance to cut loose, at least for a day.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) After that, Rena decided to pull him into a mass of people. He didn't handle crowds well, but it was a small crowd, as per the small town. Being there for a bit wouldn't bring any harm, right? They sat down and started on listening to what the hell this little get-together was about. Apparently, they still prcticed there the oral transmission of stories, unlike his own world where everything could be accessed at any time with the internet. Noboyuki smiled and listened attentively to everything everyone had to say. There were some sad news, there were some grandiose tales of people killing monsters, there was even a story that was certainly completely ficitional, but still sounded so fun and entertaining that everyone listened with a lot of attention, just barely saying anything every once in a while when people were so surprised they couldn't hold it in. Noboyuki laughed under his breath. It was the kind of romance, well, one of the kinds of romance, that men yearned for. At the very least, he was having one of those romances right now wiht his quest to slay the Demon King. Still, whatever everyone said regarding the demon forces advancing made his desire to put an end to this even stronger. It wasn't right, for that demon lord to be taking the peace away from these people. Rena then talked about her own experience. She talked about a kingdom named Daldrom that, to be honest, resembled the Italy in his own world quite a lot. The vineyards, the art, the music and everything else. It reminded him of the renaissance that came about in his own world. It was odd, but he didn't think much about it. There was bound to be some countries that developed more that the others in some areas, after all. Same as what happened to Italy. Maybe it was only the natural course of things and how it went in the end, that some kindoms will finally become greater in some regard than others. Military strength, art, technology. He wondered if there was a Leonardo DaVinvi in this world as well, since he admired him personally. And then, it was his turn to tell a story. "W-Wha? Me too?" Now, they put him in the spot in quite a bad way. If he had known that a turn would come for him, he'd have thought of an story before. Of course, he should have deduced that out of the fact that Rena did tell her own. After a bit of awkward shuffling and thinking for Noboyuki, he finally came up with a great story to tell them. Instead of an story about himself that would probably be boring for them, he decided to tell them about Sir Arthur of the Round Table. A famous knight of British mythology. He thought it was right to tell that kind of thing in this situation. He told them how he got his prized Holy sword Excalibur out of a stone and became kind after that, and how he slayed a dragon too. How he united his knights and how everyone of them was almost as impressive as Arthur himself. After finally finishing the tale he had to tell everyone, Noboyuki sat down, still a bit unsure of whether or not it was liked. He just hoped for the best. He then turned to see Rena and smiled. Everyone seemed a bit too impressed. Maybe he went a bit too far with his story? He did only tell them bit and bites of what he actually knew of the whole story. Not like he was some kind of historian or something like that. Well, it had some of the effect he wished for, since he wanted to give them a real shock with the stories of the King Arthur that had even become part of the anime culture in his world and time. "Well, that was fun. I've never done something like this, not in person at the very least."</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Arthur huh, Noboyuki made this man out be greater than life itself, which had to beg the question if this king ever existed, it all seemed be fictional, as someone who had known an actual king her entire life she know what to really expect. Still as far as stories goes it wasn't the worse, plus Noboyuki had to have some natural talent if this was apparently his first time telling one at a garthering spot. When he sat back down Rena leaned over, "Then you have a knack for this if it were your first story." She flashed a nice smile before returning her attention to the next speaker. By the time everyone started dissolving the gathering it was well into the evening, the sky already streaked with the brilliant orange of sunset. Rena motioned for the hero to follow her, it was about time to return home at the tavern. On their walk back the girl was still in high spirits, the day had gone much, much better than she ever expected when Noboyuki suggested a date out. She didn't regret a moment of it, not at all. While she wasn't talking, Rena was whistling a random tune, nothing in specific just a random collection of notes. Reflecting on the day as a whole, she'd actually learned quite a bit about her partner, in that single day he had revealed so much more than the month they've been on the road. It was good, the first time she felt like they connected. She stopped by a low stone wall, behind it was the sun almost ready to disappear below the horizon, now the sky was in full twilight. Rena instead on moving on like she initially expected to do, she decided that simply watching the beauty of the scene to be too peaceful to pass up. Without turning her head she addressed the hero, "I can say that overall, I don't regret today, far beyond what I expected... what do you think about sunsets? Are they an end or a beginning?"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) As they walked away from the now dispersed group of people, Noboyuki noted Rena being a little more lively than other times. She was even whistling about like anyother girl her age would when she had nothing to worry about. Noboyuki smiled at that. It made him feel like a doting father, in some way. He walked beside her, moving his head at the rhythm of whatever she was singing. It was either a song or something random, Noboyuki opted to think it was the latter since it didn't really resemble anything he had heard from the bards they had encountered before. In any case, it was a sticky tune that may not leave his brain for a while. Even so, he was quiet as a tomb at the time. He had some things in mind, after all. Like, how was he going to give her the pendant he bought for her. He was taken away from his thoughts once Rena spoke up about the sunsets. "Heeeh..." Noboyuki smiled again with the same sarcastic aura he almost always had to him. "It's good that I was able to live up to the expectations of her majesty. Wouldn't have wanted to have my neck cut just because I couldn't take the princess on a decent date." He even motione with his finger going through his throat as he spoke of himself getting beheaded by a thing like that. He then turned to see the sunset. Always a sight to behold, no matter the world. "The end or the beginning, huh? Now, that's a hard one. In a scientifical point of view, I think it is both. No, it is a fact that it is both. What is an end here is a beginning on the other side of the world." Pragmatic as always, after saying that, Noboyuki sighed. "In a more philosophical point of view, though. I've always thought of it as a beginning. There's always the hope of the new day, no matter how bad the past day had been before, you can always make up for it the next day." Noboyuki simply said. Even so, he felt a bit flustered about what he had just said and it even showed in his face as he blushed even a bit under his glasses. He scratched the back of his head with embarassment and fidgeted a bit before finally feeling that it was even a bit too much for even him. "I-I am going back to the inn. See you." He propped his glasses up and turned around. He was about to dash back to the inn, but he remembered about the pendant. He quickly took it out of his pocket and stuffed in Rena's. "This isn't any kind of big deal. Only a present. Don't think much of it." He simply said, before leaving for the inn. He'd just forget about it and welcome Rena as if nothing had happened after that. It was easier that way. He just hoped she wouldn't bring up the matter of why the hell was the pendant shaped like a heart. It was just that there wasn't any other kind like that that was as cheap as that one... --- Three weeks passed and now, Noboyuki was plenty sure that his foot was now cured. He gathered his things and was now ready to leave. They did some jobs around the town too, to get some money for their travels afterwards. He felt they were just about ready to leave and he was now waiting on the lobby of the inn, for Rena to come along. The only thing that bugged him was leaving the thing with the God unsolved. He was a nocturnal hunter and he couldn't hurt them right now, since there were still some rays of light on the floor.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Well wasn't that a mouthful to say? Still there was something endearing about the way he spoke, all in spite of his lack of finesse with words. She thought this in the best possible way, because really he could've gotten to the point with many less words, all the same he had a positive outlook, something that they'll need moving foward. Without warning however, it almost seemed Noboyuki panicked... about something, which right at the time Rena didn't notice, at least until he shoved an object of some kind into her hands, after saying he's going back to the room. It was a present he said, curious she looked down upon the gift, and well was quite frankly surpised. Somehow the hero found a pendant, more like a collar, a sapphire in the shape of a heart, treated on such a way to appear almost pink. The craftsmanship was faulty at best, that said it would've been pricey anyway. Rena stared at the collar, her mind suddenly racing to understand what it meant, this was no small gift in her eyes... no it really meant much more. For maybe five minutes she stood there, seriously contemplating how to react, yet she had nothing, for the time being she held onto it, and nothing more. --- The last three weeks were largely uneventful, and during that time Rena was quiet, not cold like before, she was unsure. After their date neither of them talked about the collar, the gift, it just seemed to be out of bounds somehow. Noboyuki was ready in the lobby while Rena was cleaning out the last of their things, the owner wasn't around, he had to take care of a few errands, so they've already thanked the man earlier. Rena was of course dressed in her traveler's cloak, everything was packed, everything but one specific item. It remained tucked away since that day, she didn't want to look at it, maybe affaid what it symbolized. She wouldn't have thrown it out, or leave it behind, but still... she had no idea what to do with that collar. Rena came ambling down the stairs, not talkative still somber. She walked up to Noboyuki, head down, eyes cast to her feet. She was ready to go, and hoped the hero was able to understand that. One important thing to note, if the light were to hit her just right, one could see a brief glint of pink... around her neck.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki looked at Rena curiously. Yeah, it had been... slightly awkward lately, but why was she so, well, depressed looking right now? Noboyuki had, for the most part, been acting normal in his own regard. He didn't like awkward atmospheres and something that had worked for him for a while now was how he decided to ignore things like those and almost forget about them. Even so, he had the matter still hanging over his head. What could Rena have thought about his present? Even if he didn't really mean what the pendant may have meant in any other situation, he was plenty sure that he harbored no romantic feeling towards the little princess he had met in this world.... probably. As she appraoched him, Noboyuki couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed himself. 'What the hell, Noboyuki? What are you, 16?! You've long since passed that age! You are already a man, so fess up and get on with the show! You both need to be focused on the task at hand. Break time is over.' He thought to himself, trying to give himself a bit of a pep up talk. He cleared his throat to go on with what he needed to say. "Is something the matter, little princess? You are unusually quiet and well behaved. It throws me offa bit, to be honest, not having your harsh words accompanying my journey just doesn't feel right." He said, with his usual sarcastic smile on his face. "We can talk as we make our way out of here, though. We wouldn't want for that thing to show up again if we take too much time. Maybe the next town will be our lucky break and I will finally get those powers you talk so much about." Noboyuki started making his way to the door, ready to leave the twon anytime. He was acting like a hero, for once, at the very least.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- "Yeah, no you're right, let's focus on the road... let me find the map first." Rena purposefully ignored his question, primary since she wasn't all that sure herself. True to her word the girl reached into her cloak, the map was stored in convenient pocket designed to hold such things. She must've been too rushed for whatever reason as the folded up parchment fumbled out of her fingers and on the floor, cursing silently under her breath Rena, still in a hurry, picked the map back up. Her face burned bright red, hoping beyond hope Noboyuki wouldn't say anything, how could this happen to her? She had been in court life for her entire adult existence, talking to powerful people without breaking a sweat, but here in a remote tavern located at a nameless hamlet she was bumbling around... and come to think of it, why did she care what Noboyuki thought at all...? Rena closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to regain her composure, despite the lack of it in the first place, trying to calm her fingers, trying to calm her busy mind. When ready, maybe, she unfolded the map and lied it across the floor, possibly distracting herself by explaining the next stretch of the journey would be enough to help her relax. She launched into a needlessly in-depth summary of the next region up ahead, much more information then needed, and of course a bit quickly. When done she didn't feel better, well maybe glad something that simple still wasn't out of her grasp, but all the same it did little to help steady her nerves. She couldn't look at her partner, for reasons only unknown to herself, no matter how hard she tried keeping eye contact was neigh impossible, it only served to increase the awkward air between them. After tucking the map away in its proper pocket, Rena didn't say anything else, other then perhaps a muttered command to follow, she practically ran out of the lobby, it was starting to get stuffy in there, she didn't like it. Now outside the princess touched her blushed face, it felt better out under the sky, somehow... something was wrong she only wanted to understand why, although she thought of the obvious cause, for whatever reason she did not want to believe it, couldn't be... Rena stood there by the door, fidgeting with her gifted collar.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Yeah.... Rena wasn't herself. Like at all. Being so clumsy as to drop the map like that. She indeed have something in her mind. Noboyuki knew, supposed he knew, what was troubling her. 'I hope I am not right, though....' Noboyuki sighed, and tried his best to focus on what Rena was saying. There was no use over getting worked up on something like that, even if she seemed to be troubled by it, Noboyuki took it upon him to not say anything about it until she wanted to talk about it herself. Noboyuki merely nodded at the explenetions Rena talked about, acknowledging them to their fullest, trying to overwrite the thoughts of him interfering on Rena's train of thought. He would have accomplished it had it been not for the fact that he saw Rena still troubled about the matter. There was nothing he could do about the growing awkwardness between the two of them if she wouldn't, at the very least, look at him. Maybe she did not really trust him enough as a friend to talk about those kinds of things? Maybe she just couldn't look at him anymore like a friend after the unnecessary gift he gave her the other day? Maybe she thought he was a creep now? Damn, there was him again and his habit of overthinking things. It was something that irritated him to no end. After Rena decided to bail on him and run out, Noboyuki merely sighed and followed, though at a more relaxed pace. Walking to where Rena was now waiting, Noboyuki took his sweet time, trying to arrenge some kind of way in which he could chase away the awkward atmosphere between the two. After a while of deliberating over it, he thought he had finally found a satisfying answer. It would involve him lying, quite a bit in fact, but if that took away the awkwardness between the two of them, then that was completely all right. He approached the girl from behind and with his usual way of being incosiderate and just a plain ass, he lightly tapped Rena's back, if a bit forcefu. "Don't overthink it. It doesn't mean what you think it means, I've got completely no interest in you. It was just a present, nothing more. I prefer my girls more.... mature." He simply said, before getting on his way. "C'mon, we don't have time to waste now."</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki knew something about lies, having told them all of his life to cover up for his screw ups and for whatever he didn't want to say, and that something was that lies had one great fault. That you needed to remember each and every one of them to follow up the story later. Noboyuki thought he had all and each of his lies stored away in his memory, but having been caught off guard like that took it away. He couldn't access his lie database after a question that threw him off as badly as that. And now, he was put on the spot right now after she said that he had previously commented on how he liked mature women. That was a big lie if he ever told one. And Rena had to remember precisely that one of the many lies he had told during the trip. Then again, most of those lies were white lies that no one would have thought twice of. Like, I didn't eat your food or, I didn't cut down that mugger. Things like that that did more harm to his own person than to others. "Oh, that was, you see, well, I meant......!" He tried to lie his way out, as he had done several times before. "I-I meant....! Kind of like, mentally? Something like that? I-I dunno...." He was losing his cool again, despite wanting to turn the tables on the girl to stop that. What could he do now? He was making a fool out of himself now. He propped his glasses up and took a deep breath. Yeah, he was just about prepared for any kind of curveball the girl threw at her right now. He was confident of that. It was just a matter of how he could steer the conversation away from that subject. And then, she asked something else that surprised Noboyuki so much that he felt like dropping comically like in an anime character would when asked something ridiculous. 'A-A screwball!?' What the hell, why was Rena being so straightforward all of a sudden!? He had been thrown off his comfort zone in an extreme manner. Now, this truly put him on the spot. His heart was beating at one hundred per hour. He knew what would happen if he answered from the bottom of his heart. He thought he knew what would happen. Previous experiences spoke harder than just imagination. "I.... I know we are friends. At the very least, I know that's what we are right now. I know that I... am happy? Yeah, I'd say I'm happy with how things are right now." At least that came from the bottom of his heart, but what came next didn't. Noboyuki bit his lower lip. Hell, he knew perfectly well what that question meant. He knew why Rena was asking it, and he knew the real answer for that, but... 'You gotta lie all the way, huh? Even if it is only for the sake of status quo..... For not changing things from what they are right now. It would hinder things in the future, and I think both of us cannot afford that. No. It is like it must be. I'm sorry....' After thinking about it for a while, Noboyuki finally came to a conclusion. "And to me, Rena.... To me you are...." With his eyes stuck to the ground, Noboyuki finally swallowed everything up and decided to live up for his lies and go on with that path. He lifted his gaze to look at Rena, a kind, yet apologetic look in his eyes. "My comrade with whom I've been in an adventure with for a while and a precious friend." Having said what he had to say, he was fairly sure that that answer would give a satisfactory conclusion to all of this. Both of them would finally be able to look at each other in the eye, even if right now his heart ached like crazy.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- She studied him long and hard, it was a reasonable answer, and one she truthfully was hoping for... but something was off. His words felted stilted, but natural, it was almost paradoxical. Rena had learned how to read people, it was a common skill in court after all, yet she had never really analyzed Noboyuki. He was only effectively a commoner so she didn't have reason to distrust him at face value. Now however she was starting to think differently... she wasn't sure, if anything he hid it very well, quite honestly on an impressive level. Still he just seemed too off to be truly natural, little too shifty in his gaze, taking a little too long to reach a conclusion. It was nothing big, no obvious giveaways, only smaller signals that at best... could prove something. For both their sakes Rena hopped this was only a false hunch. She simply nodded and looked away, and sighed, "Then that's fine, long as we remain honest with each other I don't see there being any problems." She purposefully put an emphasis on the word honest, maybe he'll pick that up, but she wanted to drop signs that she was beginning to become suspicious. She stood up from her spot around the fire, clearly a bit tired. Her mood had normalized more or less, which was fantastic for here, could be that she only needed a release of emotion, although how long that would be the case remained to be seen. "I'm... sorry for that, I think you should've figured how I have more than a few things on my mind, I just needed some answers, so thank you for telling me the truth, it helps." She could attack him right there, but she was sure that doing so would quite literally cause him to bolt, and well it could've also been uncalled for if he were really being honest. Rena said a quick good night before settling in for sleep, who could imagine what the future may bring?</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) As expected of a politician, she saw right through his lies. But she wasn't sure. If she was, she'd be way more upset. It was in the bag. Noboyuki just had to follow it up now. Lying gave him another huge talent. Being a great actor. He frowned when Rena said that. It was a most natural frown that no one would actually expect for it to be an act. He had regained his cool and was now ready to follow up with his lies. "Well, to be honest, it hurts my feelings that you do not believe what I just told you. Unless you would've preferred for me to lie about it." He said, sounding a bit hostile. Well, that should at least settle down the girl's alarms of whether or not he was telling the truth. She wasn't sure about hence why she said such things before going back to sleep. Noboyuki kept on his frowning face until he saw that Rena was well out of his range of sight. He sighed. "G'night." He shouted at her on her way to sleep, sounding a bit annoyed. Well, now, he should be able to be alone with his thoughts for a while re-organize them in one way or the other. Maybe he would also smoke another cigarette. He walked a bit farther away from their camp for a bit, with only the light of the moon shining upon him and giving him some kind of light. He took out his cigarettes and checked on them to see how fast he was burning through them.... he still had a good 10 cigarettes to smoke, then again, when he arrived, he had about 15. It had been two months already and, to be honest, he was making a good job refraining on them for the most part. But he was burning them out all the more quickly if that was really the case. Lately, and just in these last three weeks, he had already smoked 5 of them, despite putting up with it for the first month. Yeah, Rena's attitude as of late had him a bit worried, no, really worried. And even so, he decided to take a cigarette out and light it. Smoking to calm himself down, just now the thought came to his mind. He had already analyzed it, he was now calm about it. Taking another shot of his cigarette and releasing the smoke into the air, he said the conclusion he had come to, "I am in love with that woman." The mere thought of it made him laugh. How could a man like him fall for a girl like that. He took another smoke out of his cigarette, "She's not cute at all." He said while releasing the smoke inside his mouth. Yeah, there was no doubt about it. Maybe it was just how much time he had spent with her. Or maybe the experiences they had gone through together. It was a phenomenon with some kind of name that he didn't recall right now, but, apparently, having their heartbeats accelerated under a dire situation often had an effect like that. "Damn you, scientists." He quietly cursed. He burnt through his cigarette in a single shot and threw the butt to the floor, before stepping on it. "Let's get some sleep, then." He stretched out, making some of his bones crack. Yeah, it was time to sleep. Something also told him that he'd have some kind of good dream today, in one way or the other.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- It was an open field, nothing of note other than the crimson skies above, streaks of thinned clouds broke the screen of that redish orange. There was a simple sense of peace, simple and pure like that. The air was fresh, clean, a gentle current of wind made the long grasses dance. Over the horizion the setting sun was dipping, out of sight for another night before it'll meet the new day. A distance thundering could be heard, and yet that didn't matter, for it was unrelated to the serenity of that lone field. Almost beyond sight, just almost, stood a set of abandoned banners, their owners were gone leaving those symbols of power behind. That didn't matter. It was a dream.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) It was an enclosed space, a little room. People moved around, but their faces could not be made out. They were all but humanoid sillhouettes. They laughed and talked between each other in unintelligible speeches. Only between them did they knew what the other said. It all seemed unreal, it didn't seem to actually be happening as the onlooker watched. Between the unrecognizable faces, only one had a dsitinguishing feature on him. A pair of squared glasses. It was all apart from the others, as if to seclude itself from the others. It seemed to be.... bored, as it supported its head on one of its round hands. Other sillhouettes approached it, and the bespectacled one turned to them. It seemed happy, but not exactly right. It seemed to be... pretending to be happy. Its face gave it away instantly. That is the only way things can be. Echoed through the dream. Yes, a dream.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- The next day Rena did feel better, lot better then she had felt for the last handful of weeks, it was a liberating to put it in a single word. The night before she did have a strange dream, one she doesn't typically dream so dreaming is rare in of itself, and two it was fairly creepy, not a nightmare, just unsettling. Of course she mentioned nothing of that dream to Noboyuki, a dream is a dream and nothing more. Although one nagging thought remained, how will she confront him about... the potential lying, she still held onto the hope that he was not a lair that it was only born from paranoia on her part. --- Back to the field, although this time it was different, visually everything was the same, but the atmosphere was different. It was no long cheerful, the peace was no longer there, even if it appeared nothing had changed, and yet there was no dread, there was nothing, no feeling. This time the thunder was louder, much louder that it almost seemed to dominate the landscape, however after some time the thunder changed... in a way. Steadily it became not the distinct sound of the heavens clashing, no... it was footsteps, not a single set but thousands, enough to seem like thunder. A realization dawned that these were not just footsteps, but the sound on many boots marching in step, coordinated to stay in perfect timing, it was the sound of an army on the move. They were unseen but easily heard, invisible, yet visible, forces of ghosts. The banners from before were closer... their details more obvious, the cloth was tattered and ripped, burned in other areas, this was true for every single one. Clearly the image of what these banners used to represent were still present, still easily identifiable. The royal seal of the Kingdom of Eskar. (Red background with a yellow four pointed star in the middle.)</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The sun of the morning came again to dawn a new day upon the pair. Noboyuki woke up, feeling a bit groggy. He had a good night's rest, and he felt as if he had seen a pleasant dream, a really calm and clear one, for a change, but it still felt wrong, somehow. He did not say anything about it to Rena, of course, neither did he make any comment about what happened yesterday. If she still had the slight suspicion about his lying, then he needed to play it off as if that was never the case. Soon enough, it'd go away from her mind and completely forget about the incident, as many others did before. But nevermind that, they had to get moving now. --- The same grey scenery, still filled with sillhoutes as the last time. They still moved around and talked between each other as if it was completely natural for them to be doing so. They do seemed to be a little taller, though, than last time that they resembled little children. Mayebe they were now teenagers? They also seemed a little less generic and was easier to tell them apart easier this time. Some of them even had hair now too. They bustled about as last time, and the same one with the glasses on, though still with no other distinguishing features, remained alone. It seemed to take some books out, but only one of them stood out. It's title read House And Philosophy. The little sillhoute put away all the others, while it opened the only remaining book. It read it intently and with great attention... until another sillhoute approached it. This one had long black hair, though. It seemed to be calling out at the bespectacled one, and it turned to the other one quite quickly. A great smile, like no other appeared on its face. It seemed really happy at the arrival of the other sillhoute. They chatted between each other and everything seemed to be fine between them. Is it okay for me to feel like this? It echoed again through the dream.</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki woke up, with some kind of bizarre dream again. As a man that often dreamed about other things, probably dreams more fitting for men like defeating some kind of titan or racing in the streets against your rival, it was one of the few times that Noboyuki had two dreams like that. What was worse, they were a bit too similar for it to be just a coincidence. Even so, as last time, he wasn't able to make heads or tails out of it. It was frustrating, but the man didn't let that show in his face. At least, not in front of Rena. Whenever he had time alone, though, he decided to put his mind to good use and think long and hard about it. Even so, the fact that the dream seemed to be random, and still clearly organized in some way that someone would be able to make sense of it made it all the more confusing for Noboyuki. Maybe, another dream would show up next time he went to sleep. Maybe, it'd also give him some more clues. Maybe, it had something to do with his heroic powers and, to be honest, he felt like a kid in christmas, awaiting for the holy powers to arrive. --- For a change of pace, the sillhoute with glasses now finds itself outside, in a scenery that seems straight out of some kind of artwork. Colorful cherry blossom petals fall down as the bespectacled one waits eagerly for what is to come. It is now characterized by a new feature just added to it, though it is more of a commonplace for a person its age, or should eb, at the very least. With gigantic braces now in its mouth and traces of slight facial hair, it fidgets, it moves around and paces back and forward, seemingly trying to get its mind away of what is to come. Suddenly, it seems to pick up something with its ears and it quickly and eaferly turns around to see just what arrived, with a great smile on its face, or in what should be its face. The sillhoute with black hair appears yet again, though its figure seems a lot more womanly and mature. It is now easy to tell it apart from other sillhoutes as it now resembles a woman even more. It seemed to be quite eager as well, and the glasses of the other one shine on with expectation. However, the expression of the long haired one drops and becomes a frown as soon as it spots the one with glasses. The other one doesn't seem disheartened though. It seems just as eager as before, maybe even more, as it now jumps with expectation. Soon enough, the both of them engage into a conversation, with the one with glasses making exaggerated hand movement and seemingly becoming flustered from time to time, while the other one merely looks down and.... disappointed perhaps? It seems to only nod out of obligation to everything the other says. Finally, after a while, the one with glasses seems even more pumped and finishes its exaggerated hand motions to finally make its point across. And even so, while it seems nervous and happy to finally get it out of its chest, the long haired one simply nods acknowledging it. before looking away from the one with glasses and moving its mouth to say something. Even so, it cannot be heard to anyone but the one with glasses, and when it does, all of its energy seems to leave its body, as well as the color of the scenery. It seems frustrated, but suddenly, an idea seems to pop in its mind. The scenery gains more color, though it isn't as vivid as it was first. It suddenly strikes a pose with its hand on its waist and smirks. It starts talking but, again, none of it is heard. The black haired one, that also seemed to be really sad about the outcome, whatever it was, also recovers its smile, it even starts laughing. The other one seems to have calmed down now that it seems things are all right again. This is the only way to protect what I have, instead of losing it all</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena woke that morning in a thoughtful mood, it was too obvious now that these dreams were connected, that clearly something was weaving them together into... a story, although a story of what she couldn't tell. There were characters, like out of a story book, a boy, had to be a boy, perhaps that was a hunch at best, but Rena thought that made sense. The other was a woman, or would it be a girl to go along with the boy? It felt like a love story, figures... seeing as her own life was beginning to parallel one, speaking about, well when it came to her love life, suppose it could be called that, she still hadn't confronted Noboyuki yet. If she were to guess part of the reason had to be how he seemed to be thinking a lot, though he hid himself well, his actual mood still bled through his shield. Wonder what he could be occupied with... --- Back to the Field again, not the Court. It was not empty like the other two dreams, no a group of figures wandered in the grass, maybe fifty men give or take, like the other Faceless from the Court they did not have their faces, while still having them. Unlike the Court Faceless, the Field faceless did not look like they were well off, if anything they looked tired, weak, perhaps hopeless. Unlike the Court Faceless the Field Faceless, did not dress in bright colors, no they were "armored" but not liked the Executioners. Iron pots that looked like they were hammered down to function as breastplates, ragged leather gloves, torn shirts, they had weapons, but not the shiny halberds, farming tools, the sickle, the scythe, although a select few wielded dull swords, clearly not well maintained. This time the air was tense as the Faceless moved forward towards whatever objective they had in mind, to whatever destiny awaited them. Not Faceless... Freemen... Those bodiless words rang out, yet these Freemen seemed not to hear them, but at that moment, almost like a quick snap, the world pulled into focus. The Freemen then had faces, they looked human as anyone else without that distinct element of unknown that once plagued them, much more was revealed, such as every single one was male, and every single one had a grave expression about him. It was clear they were uncertain, that is all but one Freeman who lead the group. The Fool The Fool waited before the Freemen ordering them to stop the march, he had a speech, although like the Faced One his words were also muffled, yet they were still strong. As he spoke, whatever he had to say, held a positive effect among the Freemen, they nodded at his rhetoric, enveloped into the passion of this man's speech. Before long the Freemen were actually motivated, the Fool fueled this by raising the volume of his voice, pacing before the Freemen, they were now cheering, they looked not happy, but under the fervor produced by the Fool. The Fool lifted his hand into a fist. The Fist of Revolution The Fool looked triumphant. To liberty, my brothers! He spoke. Not the Fool... the Leader The Freemen were stunned, the Leader was stunned... blood dripped from his chest, the scrap breastplate held pitifully against the arrow. The Leader feel to his knees, then forward, where his blood continued to pool before him. Not the Leader... the Deadman. More arrows rained from the sky, thousands, if not millions covered the heavens above, looking like they were vengeful winged demons rather than arrows fired from a man made bow. The Freemen crumpled without resistance, the arrows forced them down, onto the ground, now soaked in red. Not the Freemen... the Deadmen. In the distance, along the horizon far from the Deadmen, stood the silhouettes of Executioners, cold, stoic, and commanding as always. The Deadmen were left behind, the Deadman, almost appeared separated from his brothers, no longer seeming as the leader, but the outcast. The banners had more company, graves, shallow and barely marked by the ever symbolic wooden cross. The Deadmen rested... yet not truly so. The Tyrant of Eskar continued to expand Her dominion.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Yeah.... Even Noboyuki wasn't enough of an idiot to not see that the dreams were connected. They were telling a story. But what kind of story? Maybe the story of the Kingdom of Eskar? If so, why would it start showing now, when they were countless kilometers away from Rena's home kingdom? He recognized the symbol, but, given that he could not read anything in that world, everything else was nothing but a mere guess from Noboyuki's part. It could also be a war, a revolution in another kingdom. Referring to the leader of that same revolution as a tyrant, though.... The name Falkren... Not enough info to go on Thought Noboyuki. He would continue on being pensive that day as well. He did make a mental note to remember that name, though. Falkren. Maybe he'd need to go check with Rena if she knew anything about that. Maybe, going to Rena would be best, but he wanted to wait until he was able to make some sense of what he was seeing. --- The recurrent bespectacled protagonist of the dreams has now become nothing but an espectator in the sidelines. It watches intently and, not exactly eager about what he is watching. Even so, it seems that he is watching the whole thing out of compromise, maybe because it is the one that set it up? It also seems to have grown messy dark blue hair now as well. The scene is focused on him, until it moves into the inside of what seems to be a classroom. The one with long hair is speaking with another sillohoute, one with spiky blonde hair. They are talking for a while, until the long haired one seems to say something that takes its breath away. The spiky haired one looks at it, seemingly surprised, before nodding happily. The one with long hair also seems happy and they hug each other. The bespectacled one seems to be hurt by the whole scene, being able to do nothing but clench its little fists and bite its lip. It seems to shade a tear, before shaking its head and leaving the place. Even if it is a lie, I can live comfortably with it, right? The voice seems to come from the little sillhoutte, as it disappears between the crowds bustling about in what seems to be a hallway. Later on, the one with long hair approaches th bespectacled one, still happy about the outcome from before. Thanks a lot! It couldn't have been possible without you. A female voice echoes. No, it is the least I can do as a friend. A male voice echoes this time. It seems to come from the one with glasses, as it smiles at it. It seems to bid the long haired one farewell and walks the other way, with a sad smile on his face. Yes, in this place there's no place for someone like me. If so, then I just have to change who I am. Become someone I am not, even if it is just to fit in with others. I don't want to be left alone ever again. Never. Time seems to fast forward. The little sillhoute with glasses is now taller, a bit too tall to be honest. It also now sports a pair of blue eyes under his glasses, and can now be identified easily as a male. A male perhaps 16 years old? As any typical teenager, it is now resting in a bed with an uninterested look in his face. It seems to receive a message in a phone, even though the concept is foreign to the people of Eskar. With the same uninterested look, it stands up and leaves the place he was in. Images flash by. The same sillohoute with messy blue hair with other sillohoutes of various sizes and shapes, along with their own distinguishing features, seemingly having fun in various places. It even changes to single shots of it with another woman like sillhoute, a different one every time. But one thing remains in all of the shots. His disappointed expression in each and every one of them. Just what am I doing? Is there any point to this? Aren't I... The other sillhoutes slowly disappear from the image, leaving only the one with glasses in a dark room. The loneliest like this? Even so.... Even so... there's no way I can let the truth be known now. It would be nothing but a fool's errand. This life, it's foundation..... is lies. I am nothing but a liar. And I must stick to that life until the end. Otherwise, I will only end up lying to the only person I don't want to lie to.....</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki thought he had finally pieced the puzzle together. The fact of a revolution that happened, or would happen, was certain. Then there were the things about a tyrant. A female. It was that that made him think that, maybe, the dreams took place in the future. Falkren, the tyrant. If he wasn't mistaken, Rena's last name was that, and as far as he knew, the king (obviously) was a male. Then, were those.... "Dreams of what is to come?" He muttered to himself. "No, that is too far fetched. Rena doesn't have a power to look into the future, as far as I know." Then, what was it? Noboyuki HAD to make sense of it. At the very least, he knew the dreams were connected in one way or the other to Rena. Why? No frigging idea, to be honest, but there was still the fact that Rena had some worries in her pretty little head. "Maybe... Those were dreams of what she fears will happen when she takes on the torch from her father. She fears she'll be a tyrant. Something like that." Noboyuki really needed some more info. His mind wasn't as complex as that, he was sure of it, so he could barely make any sense of it. There might also be the fact that he isn't as smart as he wished to be. That whole day, Noboyuki was absent, thinking only of how he would confront Rena about this. It seemed like some kind of personal matter. To be honest, Noboyuki didn't really heed any of Rena's calls all throughout the day, just trying to make some kind of sense of what had been in his dreams lately. Still, he would have never expected Rena to be the one on the offensive during the night and around the campfire. When she put her arms on his shoulders and talked to him a bit loudly and with a... commanding voice, Noboyuki was taken aback. Really so. How did she even....? He even fell off the cut off log he was sitting in at the time, freeing himself from Rena's hands. "H-How do you-!? I mean, what are you talking about!? That's preposterous! I've never once in my life have lied to someone else! I... I...!" For the first time in his life, Noboyuki was at a loss for words. He had been confronted before by his mother, his father, other people who 'cared' about him, or the false Noboyuki he had created. Even so... how did this girl even know about that!? He started moving back through the floor. He was intimidated by Rena. Somehow, she had become something more scary than any evil god or demon king ever. Something he couldn't just fight with a sword. "I don't know what the fuck you are talking about!" He was angry, somehow. He stood up and turned around, before dashing into the forest. 'What the hell am I doing!? Why am I the one running!? I could've just... I could've just come clear to her! But what if she left me when she discovered I had been lying to her....?' No, for once in his life, he had to be a man and face the consequences of what he had said. He stopped before going deeper into the forest. He was just like some kind of girl running away from what scared him. He just waited there. If Rena came after him, then he'd spill the beans. If she decided to stay in the campsite by herself, then that'd be the end of it.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He ran... damn that was exactly the last thing that she wanted to happen, instinctively she lunged for the routing hero, but only met the dirt, her face skidding along a very short distance along the ground. She swore under her breath as she rose, she scratched herself and even opened a few shallow cuts, little bit of bleeding but obviously not even close to lethal. The leaves rustled, betraying the path that he ran down. Rena, without a second thought, gave chase. Through the foliage that blocked her progress, it was thick here, making Rena seriously question how Noboyuki was able to push through at all, still guess a lesser man would've been stopped, but not him. Why did he take off like that? No... that was a rhetorical question, she knew very well why he ran, but that didn't mean she fully expected him to, what did he think when she finally got down to question him? Noboyuki... had his own problems, deep ones if the dreams were any kind of indicator. Soon she stopped, out of breath, she had not realized how fast she was going, she was only so far into the wilderness, and yet she already had to stop. Rena only took a very short break, the fear of what might happen to her only companion was too great, she couldn't lose him. She chuckled to herself... if she had any doubts about her... love... they were gone now, really why would she go through so much effort for anyone else but him? Ready to go again, but not really, Rena pushed back some bushes, she had to hold a gasp, she had already caught up! Noboyuki was just standing there, this was her chance. Prepared to fight until the end, she rushed out from behind her cover, she didn't trust him enough to not run again, hoping to catch him off guard Rena practically threw herself on him, maybe pinning him down at the legs. It was almost... almost like a hug. She held on, despite her being considerably smaller than the man, she held on like no other, there was zero chance in hell she was going to give up. She realized she got him from the front when looking up at him, it was a blur, but she swore there was shock on his face, she could only wonder what she looked like, all she knew was the burning sensation around her face. Rena dug her hands into him, willing for him to listen to her... he just had to this time. "You need to stop running! From me... from yourself! Hell especially yourself, just enough! Don't you get tired?! Don't you at least trust me to trust in you?! Come on! Let me trust you!"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) After a while, Rena finally found him and, well, he expected her to be careful, even so, he didn't expect for her to do what she did. She threw him down and they both fell to the ground, after the sudden tackle from Rena. Noboyuki was indeed surprised, even more by the words that came out of her mouth. She was right, Noboyuki was just running from himself. He needed to stop, like, right about now. But it still scared him. It scared him out of his mind. What was he now anyway? Was he anything aside from the lies he had been telling up until now? Noboyuki suddenly found himself at a crossroads. He did not know what the hell he was supposed to be in reality. And as he thought about it with Rena on top of him, he knew that he couldn't just take forever like that. His breathing became agitated.Yeah, he needed to just come out and say something. He couldn't help but put a hand on her head. "I am.... I am... Scared.... Damn. That's the truth. I've known it for a while now. But I didn't want to face it. No matter what, I didn't want to. I wanted to protect the same dull life I leaded in my world. I didn't want anything to perturb that peace. And then, I was dragged against my will to this world. I knew nothing of it, neither did the inhabitants of this world knew anything about me. It was perfect. A new start. I may have longed for that for quite a while without even realising it." He starts speaking with his heart, instead of letting his brain devise the perfect route to follow when talking with others. It was high time for him to stop doing so. "And then, in here, I went on lying. With things of less importance at first, until you had to ask me what I thought about you. I told you you were just a dear friend to me... only because I didn't want to lose you! I couldn't stand the mere thought of losing you! If you didn't feel the same way as I... I wouldn't know what to do! I was just so scared of that.... of you not ever wanting to see me again." He felt his eyes watering. Yeah. He was speaking a bit too much from his heart. If he didn't stop anytime now.... "Rena, I...!" No, stop. "I...!" You will be all alone again "I love you!" Get it back. Lie your way out again. You still have time. You can still protect what you have now. You can remain static at this point. "I love you so much! I don't care whether it is just some kind of blessed coincidence or part of some stupid study! I don't care anymore! I just can't keep it anymore in my chest and continue lying to you! I love you, Rena Falkren!" Noboyuki shouted at the top of his lungs. It was done. There was no going back anymore. He could just pray. He couldn't just lie now, like he did long before. A grown woman wouldn't just fall for that. Now he just had to wait. He could talk to her about the dreams after that.... If they ever talked to each other again, that is.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- What? No really what?! Rena almost took a double take, she almost didn't believe him, that at first she couldn't believe that was a honest to God love confession. She laid there, just absolutely lost for anything to say, even her mouth hung there stupidly. This just took a really really unexpected turn, she thought that he would get defensive about his past again, that he would try to deny it again, yet never in her wildest dreams she ever thought he would confess. Her heart was beating so hard and fast, for a brief moment she even thought it might explode, her entire body felt hot, she was an absolute flustering mess at that moment. That was it, she couldn't take it anymore, Rena clutched him even harder then threw her face into his shirt, giving him some kind of tight hug. "I love you too!" she was muffled, hell what if he couldn't hear her? She rose her again to look him directly in the eye, with a clear determination, and spoke those words again. "I-I actually love you too, Noboyuki!" There he couldn't have missed it that time, he knew, she knew. Their love was mutual, it almost had to be offical now. She buried her head into Noboyuki again, this time tears even streaming down her face, she was crying? Such a happy moment that brought tears, such a paradox but she couldn't stop them. Rena continued her tight embrace, almost unable to let go, time passed, maybe five minutes, maybe fifteen minutes, time fell away to her, it felt way too good, to finally become this intimate with someone, it felt like heaven. She loved Noboyuki, her first true partner, they would never ever be able to go back now, they both had knew that, still Rena was perfectly happy with how things turned out, she would never want to go back.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The words that Rena spoke made his heart flutter. Was it real? It wasn't a dream, right? He felt tempted to pinch himself and see if that wasn't a dream but, to be honest, he was scared that it was indeed a dream and that he'd wake up if he did such a thing. He was happy, to be honest. Not only did he let his feelings out in the open, despite his fear for rejection, but Rena felt all the same, and it was a relief that she did, otherwise, in which rock could Noboyuki have hidden under? But that wasn't important right now. Right now.... What should he say? He did just declare his love to the girl that was on top of him, but how could he follow things up in any way? Being all like 'oh, yeah, right', seemed inappropriate, maybe a kiss? Nah, it would seem a bit too sudden in their current position and start of their relationship. Then there was one thing that would show his aggection and not seem as sudden. He put his arms around her and hugged her gently, while smiling to himself. "That's... a relief. I wouldn't have knwon what to do if you turned me down. I'm so happy right now. I promise not to lie to you ever again." He simply said. Haha, just what got into him there? Suddenly, he just couldn't help but remember what he said and blush slightly. That voice in the back of his head too.... it didn't quite seem like his, to be honest, but since it came from his mind, he didn't really pay it any more attention, maybe it was only his imagination. He held her even tighter after building up his confidence to this time confront HER about her own dreams. "So, Rena..... is there anything else that is troubling you? I dunno, maybe in the future or something?" He was fairly sure now. The dreams had something to do with the both of them. Certainly, Rena sure caught up fast to his lies, even though he is an expert liar. Only people who knew him to his very core could tell when he was lying, such as his mother or father. In other words, Rena might have been seeing dreams about him... while he saw dreams about her. He was almost sure. "Or should I say, Falkren the Tyrant? What is it that scares you Rena? Won't you tell me?" As far as he knew, Rena didn't really want to inherit the position from his father. "I'll do everything I can to make sure I protect you, so don't worry about it." He said, even before he got an answer. That's just how he felt about it, and what he would honestly do despite everything.</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- What? No really what?! Rena almost took a double take, she almost didn't believe him, that at first she couldn't believe that was a honest to God love confession. She laid there, just absolutely lost for anything to say, even her mouth hung there stupidly. This just took a really really unexpected turn, she thought that he would get defensive about his past again, that he would try to deny it again, yet never in her wildest dreams she ever thought he would confess. Her heart was beating so hard and fast, for a brief moment she even thought it might explode, her entire body felt hot, she was an absolute flustering mess at that moment. That was it, she couldn't take it anymore, Rena clutched him even harder then threw her face into his shirt, giving him some kind of tight hug. "I love you too!" she was muffled, hell what if he couldn't hear her? She rose her again to look him directly in the eye, with a clear determination, and spoke those words again. "I-I actually love you too, Noboyuki!" There he couldn't have missed it that time, he knew, she knew. Their love was mutual, it almost had to be offical now. She buried her head into Noboyuki again, this time tears even streaming down her face, she was crying? Such a happy moment that brought tears, such a paradox but she couldn't stop them. Rena continued her tight embrace, almost unable to let go, time passed, maybe five minutes, maybe fifteen minutes, time fell away to her, it felt way too good, to finally become this intimate with someone, it felt like heaven. She loved Noboyuki, her first true partner, they would never ever be able to go back now, they both had knew that, still Rena was perfectly happy with how things turned out, she would never want to go back.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The words that Rena spoke made his heart flutter. Was it real? It wasn't a dream, right? He felt tempted to pinch himself and see if that wasn't a dream but, to be honest, he was scared that it was indeed a dream and that he'd wake up if he did such a thing. He was happy, to be honest. Not only did he let his feelings out in the open, despite his fear for rejection, but Rena felt all the same, and it was a relief that she did, otherwise, in which rock could Noboyuki have hidden under? But that wasn't important right now. Right now.... What should he say? He did just declare his love to the girl that was on top of him, but how could he follow things up in any way? Being all like 'oh, yeah, right', seemed inappropriate, maybe a kiss? Nah, it would seem a bit too sudden in their current position and start of their relationship. Then there was one thing that would show his aggection and not seem as sudden. He put his arms around her and hugged her gently, while smiling to himself. "That's... a relief. I wouldn't have knwon what to do if you turned me down. I'm so happy right now. I promise not to lie to you ever again." He simply said. Haha, just what got into him there? Suddenly, he just couldn't help but remember what he said and blush slightly. That voice in the back of his head too.... it didn't quite seem like his, to be honest, but since it came from his mind, he didn't really pay it any more attention, maybe it was only his imagination. He held her even tighter after building up his confidence to this time confront HER about her own dreams. "So, Rena..... is there anything else that is troubling you? I dunno, maybe in the future or something?" He was fairly sure now. The dreams had something to do with the both of them. Certainly, Rena sure caught up fast to his lies, even though he is an expert liar. Only people who knew him to his very core could tell when he was lying, such as his mother or father. In other words, Rena might have been seeing dreams about him... while he saw dreams about her. He was almost sure. "Or should I say, Falkren the Tyrant? What is it that scares you Rena? Won't you tell me?" As far as he knew, Rena didn't really want to inherit the position from his father. "I'll do everything I can to make sure I protect you, so don't worry about it." He said, even before he got an answer. That's just how he felt about it, and what he would honestly do despite everything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Wasn't this something? Rena didn't panic, really coming from a very relaxed state from just laying there, she barely registered his words at first, although it sank in soon enough. She didn't say anything, but she sat up, which was a shame if only they could stay like that for a while longer. She really did feel calm though, in another situation, or with someone else she would've denied anything. Thing was now they finally put everything out there, their love and feelings, she essentially made a pact to always trust him, to trust Noboyuki. Maybe it was foolish to do so already, when their relationship had just started not even an hour ago, but she thought it out long enough beforehand, the time was right. "It is rude to go from our first time cuddling, then into questioning me like this. Guess I did the same, fair is fair, but first let's go back, its chilly out here, can already feel a cold coming on." Rena got up from the ground, of course she stopped to help her partner on his feet, offering her hand. The walk back was uneventful, but happy, at least she was. Although along the way she was still worried about what their going to be talking about, more so she wanted to know what Noboyuki even found out. She still had not pieced together the possibility of him having his own dreams. The couple were back around the fire, it died down some without being cared for, the low lighting set the mood just right. Rena leaned back on her hands, just thinking for the moment, it was so odd to be thinking clearly after hearing, and especially giving love confessions, maybe that was just her, Noboyuki could have been emotional still for all she knew. Now where to start? "... So, you've done some discovery yourself huh..." She spoke slowly, trying to be delicate, "Well to start with how did you figure me out? I don't usually tell you about my worries, I mean those specific troubles really..." Rena sighed, "But yes, I'm just not, uh, just ready for what's next if you understand me..."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki gladly took Rena's hand to help himself up and went on with her back to their camping site. All the way there, though, he was unsure of whether or not he should take the girl's hand. He slowly approached her hand with his own, but is taken aback by any slight movement. After a while of trying and not succeeding, Noboyuki finally gave up on that after they finally got to their encampment, and he heaved a heavy sigh. 'It was the perfect opportunity and yet... I let it slip through my fingers.' Now, seating there, and almost like a reflex, Noboyuki sit beside her, and he almost felt like cuddling with her in that state, but even so, he was feeling a bit bashful right now. So he decided to be a good boy and just keep his hands to himself for now. he listened to what Rena had to say and, as expected, she was getting right to the heart of the matter right now. Well, it was good. Like that, he didn't have any time to think of anything he shouldn't. And that not only applied for bad thoughts of what he could do with Rena now that he knew they loved each other, but also to keep his mind from thinking of a way of lying his way out yet again. He didn't let her see it, but he was actually panicking quite a lot in the inside. 'Screaming on the inside would be quite more accurate right now.' Noboyuki thought to himself a bit. Yeah, he should focus on Rena right now instead of his own problems. As expected, it seemed that she was scared of what was to come, and also, as expected, she asked how come he knew about that. He laughed a bit. "Well, I could ask you the same. It seemed as if you knew of my past before this a bit too well to me. I'm guessing that maybe you had some kind of dream as well. And yes, by that I mean that I know of this because I dreamt about it." Noboyuki turned quite serious, but even so, he put his hand over Rena's shoulders and brought her close to himself. "Well, in any case. I'm pretty sure everything will work out in the end. I'm here with you, so don't worry. Besides, King Noboyuki has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" He joked. In any case, though, there was still the fact that the dreams had been extremely bizarre. "So, what do you think is the reason behind those dreams? They were awfully on spot."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He was already starting to get a little... uh loving? If that's the right word. She was obviously unused to be physically close to someone, course their cuddle from earlier was spontaneous, you know born out of sheer emotion. Here though it was different, it was a conscious decision on his part, she was thinking how this would all work out, where or when does she know when they could be, well lovers? It was then Rena was becoming all too aware of her lack of experience with... everything, no idea how to be in real relationship. Guess at best she'll be able to do is wing it, couldn't be that hard, should be natural right? Just go with what feels right. All the same though she was self-conscious as Noboyuki pulled her in, she didn't fight it though, nothing changed that she liked it anyway since it felt comforting. He talked, he seemed so much more supportive than before, so this was him as an honest man. Finally. She returned a smile, really a smirk, "No... you wouldn't be king, inheritance doesn't work like that, I'm not even sure what you'll be, you know a princess doesn't typically end up with someone from an entirely another dimension." Rena snuggled up against her partner, just felt like the right move at the time. She sighed deeply, she still couldn't believe this happened, it was almost too perfect. "Thank you for being here though, guess you've seen an uglier side of me, I don't want to know what you seen, not yet, couldn't have been pretty. I know what your dreams, or whatever they were, shown me." She played idly with one of the buttons on Noboyuki's jacket, so shiny. He looked to be fine with this, so strange, its gonna take a while to get used to... how causal they were towards each other, just felt too soon, but what did she know? She looked up to him, her head was nestled just in his armpit, she gave another smile, both to stomp down some of her vague doubts, maybe also to help with Noboyuki's as well. "I don't know what those dreams are about, they have to mean something right? Still they've helped us, don't think we would be here right now otherwise, has to be a good thing just because of that." Rena paused for only a moment before continuing, thinking if she needed to say this, it did feel natural though. "I really do love you Noboyuki. I really do..." Those words still made her heart skip a beat, still without fail.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) It was good that Rena followed up with his antics, and even if it was just some small shows of affection Noboyuki still appreciate them quite a lot. "Hehe, you've seen an ugly side of me as well. One I wished people never saw, to be honest. But when it's all done and said, I think that indeed ended up helping us. So, I can't say I really regret you ever seeing them." He smiled at her. The only thing he regretted was having to arrive to the next town in such a short time. He wished they had some more time to be alone like that. He wasn't one to push his luck, but he indeed wanted some alone time with her. He looked back at Rena, staring right into her eyes, and then Rena said those words again. They made his own heart skip a beat, and he even blushed a bit after hearing it. But even so, he didn't look away from her. Those words meant a whole lot to him. The whole mood and atmosphere.... Yeah, something told him that it would be a good time to push his luck right now, even if it was just for a bit. He leaned down and planted a kiss on Rena's lips. Even if it wasn't something really big and just something out of impulse, Noboyuki thought the time was right. "I love you too, Rena." He simply said, with a sincere smile in his face, one he had never shown anyone before. He wished time would just stop. In that simple night that seemed a bit too perfect. They were about to arrive to the next town too. "Can we stay like this for another while? I suddenly don't feel like sleeping at all." He put up now his usual sarcastic smile of always. Even then, though, the night continued on. It would be the next morning anytime soon, even if Noboyuki wished with all of his heart for that not to happen. Even so, he may want to push his luck again and ask her to sleep together, of course, without trying to imply anything else and.... Yeah, he'd better not do that, or he'd get punched.</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena's eyes widened, of course in response to his quick kiss, on the lips none the less. Noboyuki was bold that's for sure, she couldn't tell of that was a good or a bad thing, she knew their relationship wasn't going to be boring at the least. Still Rena was somewhat turned off by the gesture, he was advancing quickly, little too quickly, but she didn't feel pressured, they just started after all. After they parted Rena was blushing, "I-uh, I... that was my first kiss... by the way." Yeah, that's right, there was her first actual kiss ever, wasn't filled the passion she perhaps hoped for... ah well, there will be more in the future. They continued to sit there, she agreed that it was nice, and of course expressed that ending the night would be a shame, a huge one. Rena engaged in small talk, first ever since their date last month, she didn't discuss anything of much importance, this time she went into her own family. King Halthor Falkren 'the Silver-tongued' of Eskar, of course was her father. Rena explained how he earned his name, the Silver-tongued, as she said many times before her father was a great diplomat, diplomacy perhaps being his biggest asset. Hell he'd even taught Rena herself from a young age, that was before she started traveling. Her mother... well died after childbirth which was the prime reason Rena was an only child, King Falkren refused to remarry and so that's what resulted in her becoming the sole heir, no one else was there to take it. Seeing as she never even met her mother, Rena didn't have any regrets, which was the most she ever said about the subject. Turned out the house of Falkren wasn't that big, her only other living relative was an uncle, Duke Gerald Falkren of Thermia, a powerful man who personally oversaw about a third of the kingdom. He was described as being a man with strong features, among them being a groomed beard, a shallow one, and he appeared to be aged, not white with years, but old. He was only just a few years younger than her father after all, she didn't have much else to say about him, other than the man was known to be very kind, making him popular among the people. Before long though Rena ended up passing out, still on Noboyuki's lap, it simply became way too late, plus after the rapid series of events that night it was a wonder how the princess managed to stay awake for as long as she did. She slept peacefully, and without another dream. --- The next morning, or uh maybe only a few hours later really, they were needless to say back on the road, couldn't get caught up in what happened, you know in spite of how much as Rena wanted to relax at that spot more, in fact she had a feeling that Noboyuki thought the same. If she were to guess they had to be only an hour or two away from the next town, a major one if fact as it was a walled city, complete with large buildings including a chapel, and a keep. It was ruled by a lesser Earl, a new one actually since he very recently inherited the title after death of the previous ruler, being the new Earl's great grandfather. Unfortunately that was about the extent of what Rena knew.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Um, well, to be honest.... That was my first as well. I don't have a lot of experience with, well, kisses. Or relationships at that. It always was nothing but pretending, but now.... it feels more real." He said, feeling a bit flustered. It was good to finally hear something about Rena's family. She hadn't talked abotu it in since, well, forever. He answered her own words with some family history of his own. He talked to her about his own family, a mother and a father, as well as a teenager sister. Even then, who he talked the most about was about his sister. They seemed to be in.... fairly abd terms. Noboyuki was strict, almost like a father, and as a teenager, his sister was obviously not always agreeing with him. He also talked about how they got into a lot of fights between each other, but also how they usually supported each other regardless of the situation they may be in. She was the thing closer to a best friend he had, it seemed. Noboyuki also told her about his parents, fo course, saying that his father was fairly similar to him and that his mother was a smaller woman with a somewhat stern face and someone really serious, unlike his father, who is as sarcastic as Noboyuki himself. He talked about how they spent a lot of time in their respective offices working and how he ended up spending more time with his sister. They seemed to be knit pretty close to each other, the way Noboyuki talked, and it also seemed that he wasn't all too fond of his parents, again, by the way he talked about them. Still, there was a little bit of the descriptions of Rena's family that seemed.... awfully familiar. Where had he heard about it before? Yes, he had seen it rather than heard it. A shallow beard, not white with years, but old..... Was it in one of the dreams? Nah, couldn't be. Couldn't be, could it? How did it went again? The Tyrant? He knew he should have wrote down everything as soon as he woke up, why didn't he do it in the end?! Dammit, it was a bit frustrating. But his frustration went away once Rena lost to sleep and fell asleep in his lap. It was good that she wasn't really disgusted with the excuse of a kiss he gave her. He felt it was a good start. He took off his jacket and put it over her as a blanket. It was the best he could do. Now, he should also get some sleep. --- Noboyuki always thought bad of politicians, but he thought that the worst kind of politician was the one that inherited power and was born with it. He most often than not pictured people like that fat and with the attitude of a total despot in all and every way. Then again, Rena seemed to be an exception of that. Even so, it was good to finally be back in town with Rena, they would finally be able to sleep in a decent and actual bed. Now, for starters, what should they do...? Noboyuki thought it would be a good idea to go stroll by the town, however, and rather suddenly, an stranger approached the duo. Hooded and gasping for air, the stranger took off his hood before any questions could be made. "Oh, excuse me. Are you... the group that is travelling to defeat the Demon Lord?" The boy asked. Yes, he was nothing but a boy. If Noboyuki guessed right, he was not older than 16 years old. He merely lifted an eyebrow at the sudden question. He may say something stupid as wanting to join them, so Noboyuki quickly moved to deny the fact that they were indeed that same group. However, the talkative boy in front of them did not allow for an answer coming from Noboyuki. "Because I can totally help you! You see, I have these odd powers that are extra effective on demons! An old man taught me how to use them and I wanted to join you guys when I had the first opportunity!" He seemed a bit too eager, but he hadn't even stated his name. Claiming he was powerful and whatnot... Yeah, Noboyuki didn't trust that at all. It was a bit too anime esque for a boy like that to be some kind of 'chosen' one. Then again, he was completely unaware of the boy's position as the real hero that had been summoned to this world. He decided to just go with it for now. But there were some things that came first before that. "Well, at the very least you could tell us your name, brat. It isn't exactly polite to just come out and start saying things like that without even saying your name, you know? I am Noboyuki." Noboyuki said, trying to keep his cool. He wasn't good with these kinds of people. Cheerful and bright. "A-Ah, yes. My name is Isshiki Ryuma. I, uh, come from a little village in the borders of another big city. We have the custom of putting our given names after our surnames, so feel free to call me Ryuma." The boy with the blonde hair said, smiling from the bottom of his heart. Yeah, he was the kind of honest guy that was always straightforward. Noboyuki didn't really want to deal with him. But anyhow, wasn't his name too... Japanese-ish? Maybe there were people like that in here too, or maybe.... nah, it couldn't be. He was sure it couldn't be. Why would they summon two people into this world from his own? More importantly, why were they both Japanese? Nah, it was too much of a coincidence.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena mostly kept walking with Noboyuki, this happened a lot where random folks wanted to join them for whatever reason, glory, gold, or God there were plenty of motivations. They were back in more populated lands, made sense they would start encountering people like this. Of course they were never brought along especially since this time their hopeful recruit was only barely on the cusp of adulthood, honestly he could've been a liability rather then a truly helpful pair of extra hands. For the moment she allowed her lover to take care of the kid, thus she kept looking foward trying not to acknowledge him. Although that became harder as he kept trying, probably not even a little likely to give up. He kept talking, Rena kept ignoring him, that is until the kid said his name. The surname came first, like Noboyuki's, Ryuma, that of course being this kid's name, claimed that he simply followed that tradition, problem was that was a tradition that didn't exist. Before Noboyuki, she had never ever encountered someone's last name first, it simply does not exist in her world. It even took her a while before she started calling her partner by his proper first name, just assuming that his last name was his first name. Looking back then, it was somewhat embarrassing. Still whatever was happening she had already made the connection, hopefully this was only a case of a overzealous youth attempting to emulate Noboyuki by making up a weird name. Rena gently tapped on Noboyuki's back, "You should learn how to be more diplomatic, now I have a few questions, just give me a moment, okay?" Something was already odd about this kid, really despite just meeting him, he had already proven to be something else. Rena stopped, as so did Noboyuki, hopefully, then of course she faced Ryuma, "If you've been looking for us, then you know I am Rena Falkren. Its good that you've decided to seek us out, shows some spirt however... I'm wondering, what province do you hail from? If you're not from Eskar, then what kingdom?"</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "H-Huh, oh, yes..." Oh... was Rena perhaps pulled in by the boy's aura or something? Was she somehow trying to protect the boy with her comment about him being diplomatic? Noboyuki was needlessly defensive when in front of this boy, and since it was also regarding Rena, well, Noboyuki was being a bit too defensive. He stopped at the same time Rena did, and turned back to look at the boy, but even so, he didn't move from his place. He may have taken the 'just give me a moment' part of what Rena said a bit too seriously too. He posed his sharp eyes over the boy. As a, by now, seasoned warrior, Noboyuki knew he himself had some amount of intimidation skills when facing against the unknown. He glared at the boy sharply and letting quite some killing intent sip out of his body. And then, the boy Ryuma, answered with a sharp galre of his own, as well as letting some of his killing intent become known. Yeah, it was way bigger than Noboyuki's. With his two months of training and battling, he knew when he was overpowered, and he was HUGELY overpowered here, so much he even had to take a step back out of fear. Ryuma was about as intimidating to him as the God they encountered in the forest. He was certainly strong. The boy, hoping Rena didn't catch on on that and looking pretty nervous again, started fidgeting around. "Y-Yes, I hail from, um, whatsitsname...." He mumbled under his breath. "Ah yes, that place! N-Nijiara?" Noboyuki caught up on what he was trying to say almost immedietly, and knew why Rena was suspicious as well. That 'Nijiara' he was talking about sounded an awful lot as how Japan was named in Japanese, Nihon. And since the boy seemed to know he had screwed up as well, he heaved a heavy sigh and, for the lack of a better word, facepalmed. "Ugh, fine! All right, fine! I've also been summoned here from another world! The same that old man came from!" Ryuma merely motioned with his head towards Noboyuki, who passed from scared to angry in an instant. "What do you mean old man brat!" As said before, the boy didn't really strike up Noboyuki as someone he could get along with. "And why the hell are you here too! I should've been the only one summoned here! Do you know what's going on Rena?" Noboyuki lashed out, but as soon as he turned to Rena, he calmed down. "I'm... sorry. I just lost my cool there." Yeah, not the best side of him Rena could be seeing right now. "Just let me in in your adventure! You won't be able to kill the Demon Lord without me! I am kinda, like, the tank and magician companion you get in an RPG, yeah? Just, c'mon! I'm gonna be extra useful! Besides, how can I get a lady like this alone with a creep like you?" The boy said, taking Rena's hand and kissing it. Yes, the worst kind of guy. Hardheaded, stupid and a flirt. Just precious. Noboyuki quickly moved in and made Ryuma let go of Rena's hand. "No touching allowed please." "You jelly boy?" "I'm gonna cut you up, you little....!" He was about to take out his sword, but took a deep breath and calmed down. He should really let Rena handle it. He turned around and decided to wait just behind the two of them to finish up talking.</s>
<\|description\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) 'I'm definitely not used to this kind of crap, but heck, I'm sure gonna give it my all. I sure could use another companion, though. The current one is kinda cheeky.' Age: 24 Supposedly, a hero from another world, even though he doesn't feel 'hero-like' at all. He was sent into a quest with the princess Rena Falkren from the kingdom of Eskar with some armor, a sword and a bag full of coins on him. Supposedly, they have to slay the demon king 'Lucifer'. (I know, my naming sense is bad and kinda lazy xD)</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- She was surrounded by children... and not just the literal one in front of her. The kid was arrogant, inappropriate, and just overall unpleasant, hell he even attempted to kiss her, granted it was only on the hand... Rena could easily reason why Noboyuki would lose his temper so quickly with Ryuma, she also had to consider their brand new relationship status right? Although that was still no reason for the hero to actually lash out at their rude guest, she'll have to deal with him later. Rena's temperament changed from the gentle expression of their initial encounter, to one of scorn, diplomacy was out of the picture at this point. Even if the boy was only slightly taller than her, Rena mustered her gravest stare, not even Noboyuki had seen it ever before, the kid may be able to intimidate, but she? She had a lifetime of authority to bear down with. "You are stupidly bold, not even that, you are arrogant to such an extreme fault I am already unable to stand your presence. First, you lie about your own home, and that lie was unraveled in the manner of seconds. Second, you insult a dear companion of mine who as stayed loyal to me nearly to the extent of death on multiple occasions, he who has shown true proof of his strength and martial prowess, however you boast without the slightest scrap of real evidence thus far. Third, you dare to mock the idea of chivalry with your woefully horrid attempt at a kiss of my hand, its disgraceful beyond all measure of a knight's code of honor. And last, you make ALL of this seem as if it were a game, that in of itself insults me and every single citizen of my kingdom to the highest degree, this cause is for our future, the future of everyone. You already seem to have thrown that notion away, it is down right disgusting to call you a human being if you are unable to comprehend the serious nature that my home finds itself in." The last word seethed from Rena, she didn't want to do that at first, but now... well now that changed, she meant everything she said, Ryuma had already shown himself to be someone she would be very much unwilling to even think about cooperating with. Now though, she wasn't done, no not yet. Rena turned around to face Noboyuki himself, he had made some mistakes as well. "Then there's you... Noboyuki I expected more from you, much more, did you understand what I meant by 'to be more diplomatic?' The point was to handle this in a civilized manner without breaking out into petty bickering. You allowed this boy to provoke you into arguing with him, you should've shown restraint because you are more than strong enough to do so, I know that for a fact. There is also the subject of you pushing away his kiss, it was uncalled for you to do so, I am able to decline it myself... it shows that you care, and I can appreciate more than perhaps you really know, still it was not the right way to show that you care. You are strong, intelligent, and loyal, these are some of the many, many reasons why I fallen in love with you, so act as the better man in the future, you are very much able to do so." Rena reached forward to pat Noboyuki on the back, she hoped that her eyes alone were able to convey that while he did annoy her, and disappoint her, that she still loved him no matter what. Rena stepped back to allow her reprimanding to sink in, this was the end of their fighting, no more. If either of them were to make another attempt at continuing, she made a mental note to strike down whichever one decided to do so... even Noboyuki, she did not have the patience for this.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The childish part of him that came out just now urged him to mock Ryuma after he was being told off by Rena, and that same childish part of him wanted to say something like 'I didnt do anything bad'. And luckily, his adult side of him was still there and echoing hard through his body. Yes, he wasn't so angry that he would just lash out like a little kid. He had been immature enough already as it was. "Yes... yes, I know that." Noboyuki shook his head, before breaking into a smile. "I will do my best from now on. Sorry, Rena." He simply said in response to Rena telling him off. Yes, it was necessary at times. And even then, after being scolded by Rena, Ryuma didn't seem to show any signs of changing. He merely smirked. "Haha! You say that now, but once you see me in action, you'll be BEGGING to have me in your team! Don't ever understimate me, princess!" He said, still sounding quite cheery despite everything, before he became serious again and looked at Noboyuki first, then at Rena. "And what's this? I didn't know you guys were lovebirds. Saying that so openly with each other.... Ain't you embarrassed or something? There are countless other places to be whispering sweet nothings to each other." He smiled yet again, though this one was a mocking smile. Yes, Noboyuki had to be the better man, more diplomatic in Rena's words. But how could he be more diplomatic right now? Handling this situation with care.... He took Rena's hand and squeezed it a bit, being careful not to hurt her, and then turned his eyes to the boy with blonde hair. Their eyes met, and if it would've been possible, sparks would've come out only because of that. In a way, they were both total opposites to each other. Noboyuki knew that, Ryuma probably didn't. Like that, he decided that the best way to be diplomatic here was to smile at him, even if it was a clearly forced smile, and gulp down every curse words he wanted to spout out at the guy in front of him. "What? you got something to say? Go ahead and say it. Perhaps, you will finally piss me off and we can get on with my crushing of you in front of the princess. You'll lose her respect and love and she'll decide to take me instead of you. We both win. You won't die in upcoming battles and I get to do what I came to do here. What do you think? It's a good deal, right? Your life in exchange of an adventure that just wasn't meant for you." Even while he says so and his words seem to cut deeper than blades as he speaks, he still seems.... worried perhaps? Not something Noboyuki would catch on anytime soon, of course, as his anger just grew by the minute while speaking to the arrogant piece of a brat known as Ryuma. He squeezed Rena's hand even tighter. "Just what I-!" He was about to accept the challenge, but he was reminded of what Rena said. Be more diplomatic. Yeah, the best act of diplomacy he could do was leave everything to Rena. He loosened his grip on Rena's hand after taking a deep breath and calming himself down. He just turned to Rena, seeking for an answer from the girl. "What do you think, Rena? Should we humor him anymore?"</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena after all that Ryuma said, still did nothing but stood there. Her expression hadn't changed as she listen very carefully to each word the boy had to say. Noboyuki was clearly struggling not to lash out once again, at least someone listened to her, but this arrogant youth before her did not get the message, yet she did nothing not yet. Really she was thinking, deep and hard, absorbing every last bit of malice pouring forth from Ryuma, use it as fuel, fuel to strike him down with absolute fury. Least that was the plan. When Noboyuki let go of her hand, Rena had enough... it wasn't going to be pretty. In a few long strides she was right there in the boy's face, even though they had the slight height difference, their eyes still met on the same plane. Then she smiled, it was not a happy one, no it was a fake, insidious grin that was only just hiding her true intent. One that Ryuma wouldn't be able to miss. "And don't you underestimate me, 'hero,' do you really think you are untouchable? Bravado is nothing but a ploy to hide your fear, how pathetic you could really be. Is making enemies of other humans truly for the best? I have heard of your world, oh I have, yes indeed. I know how your society works, and let me confirm here, that here everything is much, much different. I'm going to say that you are human enough to need sleep, food, water, hmm? Do you believe that you could remain awake for every waking hour of the day, looking out for the next murderer who has your head marked for death? Oh but why would anyone be trying to kill you? I hear you asking? Ah good question, very good question. That is because no one takes kindly to filth like yourself, oh yes, this would not be before long in your mission to make as many enemies as possible, for you think that fighting with every single person you meet is somehow a sane idea." Rena started to speak in a lower tone, but was grinning even more. "Do you what to know, what happens when you're left alive? Torture, then death following, maybe, soon after. Maybe you'll be flayed, with a heated serrated knife your flesh would be pealed off, and oh of course you'll still be very well awake, also believe you would not be allowed to lose consciousness, after all it is only rude to 'fall' asleep. THEN, you shall be gutted, your entrails flopping freely from your abdomen, but relax in knowing that there would be extra care in ensuring you wouldn't bleed out, no you should be left alive after all, I think you'd agree. After that you'll be hoisted high up in a iron cage, off of a keep's tower, left to dangle for weeks, least until you finally pass away. High above the earth below, hmm maybe a crow would pay you a visit, I hear they absolutely love intestines." She suddenly pulled the boy down by the hair, she leaned forward towards his ear, and whispered so loudly and harshly Noboyuki was still able to hear. "I will tell you again, don't you fucking underestimate me, you filthy maggot. Are you so stupid, and goddamn blind to not treat others with common sense, do you just downright have shit for brains? I dare you to provoke me just one more time, one more single time and you will wish for death, that is not a if, that is a damned 'when.' " Rena pushed the boy away, she was still smiling, inside she was filled to the brim with fury. One more arrogant comment from this boy would be enough, just enough.</s>	<\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki could feel Rena's anger all the way to where he was, and couldn't help but gulp at the thought of it. He was happy he decided to change into passive mode when he did, otherwise all of that anger would have poured all over him too. But indeed, Rena was something else once she got mad.... Noboyuki made a mental note to himself never to get her mad enough that she'd say things like that to him. Definitely a scary politician, but there's always the possibility that people without that kind of spite in a world like in what she lived could survive. It was a possibility that scared him a bit, and made him worry about her. Ryuma, on the other hand, was feeling.... yes, the correct term for it would be fear. Even the boy had to fulp audibly at the mere thought of it as he heard Rena's words. He had considered the possibility of dead, and that didn't scare him. What scared him was Rena. She was being so direct and somewhat terrifying, not to say anything about the fact that she was smiling all the while as she talked to him. He thought it best to retreat for now. He wouldn't be able to take anything out of the stubborn pair. Both of them were stubborn it seemed. 'Like a match made in heaven.' He thought. "Fine, fine. I'm outta here. I don't want to keep on hearing you both rant of WHY I am not a hero. Just remember. A hero saves everyone, even those who do not wish to be saved." He said, arrogant as always. He turned around and lazily waved at the pair. "See ya later. You can count on that at the very least." The blonde boy disappeared between the masses and was soon invisible to the two. With his departure, Noboyuki let out a relieved sigh. It was about time. It was about damn time. Noboyuki felt a burden go away from his shoulders. He turned to Rena, unsure of how to approach her right now. Well, he'd better just play it off right now and make it as if nothing had ever happened. "Man, that was some rude kid. Maybe even if he did have magic, it just didn't seem the kind of guy that could call himself a hero... Not that I am one to talk of course." There was still some little chance that Rena felt... troubled of what she had just said to the boy, even if it was necessary. Noboyuki, smiling, though still worried, grabbed her hand. "Why don't we continue walking through the city? It should help us get our mind away from that boy."</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) A month has passed ever since the quest of the hero, Noboyuki, and the princess, Rena, started. Going from town to town, solving people's problems as it is the duty of the hero and collecting money and whatnot, the both await for Noboyuki's sacred power to finally arrive to him, as it was predicted by the ancient legend of the hero back in the kingdom. Still, and while he has been getting by with just physical abilities and the use of his sword, it proves to become harder and harder as they encounter different and larger enemies. Stopping in a little town between their travels to take a rest, Noboyuki sighs heavily, after going into a library to confirm some of the lore of the world he finds himself into. Former salaryman and graduate from a prestigious school in Tokyo, Noboyuki never actually did expect to be suddenly transported away. Yes, sure, it might seem like a pretty good adventure for any 16 year old in the middle of his youth, but for someone who has actually already gone past his prime and lived a boring, grey life in the suburbs with a boring job... Well, this quest to eliminate the demon lord wasn't actually all that exciting, in fact, it seemed like quite a pain, and his companion was pleasant to look at and nothing more. She had her moments when she was cute, but, well.... Noboyuki took one of the books and tried to read through it, but... "No use, huh?" He put the book right back into the shelf he took it from. The spoken language was the same, but the written? Heck, he didn't have an idea of what the hell it said. It all seemed like scribbles to him. He could always go to Rena and ask for her help, but whether she'd help him or not was an entirely different matter. He was in a little library of the quiet and peaceful town that had yet to be tarnished by the power of the Demon King Lucifer. Having been informed just the bare minimum, Noboyuki only knew that he had to slay such a being, but no more than that. Seemingly, his sacred power would open a path, but he didn't have a damn of that. He calmly walked out of the library with a hand in both of his jacket's pockets. Now, where was Rena? As much as he would have like to leave her somewhere else, he really couldn't. It'd mean dead for him, without her divine protection.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena thanked the elder as she stepped into the sun, beyond the thatched roof home. He'd been very helpful the information on demon movements throughout the region was surprisingly in depth, from the sounds of it they shouldn't have any troubles moving ahead, its always nice when fortune smiles. The royal girl clutched the album traverler's cloak tightly, despite what one may think with her status as a princess through and through, she was also much more pragmatic for quite frankly traveling by foot was no time to wear dresses. Besides she herself was a seasoned traveler anyway, in the past she spent years in other courts across the kingdom, and then a few located in nearby foreign allies. Of course none of that came easily, attempting to convince her father to allow such things certainly took some time. In the end Rena was thankful for the experience, and looking back those exact experiences were paying off. The last month was not easy for sure, maybe within the first week money ran out, although not to her surprise, honestly there wasn't much to give at all. This forced them, or really rather Noboyuki, to take on odd jobs for merger earnings. Sure there was the satisfaction of assisting the people, they needed the help without a doubt, Rena just hasn't expressed as much to the hero. While considering Noboyuki, he had actually proven to be resourceful, and apparently well educated ignoring his obvious ignorance of her world. What's more the hero had proven to be quite skilled as a swordsman, not everyone could take on a demon especially alone in his case. In reality Rena didn't mind the man at all, in fact she had a deep respect for him, as for saying as much that was far out of the deal. Noboyuki was still a commoner, even with his position as the hero of prophecy... she still had social norms to adhere to. They agreed on staying in the sleepy hamlet for at least a day, even if Rena in truth wanted to pass the opportunity up, mainly out of concern for whatever damage the Demon King may cause if they delay too long, she couldn't ignore the need for a proper rest. As a bonus due to their importance, the elder gave them free lodgings at the only taven for miles around, the owner wasn't too happy but ultimately overruled. First things first, Rena had to find her hero, he did say that he wanted to vist the local libary, a rare occurrence really, she doubted he managed to glean anything from the trip unfortunately his lacking the ability to read her language was well too known. When she approached the tiny stone building, Rena caught sight of Noboyuki, good looked as if he wrapped up whatever business he tried to take care of. "Finally, hope you're done wasting our time by looking at books, you know you can't understand them anyway, right?" She spoke with authority fitting for royal blood, "While you were struggling to grasp basic writings, I had a talk with the elder. Good news is he agrees to house us for a day, food and shelter of course."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) And there she was... her royal highness. She didn't seem to know the meaning of the word 'nice', and Noboyuki was sure most of her body was composed of pure, pure disdain for him. If she had even a shred of respect for him, well, he couldn't sense as it was. He was either too dense to feel her respect or it was truly inexistant. Noboyuki was sure it was the latter, at the very least, he knew he wasn't dense... probably. "Yes, I know that. I just wanted to see if there was something around a library that wasn't actually written with the feet of someone who actually thought they could write. My, my, doesn't anyone here know how to use the alphabet? It's way simpler than those crappy drawings in everything. And I say that as a Japanese man, our writing is kinda like that but with different drawings." Noboyuki sighed once again. Anyway, who the hell came up with so many different languages in the first place? At the very least, Rena was good enough as to secure them a dry and comfortable place to spend the night. Trying his very best, Noboyuki put on a smile on his face. "Great! It seems you don't only dally around while I try to make any sense of what you call writing here. Let's go right now, I'm a bit tired and my shoulders are soo stiff." He moved his head around, and it cracked a bit. A good idea came to his mind, looking at Rena with a bit of a perverted look in his eyes. "Why don't you give me a massage, Rena? I'm pretty sure that if I got a massage like that, I'd sleep like a baby tonight." He said happily. He liked to joke around like that, even though he didn't always come out with the upper hand after making a bad taste joke like that, neither when he was overly sarcastic. Well, it was just the wat the world had made him. For someone of his frame and look (he wore glasses), the only thing he could do about others was outwit them when they were way bigger than him. At the very least, this world had given him some kind of super boost to his strength, making him able to go against huge monsters all by himself, and using knowledge he got in his own world, handling a sword was really right up his alley. It was when he wielded his sword that he truly felt like a 'hero'. Regardless of Rena's response, no matter what kind of comeback she had for him, Noboyuki would make his way to the inn. If anything was true, is that he was really tired. And some guy told him that if he slayed a nocturnal monster for him, he'd give him a lot of money, so he wanted to rest up and go for it later. Extra money never hurt, and maybe he could buy something for Rena. She wasn't all that bad once you get used to her. If you ever do.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- "No." A flat retort from the girl. Deserving of respect or not Noboyuki had his faults, mainly his tendency to be "witty" and somewhat perverse... could be worse. Rena had gotten used to his strange mannerisms, and really his blatant lack of respect, which wasn't uncalled for honestly considering her own treatment, she was by no means a hypocrite in that sense. If anything else the hero was just a foreigner if one were to ignore his actual orgins, Rena spent enough time with other cultures that getting used to the unusual whims of her partner did not take long. The most she knew of Noboyuki was he came from "Japan" yet he'd never talked much of it, which was a shame since she loved hearing about far off lands. On that specific day Rena wasn't too talkative and followed silently behind the otherworldly companion. While she didn't admit it, she was in truth fairly fatigued it had been far too long since they've been able to find a proper bed. Rena imagined the brief silence from her wouldn't go unwelcomed... as much as she disliked being unpleasant, she couldn't take any risk showing favor, already she could hear the gossip weaving throughout the courts the very last thing she ever wanted to do was fuel those whispers. A crowned heir traveling alone with a holy hero of the same age at that left a lot in the way of rumors, in uh less savory ways. As the hamlet wasn't the largest of settlements the duo found their way to the taven relatively quickly. It was a simple establishment, respectable in both look and service yet nothing more than that, not like the owner had much competition. Without a word Rena delt with the said owner, a gruff man like most taven owners strangely enough, out of earshot from Noboyuki she negotiated for their room. Not long after they were standing in a single small space, clearly a very plain room which was fine for Rena, wouldn't have been fair to expect more. There were two separate beds, each one on opposing walls. Before the hero was able to make a move Rena had already claimed the left most one, she flopped down on the mattress cloak trailing behind her trajectory, fluttering like a cloth butterfly. "Haven't seen a real bed for so long..." Yay for actual beds.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Well... Not what he expected. Rena seemed to be a bit too tired today for his jokes. Noboyuki seemed a bit annoyed that she felt like that, but nevertheless, he'd leave her alone for the time being. He better than anyone knew just how much people hated being pushed around when they didn't feel all that well. So, he just walked to the hamlet alongside her, just as silent as she was. At the very least, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. They walked all the way there and Rena, being a little too secretive, talked to the owner. Well, now what the hell should he do now that Rena started flirting with the elderly owner of the inn? He leant against a wall, waiting for the next thing to happen while he waited for Rena. Still, it sure was nice to finally have some kind of actual place to stay in, unlike most of the times that they camped outside. Being a hero had its perks, every now and then. For instance, if he were to go to a bar and say he was the hero, a lot, and he meant, A LOT, of women would start swarming him. Whether they searched for political power, money, or simply liked a man with status, didn't matter. At the very least, it made Noboyuki feel relieved. Maybe he'd do it again one of these days. Not today, though. He was just as tired, and he needed some rest before the monster hunt for the night. Finally, Rena came out and they went to their room. It always disappointed Noboyuki immensely that there were two beds in the room, though. "Hey, Renaaa...." He protested, much like a child. "How much did this cost? I bet getting a double room was expensive. Why not have a single room so we can cuddle closely together?" Even though he said so, he was already making his way to the bed. "But, not that it matters anymore. You should also get some rest, we are busy during the night." He said, and didn't realize until later that what he said could be badly misunderstood. But he didn't care anymore. The fluffiness of an actual bed swallowed him whole and his eyes became heavier by the minute. Soon enough, he was asleep. Well, if the princess had something to thank Noboyuki for was his lack of snores during night time.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- "The elder sent word of our arrival beforehand, two of us means two beds and before you ask I know this as the owner told me." Rena responded with her typical attitude, and she was ignoring his obvious, prevented comments on purpose, not at at willing to acknowledge them. Minutes of total silence passed before she decided to roll over trying to figure out why she was being ignored. She was more than ready to reprimand the disrespectful hero, already a notable scowl occupying her features, that is until the realization dawned upon her. The man must have been exhausted to have fallen asleep so quickly, instead the scowl feel away to a neutral, but soft expression. "Good, get some sleep. You have to work hard tonight, like always." Rena spoke quietly, perhaps not on purpose, maybe just so she wouldn't wake him up. Noboyuki needed to rest for some time, well the both of them really, but he's the one who fights not her. Rena slipped out of her cloak and hung it on the end of her bed, underneath was her normal clothing (What you see in her picture, minus the crown.) Pretty soon the princess herself fell asleep. Hours later Reba woke up, if one were to guess about an hour before midnight. She had a dreamless sleep, that said she was not the type of person who dreams often anyway. A momentary look revealed that Noboyuki hasn't awaken yet, great meant she could prepare for their trip without distraction. At the far end of the room the owner, or whoever may have worked at the taven, left them dinner on a plain desk present in the room. Beef stew, still warm, and a wedge of barley bread. Rena put her share to the side, she could eat it while working, as for the hero's bowl, well that was placed on the side table beside his bed. Rena found their bags and started to unload some of their contents onto the desk, these were bunches of papers and books. Seeing as Noboyuki couldn't read, she handled all the written work, she felt it was fair. Rena looked at various maps of the surrounding areas, earlier she got the details on the night job so with a stick of charcoal she marked where they should search first. It was a system of way points with a designated allocation of time in one area to comb before moving on. The plan was to follow this strategy until they come across the beast, or until dawn. Out in the field Rena's job was to keep them on track, being the guide of course. As a side note this style of planning was developed by the Eskar military, quite frankly had also shown to be effective during recon by scouts, so of course Rena payed attention to this much to their benefit. She continued to work diligently unaware as to wether or not Noboyuki had awoken yet.</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena barely registered Noboyuki getting up, too entrenched in her work to really notice anything but paperwork. It wasn't until later she happened to notice the empty bed, funny thing is he left the stew alone possible missed it or some other reason. Whatever, instead of concerning herself in something trivial, she got right back to planning, he'll probably eat later, hopefully. Rena found a star chart, fairly crude in reality, but accurate enough to use for broad navigation of course only useful at night. A few foot notes later, she was confident that they'll won't get lost long as nothing goes wrong. She still had no idea where the hero went off to, maybe to get some fresh air. Rena knew they had little bit more time until they set out, the creature is practicular for what times it ventures out. During her talks with the owner earlier she requested for a bath, the taven had one so taking advantage of such a thing wasn't about to be passed up. She whistled an improvised melody while outside of the bathroom, her clothes folded neatly by the door. A bath was one of those small luxuries Rena learned to forget since they've started to journey. She thought she heard some water splashing, it didn't make sense but in the end she opted to forget it. The next series of events were in a blur if Rena were ever to recall them, the best summary could be said to be "awkward", because she found where Noboyuki went. Nothing happened as Rena stood there, trying not to make the situation worse, just how did this happen? Did he tell her about a bath? If he did was it her fault? A high amount of self control and solid composure went into standing her ground, even with the view the known-to-be-prevented hero had. Hiding biological responses was something she couldn't do as a slowly her face turned red. Eventually Rena took the one action she could think of, and that was to turn around a leave. Finally out of sight, she for a lack of a better word, facepalmed. What just happened?</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Well... Noboyuki sure got a good show while in his bath. The only bad thing? That the princess probably saw things she shouldn't see. He was just as shocked as her, but he didn't have any time to try and stop his natural body reactions. And by that, he meant those a man has that will probably ashame him in society. Whether she saw or not was irrelevant right now. He was planning on relaxing while he was there, but any kind of relaxing he could've had was destroyed by the sudden arrival of Rena. He didn't even feel comfortable there anymore. Maybe the guy thought they had that kind of relationship and said that on purpose? Maybe he thought they'd ahppily share a bath like lovers? Well, damn, what an open minded geezer he was then. Or at the very least, a really malicious geezer. that got his kicks out of seeing people miserable. Not that he was miserable right now, mind you, in fact, he was quite satisfied with the turn of events. He quikcly gathered his things, put some pants on and left the bath, seeing Rena on his way out. He didn't even saw her, and merely continued on his way. "The bath is now all yours, Rena. Have fun." He said, jokingly while he walked away, before stopping and looking back at her with a lecherous smile in his face. "Also, thanks for the treat. I'll be dreamming some real good things tonight thanks to you." He said and gave her a thumbs up, before walking away towards their room. Well, he might as well get something to eat, whatever that thing left aside his bed was would make do for now. He hurried back to their room and started on eating the stew left beside his bed. He needed the energy anyways. He still wondered what kind of creature he'd be facing today, he only got that it was nocturnal from the guy that gave him the, 'quest', to call it something. It felt more and more like an RPG world the more he thought about it. He finished off the stew and quickly got dressed up and ready for action with his sword hanging around his waist. He then went out of the room and decided to wait for Rena in the lobby. Or he could go peek on her right now that she was taking her bath, probably. Decisions, decisions... He knew the sacred power would come in handy right about now.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- She so wanted to punch the arrogance out of him, so badly. Not that was an option, like at all, she had a feeling it was either her own fault... or maybe a certain gruff man whom they recently met, the audacity. The point is, she was the one who walked in and so the blame had to go to herself, it was only fair that way, at least that's what she thought. Even then Rena couldn't pass up the bath, despite the water being used, the thought of Noboyuki's... uh uncovered body once touching the exact same water was not comforting. She thanked her luck that it was an isolated incidence, not even in her worse nightmares could Rena imagine what sort of rumors would've been born from all this. The bath was anything but relaxing as she wanted, still she attempted to ignore the images floating in her mind, they're both adults meaning they were more than capable of moving on, Rena just couldn't ignore the initial shock that remained. Soon enough she was done and dressed, when she returned to their room it seemed that Noboyuki already gathered his equipment, plus he clearly ate the beef stew was probably cooled off by the time he gotten around to eating it. Rena donned her cloak, grabbed small a book that held all her field notes, and the map she prepared for the mission. In the dark it'll be harder to read any of it, with luck the moon would provide enough light anyway. They couldn't waste anymore time, if they were unable to find and slay the beast that very night they wouldn't be able to try again for a full day, a day that she felt couldn't be spared. Noboyuki was ready to move out it looked like as he waited in the main hall, Rena had already placed the bath event towards the very back regions of her memory, they had a job to do they had to remain on task. She marched up to the man, bringing forth the level of authority that came naturally to her. "If you're about done loitering about, we have to start the hunt right now. I don't need to tell how much of pain it'll be if the beast is not dead by dawn, we do not have to time to try again." Rena rolled out the map on a nearby table, pointing to it. "This is the nearby woods where the creature is commonly reported, hope I don't need to tell you that much. I tried to make it simple for you, these circles here are the search zones, we spend the appropriate amount of time before continuing onto the the next area, and so forth." Rena let out an exasperated sigh, "We're burning too much time, don't fall behind." With that the nightly hunt was on.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) She seemed all ready to go as well. Though she still wore that dress on her that seemed to be uncomfortable to no end. 'Well, to each their own, I guess...' He thought. Well, it seemed like some kind of damn important royal dress, but Noboyuki wasn't one to nitpick. Even less when her role in the whole adventure was protecting him and not getting any of the actual action. Even he would feel frustrated, but since he wasn't a woman, he couldn't look fabulous while he waited. He let out a giggle at the thought of that, and made it sound a bit as if he were mocking her. He cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm done loitering. The hunt can start whenever." He flashed a confident smile at her. He rested his hand on his sword's hilt and approached the table to see what his little strategist had planned out for the day, err, night. He merely nodded and said 'hm' while she gave out instructions. It still hurt his pride that she thought he couldn't understand more than just simple figures in the map. He was pretty intelligent, it was just the fact that he couldn't read that stopped him from showing that was the case. No, well, that isn't something someone intelligent would say, would it? Anyhow, back to the problem at hand.... "I see, I see. This beast won't last any longer. Not as long as the reknown hero Noboyuki has something to say about it!" Noboyuki said, pounding his chest with pride. It was the least he could do to show that he wasn't actually scared of whatever the hell it was. Noboyuki followed after Rena, increasing his pace to be walking right beside her. "As long as her highness does her part, I'm pretty sure we can get this over with before dawn." He said. It was going to be an easy hunt, something told him that. At the very least, it seemed to be his heroic power, or instinct, that made him think that. He started feeling like a hero for the very first time since he arrived there. Soon enough, the woods were in sight, and as soon as they went into them, Noboyuki took his sword out of its sheath and appeared to be ready for battle. "Be sure to stay behind me, princess. I don't want anyone getting on my bottom just cause you got slightly hurt." Noboyuki put himself in front of her while he walked towards the place she had told him about. He just hoped the first thing they'd see was the monster they had to eliminate. Going back to sleep was first priority.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena briefly glared at Noboyuki, "Don't press your luck..." No matter, it did make sense for him to lead on being the one with the sword and whatnot. The small party reached the start of the wilderness stretching beyond the hamlet's borders. Every so often Rena stopped them in order to check their position, she didn't say so but figuring out the land in person is harder than simply reading maps, more so during the dead of night. Fortunately Rena was able to reliably guide the both of them through the dark trees, at least she hoped as much. During one of their stops Rena was uncommonly quiet, she almost looked worried if Noboyuki were able to clearly see her in the darkness. After some time she spoke up. "So, Noboyuki. Have you noticed how these, well monsters we face have been getting stronger? I'm getting worried, that we, or uh honestly more like you wouldn't be able to keep up for much longer. Your powers haven't emerged yet right? I... have to admit, I'm getting worried."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Well, this is a surprise." Noboyuki started, with a bit of a grin in his face. He never dropped his guard, though, and was ready for anything that might leap at them any second now. That didn't take away any of his sarcastic demeanor, though. "You are actually worried about me. It's nice for a change." Noboyuki finished with another big smile on his face. As if to demonstrate his prowess, he started rolling his sword around with a lot of ease in his hand. "There's no need for sacred power when you have cool skills like this. I've always been more of a DPS kind of guy rather than a mage." He said, talking in video game terms of his own world. Still, he soon noticed that Rena might not know what the hell he is talking about if he talks like that. They were terms only natural for him, since he liked to play games from time to time. "Ah, sorry. What I was trying to say I am not the kind to rely on powers like those. The support you give me is just magnificent." Noboyuki said to her, with a wink. While he was fooling around, though, they had already arrived to the desifnated spot before they even knew. Or at the very least, really near to one of those spots. It was something gigantic, that was walking on all four of its legs, wait, no, its steps said that it had more than just four legs, maybe six? It seemed just like something straight out of hell. It was a bit more of a surprise than what he initially thought it'd be. For something roaming the woods, it just seemed too feral and aggressive, aside from scary. "R-Rena, what is that? Is it even from around here?" Noboyuki readied his sword. While his initial appearance threw him off a bit, he was now ready to go at it. The fact that it may be a demon was still there, and that meant that it had some connection to their overall quest. "It doesn't even seem like an animal." Still, whatever the thing was, it was already on the offense. It slashed at Noboyuki and he barely deflected its sharp claws with his sword, sending it back a few steps. Its four arms spelled problems for Noboyuki, not to mention the tail. He wasn't as confident as before, and that last hit seemed to be more to test him rather than actually fighting him.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- None of this looked good for them, Rena didn't freeze up exactly although she felt somewhat numb. This... thing looked nothing like the description, still now she thought about it the pay was almost too good to be true. "I... don't know its nothing out of the demonology manuals I've studied." She threw her bag on the ground, already shifting through the many papers within. "Alright, listen me I need time to figure what this beast is, just do what you can and don't get reckless..." The last word trailed off, she caught herself before saying anything else. Rena struck a touch, here was hoping the extra light wouldn't attract the wrath of that abomination. She started with history texts, demons haven't plagued the earth for too long really, perhaps only appearing just before she was born. Even then these books had to be the most accurate as they were recorded by actual scholars. She quickly flipped through the yellow parchment, whatever it was the damned thing had to be notable somewhere, that is assuming any information was present in the first place. Five minutes later she slammed the book shut in frustration. During that time Rena tried to block out the sounds of conflict as Noboyuki tangled with the walking nightmare... alone. Rena knew the hero couldn't die, that wasn't her main concern. Despite being technically immortal he could still be critically wounded, or crippled, losing a limb was not out of the picture. What if he were to sustain a serious head wound? What kind of life would he even live at that point? Rena breathed deeply, losing her clam would be very deferential, well that was putting it lightly. Next set to search through, local legends she had bought and collected over time. Not nearly as reliable but should be more relevant. About halfway through Rena landed on a particular page, the top of which had the words Joungha the Corpse Taker. She read over the entry, the description of its subject matched the monster before them word to word. Her heart sank, this was bad, more than bad they were way out of their league. "Noboyuki, uh..." Rena couldn't stomp down the sheer panic creeping into her voice, "We are in huge trouble, this is not a demon... no its something more than only a demon."</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He had his own inner demons, made sense though, he was human with his own fears, well mostly human with a hidden cashe of holy might. Perhaps for the first time since she's met him, Noboyuki wasn't being himself none of that sarcasm and lack of urgency, in all honesty he was more like a mortality wounded warrior saying his final words. Rena would've believed just that if she didn't know better, he'll not die of course, being that he was back under her divine protection. "You're acting like a dying knight, but remember you're going to live beyond a ghost of a doubt. After all you're under my holy shield again." She comforted, with a never before seen smile, sure barely counted as such, but it was there. "Besides, I'm always here, and I know even if you were not immortal that it'll take much to end you. Now hold still, I'm going to start wrapping your foot." Half of her tags were bloodied already, but she still had enough to do the job. Rena worked quietly while dressing the gaping hole, she had to layer the cloth multiple times in order to absorb the blood. There were no stitches, the practice itself was uncommon, and it didn't matter anyway as Rena didn't have the skills to probably apply them, still with luck that wouldn't be needed. Finally that job was done, her quality of care wasn't too poor, about average at least the bandages wouldn't unravel at the slightest of movements. Rena kept applying pressure, the faster the bleeding stops the better, even if the wound was taken care of, Noboyuki had to still be losing blood.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Don't be like that. I'm pouring my heart out here, ya know?" The drunk hero said. Well, it seemed she was just about done with his patching up. Still, he sure missed the stitches that would have been normally applied to him back in his own world. But wait, stitches? With just two pieces of meat that had become his foot now? Nah, didn't seem at all good. In fact, it sounded more hurtful than good. Maybe he'd stay with his two pieces of foot undefinitely. "That holy shield of yours sure is handy at times like this. Wonder if it'll help me heal faster. It'd be fantastic if that did happen. Or maybe my holy powers will just now activate with the alcohol and I'll wake up with super cool powers." Noboyuki laughed at his own joke for a bit, until the pain started growing. Most definitely the effect of the alcohol was disappearing. In other words, he was becoming sober once again. Well, he should, at the very least, take full advantage of his improvised sedative method wile it still lasted. With wobbly legs, he stood up, even though his foot stinged like crazy. "Then, I'm going back to our room. Passing out in the main lobby would be just awful. And don't worry, they say that the devil looks after their own, so I'm pretty sure I've still got some ways until people get to see me die." Noboyuki said, with a confident smile. It was certainly something a hero should not be saying, given that the demon was his enemy, but no matter. He made his way towards their room, clearly supporting himself more on his good leg rather than on the one that he had just hurt. Not before long, he had already arrived. He practically passed out in front of the bed and fell towards it. He was tired, hurt and drunk. It was a definitely terrible combination. Something told him his dreams might be filled with nightmares.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Well that was somewhat of a relief, Noboyuki seemed closer to his old self again, the alcohol must've passed through his system, which was off considering how quickly he sobered up, she did not expect him to be walking around that soon as well. Guess people from his world are more resilient, not everyone can walk with am their Achilles Tendon almost torn. Rena thanked the owner for all his help, even offered some kind of reward, although the owner refused stating that helping the saviors of the kingdom was enough. Perks of being heroes and royalty once again. Even then Rena stayed behind to clean the mess, and herself to the best of her ability, which wasn't too difficult seeing as the blood was still relatively fresh having no time to dry. Soon enough she was able to return to their room, Noboyuki was asleep, amazing really that even in pain he could find peace like that, not that she'd mind, actually it made things a whole lot easier she almost thought they might've needed to find some sleep aid or painkiller first. Instead of going to sleep herself, Rena pulled up the desk's chair, after what they've been through there was no time to sleep. She had to document what they found out about Joungha through their brief encounter, that knowledge if there might save someone's life one day. She also wanted to continue doing some research, from local lore she only learned so much, there had to be more somewhere else. About an hour a half later, Rena about fell asleep on the wooden table, fatigue got the better of her. Across the surface of the desk, illustrations, notes, books, scrolls, basically all the materials they had on hand, and her own, were there. Guess in the morning depending on what happens, Rena would get back to work.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The next day came, and with the rising sun, Noboyuki slowly regained consciousness. He expected a horrible hangover, but, shocking enough, he didn't have a hangover of any kind. Maybe it was because of Rena's holy shield? Regardless of what the hell it was, Noboyuki felt even... fresh, as if he had taken a bath of some kind, a hot, relaxing bath. He went to the side of the bed and sit there, scratching his head a bit. He took his glasses off, since he had forgotten about it the last night, and put them in the night table beside his bed. It was pretty blurry. Well, what did he expect? To be suddenly clear like in Spiderman or something? He wasn't a super human, even if the fate of the world said he had to be one. He took a cloth out of his breast pocket and cleaned his glasses, before putting them on again. "Ah, just like the change from ol' SD to HD." He then moved his neck around, making it crack a bit, before putting his hand on it. It seemed to have hurt, that last thing he did. "Ugh, my neck should have twisted after I passed out in the bed or something. Too bad there isn't any kind of muscle relaxing cream in this world. I could use it right now." Well, he just had to put up with it. He stood up from the bed, and even felt like dropping to his knees out of sheer pain from his wound, however, it was more of a reflex than actual pain. It probably was the effect of Rena's holy shield, though. ...Speaking of the pampered princess, though.... He turned to see the desk, and found her collapsed there. Well, sleeping, but collapsed seemed more of an accurate description for her current state. He decided to get near to and try to wake her up. However, when he arrived to where she was, he found her sleeping so peacefully and soundly that he just couldn't bring himself to wake her up. He merely smiled as he looked at the beautiful girl in front of him sleeping. "Sleep well, sleeping beauty. Man, that was cheesy..." He said, before turning and leaving the room. Then again, he might not be able to walk all that well wiht the wound he had on his foot. He took his sword and started using it as a cane to help him walk. He would get a bath and perhaps order some breakfast. Maybe also try his hand at bargaining with the owner, given that they might need to stay there for a while longer than initially expected. It seemed like a busy day for Rena, regardless. He wasn't a politician or anything of the like like her, so maybe it was really the best option to leave everything to her. Well.... he would only take a bath, for the time being. Maybe also think of some way to compensate Rena for everything she does. Would she know of the concept of a date?</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena woke up, and not in graceful way, mainly by choking on her own saliva as people sometimes do when sleeping. She coughed heavily trying to discharge the unwelcome substance trapped in her throat, in her fit a bundle of pages was thrown off of the desk... that day didn't start all that great. While muttering to herself, something about gag reflexes or whatnot, she had to take perhaps five minutes to finally reorganize the local workspace. When done Rena found Noboyuki to be missing from his bed, knowing better this time she just assumed him to be in the bath, just to be safe, hate to have a repeat of yesterday. Breakfast sounded good to the rudely awaken princess, rather than asking for food to be brought up she opted to eat in the main hall, maybe have a chance to listen to gossip, and more importantly to take the chance to properly thank the owner, as well as figure out how they're going to arrange for more days because clearly they will not be leaving for a while. Rena tossed her rather dirty fancy dress on her own bed, after their previous adventures it was quite covered in dirt, instead she wore spare clothing, a rather plain white cotton dress but really comfortable. Down in the hall, Rena right away found the owner to thank him for all the help he had provided, thing is after bringing up that they'll have to stay for much longer than expected, the owner simply swiped the idea aside knowing full well that Noboyuki could not travel, especially when he was wounded while in service to the hamlet from hunting that cursed god. At the most he'll be able to afford to feed and house them for a month, after that there wouldn't be much else unless he wanted to go bankrupt, still Rena was thankful for his compassion. She sat at a table with a small breakfast of oatmeal, fresh cheese, and a tankard of diluted ale, so far the news going around was nothing of note, just talks about weather really after last night however, Rena didn't mind the peace, not at all.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) After a relaxing bath, Noboyuki came out and thanked the owner, and also the heavens for having such a convenient thing in there, and that it was just like those of Japan was also a huge advantage for him. It made him feel at home, one way or the other. After getting dressed up and everything else, he went back to the dining hall. He hoped to find Rena there, but if he didn't, well, he'd just have breakfast without her. Noboyuki, though, was just dressed with a shirt and a pair of pants, without the usual jacket he wore on him. It just seemed a bit too stuffy now to wear and made him feel uncomfortable. After arriving to the dining hall, he spotted Rena rather quickly, even though she wasn't wearing her usual fancy dress. Well, it wasn't a surprise, probably it got ragged and dirty yesterday during their escape. He decided to not even comment about it and just sit in front of her, to take his own breakfast. He had already asked someone to bring his food there, so they brought it little after he sat down. He started on eating it slowly, it was the same meal Rena was eating too, so he decided to take it a bit slowly. After a while of being in silence, Noboyuki finally let out a sigh and looked at Rena. "Good morning. Sleep well? I hope I didn't do anything in my sleep to wake you up." Of course, he was uncertain of whether or not he had sleep talked, screamed or groaned in pain last night. His dreams were fairly normal as well, so he didn't think he had any kind of reason to start screaming during the night, but one never knew. "Also, your power is a life saver. I'm guessing I would be screaming with pain if it weren't for your incredible holy shield thingy." He wasn't sure of whether or not it really had the power to do that, but he just assumed.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- More news here and there, again nothing too special fairly mundane overall. Interesting part is even if Joungha had made a very recent appearance, as in the night before, no one seemed to even acknowledge the being's presence. She was were, the creature was anything but subtle, the villages back in the hamlet should've heard his roars, Rena knew she did at the very least. There wasn't much to go on so she decided to forget the thought, perhaps there was an unspoken rule about never mentioning the god. She leaned back in the solid oak chair, nothing gained from a little eavesdropping it seemed. Suddenly there be Noboyuki, right out of the blue without warning or a greeting first before he sat down. Heartbeats later, a server brought him breakfast, funny thing was the meal was the exact same as her own, must've been the standard fare that morning. Rena was conflicted about how she should act, for the majority of their journey she had of course remained standoffish to the hero, as she wanted of course, but last night she broke that mean streak, the worse part is she wasn't too sure how much of the night Noboyuki actually remembered through the drunkenness and pain. For the second time that day she almost choked on something liquid, while taking a drink of ale, the hero talked and for some reason this threw her off big time. As luck had it she managed to resist going into another coughing fit by sheer willpower Rena fought against the urge to hack and wheeze in order to deal with the misplaced ale. She did listen intently to what Noboyuki had to say, maybe looking a bit more interested than she had in the past, her companion seemed to be fairing well all together yet that didn't fool her into believing him to be alright, there was still the issue of his injured foot. He did mention how he thought that her holy shield was helping to deal with the pain, although the shield was only deigned for its one specific purpose and shouldn't do any more than that, but still anything could be possible in the realm of the divine. "I slept well, maybe a bit restless considering I didn't find a proper bed in time, but well enough nonetheless." Rena looked off to the side as if thinking, which she was, "Interesting you bring up the shield as such, its power is not meant to treat pain as you know, but I suppose that anything could be possible, perhaps a side effect? Speaking about your pain... uh, how is your foot? I hope I managed to treat it correctly, medicine is not something I studied much... I possibly fear that I did something wrong."</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) When she started coughing and suffocating on whatever she was eating, Noboyuki couldn't help but feel a bit worried. He'd had stood up to check on her, but given how his foot was, it wasn't something he wanted to do right now. Yes, the pain may be gone, but one never knew. The thing was a bit too exposed for it to be safe to be moving aorund without a worry in the world. He thought it'd be better for him not to stand up, Rena wouldn't kick the bucket just because of that. "H-Hey, don't go choking on me right now. We are still only halfway to wherever that guy is, ya know?" After she finally stopped coughing, Noboyuki let out a relieved sigh. "Oi, oi, the one that was about to be a goner is me, not you. Don't start choking over nothing, will you? You surprised even me." He said. Well, after that, Noboyuki felt relieved that he didn't wake up Rena at all, but when she let the bomb drop on him, Noboyuki almost felt like spitting out the juice he was drinking. He held off that urge and gulped it down with a lot of effort and even if a bit of exaggeration. "WHAT. THE. HELL! You don't try and fix up some guy when you know next to nothing about medicine!" While he was a bit mad, he was still grateful. As far as he knew, his foot was better, but that might as well be an effect of the girl's holy shield. "Ya know, let's just... let's just leave that aside for now. My foot is fine enough for me to walk, at the very least. See, let's go away from that. What would you like to do today?I've got an idea, if you don't mind hearing it. Do you know what a date is?" Nobyuki said, with a happy expression on his face.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Well wasn't that a least bit rude to say, going about as if she was some clueless girl without a sliver an idea how to wrap simple cloth around someone's foot... did she say that? Rena was obviously somewhat concerned for how Noboyuki healed over the night, and it was very possible that she could've tripped up somewhere when managing his wounds, as she was inexperienced in medical practices, not a complete idiot in any way. Rena glared at Noboyuki as she silently fumed over her thoughts, probably wouldn've have been best to say anything, despite how she wanted to verbally tear into the loose lipped hero, and that time those were her true feelings, none of that aloof act she had been maintaining. Then at the mention of a "date" her scowl turned into a look of confusion, not that she didn't know what a date was, Eskar was a civilized kingdom after all so the concept of courting someone wasn't usual and even expected, at least among the nobility. Now the question was why did Noboyuki want to date her? Was he joking? Rena thought she knew the man well enough to at least get a feeling about his true intentions, and well he looked earnest, strange as it might be. For a brief moment Rena almost panicked at the idea of him being romantically interested in her, which was the absolute opposite of what she desired, still before her shock could really show she decided it might be best to query a bit further, Noboyuki's definition of a date could be vastly different from her own, with his being from another world of course. "I... know what a date is yes. Its quite common for a man to court a woman as such in Eskar, I'll say that much, also I'm assuming a 'date' is the same from both our worlds... so." Rena stared into Noboyuki's eyes with conviction, "What is your reasoning behind asking for a date, hmm?"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki should have expected this. It seems Rena took it as him wanting to get closer to her, in a romantic way. Well, it was funny in its own way. Noboyuki let out a snicker at the sight of her, being a little flustered, even if it was over her usual demeanor. Noboyuki supported his head on his hand with a confident smile on. He seemed to be mocking her, in one way, but he was actually just interested in her vision of a date. "Coutship, huh? Back where I come from, it isn't uncommon for a man and a woman to go on one with those intentions. Though, you can also have one just as friends." Noboyuki explained, while moving his finger with his other hand. "In other words, miss princess, I just want to relax for a bit. It'd be nice to get acquainted with the town too." Noboyuki suddenly lost all of his spunk and looked a bit sadder. "After all, we are stuck in here for a while." Noboyuki felt ashamed of himself. He was supposedly the hero of legends and he was done in by a forgotten God. How pathetic was that? Jonghua or not, Noboyuki made it one of his goals to finish the thing once he was able. It was more of a grudge rather than actual worry for the village, though. He shook his head, before looking at Rena once again with his spunk restored and his confident smile again in his face. "Besides, wouldn't it be good for you too to get acquainted with people over here? Ya know, representing your father and whatnot? Loyal subordinates come from a friendly relationship with them, I hear."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- What he said did take sense, at least his last statement having a good personal relationship with common folk was never a bad proposition. Problem was it was hardly pragmatic, no human ruler could ever effectively do such a thing, the feudal system was in a place for a reason, a commoner reports to the mayor or elder, who reports the to local lord, who reports to the local duke, and so forth. Really a king was only expected to deal with twenty some odd direct vassals. Noboyuki probably didn't understand this system, again remembering he's not of her world, Rena decided that saying anything wasn't worth the effort. Plus after some consideration it was decided that she was overthinking the topic. Rena sat in silence only staring down Noboyuki, in all consideration she couldn't figure out why he wanted to go on this date. Now she had to admit there wasn't really a problem if it was only out of friendship, and certainly Noboyuki was considered to be a friend. In the end Rena conjectured that maybe something like his version of a date wouldn't be all that bad. "I suppose I see what you mean... maybe spending some time exploring this hamlet would not be a waste." In one movement Rena stood from her spot, determined to take part in this foreigner's brand of dating. "I hope your foot wouldn't be a problem if we walk about, right?" Now she couldn't help but not to look concerned, after all Noboyuki had only a night to heal, still the man should know his own limits.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki smiled, a bit arrogantly, if anything else, when Rena agreed to go on a date with her. If he ever went back to his world, he would be able to brag about this to his friends, if he ever went back, that is. After all, it isn't everyday that you get a date with a princess of a great kingdom like that. Well, should they get on with it? He had just finished his breakfast too. Noboyuki stood up as well, not before cleaning his mouth carefully with the handkerchief he kept inside his breast pocket. It was only bits and crumbs of bread, so it wouldn't get so dirty, otherwise, he wouldn't use it so lightly. It was one of his favorite things, after all. Made him seem classy. "Then, shall we get going?" Noboyuki simply said, while looking at the girl with a big smile. And then, she seemed to get worried about his foot. Well, it had hurt at first, but it was nothing right now. "Now, don't look so down like that. It makes me feel bad for my foot again. Anyhow, don't worry. Your shield is keeping anything bad at bay, I'm sure of it." Noboyuki said, before making his way towards the exit of the restaurant, before turning his head around at the girl with a smile. "You aren't going to just stand there and wait, right? Let's go. We'll worry about things once they happen, so let's just enjoy ourselves for now."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- His words were actually comforting, as it really did put here more at ease about Noboyuki's injury. The hero could be putting on brave front for all she knew, at least his strength was admirable. Rena didn't hold back a sigh, "You are a grown man of course, but... if you fall in the streets due to your wound, you will have to drag yourself home." She then turned on her heel to start leaving the hall and off to the outside world. All the same though, despite her words Rena was somewhat more soften spoken, and in other subtle ways more gentle, not even in ways she realized herself. The pair were walking just out of the taven, that is assuming Noboyuki decided to follow her lead, not that Rena would've expected him to run off to who knows where. That day was fair, clear skies without a wisp of a cloud. There was only a slight breeze hanging in the air, just enough to ruffle Rena's hair as it fluttered in time with each minute gust. Now that she wasn't rushing around, like before, Rena this time around took in the surroundings. Nearby fields were bountiful with heavy, golden grain, fortunately for the people the harvest was promised to be grand this year, in fact laborers were already beginning inital preparations for the scheduled week of harvest itself. It was now that Rena thought about how they really had been traveling for an entire month, when they started these very fields must've been only half its current height. Late autumn had arrived. The girl walk alongside her companion quietly, it was far from an awkward one, at least the way Rena perceived it, but just a simple calm, she didn't dare to ruin it. Now after say five minutes of continued silence, the princess looked up Noboyuki, "Its peaceful isn't it? Hard to believe this is almost the same place we encountered that momster... but I like it, this current calmness that is."</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) As expected the princess took the lead and guided him through the town. It was a beautiful sight, and it made Noboyuki feel.... odd, to be honest. It wasn't nostalgy, because in the city he used to live before there wasn't anything quite like that. In fact, it was a rare sight. It was, yes, refreshing, it was refreshing. For a change of pace, nature was good. Noboyuki went on with the silence Rena didn't dare temper with. Noboyuki smiled with a lazy smile that was already an habit of his while he was in his own world. Speaking of changes of pace, this was a change of pace in his current lifestyle. A relaxing stroll through town, different to their everyday battles. When Rena finally spoke off, Noboyuki turned to see her with the same lazy smile still in his face. "Yeah, hardly seems like there was a monster that horrible before. God or not, I still find it hard to believe people actually worshipped that thing." Noboyuki said. Well, this was just about the right time for a smoke. He hadn't been smoking lately because he didn't have that many cigarettes in the first place. He had to make them last, otherwise he'd be stranded in that world without any way to entertain himself. Of course, also because it wasn't that healthy to be smoking like a damn chimney. He also had his very own, specially made lighter. A metal, shiny lighter of silver color with the kanjis for his name engraved on it. He searched through his breast pocket until he produced a single white cigarette and put it in his mouth, before lighting it and take a good smoke out of it. After that, he let the smoke come out of his mind with a relaxed sigh. It wasn't his favorite kind of thing to do, but damn, did it relax him like no other thing. "Do you smoke, Rena? Wait, do you even have cigarettes here?" He asked, curious of whether or not he'd be able to get more of them in that world. Still, he planned to guard those he was carrying with him with his life. It was his favorite brand, after all.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena coughed of the stench of the buring tobacco, not that she knew what it was seeing as the plant was not native to Eskar, or maybe even to that world. Whatever a... cigarette was it smelt like disease to her, really begging the question why Noboyuki would ever think of placing it in his month in the first place. The girl just marked this as another outlandish element from the hero's true home. "cough cough ...I don't know what a cigarette is but that smell alone makes me question you and your people. Ugh." Rena fell silent again, however after not too long she continued, the time just seemed right to ask something she had being dying to know for long while. "So, Noboyuki you... don't talk about your home that often, well really at all. Also..." Rena stopped mid sentence unsure if it was within her rights to ask, "...What about yourself? I'll admit even though we're a month along I don't know you. What I mean is every man has a history, even then you are still a blank book to myself." Rena looked thoughtful as she spoke her thoughts, staring at Noboyuki with curious eyes, obviously not exactly in line with her established character. "We have a long road ahead of us, and is there anything wrong with wanting us to finally start learning about each other?"</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Since it seemed that Rena wasn't accustomed to the smell of the cigarette (as expected, and unfortunately, they didn't have cigarettes there), and also seemed to not like it, as expected of non-smokers, he quickly took another taste of his cigarette, quickly burning it out, but not quite quick enough to finish it, Noboyuki then went on to put it out in the sole of his shoe, out of respect of the people and things around him. He also put the remaining of it inside his breast pocket. He had at least the decency of not littering anywhere he was. "Haha, I wonder the same actually. It is just a bad habit I picked up in high school and haven't been able to get rid off. Maybe I don't want either, even though it is known to cause a lot of diseases. It.... relaxes me when I am stressed out." Noboyuki smiled at her. Well, wasn't this a surprise. He even told her so. "My, what a surprise. I never would have expected the princess of a grandiose fantasy world to be interested in my own." He laughed, a bit more hearty than the other times he had actually laughed while on this world. It made him feel relaxed, somehow. Was it the cigarette or was it the company? "Well, what can you say? My world is definitely a lot more advanced than yours. We've got a lot of technology. Maybe it is to make up for our lack of magic. Japan, from where I come from, is known for a lot of things, traditions and whatnot, technology, etcetera, etcetera. IT mostly known because of the anime we broadcast though. People from all around the world like to watch it. It is.... well, I think the best way to explain it is, several drawings in a sequence that make it seem as if it were moving... or something like that. Anyhow, it would be a lot to explain, electricity, tv's, circuits, computers, etcetera, etcetera...." Now that he thought about it, it really was complex, though it didn't appear to him that way because he had become used to them. He decided on a quick change of subject. "And about me? Well, I was a normal guy, normal as normal comes. I went to high school, finished college and then got a stable, boring job in a big company as a mere salaryman. I make enough for a living and to give me some luxuries every now and then, but other than that, my job isn't, well, you could call it, fullfilling. It was a boring everyday, definitely so. The most I could do was play something in a console to pretend my life hadn't become the cliche that is often seen in movies and whatnot. And then, I was plunged into this world. Well, at least here I have a purpose." Noboyuki finished with a smile. I felt somewhat good to be needed, even if he had to risk his life. "What about you, miss princess? Any interesting stories you can tell me about?" Though not as direct, Noboyuki was also fairly interested on what Rena had to say and what her life was like before all of this.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Noboyuki was a foreigner beyond a doubt, it wasn't so much as what he talked about, but the way he talked. To put in a way, the man would be in huge trouble in they were in a court proper for he didn't make out to be the best of diplomats. "You know, you would've angered many nobles with the way you talk, it is never wise for one to directly compare his own nation to another's, its how feuds start." Rena glared her usual glare at the man, but this time it didn't last when she started laughing lightly, a barely audible one, but still there. "Luckily you're only talking to me, so no true offense." He gave a lot of information, much more than she ever expected, though she was happy the hero was willing to share about himself just from her asking. Now she didn't understand a scrap of what he said, seeing as he used words and concepts not of her own world, but it was a good step up anyway. When he asked her to share of her history, Rena wasn't surpised since the question was fully expected. After a pause just to gather her thoughts, she jumped right in. "Where to start... I traveled a lot. Not as a wanderer of course, that would be stupid for someone such as myself. No I have spent the majority of my life in many other courts rather than my father's in the capital province. Now most of them are within the kingdom itself still, so the expectations were the same, perhaps variations depending on the liege in question." "Oh now foreign courts are a whole new beast, sometimes the difference between cultures is so vast, but the experience is worthwhile, especially learning to tolerate other peoples. I don't know how it is in your world, but here conflict is founded on such petty issues out of misunderstandings, despite the current age of the Demon King. My father, you know the king of Eskar, is known to be one of the most peaceful rulers in recent history, skilled diplomat with the military might and authority to back his claims. I plan on continuing what he started, using words to maintain good relations with our neighbors. Although... as for warfare, and well with the looming threat of the demons... I have doubts..." Rena trailed off, more lost in thought than ever. Soon after she shook her head as if pushing her own thoughts away. "Enough of my ramblings, the focus should be on what we are doing now, and not so far in the future." Rena looked back to Noboyuki, "You've told me about your home, but what else is going on in your world... I wonder with a much more advanced society as you say, do your people face the same problems as mine?"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) It seemed the girl liked to mind her matters even while speaking unofficially to a companion. Noboyuki couldn't help but laught at that fact. "You should've heard me speaking with my boss then. I couldn't speak so casually or even treat him as a friend, in all honesty, he got pissed the moment I did so. Then again, he was a sourpuss and I am not exactly a 'by the book' kind of guy." For the first time, though, he thought that Rena was actually enjoying herself, and it made him happy as well. She seemed to even crave for knowledge. It was good to see that, even if it was in another world. Noboyuki simply nodded in acknowledgement as he heard Rena speak about herself. It was truly something how a princess was allowed to wander like that. Though he had already experienced her hardheadness first hand, so he could make out how that conversation with her father went. "Ha, in my world, every country is so different from the other. You would hardly be able to communicate between each other if the guys hadn't decided on a common language with which they could speak between each other. Still, I don't know how the big shots think, though. I am but another guy in the whole system." Noboyuki shrugged. He was always under the impression that, maybe, a monarchy wasn't so bad after all, despite what had happened in the past. "And our problems? Pfft, they are a lot bigger than yours, let me assure you." Noboyuki said, dismissing the motion with his hand. "I mean, you guys have it easier than us. I will not say your problems are smaller than ours, cause that'd be a lie. However, we have to deal with a loooot more of things. For example. We are on the verge of destroying ecosystems and what not with all the shit we do." He then noticed he had cursed in front of her. He scratched the back of his head, looking a bit flustered. "Sorry about that. Anyhow, there's still a lot of things. Corrupt politicians, drugs. There's a mythological tale in Japan that says that after a big fight, the Gods Izanami and Izanagi said to each other 'I am going to kill 1,000 men on the surface of earth every day', said Izanami to Izanagi and he answered, 'Then I am going to give birth to 1,500.' Sometimes it actually seems true though." Noboyuki explained to her, and couldn't help but smile sadly. "You guys are better off here, with all the nature there is here, maybe also better without technology and drugs like in my own world."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena actually seem to be listening deeply to what Noboyuki had to say, and well he had nothing good to say it looked like. She had to wonder, was his world really in such disarray? Whatever was happening, she was starting to become truly enthralled in their conversation. "You don't think our lords are corrupt here? I've heard many stories of stewards stealing small amounts of tax money from their liege, and for those more ambitious even to the point of in-fighting where one lord literally attempts to take land from another through direct military force. Bribery is common in the courts, even in assassination plots... if it were not for my father and the diligence of his courtiers I probably wouldn't be alive today as I am the last of my house, at least until I find marriage in order to continue my family line." The princess motioned towards the same golden fields to their side, "If it were not for recent advances in agriculture, that land would be barren, the soil would be drained, while I'm not sure if that is the same as your 'ecological' problems, I'm willing to say that it is on a similar level in at least some way. I have traveled enough to know that across all cultures no one has more or less problems per say, not even different ones in essence, despite the huge differences between our two worlds I will still hold that to be true." Rena stopped walking, hopefully Noboyuki did the same, she still had the same thoughtful look about her, still thinking deeply on what the hero had said. "I have to wonder, do you really hate your home, your old life has much as you make it out to be? A home should be close to a man's heart, especially if that home holds family, I would hope that you had close relatives, or at a minimum friends back where you came from." She tilted her head questioningly, perhaps attempting to make it clear that she was somewhat confused by her companion's attitude. She didn't wait for an answer before taking off down the road again, she didn't mean for Noboyuki to answer right there, that really maybe it would be better for him to take time to think about what she had asked, plus the town center of the hamlet was just in view. "Well, looks as if we made it to the hamlet proper, come on, I'd say we can pick up the pace provided you foot continues to behave." Rena started into a light jog, less time spent walking, the more time they'll be able to experience this small community's life.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Heh." Noboyuki let out when he heard Rena ask him whether or not he hated his own world. "Hey now, I didn't say I hated it. If anything, I thought it was boring, but that didn't really mean that I didn't like the world. I lived in blissful ignorance of all of those facts and, to be honest, it is easier to remember the bad things rather than the good things." Well, after all, it came to mind quicker the bad things about his world rather than the good things. Still, it seemed they had their fair share of problems. "As long as it didn't have anything to do with me, I was happy. Unfortunately, every human contributed to those problems, in one way or the other. Most people are like me, I'm sure. As long as it doesn't affect you, you can ignore it." Noboyuki gazed into the distance, thinking. Yeah, that was pretty much how he was in his own world, if a bit hypocritical. He shook his head. "Well, at the very least, I have a purpose here that I can't turn a blind eye to." Of course, he was talking about the prophecy of the hero. If he was chosen for one thing or the other, then he'd just have to fulfill that purpose and then get back to his own world, back to his dull life. "It's not that I didn't have any loved ones back in my own world, I had my family and a few friends, but, well, no matter what, I always thought my life lacked some thrill, ya know? I think here I've gotten a taste of that. Maybe, when I get back, I can finally settle down once and for all." He lifted an eyebrow when Rena said that about the village, and then took into a light jog. Noboyuki went behind her, though not jogging and merely walking at a bit faster pace. "All right, let's do it. I don't think my food has anything to comply about right now."</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- The hamlet deserved to be called such, just a hamlet for good reason. Not only was this settlement's population on the sparse side, there were also a lack of any permanent structures made of real building materials, for most of the people made due in makeshift shacks that were barely held up by scrap wood. Although the idea of such a poor hamlet had been changing for the last decade, with a new trade route running directly through the land the small homestead brought about more in the way of traffic and especially traders who may have sought to offload extra merchandise for a guaranteed profit rather than risking to continue on. On top of that with the recent rise of demon encounters the hamlet eventually became the last bastion of humanity before entering demon infested lands, that is until reaching the next defensive settlement. As Rena and Noboyuki entered the town square it became clear what affect the considerably new found prosperity had, in a circle around the center were newly build stone buildings, and a few others that were still under the hammer. Another thing to note was the many people out and about, while most of them were not real residents, only merchants and other such travelers, the number of bodies added to a joyous atmosphere. All along the roads leading in, shrewd business men had set up stalls to pedal whatever valuable wares they may have had on hand. Rena decided to take a closer look at one of these stalls, this man was dealing in jewelry, while odd that one would sell luxuries out in a backwater settlement, they certainly looked to be of fine quality, necklaces, rings, bracelets, and uncut gems. The girl was honestly tempted to see about taking something with her, but through self discipline she held back. They didn't have the budget to allow for such purchases, now that didn't stop here from touching and examining the jewels. They spent half an hour simply exploring, mostly wandering with no real goal, after all they were taking some leisure time, it was a date. Rena at first was still somewhat tense, but as they continued on she gradually relaxed, and before long one could say she really was having fun. She was much more notably loose, not nearly uptight as normal, and perhaps more able to speak often engaging in small take with lot more frequency than before. Rena didn't talk about anything important other than going into detail into court life, what to say, and what not say, ways to remain diplomatic while dealing with higher society. It was not like she was giving instruction, rather it was more like just idle chatter in a friendly manner, even with a few minor jokes thrown in. Here the princess did stop worrying about keeping appearances, maybe forgetting to keep them, maybe sick of trying to lie, whatever the case is Rena, at least in the moment, enjoyed being able to be pleasant for once.</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- They were out of the market, for the most part while there were a few stalls left Rena left them alone, not as if they had the funds to entertain buying anything extra. Interestingly enough there appeared to small gathering area for discussions, these were more common in major cities and were actual meeting halls rather than the outdoor one present in the hamlet. Rocks and lugs must've been hauled from elsewhere, that didn't seem to matter much since the spot was crowded anyway. Rena pulled Noboyuki towards the meeting place, insisting that they could use information, but really in truth she just wanted to hear some stories. The way it worked at these gathering spots was everyone took part, one person takes a turn to share either a piece of information or a story, in Eskar it was a very social activity, an important one at that. Tales were varied, some were about actual events, very solem, down to earth about the continued invasion of demonic forces. Often times it brought the mood downward, but no one could deny the importance of such news. Others were boasting from hunters, kills of epic proportions, course most knew them to be false but it was all in good fun. One in particular was of Sir Roland quite honestly only children stories about the moral adventures of a fictional knight. Rena while, she didn't say anything, still had a love for these childish tales, despite the fact she long outgrew them. When it was her turn Rena decided to talk about one of the far off realms she visited years ago, Daldrom, a merchant republic more akin to Noboyuki's medieval Italy than a typical kingdom. While she wasn't considered to be a talented storyteller, Rena tried to be animated as possible throwing her arms about when described the vast vineyards to the best of her ability. She went into greater detail about the daily life of the common folk, about the brick homes they lived in, their cultural foods which mostly considered of fish. Then when it came to the court, she tried to paint a clear picture of the soaring palace walls, the well maintained lawn, the sophistication of the artists, the poets, of the best works displayed proudly within that ivory white castle. By the end Rena looked ecstatic, smiling brightly and even laughing occasionally. She turned to Noboyuki, seeing as it was his go, she proceeded to forcefully pull to guy to his feet. "Come on Noboyuki." Rena spoke in a teasing tone, almost singsonging, "I hope you got something good for these folk." She looked upon him practically grinning. This date was great, a single chance to cut loose, at least for a day.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) After that, Rena decided to pull him into a mass of people. He didn't handle crowds well, but it was a small crowd, as per the small town. Being there for a bit wouldn't bring any harm, right? They sat down and started on listening to what the hell this little get-together was about. Apparently, they still prcticed there the oral transmission of stories, unlike his own world where everything could be accessed at any time with the internet. Noboyuki smiled and listened attentively to everything everyone had to say. There were some sad news, there were some grandiose tales of people killing monsters, there was even a story that was certainly completely ficitional, but still sounded so fun and entertaining that everyone listened with a lot of attention, just barely saying anything every once in a while when people were so surprised they couldn't hold it in. Noboyuki laughed under his breath. It was the kind of romance, well, one of the kinds of romance, that men yearned for. At the very least, he was having one of those romances right now wiht his quest to slay the Demon King. Still, whatever everyone said regarding the demon forces advancing made his desire to put an end to this even stronger. It wasn't right, for that demon lord to be taking the peace away from these people. Rena then talked about her own experience. She talked about a kingdom named Daldrom that, to be honest, resembled the Italy in his own world quite a lot. The vineyards, the art, the music and everything else. It reminded him of the renaissance that came about in his own world. It was odd, but he didn't think much about it. There was bound to be some countries that developed more that the others in some areas, after all. Same as what happened to Italy. Maybe it was only the natural course of things and how it went in the end, that some kindoms will finally become greater in some regard than others. Military strength, art, technology. He wondered if there was a Leonardo DaVinvi in this world as well, since he admired him personally. And then, it was his turn to tell a story. "W-Wha? Me too?" Now, they put him in the spot in quite a bad way. If he had known that a turn would come for him, he'd have thought of an story before. Of course, he should have deduced that out of the fact that Rena did tell her own. After a bit of awkward shuffling and thinking for Noboyuki, he finally came up with a great story to tell them. Instead of an story about himself that would probably be boring for them, he decided to tell them about Sir Arthur of the Round Table. A famous knight of British mythology. He thought it was right to tell that kind of thing in this situation. He told them how he got his prized Holy sword Excalibur out of a stone and became kind after that, and how he slayed a dragon too. How he united his knights and how everyone of them was almost as impressive as Arthur himself. After finally finishing the tale he had to tell everyone, Noboyuki sat down, still a bit unsure of whether or not it was liked. He just hoped for the best. He then turned to see Rena and smiled. Everyone seemed a bit too impressed. Maybe he went a bit too far with his story? He did only tell them bit and bites of what he actually knew of the whole story. Not like he was some kind of historian or something like that. Well, it had some of the effect he wished for, since he wanted to give them a real shock with the stories of the King Arthur that had even become part of the anime culture in his world and time. "Well, that was fun. I've never done something like this, not in person at the very least."</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Arthur huh, Noboyuki made this man out be greater than life itself, which had to beg the question if this king ever existed, it all seemed be fictional, as someone who had known an actual king her entire life she know what to really expect. Still as far as stories goes it wasn't the worse, plus Noboyuki had to have some natural talent if this was apparently his first time telling one at a garthering spot. When he sat back down Rena leaned over, "Then you have a knack for this if it were your first story." She flashed a nice smile before returning her attention to the next speaker. By the time everyone started dissolving the gathering it was well into the evening, the sky already streaked with the brilliant orange of sunset. Rena motioned for the hero to follow her, it was about time to return home at the tavern. On their walk back the girl was still in high spirits, the day had gone much, much better than she ever expected when Noboyuki suggested a date out. She didn't regret a moment of it, not at all. While she wasn't talking, Rena was whistling a random tune, nothing in specific just a random collection of notes. Reflecting on the day as a whole, she'd actually learned quite a bit about her partner, in that single day he had revealed so much more than the month they've been on the road. It was good, the first time she felt like they connected. She stopped by a low stone wall, behind it was the sun almost ready to disappear below the horizon, now the sky was in full twilight. Rena instead on moving on like she initially expected to do, she decided that simply watching the beauty of the scene to be too peaceful to pass up. Without turning her head she addressed the hero, "I can say that overall, I don't regret today, far beyond what I expected... what do you think about sunsets? Are they an end or a beginning?"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) As they walked away from the now dispersed group of people, Noboyuki noted Rena being a little more lively than other times. She was even whistling about like anyother girl her age would when she had nothing to worry about. Noboyuki smiled at that. It made him feel like a doting father, in some way. He walked beside her, moving his head at the rhythm of whatever she was singing. It was either a song or something random, Noboyuki opted to think it was the latter since it didn't really resemble anything he had heard from the bards they had encountered before. In any case, it was a sticky tune that may not leave his brain for a while. Even so, he was quiet as a tomb at the time. He had some things in mind, after all. Like, how was he going to give her the pendant he bought for her. He was taken away from his thoughts once Rena spoke up about the sunsets. "Heeeh..." Noboyuki smiled again with the same sarcastic aura he almost always had to him. "It's good that I was able to live up to the expectations of her majesty. Wouldn't have wanted to have my neck cut just because I couldn't take the princess on a decent date." He even motione with his finger going through his throat as he spoke of himself getting beheaded by a thing like that. He then turned to see the sunset. Always a sight to behold, no matter the world. "The end or the beginning, huh? Now, that's a hard one. In a scientifical point of view, I think it is both. No, it is a fact that it is both. What is an end here is a beginning on the other side of the world." Pragmatic as always, after saying that, Noboyuki sighed. "In a more philosophical point of view, though. I've always thought of it as a beginning. There's always the hope of the new day, no matter how bad the past day had been before, you can always make up for it the next day." Noboyuki simply said. Even so, he felt a bit flustered about what he had just said and it even showed in his face as he blushed even a bit under his glasses. He scratched the back of his head with embarassment and fidgeted a bit before finally feeling that it was even a bit too much for even him. "I-I am going back to the inn. See you." He propped his glasses up and turned around. He was about to dash back to the inn, but he remembered about the pendant. He quickly took it out of his pocket and stuffed in Rena's. "This isn't any kind of big deal. Only a present. Don't think much of it." He simply said, before leaving for the inn. He'd just forget about it and welcome Rena as if nothing had happened after that. It was easier that way. He just hoped she wouldn't bring up the matter of why the hell was the pendant shaped like a heart. It was just that there wasn't any other kind like that that was as cheap as that one... --- Three weeks passed and now, Noboyuki was plenty sure that his foot was now cured. He gathered his things and was now ready to leave. They did some jobs around the town too, to get some money for their travels afterwards. He felt they were just about ready to leave and he was now waiting on the lobby of the inn, for Rena to come along. The only thing that bugged him was leaving the thing with the God unsolved. He was a nocturnal hunter and he couldn't hurt them right now, since there were still some rays of light on the floor.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Well wasn't that a mouthful to say? Still there was something endearing about the way he spoke, all in spite of his lack of finesse with words. She thought this in the best possible way, because really he could've gotten to the point with many less words, all the same he had a positive outlook, something that they'll need moving foward. Without warning however, it almost seemed Noboyuki panicked... about something, which right at the time Rena didn't notice, at least until he shoved an object of some kind into her hands, after saying he's going back to the room. It was a present he said, curious she looked down upon the gift, and well was quite frankly surpised. Somehow the hero found a pendant, more like a collar, a sapphire in the shape of a heart, treated on such a way to appear almost pink. The craftsmanship was faulty at best, that said it would've been pricey anyway. Rena stared at the collar, her mind suddenly racing to understand what it meant, this was no small gift in her eyes... no it really meant much more. For maybe five minutes she stood there, seriously contemplating how to react, yet she had nothing, for the time being she held onto it, and nothing more. --- The last three weeks were largely uneventful, and during that time Rena was quiet, not cold like before, she was unsure. After their date neither of them talked about the collar, the gift, it just seemed to be out of bounds somehow. Noboyuki was ready in the lobby while Rena was cleaning out the last of their things, the owner wasn't around, he had to take care of a few errands, so they've already thanked the man earlier. Rena was of course dressed in her traveler's cloak, everything was packed, everything but one specific item. It remained tucked away since that day, she didn't want to look at it, maybe affaid what it symbolized. She wouldn't have thrown it out, or leave it behind, but still... she had no idea what to do with that collar. Rena came ambling down the stairs, not talkative still somber. She walked up to Noboyuki, head down, eyes cast to her feet. She was ready to go, and hoped the hero was able to understand that. One important thing to note, if the light were to hit her just right, one could see a brief glint of pink... around her neck.</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- She studied him long and hard, it was a reasonable answer, and one she truthfully was hoping for... but something was off. His words felted stilted, but natural, it was almost paradoxical. Rena had learned how to read people, it was a common skill in court after all, yet she had never really analyzed Noboyuki. He was only effectively a commoner so she didn't have reason to distrust him at face value. Now however she was starting to think differently... she wasn't sure, if anything he hid it very well, quite honestly on an impressive level. Still he just seemed too off to be truly natural, little too shifty in his gaze, taking a little too long to reach a conclusion. It was nothing big, no obvious giveaways, only smaller signals that at best... could prove something. For both their sakes Rena hopped this was only a false hunch. She simply nodded and looked away, and sighed, "Then that's fine, long as we remain honest with each other I don't see there being any problems." She purposefully put an emphasis on the word honest, maybe he'll pick that up, but she wanted to drop signs that she was beginning to become suspicious. She stood up from her spot around the fire, clearly a bit tired. Her mood had normalized more or less, which was fantastic for here, could be that she only needed a release of emotion, although how long that would be the case remained to be seen. "I'm... sorry for that, I think you should've figured how I have more than a few things on my mind, I just needed some answers, so thank you for telling me the truth, it helps." She could attack him right there, but she was sure that doing so would quite literally cause him to bolt, and well it could've also been uncalled for if he were really being honest. Rena said a quick good night before settling in for sleep, who could imagine what the future may bring?</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) As expected of a politician, she saw right through his lies. But she wasn't sure. If she was, she'd be way more upset. It was in the bag. Noboyuki just had to follow it up now. Lying gave him another huge talent. Being a great actor. He frowned when Rena said that. It was a most natural frown that no one would actually expect for it to be an act. He had regained his cool and was now ready to follow up with his lies. "Well, to be honest, it hurts my feelings that you do not believe what I just told you. Unless you would've preferred for me to lie about it." He said, sounding a bit hostile. Well, that should at least settle down the girl's alarms of whether or not he was telling the truth. She wasn't sure about hence why she said such things before going back to sleep. Noboyuki kept on his frowning face until he saw that Rena was well out of his range of sight. He sighed. "G'night." He shouted at her on her way to sleep, sounding a bit annoyed. Well, now, he should be able to be alone with his thoughts for a while re-organize them in one way or the other. Maybe he would also smoke another cigarette. He walked a bit farther away from their camp for a bit, with only the light of the moon shining upon him and giving him some kind of light. He took out his cigarettes and checked on them to see how fast he was burning through them.... he still had a good 10 cigarettes to smoke, then again, when he arrived, he had about 15. It had been two months already and, to be honest, he was making a good job refraining on them for the most part. But he was burning them out all the more quickly if that was really the case. Lately, and just in these last three weeks, he had already smoked 5 of them, despite putting up with it for the first month. Yeah, Rena's attitude as of late had him a bit worried, no, really worried. And even so, he decided to take a cigarette out and light it. Smoking to calm himself down, just now the thought came to his mind. He had already analyzed it, he was now calm about it. Taking another shot of his cigarette and releasing the smoke into the air, he said the conclusion he had come to, "I am in love with that woman." The mere thought of it made him laugh. How could a man like him fall for a girl like that. He took another smoke out of his cigarette, "She's not cute at all." He said while releasing the smoke inside his mouth. Yeah, there was no doubt about it. Maybe it was just how much time he had spent with her. Or maybe the experiences they had gone through together. It was a phenomenon with some kind of name that he didn't recall right now, but, apparently, having their heartbeats accelerated under a dire situation often had an effect like that. "Damn you, scientists." He quietly cursed. He burnt through his cigarette in a single shot and threw the butt to the floor, before stepping on it. "Let's get some sleep, then." He stretched out, making some of his bones crack. Yeah, it was time to sleep. Something also told him that he'd have some kind of good dream today, in one way or the other.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- It was an open field, nothing of note other than the crimson skies above, streaks of thinned clouds broke the screen of that redish orange. There was a simple sense of peace, simple and pure like that. The air was fresh, clean, a gentle current of wind made the long grasses dance. Over the horizion the setting sun was dipping, out of sight for another night before it'll meet the new day. A distance thundering could be heard, and yet that didn't matter, for it was unrelated to the serenity of that lone field. Almost beyond sight, just almost, stood a set of abandoned banners, their owners were gone leaving those symbols of power behind. That didn't matter. It was a dream.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) It was an enclosed space, a little room. People moved around, but their faces could not be made out. They were all but humanoid sillhouettes. They laughed and talked between each other in unintelligible speeches. Only between them did they knew what the other said. It all seemed unreal, it didn't seem to actually be happening as the onlooker watched. Between the unrecognizable faces, only one had a dsitinguishing feature on him. A pair of squared glasses. It was all apart from the others, as if to seclude itself from the others. It seemed to be.... bored, as it supported its head on one of its round hands. Other sillhouettes approached it, and the bespectacled one turned to them. It seemed happy, but not exactly right. It seemed to be... pretending to be happy. Its face gave it away instantly. That is the only way things can be. Echoed through the dream. Yes, a dream.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- The next day Rena did feel better, lot better then she had felt for the last handful of weeks, it was a liberating to put it in a single word. The night before she did have a strange dream, one she doesn't typically dream so dreaming is rare in of itself, and two it was fairly creepy, not a nightmare, just unsettling. Of course she mentioned nothing of that dream to Noboyuki, a dream is a dream and nothing more. Although one nagging thought remained, how will she confront him about... the potential lying, she still held onto the hope that he was not a lair that it was only born from paranoia on her part. --- Back to the field, although this time it was different, visually everything was the same, but the atmosphere was different. It was no long cheerful, the peace was no longer there, even if it appeared nothing had changed, and yet there was no dread, there was nothing, no feeling. This time the thunder was louder, much louder that it almost seemed to dominate the landscape, however after some time the thunder changed... in a way. Steadily it became not the distinct sound of the heavens clashing, no... it was footsteps, not a single set but thousands, enough to seem like thunder. A realization dawned that these were not just footsteps, but the sound on many boots marching in step, coordinated to stay in perfect timing, it was the sound of an army on the move. They were unseen but easily heard, invisible, yet visible, forces of ghosts. The banners from before were closer... their details more obvious, the cloth was tattered and ripped, burned in other areas, this was true for every single one. Clearly the image of what these banners used to represent were still present, still easily identifiable. The royal seal of the Kingdom of Eskar. (Red background with a yellow four pointed star in the middle.)</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The sun of the morning came again to dawn a new day upon the pair. Noboyuki woke up, feeling a bit groggy. He had a good night's rest, and he felt as if he had seen a pleasant dream, a really calm and clear one, for a change, but it still felt wrong, somehow. He did not say anything about it to Rena, of course, neither did he make any comment about what happened yesterday. If she still had the slight suspicion about his lying, then he needed to play it off as if that was never the case. Soon enough, it'd go away from her mind and completely forget about the incident, as many others did before. But nevermind that, they had to get moving now. --- The same grey scenery, still filled with sillhoutes as the last time. They still moved around and talked between each other as if it was completely natural for them to be doing so. They do seemed to be a little taller, though, than last time that they resembled little children. Mayebe they were now teenagers? They also seemed a little less generic and was easier to tell them apart easier this time. Some of them even had hair now too. They bustled about as last time, and the same one with the glasses on, though still with no other distinguishing features, remained alone. It seemed to take some books out, but only one of them stood out. It's title read House And Philosophy. The little sillhoute put away all the others, while it opened the only remaining book. It read it intently and with great attention... until another sillhoute approached it. This one had long black hair, though. It seemed to be calling out at the bespectacled one, and it turned to the other one quite quickly. A great smile, like no other appeared on its face. It seemed really happy at the arrival of the other sillhoute. They chatted between each other and everything seemed to be fine between them. Is it okay for me to feel like this? It echoed again through the dream.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- A continued dream, well that was a first, she still remembered the first one, so it was very obvious in some way the new dream she had the night before was somehow connected to the original one. Whatever the case was Rena opted to ignore these messages, the belief being that it was really only by chance that she, again someone who normally doesn't dream at all, had two extremely similar ones in succession. The subject of the newest dream wasn't that obvious to her, it was a jumble to her, with only a few elements identifiable even then she couldn't understand them. Noboyuki seemed to be fine, at least that almost seemed to be the case, as it had been recently she was no longer confident in reading the man, could he be reflecting on their conversations that was still just a few nights ago? What could he be thinking about. --- There was no field this time, but it was indoors. At first there were only gray stone walls, these walls made a massive featureless room devoid of any defining features, and lined in total darkness. It was quiet. Then as time went on this empty room became more furnished, large wooden benches, almost pews, hugged the far walls on both sides. Then red tapestries hung across the walls, only that one solid red. Then there were windows, streaming light into the room, each one cutting a hole into the gray stone at even intervals. More and more was added to this room, carpet being gold and red, more benches, new chairs, candles and torches, until eventually the entire room was almost alive, resembling a royal court. As if from nowhere, it seemed, there were people. Many people in fact who filled the entire space, most of them looked to be well dressed, clean, and obviously wealthy. Yet they didn't have faces... although that wouldn't be the right way to describe them. They did have faces, eyes, a nose and a mouth, but they didn't... perhaps words couldn't explain after all. Among these well dressed individuals were what appeared to be heavily armored men, clad in metal plate, wielding lethal looking halberds. They had a stoic air to them, cold and commanding. In the middle, where everyone was looking at, one of the Faceless was different, being that he in fact had a face, strong features, among them being a groomed beard, a shallow one, and he appeared to be aged, not white with years, but old. Sound came rushing in, yet none of it was clear, it was muffled, a male voice was speaking, it appeared to come from the Faced One, he was angry, he was shouting. To whom couldn't be seen, maybe a far off figure, up beyond the steps that lead to a throne, to the master. The Tyrant The Faced One continued his shouting, although before long the armored men, The Executioners, grabbed the Faced One, roughly pulling him from the court, the muffled words becoming more frantic... as only if he were pleading, scared. Without transition the Field had returned, yet the Court had left. The banners still held their place, alone and abandoned, now the skies were no long just a shade of orange, but truly red now, a unnatural color. Nothing there was now there, at the base of the center banner, one of the armored men once present in the Court, maybe, no longer stoic or commanding, still cold. He... if he were a he, laid limp and lifeless. Only a shell now. The shouting of the Faced One rang out, clear. Falkren! You traitorous bitch! How could you!</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki woke up, with some kind of bizarre dream again. As a man that often dreamed about other things, probably dreams more fitting for men like defeating some kind of titan or racing in the streets against your rival, it was one of the few times that Noboyuki had two dreams like that. What was worse, they were a bit too similar for it to be just a coincidence. Even so, as last time, he wasn't able to make heads or tails out of it. It was frustrating, but the man didn't let that show in his face. At least, not in front of Rena. Whenever he had time alone, though, he decided to put his mind to good use and think long and hard about it. Even so, the fact that the dream seemed to be random, and still clearly organized in some way that someone would be able to make sense of it made it all the more confusing for Noboyuki. Maybe, another dream would show up next time he went to sleep. Maybe, it'd also give him some more clues. Maybe, it had something to do with his heroic powers and, to be honest, he felt like a kid in christmas, awaiting for the holy powers to arrive. --- For a change of pace, the sillhoute with glasses now finds itself outside, in a scenery that seems straight out of some kind of artwork. Colorful cherry blossom petals fall down as the bespectacled one waits eagerly for what is to come. It is now characterized by a new feature just added to it, though it is more of a commonplace for a person its age, or should eb, at the very least. With gigantic braces now in its mouth and traces of slight facial hair, it fidgets, it moves around and paces back and forward, seemingly trying to get its mind away of what is to come. Suddenly, it seems to pick up something with its ears and it quickly and eaferly turns around to see just what arrived, with a great smile on its face, or in what should be its face. The sillhoute with black hair appears yet again, though its figure seems a lot more womanly and mature. It is now easy to tell it apart from other sillhoutes as it now resembles a woman even more. It seemed to be quite eager as well, and the glasses of the other one shine on with expectation. However, the expression of the long haired one drops and becomes a frown as soon as it spots the one with glasses. The other one doesn't seem disheartened though. It seems just as eager as before, maybe even more, as it now jumps with expectation. Soon enough, the both of them engage into a conversation, with the one with glasses making exaggerated hand movement and seemingly becoming flustered from time to time, while the other one merely looks down and.... disappointed perhaps? It seems to only nod out of obligation to everything the other says. Finally, after a while, the one with glasses seems even more pumped and finishes its exaggerated hand motions to finally make its point across. And even so, while it seems nervous and happy to finally get it out of its chest, the long haired one simply nods acknowledging it. before looking away from the one with glasses and moving its mouth to say something. Even so, it cannot be heard to anyone but the one with glasses, and when it does, all of its energy seems to leave its body, as well as the color of the scenery. It seems frustrated, but suddenly, an idea seems to pop in its mind. The scenery gains more color, though it isn't as vivid as it was first. It suddenly strikes a pose with its hand on its waist and smirks. It starts talking but, again, none of it is heard. The black haired one, that also seemed to be really sad about the outcome, whatever it was, also recovers its smile, it even starts laughing. The other one seems to have calmed down now that it seems things are all right again. This is the only way to protect what I have, instead of losing it all</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena woke that morning in a thoughtful mood, it was too obvious now that these dreams were connected, that clearly something was weaving them together into... a story, although a story of what she couldn't tell. There were characters, like out of a story book, a boy, had to be a boy, perhaps that was a hunch at best, but Rena thought that made sense. The other was a woman, or would it be a girl to go along with the boy? It felt like a love story, figures... seeing as her own life was beginning to parallel one, speaking about, well when it came to her love life, suppose it could be called that, she still hadn't confronted Noboyuki yet. If she were to guess part of the reason had to be how he seemed to be thinking a lot, though he hid himself well, his actual mood still bled through his shield. Wonder what he could be occupied with... --- Back to the Field again, not the Court. It was not empty like the other two dreams, no a group of figures wandered in the grass, maybe fifty men give or take, like the other Faceless from the Court they did not have their faces, while still having them. Unlike the Court Faceless, the Field faceless did not look like they were well off, if anything they looked tired, weak, perhaps hopeless. Unlike the Court Faceless the Field Faceless, did not dress in bright colors, no they were "armored" but not liked the Executioners. Iron pots that looked like they were hammered down to function as breastplates, ragged leather gloves, torn shirts, they had weapons, but not the shiny halberds, farming tools, the sickle, the scythe, although a select few wielded dull swords, clearly not well maintained. This time the air was tense as the Faceless moved forward towards whatever objective they had in mind, to whatever destiny awaited them. Not Faceless... Freemen... Those bodiless words rang out, yet these Freemen seemed not to hear them, but at that moment, almost like a quick snap, the world pulled into focus. The Freemen then had faces, they looked human as anyone else without that distinct element of unknown that once plagued them, much more was revealed, such as every single one was male, and every single one had a grave expression about him. It was clear they were uncertain, that is all but one Freeman who lead the group. The Fool The Fool waited before the Freemen ordering them to stop the march, he had a speech, although like the Faced One his words were also muffled, yet they were still strong. As he spoke, whatever he had to say, held a positive effect among the Freemen, they nodded at his rhetoric, enveloped into the passion of this man's speech. Before long the Freemen were actually motivated, the Fool fueled this by raising the volume of his voice, pacing before the Freemen, they were now cheering, they looked not happy, but under the fervor produced by the Fool. The Fool lifted his hand into a fist. The Fist of Revolution The Fool looked triumphant. To liberty, my brothers! He spoke. Not the Fool... the Leader The Freemen were stunned, the Leader was stunned... blood dripped from his chest, the scrap breastplate held pitifully against the arrow. The Leader feel to his knees, then forward, where his blood continued to pool before him. Not the Leader... the Deadman. More arrows rained from the sky, thousands, if not millions covered the heavens above, looking like they were vengeful winged demons rather than arrows fired from a man made bow. The Freemen crumpled without resistance, the arrows forced them down, onto the ground, now soaked in red. Not the Freemen... the Deadmen. In the distance, along the horizon far from the Deadmen, stood the silhouettes of Executioners, cold, stoic, and commanding as always. The Deadmen were left behind, the Deadman, almost appeared separated from his brothers, no longer seeming as the leader, but the outcast. The banners had more company, graves, shallow and barely marked by the ever symbolic wooden cross. The Deadmen rested... yet not truly so. The Tyrant of Eskar continued to expand Her dominion.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Yeah.... Even Noboyuki wasn't enough of an idiot to not see that the dreams were connected. They were telling a story. But what kind of story? Maybe the story of the Kingdom of Eskar? If so, why would it start showing now, when they were countless kilometers away from Rena's home kingdom? He recognized the symbol, but, given that he could not read anything in that world, everything else was nothing but a mere guess from Noboyuki's part. It could also be a war, a revolution in another kingdom. Referring to the leader of that same revolution as a tyrant, though.... The name Falkren... Not enough info to go on Thought Noboyuki. He would continue on being pensive that day as well. He did make a mental note to remember that name, though. Falkren. Maybe he'd need to go check with Rena if she knew anything about that. Maybe, going to Rena would be best, but he wanted to wait until he was able to make some sense of what he was seeing. --- The recurrent bespectacled protagonist of the dreams has now become nothing but an espectator in the sidelines. It watches intently and, not exactly eager about what he is watching. Even so, it seems that he is watching the whole thing out of compromise, maybe because it is the one that set it up? It also seems to have grown messy dark blue hair now as well. The scene is focused on him, until it moves into the inside of what seems to be a classroom. The one with long hair is speaking with another sillohoute, one with spiky blonde hair. They are talking for a while, until the long haired one seems to say something that takes its breath away. The spiky haired one looks at it, seemingly surprised, before nodding happily. The one with long hair also seems happy and they hug each other. The bespectacled one seems to be hurt by the whole scene, being able to do nothing but clench its little fists and bite its lip. It seems to shade a tear, before shaking its head and leaving the place. Even if it is a lie, I can live comfortably with it, right? The voice seems to come from the little sillhoutte, as it disappears between the crowds bustling about in what seems to be a hallway. Later on, the one with long hair approaches th bespectacled one, still happy about the outcome from before. Thanks a lot! It couldn't have been possible without you. A female voice echoes. No, it is the least I can do as a friend. A male voice echoes this time. It seems to come from the one with glasses, as it smiles at it. It seems to bid the long haired one farewell and walks the other way, with a sad smile on his face. Yes, in this place there's no place for someone like me. If so, then I just have to change who I am. Become someone I am not, even if it is just to fit in with others. I don't want to be left alone ever again. Never. Time seems to fast forward. The little sillhoute with glasses is now taller, a bit too tall to be honest. It also now sports a pair of blue eyes under his glasses, and can now be identified easily as a male. A male perhaps 16 years old? As any typical teenager, it is now resting in a bed with an uninterested look in his face. It seems to receive a message in a phone, even though the concept is foreign to the people of Eskar. With the same uninterested look, it stands up and leaves the place he was in. Images flash by. The same sillohoute with messy blue hair with other sillohoutes of various sizes and shapes, along with their own distinguishing features, seemingly having fun in various places. It even changes to single shots of it with another woman like sillhoute, a different one every time. But one thing remains in all of the shots. His disappointed expression in each and every one of them. Just what am I doing? Is there any point to this? Aren't I... The other sillhoutes slowly disappear from the image, leaving only the one with glasses in a dark room. The loneliest like this? Even so.... Even so... there's no way I can let the truth be known now. It would be nothing but a fool's errand. This life, it's foundation..... is lies. I am nothing but a liar. And I must stick to that life until the end. Otherwise, I will only end up lying to the only person I don't want to lie to.....</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Thus that morning Rena woke with a start... the last dream, the latest of this strange chronicle it told so much. Perhaps while it wasn't a huge problem in Eskarian culture, just different expectations, certainly plenty of people end up stigmatized, outcasts for whatever reason when growing up. Maybe this wasn't what was happening here, but it felt close, or maybe the root to that problem. Still the main realization hit her like a hypothetical truck, the boy was really starting to look like a certain... individual in her life. It was starting to make sense to her, the foreign look of the rooms, the odd clothing, it could no longer be anyone else, now the main question is how accurate were these dreams, how much did they tell of the hero. She waited until the next night, they were sitting around a new fire in a new location. Rena had to admit, Noboyuki was much different to her now, especially since their first meeting. She had a respect for him, due to his status as a holy warrior, and respect for his actual proof of strength after their numerous encounters with demons. Although that was no longer the case, sure she still had that respect, but it wasn't as prevalent anymore, as much as she didn't want to admit it, the man in front of her was a liar, she had come to believe that, and to make it even more confusing, well she was also tackling fledgling feelings towards him, that she had come more than able to accept even if it took a while. Maybe Noboyuki noticed her staring at him, she had to think about her next move, she was obvious, that was fine seeing as she didn't want to hide. The way Rena saw it there were two ways to go about it, subtly ask him, just to confirm before anything else, or get right into it, directly attack him with words. Attack was an ugly word... but she was worried he may try to run otherwise, there were times to play cloak and dagger then there were times to charge into the fray, metaphorically speaking. Rena reached forward to grab Noboyuki by the shoulder, maybe it'll help him to relax, maybe not, still it felt like the right thing to do, somehow. She breathed deeply, steeling herself before starting. "You are a liar, you have been one for your entire life."</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He ran... damn that was exactly the last thing that she wanted to happen, instinctively she lunged for the routing hero, but only met the dirt, her face skidding along a very short distance along the ground. She swore under her breath as she rose, she scratched herself and even opened a few shallow cuts, little bit of bleeding but obviously not even close to lethal. The leaves rustled, betraying the path that he ran down. Rena, without a second thought, gave chase. Through the foliage that blocked her progress, it was thick here, making Rena seriously question how Noboyuki was able to push through at all, still guess a lesser man would've been stopped, but not him. Why did he take off like that? No... that was a rhetorical question, she knew very well why he ran, but that didn't mean she fully expected him to, what did he think when she finally got down to question him? Noboyuki... had his own problems, deep ones if the dreams were any kind of indicator. Soon she stopped, out of breath, she had not realized how fast she was going, she was only so far into the wilderness, and yet she already had to stop. Rena only took a very short break, the fear of what might happen to her only companion was too great, she couldn't lose him. She chuckled to herself... if she had any doubts about her... love... they were gone now, really why would she go through so much effort for anyone else but him? Ready to go again, but not really, Rena pushed back some bushes, she had to hold a gasp, she had already caught up! Noboyuki was just standing there, this was her chance. Prepared to fight until the end, she rushed out from behind her cover, she didn't trust him enough to not run again, hoping to catch him off guard Rena practically threw herself on him, maybe pinning him down at the legs. It was almost... almost like a hug. She held on, despite her being considerably smaller than the man, she held on like no other, there was zero chance in hell she was going to give up. She realized she got him from the front when looking up at him, it was a blur, but she swore there was shock on his face, she could only wonder what she looked like, all she knew was the burning sensation around her face. Rena dug her hands into him, willing for him to listen to her... he just had to this time. "You need to stop running! From me... from yourself! Hell especially yourself, just enough! Don't you get tired?! Don't you at least trust me to trust in you?! Come on! Let me trust you!"</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) After a while, Rena finally found him and, well, he expected her to be careful, even so, he didn't expect for her to do what she did. She threw him down and they both fell to the ground, after the sudden tackle from Rena. Noboyuki was indeed surprised, even more by the words that came out of her mouth. She was right, Noboyuki was just running from himself. He needed to stop, like, right about now. But it still scared him. It scared him out of his mind. What was he now anyway? Was he anything aside from the lies he had been telling up until now? Noboyuki suddenly found himself at a crossroads. He did not know what the hell he was supposed to be in reality. And as he thought about it with Rena on top of him, he knew that he couldn't just take forever like that. His breathing became agitated.Yeah, he needed to just come out and say something. He couldn't help but put a hand on her head. "I am.... I am... Scared.... Damn. That's the truth. I've known it for a while now. But I didn't want to face it. No matter what, I didn't want to. I wanted to protect the same dull life I leaded in my world. I didn't want anything to perturb that peace. And then, I was dragged against my will to this world. I knew nothing of it, neither did the inhabitants of this world knew anything about me. It was perfect. A new start. I may have longed for that for quite a while without even realising it." He starts speaking with his heart, instead of letting his brain devise the perfect route to follow when talking with others. It was high time for him to stop doing so. "And then, in here, I went on lying. With things of less importance at first, until you had to ask me what I thought about you. I told you you were just a dear friend to me... only because I didn't want to lose you! I couldn't stand the mere thought of losing you! If you didn't feel the same way as I... I wouldn't know what to do! I was just so scared of that.... of you not ever wanting to see me again." He felt his eyes watering. Yeah. He was speaking a bit too much from his heart. If he didn't stop anytime now.... "Rena, I...!" No, stop. "I...!" You will be all alone again "I love you!" Get it back. Lie your way out again. You still have time. You can still protect what you have now. You can remain static at this point. "I love you so much! I don't care whether it is just some kind of blessed coincidence or part of some stupid study! I don't care anymore! I just can't keep it anymore in my chest and continue lying to you! I love you, Rena Falkren!" Noboyuki shouted at the top of his lungs. It was done. There was no going back anymore. He could just pray. He couldn't just lie now, like he did long before. A grown woman wouldn't just fall for that. Now he just had to wait. He could talk to her about the dreams after that.... If they ever talked to each other again, that is.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- What? No really what?! Rena almost took a double take, she almost didn't believe him, that at first she couldn't believe that was a honest to God love confession. She laid there, just absolutely lost for anything to say, even her mouth hung there stupidly. This just took a really really unexpected turn, she thought that he would get defensive about his past again, that he would try to deny it again, yet never in her wildest dreams she ever thought he would confess. Her heart was beating so hard and fast, for a brief moment she even thought it might explode, her entire body felt hot, she was an absolute flustering mess at that moment. That was it, she couldn't take it anymore, Rena clutched him even harder then threw her face into his shirt, giving him some kind of tight hug. "I love you too!" she was muffled, hell what if he couldn't hear her? She rose her again to look him directly in the eye, with a clear determination, and spoke those words again. "I-I actually love you too, Noboyuki!" There he couldn't have missed it that time, he knew, she knew. Their love was mutual, it almost had to be offical now. She buried her head into Noboyuki again, this time tears even streaming down her face, she was crying? Such a happy moment that brought tears, such a paradox but she couldn't stop them. Rena continued her tight embrace, almost unable to let go, time passed, maybe five minutes, maybe fifteen minutes, time fell away to her, it felt way too good, to finally become this intimate with someone, it felt like heaven. She loved Noboyuki, her first true partner, they would never ever be able to go back now, they both had knew that, still Rena was perfectly happy with how things turned out, she would never want to go back.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The words that Rena spoke made his heart flutter. Was it real? It wasn't a dream, right? He felt tempted to pinch himself and see if that wasn't a dream but, to be honest, he was scared that it was indeed a dream and that he'd wake up if he did such a thing. He was happy, to be honest. Not only did he let his feelings out in the open, despite his fear for rejection, but Rena felt all the same, and it was a relief that she did, otherwise, in which rock could Noboyuki have hidden under? But that wasn't important right now. Right now.... What should he say? He did just declare his love to the girl that was on top of him, but how could he follow things up in any way? Being all like 'oh, yeah, right', seemed inappropriate, maybe a kiss? Nah, it would seem a bit too sudden in their current position and start of their relationship. Then there was one thing that would show his aggection and not seem as sudden. He put his arms around her and hugged her gently, while smiling to himself. "That's... a relief. I wouldn't have knwon what to do if you turned me down. I'm so happy right now. I promise not to lie to you ever again." He simply said. Haha, just what got into him there? Suddenly, he just couldn't help but remember what he said and blush slightly. That voice in the back of his head too.... it didn't quite seem like his, to be honest, but since it came from his mind, he didn't really pay it any more attention, maybe it was only his imagination. He held her even tighter after building up his confidence to this time confront HER about her own dreams. "So, Rena..... is there anything else that is troubling you? I dunno, maybe in the future or something?" He was fairly sure now. The dreams had something to do with the both of them. Certainly, Rena sure caught up fast to his lies, even though he is an expert liar. Only people who knew him to his very core could tell when he was lying, such as his mother or father. In other words, Rena might have been seeing dreams about him... while he saw dreams about her. He was almost sure. "Or should I say, Falkren the Tyrant? What is it that scares you Rena? Won't you tell me?" As far as he knew, Rena didn't really want to inherit the position from his father. "I'll do everything I can to make sure I protect you, so don't worry about it." He said, even before he got an answer. That's just how he felt about it, and what he would honestly do despite everything.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Wasn't this something? Rena didn't panic, really coming from a very relaxed state from just laying there, she barely registered his words at first, although it sank in soon enough. She didn't say anything, but she sat up, which was a shame if only they could stay like that for a while longer. She really did feel calm though, in another situation, or with someone else she would've denied anything. Thing was now they finally put everything out there, their love and feelings, she essentially made a pact to always trust him, to trust Noboyuki. Maybe it was foolish to do so already, when their relationship had just started not even an hour ago, but she thought it out long enough beforehand, the time was right. "It is rude to go from our first time cuddling, then into questioning me like this. Guess I did the same, fair is fair, but first let's go back, its chilly out here, can already feel a cold coming on." Rena got up from the ground, of course she stopped to help her partner on his feet, offering her hand. The walk back was uneventful, but happy, at least she was. Although along the way she was still worried about what their going to be talking about, more so she wanted to know what Noboyuki even found out. She still had not pieced together the possibility of him having his own dreams. The couple were back around the fire, it died down some without being cared for, the low lighting set the mood just right. Rena leaned back on her hands, just thinking for the moment, it was so odd to be thinking clearly after hearing, and especially giving love confessions, maybe that was just her, Noboyuki could have been emotional still for all she knew. Now where to start? "... So, you've done some discovery yourself huh..." She spoke slowly, trying to be delicate, "Well to start with how did you figure me out? I don't usually tell you about my worries, I mean those specific troubles really..." Rena sighed, "But yes, I'm just not, uh, just ready for what's next if you understand me..."</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He was already starting to get a little... uh loving? If that's the right word. She was obviously unused to be physically close to someone, course their cuddle from earlier was spontaneous, you know born out of sheer emotion. Here though it was different, it was a conscious decision on his part, she was thinking how this would all work out, where or when does she know when they could be, well lovers? It was then Rena was becoming all too aware of her lack of experience with... everything, no idea how to be in real relationship. Guess at best she'll be able to do is wing it, couldn't be that hard, should be natural right? Just go with what feels right. All the same though she was self-conscious as Noboyuki pulled her in, she didn't fight it though, nothing changed that she liked it anyway since it felt comforting. He talked, he seemed so much more supportive than before, so this was him as an honest man. Finally. She returned a smile, really a smirk, "No... you wouldn't be king, inheritance doesn't work like that, I'm not even sure what you'll be, you know a princess doesn't typically end up with someone from an entirely another dimension." Rena snuggled up against her partner, just felt like the right move at the time. She sighed deeply, she still couldn't believe this happened, it was almost too perfect. "Thank you for being here though, guess you've seen an uglier side of me, I don't want to know what you seen, not yet, couldn't have been pretty. I know what your dreams, or whatever they were, shown me." She played idly with one of the buttons on Noboyuki's jacket, so shiny. He looked to be fine with this, so strange, its gonna take a while to get used to... how causal they were towards each other, just felt too soon, but what did she know? She looked up to him, her head was nestled just in his armpit, she gave another smile, both to stomp down some of her vague doubts, maybe also to help with Noboyuki's as well. "I don't know what those dreams are about, they have to mean something right? Still they've helped us, don't think we would be here right now otherwise, has to be a good thing just because of that." Rena paused for only a moment before continuing, thinking if she needed to say this, it did feel natural though. "I really do love you Noboyuki. I really do..." Those words still made her heart skip a beat, still without fail.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) It was good that Rena followed up with his antics, and even if it was just some small shows of affection Noboyuki still appreciate them quite a lot. "Hehe, you've seen an ugly side of me as well. One I wished people never saw, to be honest. But when it's all done and said, I think that indeed ended up helping us. So, I can't say I really regret you ever seeing them." He smiled at her. The only thing he regretted was having to arrive to the next town in such a short time. He wished they had some more time to be alone like that. He wasn't one to push his luck, but he indeed wanted some alone time with her. He looked back at Rena, staring right into her eyes, and then Rena said those words again. They made his own heart skip a beat, and he even blushed a bit after hearing it. But even so, he didn't look away from her. Those words meant a whole lot to him. The whole mood and atmosphere.... Yeah, something told him that it would be a good time to push his luck right now, even if it was just for a bit. He leaned down and planted a kiss on Rena's lips. Even if it wasn't something really big and just something out of impulse, Noboyuki thought the time was right. "I love you too, Rena." He simply said, with a sincere smile in his face, one he had never shown anyone before. He wished time would just stop. In that simple night that seemed a bit too perfect. They were about to arrive to the next town too. "Can we stay like this for another while? I suddenly don't feel like sleeping at all." He put up now his usual sarcastic smile of always. Even then, though, the night continued on. It would be the next morning anytime soon, even if Noboyuki wished with all of his heart for that not to happen. Even so, he may want to push his luck again and ask her to sleep together, of course, without trying to imply anything else and.... Yeah, he'd better not do that, or he'd get punched.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena's eyes widened, of course in response to his quick kiss, on the lips none the less. Noboyuki was bold that's for sure, she couldn't tell of that was a good or a bad thing, she knew their relationship wasn't going to be boring at the least. Still Rena was somewhat turned off by the gesture, he was advancing quickly, little too quickly, but she didn't feel pressured, they just started after all. After they parted Rena was blushing, "I-uh, I... that was my first kiss... by the way." Yeah, that's right, there was her first actual kiss ever, wasn't filled the passion she perhaps hoped for... ah well, there will be more in the future. They continued to sit there, she agreed that it was nice, and of course expressed that ending the night would be a shame, a huge one. Rena engaged in small talk, first ever since their date last month, she didn't discuss anything of much importance, this time she went into her own family. King Halthor Falkren 'the Silver-tongued' of Eskar, of course was her father. Rena explained how he earned his name, the Silver-tongued, as she said many times before her father was a great diplomat, diplomacy perhaps being his biggest asset. Hell he'd even taught Rena herself from a young age, that was before she started traveling. Her mother... well died after childbirth which was the prime reason Rena was an only child, King Falkren refused to remarry and so that's what resulted in her becoming the sole heir, no one else was there to take it. Seeing as she never even met her mother, Rena didn't have any regrets, which was the most she ever said about the subject. Turned out the house of Falkren wasn't that big, her only other living relative was an uncle, Duke Gerald Falkren of Thermia, a powerful man who personally oversaw about a third of the kingdom. He was described as being a man with strong features, among them being a groomed beard, a shallow one, and he appeared to be aged, not white with years, but old. He was only just a few years younger than her father after all, she didn't have much else to say about him, other than the man was known to be very kind, making him popular among the people. Before long though Rena ended up passing out, still on Noboyuki's lap, it simply became way too late, plus after the rapid series of events that night it was a wonder how the princess managed to stay awake for as long as she did. She slept peacefully, and without another dream. --- The next morning, or uh maybe only a few hours later really, they were needless to say back on the road, couldn't get caught up in what happened, you know in spite of how much as Rena wanted to relax at that spot more, in fact she had a feeling that Noboyuki thought the same. If she were to guess they had to be only an hour or two away from the next town, a major one if fact as it was a walled city, complete with large buildings including a chapel, and a keep. It was ruled by a lesser Earl, a new one actually since he very recently inherited the title after death of the previous ruler, being the new Earl's great grandfather. Unfortunately that was about the extent of what Rena knew.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) "Um, well, to be honest.... That was my first as well. I don't have a lot of experience with, well, kisses. Or relationships at that. It always was nothing but pretending, but now.... it feels more real." He said, feeling a bit flustered. It was good to finally hear something about Rena's family. She hadn't talked abotu it in since, well, forever. He answered her own words with some family history of his own. He talked to her about his own family, a mother and a father, as well as a teenager sister. Even then, who he talked the most about was about his sister. They seemed to be in.... fairly abd terms. Noboyuki was strict, almost like a father, and as a teenager, his sister was obviously not always agreeing with him. He also talked about how they got into a lot of fights between each other, but also how they usually supported each other regardless of the situation they may be in. She was the thing closer to a best friend he had, it seemed. Noboyuki also told her about his parents, fo course, saying that his father was fairly similar to him and that his mother was a smaller woman with a somewhat stern face and someone really serious, unlike his father, who is as sarcastic as Noboyuki himself. He talked about how they spent a lot of time in their respective offices working and how he ended up spending more time with his sister. They seemed to be knit pretty close to each other, the way Noboyuki talked, and it also seemed that he wasn't all too fond of his parents, again, by the way he talked about them. Still, there was a little bit of the descriptions of Rena's family that seemed.... awfully familiar. Where had he heard about it before? Yes, he had seen it rather than heard it. A shallow beard, not white with years, but old..... Was it in one of the dreams? Nah, couldn't be. Couldn't be, could it? How did it went again? The Tyrant? He knew he should have wrote down everything as soon as he woke up, why didn't he do it in the end?! Dammit, it was a bit frustrating. But his frustration went away once Rena lost to sleep and fell asleep in his lap. It was good that she wasn't really disgusted with the excuse of a kiss he gave her. He felt it was a good start. He took off his jacket and put it over her as a blanket. It was the best he could do. Now, he should also get some sleep. --- Noboyuki always thought bad of politicians, but he thought that the worst kind of politician was the one that inherited power and was born with it. He most often than not pictured people like that fat and with the attitude of a total despot in all and every way. Then again, Rena seemed to be an exception of that. Even so, it was good to finally be back in town with Rena, they would finally be able to sleep in a decent and actual bed. Now, for starters, what should they do...? Noboyuki thought it would be a good idea to go stroll by the town, however, and rather suddenly, an stranger approached the duo. Hooded and gasping for air, the stranger took off his hood before any questions could be made. "Oh, excuse me. Are you... the group that is travelling to defeat the Demon Lord?" The boy asked. Yes, he was nothing but a boy. If Noboyuki guessed right, he was not older than 16 years old. He merely lifted an eyebrow at the sudden question. He may say something stupid as wanting to join them, so Noboyuki quickly moved to deny the fact that they were indeed that same group. However, the talkative boy in front of them did not allow for an answer coming from Noboyuki. "Because I can totally help you! You see, I have these odd powers that are extra effective on demons! An old man taught me how to use them and I wanted to join you guys when I had the first opportunity!" He seemed a bit too eager, but he hadn't even stated his name. Claiming he was powerful and whatnot... Yeah, Noboyuki didn't trust that at all. It was a bit too anime esque for a boy like that to be some kind of 'chosen' one. Then again, he was completely unaware of the boy's position as the real hero that had been summoned to this world. He decided to just go with it for now. But there were some things that came first before that. "Well, at the very least you could tell us your name, brat. It isn't exactly polite to just come out and start saying things like that without even saying your name, you know? I am Noboyuki." Noboyuki said, trying to keep his cool. He wasn't good with these kinds of people. Cheerful and bright. "A-Ah, yes. My name is Isshiki Ryuma. I, uh, come from a little village in the borders of another big city. We have the custom of putting our given names after our surnames, so feel free to call me Ryuma." The boy with the blonde hair said, smiling from the bottom of his heart. Yeah, he was the kind of honest guy that was always straightforward. Noboyuki didn't really want to deal with him. But anyhow, wasn't his name too... Japanese-ish? Maybe there were people like that in here too, or maybe.... nah, it couldn't be. He was sure it couldn't be. Why would they summon two people into this world from his own? More importantly, why were they both Japanese? Nah, it was too much of a coincidence.</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena mostly kept walking with Noboyuki, this happened a lot where random folks wanted to join them for whatever reason, glory, gold, or God there were plenty of motivations. They were back in more populated lands, made sense they would start encountering people like this. Of course they were never brought along especially since this time their hopeful recruit was only barely on the cusp of adulthood, honestly he could've been a liability rather then a truly helpful pair of extra hands. For the moment she allowed her lover to take care of the kid, thus she kept looking foward trying not to acknowledge him. Although that became harder as he kept trying, probably not even a little likely to give up. He kept talking, Rena kept ignoring him, that is until the kid said his name. The surname came first, like Noboyuki's, Ryuma, that of course being this kid's name, claimed that he simply followed that tradition, problem was that was a tradition that didn't exist. Before Noboyuki, she had never ever encountered someone's last name first, it simply does not exist in her world. It even took her a while before she started calling her partner by his proper first name, just assuming that his last name was his first name. Looking back then, it was somewhat embarrassing. Still whatever was happening she had already made the connection, hopefully this was only a case of a overzealous youth attempting to emulate Noboyuki by making up a weird name. Rena gently tapped on Noboyuki's back, "You should learn how to be more diplomatic, now I have a few questions, just give me a moment, okay?" Something was already odd about this kid, really despite just meeting him, he had already proven to be something else. Rena stopped, as so did Noboyuki, hopefully, then of course she faced Ryuma, "If you've been looking for us, then you know I am Rena Falkren. Its good that you've decided to seek us out, shows some spirt however... I'm wondering, what province do you hail from? If you're not from Eskar, then what kingdom?"</s>
<\|description\|>---Rena Falkren--- ---20ish Years old--- ---Current Information--- Rena is the only daughter to the Falkren family, the currently leading monarchy in Eskar. Started traveling with Ichitatsu Noboyuki as the acting guide on the quest to defeat the Demon King. So yeah, bare bones was right for sure, but my plan is to update her information as we continue on, think I mentioned this before. Eventually I plan for a little saga to be recorded here, neat thing to recount what's happened from her perspective in some kind of a journal format, guess think of the end result as a storybook more than anything.</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- She was surrounded by children... and not just the literal one in front of her. The kid was arrogant, inappropriate, and just overall unpleasant, hell he even attempted to kiss her, granted it was only on the hand... Rena could easily reason why Noboyuki would lose his temper so quickly with Ryuma, she also had to consider their brand new relationship status right? Although that was still no reason for the hero to actually lash out at their rude guest, she'll have to deal with him later. Rena's temperament changed from the gentle expression of their initial encounter, to one of scorn, diplomacy was out of the picture at this point. Even if the boy was only slightly taller than her, Rena mustered her gravest stare, not even Noboyuki had seen it ever before, the kid may be able to intimidate, but she? She had a lifetime of authority to bear down with. "You are stupidly bold, not even that, you are arrogant to such an extreme fault I am already unable to stand your presence. First, you lie about your own home, and that lie was unraveled in the manner of seconds. Second, you insult a dear companion of mine who as stayed loyal to me nearly to the extent of death on multiple occasions, he who has shown true proof of his strength and martial prowess, however you boast without the slightest scrap of real evidence thus far. Third, you dare to mock the idea of chivalry with your woefully horrid attempt at a kiss of my hand, its disgraceful beyond all measure of a knight's code of honor. And last, you make ALL of this seem as if it were a game, that in of itself insults me and every single citizen of my kingdom to the highest degree, this cause is for our future, the future of everyone. You already seem to have thrown that notion away, it is down right disgusting to call you a human being if you are unable to comprehend the serious nature that my home finds itself in." The last word seethed from Rena, she didn't want to do that at first, but now... well now that changed, she meant everything she said, Ryuma had already shown himself to be someone she would be very much unwilling to even think about cooperating with. Now though, she wasn't done, no not yet. Rena turned around to face Noboyuki himself, he had made some mistakes as well. "Then there's you... Noboyuki I expected more from you, much more, did you understand what I meant by 'to be more diplomatic?' The point was to handle this in a civilized manner without breaking out into petty bickering. You allowed this boy to provoke you into arguing with him, you should've shown restraint because you are more than strong enough to do so, I know that for a fact. There is also the subject of you pushing away his kiss, it was uncalled for you to do so, I am able to decline it myself... it shows that you care, and I can appreciate more than perhaps you really know, still it was not the right way to show that you care. You are strong, intelligent, and loyal, these are some of the many, many reasons why I fallen in love with you, so act as the better man in the future, you are very much able to do so." Rena reached forward to pat Noboyuki on the back, she hoped that her eyes alone were able to convey that while he did annoy her, and disappoint her, that she still loved him no matter what. Rena stepped back to allow her reprimanding to sink in, this was the end of their fighting, no more. If either of them were to make another attempt at continuing, she made a mental note to strike down whichever one decided to do so... even Noboyuki, she did not have the patience for this.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) The childish part of him that came out just now urged him to mock Ryuma after he was being told off by Rena, and that same childish part of him wanted to say something like 'I didnt do anything bad'. And luckily, his adult side of him was still there and echoing hard through his body. Yes, he wasn't so angry that he would just lash out like a little kid. He had been immature enough already as it was. "Yes... yes, I know that." Noboyuki shook his head, before breaking into a smile. "I will do my best from now on. Sorry, Rena." He simply said in response to Rena telling him off. Yes, it was necessary at times. And even then, after being scolded by Rena, Ryuma didn't seem to show any signs of changing. He merely smirked. "Haha! You say that now, but once you see me in action, you'll be BEGGING to have me in your team! Don't ever understimate me, princess!" He said, still sounding quite cheery despite everything, before he became serious again and looked at Noboyuki first, then at Rena. "And what's this? I didn't know you guys were lovebirds. Saying that so openly with each other.... Ain't you embarrassed or something? There are countless other places to be whispering sweet nothings to each other." He smiled yet again, though this one was a mocking smile. Yes, Noboyuki had to be the better man, more diplomatic in Rena's words. But how could he be more diplomatic right now? Handling this situation with care.... He took Rena's hand and squeezed it a bit, being careful not to hurt her, and then turned his eyes to the boy with blonde hair. Their eyes met, and if it would've been possible, sparks would've come out only because of that. In a way, they were both total opposites to each other. Noboyuki knew that, Ryuma probably didn't. Like that, he decided that the best way to be diplomatic here was to smile at him, even if it was a clearly forced smile, and gulp down every curse words he wanted to spout out at the guy in front of him. "What? you got something to say? Go ahead and say it. Perhaps, you will finally piss me off and we can get on with my crushing of you in front of the princess. You'll lose her respect and love and she'll decide to take me instead of you. We both win. You won't die in upcoming battles and I get to do what I came to do here. What do you think? It's a good deal, right? Your life in exchange of an adventure that just wasn't meant for you." Even while he says so and his words seem to cut deeper than blades as he speaks, he still seems.... worried perhaps? Not something Noboyuki would catch on anytime soon, of course, as his anger just grew by the minute while speaking to the arrogant piece of a brat known as Ryuma. He squeezed Rena's hand even tighter. "Just what I-!" He was about to accept the challenge, but he was reminded of what Rena said. Be more diplomatic. Yeah, the best act of diplomacy he could do was leave everything to Rena. He loosened his grip on Rena's hand after taking a deep breath and calming himself down. He just turned to Rena, seeking for an answer from the girl. "What do you think, Rena? Should we humor him anymore?"</s> <\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- Rena after all that Ryuma said, still did nothing but stood there. Her expression hadn't changed as she listen very carefully to each word the boy had to say. Noboyuki was clearly struggling not to lash out once again, at least someone listened to her, but this arrogant youth before her did not get the message, yet she did nothing not yet. Really she was thinking, deep and hard, absorbing every last bit of malice pouring forth from Ryuma, use it as fuel, fuel to strike him down with absolute fury. Least that was the plan. When Noboyuki let go of her hand, Rena had enough... it wasn't going to be pretty. In a few long strides she was right there in the boy's face, even though they had the slight height difference, their eyes still met on the same plane. Then she smiled, it was not a happy one, no it was a fake, insidious grin that was only just hiding her true intent. One that Ryuma wouldn't be able to miss. "And don't you underestimate me, 'hero,' do you really think you are untouchable? Bravado is nothing but a ploy to hide your fear, how pathetic you could really be. Is making enemies of other humans truly for the best? I have heard of your world, oh I have, yes indeed. I know how your society works, and let me confirm here, that here everything is much, much different. I'm going to say that you are human enough to need sleep, food, water, hmm? Do you believe that you could remain awake for every waking hour of the day, looking out for the next murderer who has your head marked for death? Oh but why would anyone be trying to kill you? I hear you asking? Ah good question, very good question. That is because no one takes kindly to filth like yourself, oh yes, this would not be before long in your mission to make as many enemies as possible, for you think that fighting with every single person you meet is somehow a sane idea." Rena started to speak in a lower tone, but was grinning even more. "Do you what to know, what happens when you're left alive? Torture, then death following, maybe, soon after. Maybe you'll be flayed, with a heated serrated knife your flesh would be pealed off, and oh of course you'll still be very well awake, also believe you would not be allowed to lose consciousness, after all it is only rude to 'fall' asleep. THEN, you shall be gutted, your entrails flopping freely from your abdomen, but relax in knowing that there would be extra care in ensuring you wouldn't bleed out, no you should be left alive after all, I think you'd agree. After that you'll be hoisted high up in a iron cage, off of a keep's tower, left to dangle for weeks, least until you finally pass away. High above the earth below, hmm maybe a crow would pay you a visit, I hear they absolutely love intestines." She suddenly pulled the boy down by the hair, she leaned forward towards his ear, and whispered so loudly and harshly Noboyuki was still able to hear. "I will tell you again, don't you fucking underestimate me, you filthy maggot. Are you so stupid, and goddamn blind to not treat others with common sense, do you just downright have shit for brains? I dare you to provoke me just one more time, one more single time and you will wish for death, that is not a if, that is a damned 'when.' " Rena pushed the boy away, she was still smiling, inside she was filled to the brim with fury. One more arrogant comment from this boy would be enough, just enough.</s> <\|message\|>Ichitatsu Noboyuki (Yuki to his friends) Noboyuki could feel Rena's anger all the way to where he was, and couldn't help but gulp at the thought of it. He was happy he decided to change into passive mode when he did, otherwise all of that anger would have poured all over him too. But indeed, Rena was something else once she got mad.... Noboyuki made a mental note to himself never to get her mad enough that she'd say things like that to him. Definitely a scary politician, but there's always the possibility that people without that kind of spite in a world like in what she lived could survive. It was a possibility that scared him a bit, and made him worry about her. Ryuma, on the other hand, was feeling.... yes, the correct term for it would be fear. Even the boy had to fulp audibly at the mere thought of it as he heard Rena's words. He had considered the possibility of dead, and that didn't scare him. What scared him was Rena. She was being so direct and somewhat terrifying, not to say anything about the fact that she was smiling all the while as she talked to him. He thought it best to retreat for now. He wouldn't be able to take anything out of the stubborn pair. Both of them were stubborn it seemed. 'Like a match made in heaven.' He thought. "Fine, fine. I'm outta here. I don't want to keep on hearing you both rant of WHY I am not a hero. Just remember. A hero saves everyone, even those who do not wish to be saved." He said, arrogant as always. He turned around and lazily waved at the pair. "See ya later. You can count on that at the very least." The blonde boy disappeared between the masses and was soon invisible to the two. With his departure, Noboyuki let out a relieved sigh. It was about time. It was about damn time. Noboyuki felt a burden go away from his shoulders. He turned to Rena, unsure of how to approach her right now. Well, he'd better just play it off right now and make it as if nothing had ever happened. "Man, that was some rude kid. Maybe even if he did have magic, it just didn't seem the kind of guy that could call himself a hero... Not that I am one to talk of course." There was still some little chance that Rena felt... troubled of what she had just said to the boy, even if it was necessary. Noboyuki, smiling, though still worried, grabbed her hand. "Why don't we continue walking through the city? It should help us get our mind away from that boy."</s>	<\|message\|>---Rena Falkren--- He left, that little pain was terrified and Rena knew that, behind all that bravado Ryuma was the pathetic idiot she knew he was. Before he left Rena continued shouting obscenities his way, it was insurance... just making sure he wouldn't return, that's what she told herself. Even though his presence was no longer there, the anger boiling within Rena was still boiling over, the kid did not necessarily insult her, nothing was thrown directly at herself he dishonored Noboyuki, she wasn't able to stand for that anymore. For a few minutes there was nothing happening, although Rena was visibly shaking, the self-control that once directed her wrath had ran out, at that point she was unable to control herself. Good news she didn't act on any impulse, after all Ryuma was the main subject of her anger, with him gone there was nothing really to lash out at. When Noboyuki dared to hold her hand... well Rena was about ready to verbally assault the hero, at least that was the case before she recognized him. She was no longer smiling, but actually enraged, her features easily shown as such, in one word she was very pissed. While she didn't pull away from Noboyuki, she didn't exactly embrace him. More or less she only allowed the man to hold her hand, that was about it. She was breathing deeply, relaxation techniques to help her come down after that emotional high. Noboyuki was saying something, however Rena didn't heed the words, they just stood there for a while longer, her partner still faithfully holding hands. A good fifteen minutes after Ryuma's departure, Rena finally calmed down significantly, her expression now neutral. She was anything but happy, not that she truly cared about the boy's well being, which was zero, she still of course did not find the experience to be all that pleasent. Noboyuki was still waiting on her, he couldn't be left standing there for any longer. "So... guess I was pretty scary there... huh? All I can say is he deserved everything there... but I still didn't like it. Not at all." Rena tried to smile, "There went diplomacy, kind of hypocritical is it not? Suppose there are times to lose it like that..."</s>
<\|description\|>Cade Mal'Darn Screen Name: drallinix Race: human Class: Jedi Knight Pic: Physical Description: He is tall and athletic standing at 6'2 and 180lbs. He walks with confidence in his step and purpose in his eyes. He has medium length brown hair and green eyes with scars around the left eye. His skin is tan and he has scars on his arms and chest from duels. Personality: Generally he acts as a Jedi should very dignified. however Cade also has a wild streak that the jedi council looks down upon. He can be arrogant and loves combat, he feels and often uses his passion as a sith would. He also prefers darker and more practical clothing than most Jedi wear. At times he can be overconfident, but overall he is an excellent strategist and duelist. Equipment: Cade's custom Durasteel armor: This custom durasteel armor has two plasma blade generators coupled into the wrist guards. These act as an emitter would for a lightsaber and let him generate two blue saber blades from his gauntlets when he feels need to. On top of this the armor provides great defense and while not able to stop a direct blow from a saber it does well to deflect grazes. Cade's custom saber: This silver saber has etchings along the entire surface of it. On the emitter numerous vents allow light to shine through, and the crystal chamber of the weapon has a plate of clear metal covering it allowing its light to be seen. The crystal and blade it generates are both a deep blue. The blade seems to pulse with energy if you stare at it and constantly has small sparks that surround it. Force powers: Force grip- He reaches out through the force and grabs an object allowing him to telekinetically move and hold it. He can lift pull and throw things with this ability as well, but is constrained in the heavier the object the more he must concentrate to do so. Force body- Blending natural physique and force powers with this Cade makes himself stronger, faster, and more durable. He far exceeds any normal man with these augmentations allowing him to achieve astounding feats of martial prowess such as leaping and striking with much more force. Force manipulation- his control of the force has ben honed due to hours meditating since he was a child and extreme focus. He can tap in and feel the very flow of the force and bend it to his will. Special- Spear of midnight black(force manipulation)- He uses his control of the force to form an invisible spear of it that is hurled at the enemy usualy used in conjunction with force body for devastating effect. This can throw targets off their feet go through durasteel armor, and even pin things to other objects. While it is primarily considered a darker power he discovered its usage when he gave in to his passions during the mandolorian conflict and adapted it for his own combat purposes. Background history: Cade was born into the Jedi order. Both of his parents where jedi his mother attaining the rank of master before her death and his father that of knight. He was brought up under both of their tutelages, and was raised to be a jedi rather than as their son. Every day he underwent physical stress and training, then meditated for long hours of time. His mother taught him the ways of the force, and he was exceptionally strong with force grip and force body. Whilst his father taught him lightsaber combat. He quickly became a well versed duelist and his main styles were sresu,djem so, and makashi. He began to go on missions by himself when he achieved the rank of knight at eighteen. He helped numerous excursions and fought many opponents from mandolorians to smugglers. He would come to love the thrill of combat almost to much and attempt to master it. Eventually his mother and father passed away, both killed by a mandolorian clan. Cade feeling anger set out to find them unbeknownst to the rest of the order. When he found the Mandolorians he fought well, but was eventually brought down by their numbers. They took him captive and were going to execute him. Before the sentence was carried out Cade challenged the leader to single combat, which being a mandolorian he accepted. So the two locked blades Cade's saber that he built with the help of his mother flashing as it clashed with the mando's beskar sword. The battle was long both seeming equally talented duelist, but finally as the day grew long Cade made a move. He lunged forward and the Mando batted his saber away attempting to finish him with a riposte meant to decapitate. Cade ducked instinctually and narrowly avoided the beskar blade and as he did spun and twisted his grip the blade of his saber emerging from the man's chest as Cade's hilt met his back. The mandolorians kept their honor and Cade was allowed to leave. Upon returning to the Jedi temple he was reprimanded for his actions. However the grandmaster decided to have Cade sent to the outpost rather than have him banished. Cade showed exceptional talent that the man wished to bring forth. So now we find Cade on this outpost surrounded by the imperials.</s> <\|message\|>Izin'asilos She had been reading when her master called her. For months she had been researching the forms and origins of her guard shota. One of the first people known to make waves with the strange Lightsaber variant was Maris Brood, a jedi who had turned dark and was let free by a secret apprentice of Darth Vader. What angered her about Brood's story was that she suddenly disappeared after being spared by Starkiller, the apprentice. Of course, It wasn't a normal case for people to disappear without any traces, and with enough resources, she could be found, but the former Jedi had left nothing for anyone to find her with. There was so much Izin could have learned with her saber from one of the most prominent users, but she just had to disappear. Hearing the voice of her master call her a second time, the Twi'lek woman got off of her bed and carefully stepped out of her room. When she really got into studying, her room would become a mess, and her master's vessels of knowledge would be splayed out in every possible location. She would clean everything up when she was done, but it was just when she was studying that is was almost impossible to maneuver around. In quick time, though, she was able to get out of her room. In little time, Izin reached her master and slowed down to a halt as she stood before him. Looking at him briefly before bowing, she was curious as to why he had called her. "What did you need, Master?"</s> <\|message\|>Darth Rad'qet "Take these notes and tell me what you think, they're orders from Darth Majies along with a few details I've added." Rad'qet said before handing his apprentice the sheet of paper. As soon as she had the papers, Rad'qet stood up and walked to his chamber. "We will be there in one day, I am going to meditate, do not disturb me unless time is of the essence" he said before shutting the door. Rad'qet had acquired the small ship a few months ago, and had done well to convert his room into a meditation chamber. The room was already mostly soundproofed, a perk of it being the Captain's room, however he had to remove the wallpaper and thin layer of poorly done,fake dry wall that tried to give the room an actual house like feeling. This left him with sleek steel walls that he later had redone, making them black. It wasn't to represent the "darkness inside of him" or any other rhetorical reason, he only had it done because the reflections of light on the steel gave him a headache. Once the walls were the proper "emptyness" he stripped the room of unnecessary furniture and light fixtures until there was only one overhead light hanging over the center of the room. The final step was to mark it with runes, which for Rad'qet had been the easiest step. Once inside the barren, but empowered room, Rad'qet could reflect and plan. The room allowed him to focus, to streamline his thoughts into more useful information. It also allowed him to better manipulate the force, which is why he would always create and imbue things with the dark force's energy in this room. Rad'qet wished he could do such things while inside of a Dark Force Nexus, but they were so far and few between it would be impractical to always travel to them. He pondered on the thought that the moon he was traveling to might contain a force nexus, and planned a few things he would do if it was.</s> <\|message\|>Cade Mal'Darn After the hologram's speech Cade turned on his heel and left the room. He had no wish or need to be around the imperials. As Cade walked he came upon a training room filled with many different things and decided to enter. Cade walked into the room and looked around, finally he found his intended object. Booting up an old training droid he searched through its settings and finally decided on a setting of a zabrak with a red saber. Cade stepped into the middle of the training room followed by the zabrak placing himself opposite of him. Cade ignited his saber and paced right the zabrak mimicking his movement. Finally Cade lunged forward his foot hitting the ground about halfway through then pushing him off towards the zabrak. He led with a thrust towards the zabrak's chest, which was parried and retaliated to. Cade leaned back to allow the saber to go over his head, then he stepped back and parried the overhead strike with knocking the Zabrak off balance. As they both set themselves in stances they began to prepare for another clash. The zabrak closed first and attempted to bring his saber down on Cade's head, but cade spun to the left and the saber hit the floor. Cade retaliated by kicking the zabrak in the body and sending it flying onto its back. Cade grabds the zabrak's foot with the force and then crushed down with his power. The image of a zabrak was quickly shattered as the training bot's leg shattered into pieces under Cade's force powers.</s> <\|message\|>M-0018 "Emolate" M-0018 saw the Jedi enter the training rooms. He heard other troops talk about them: Guardians of Peace, Keepers of knowledge some professed. Others believed them to be arcane, practitioners of archaic and obsolete arts. He had no feeling either way. He simply knew what he was taught. Avoid provocation, they are deadly up close. Some users capable of manipulating matter and the mind. They were an asset to the Empire and as such, not considered an immediate threat. Still M-0018 found it odd that he knew of standard protocols and procedures when dealing with rogue jedi: massed blaster volley in a cross-fire, flanking solutions and squad target priorities. He thought nothing of it. He hypothesized it to be remnant instructions of the old Kiminoan templates. The clash of ionized plasma rang from the rooms. M-0018's curiosity was unforgivably piqued, a weakness he thought. A soldier must not act unless told so. Must not think unless told so. Must not speak unless told so. He will have to seek out a discipline officer for his misconduct. He maintained correct attendant posture, eyes fixed forward as he heard the brutal crunch of metal and circuitry. The Jedi had succeeded in his mock battle, commendable. The Jedi had also succeeded in the destruction of Imperial property using excessive force, unforgivable. As per orders, M-0018 was acting quartermaster as their was no dedicated trooper for the position. The Jedi must be confronted, and informed that further misconduct will result in appropriate reprimands from the Senior Officer of the Outpost. M-0018 broke attention and took strides to the training room. He found the Jedi, hardly broken a sweat in the exercise, the crushed leg of the droid evident. "M-0018, acting quartermaster, speaking to inform Knight Cade that he has committed a misconduct under Imperial regulation: unwarranted destruction of Imperial property. At this time I will inform Knight Cade that lethal options are forbidden in the training room, all weapons must be set to non-lethal frequencies or be substituted for non-lethal variants. Additionally utilization of force powers to a lethal degree are not allowed in the inside of the Outpost. As Knight Cade is not a Imperial Soldier and would be doubtfully aware of these codes, this will be your first and final warning. Further misdemeanors will be reported to the installations commanding officer. Does Knight Cade receive and understand this." M-0018 of course finished the warning in a neutral and monotone voice. The Jedi didn't immediately respond. As per regulation, M-0018 would wait, if not given a response or individual acts in open insubordination, he must TRY to subdue and place individual under military arrest.</s> <\|message\|>Apello Styxx Apello looked at the holo-com as it ended, as he watched it end its message before watching the other Jedi in the room leave. He thought silently by himself before he remembered the name of the Jedi, Cade was his name. He had watched the other man walk out, and with nothing else to occupy his time he followed to sate his curiosity. After tailing the other Jedi, he eventually appeared in the training training room and had entered sitting on the side of the wall watching the other Jedi practice on a droid. After the observation of Cade's skills Apello thought to himself silently, thinking about having a friendly match with the other. After a moment of silent thinking, he stood up before grabbing his lightsaber and into his hands before announcing to the Jedi. "Want to have another match? A friendly one of course however, no vital injuries" He said as he looked down at the droid's leg. Of course as a Jedi force powers were slightly less effective on him, he didn't doubt the prowess of the force and how powerful it could be when butted head to head. However, during Cade's small battle with the droid it was obvious that he had use a more offensive style of fighting as his actions we mostly leaded to offensive moves after. It also had seem that he also used evasive techniques as he for the most part of the fight had evaded the attacks of the droid and used a small amount of martial arts as well. All of these he had taken a note of for future reference and now knew a little more about the people that he was going to fight with...</s>	<\|message\|>Cade Mal'Darn Cade squared up with the man staring him in the eyes. "Do not threaten a jedi of the order imperial, noted" As the other jedi approached him Cade's eyes flashed. The man was smaller than he in stature and a miraluka. As the man made his challenge Cade grunted and nodded accepting it. He took three steps back igniting his saber. Cade glared at the man and paced sizing him up and waiting for him to make his move.</s>
<\|description\|>Alytra May Trenton Age: 17 Gender: Female Sexual Orientation/Preference: Straight, men Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: Anxiety and Bi-polar Disorder Personality: Alytra is blunt, wild, and brave. She is never afraid to speak her mind, regardless of any repercussions, and she is nearly impossible to stop when there is something that she has truly set her mind to. She is one of the most stubborn people you will ever meet, and doesn't like to take no for an answer. She is not a sensitive creature. Despite the fact that she suffers from extreme anxiety/panic attacks on occasion, Alytra is honestly a people's person. Being alone drives her a little crazy - well, crazier - and she is a social butterfly who loves to hear herself talk. She's not vain, she just has a lot to say and wants to be heard. This one's a fighter. Appearance: She is Caucasian, but not ghostly pale, as she has a mild tan and freckles on her face. She has some acne, as do most teenagers, but it's not horrible. Her eyes are dark and almost purple in color, the shade varying depending on her mood and the time of day. Her lips are light and pink, complimenting her skin tone, and her short and spiky hair is a mix-up of dye, black and aubergine (a dark purple). Her attire, like that of all other patients, always consists of white, be it a nightgown or buttonless pants and a t-shirt. No shoes are provided to patients, except for a harmless pair of white shower slippers. History/Background Info.: Alytra was raised by a single mother for several years after being removed from an abusive home where her father used to reside with them. She has no known siblings, and therefore is rather self-centered at times. She led a fairly normal life up until the point of her abuse, where she began to have outburst and panic attacks that perplexed her mother for a few years until she realized what had been going on. Since then, Alytra's been nothing but a handful to her mother, who decided that she just couldn't handle it anymore and sent Alytra to Remmington's to be "fixed". Alytra has been at Remmington's for about eight months, and has had some altercations with the staff upon attempting to escape the facility before, particularly with Jason. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Alytra is, for some unknown reason, obsessed with dragons. She loves the color purple (obviously), light blue gatorade, and stir-fry. If you feel like getting on her good side, Alytra's favorite candy is gummy worms. Other/Special: She used to have a pet cat named Bella who was rather near and dear to her heart. Since everyone else had pix of actual people for their characters, I decided to add my own haha so here is what I'd imagine her hair and eyes to look like :3</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Before the girl could answer, Ezra had already moved to sit down, draping himself over his side of the couch like a long-limbed octopus. Much to his amusement, however, he found it quite the fitting metaphor for his current predicament. His legs almost felt like jelly; like he'd collapse and slump into a heap of nothing if he tried to stand up again. There was no joy in the quiet huff of laughter that escaped him next, but… beggars couldn't be choosers, he supposed. In a place like this, one had to be content with any scrap of levity they could find - even if the punchline happened to be at their own expense. To the untrained eye, Ezra might've looked like he was off with the fairies, but he was paying full attention to his companion's ramblings. That was the thing about Remmington's, he never had any idea whether the other patients were just a figment of his imagination, or whether they were flesh and blood. Each of their individual experiences sounded so utterly relatable to Ezra that sometimes, he found himself convinced that the whole facility was simply a construct of his own overactive thalamus. He remembered the IV needle sliding under his skin, the drugs skittering across the surface of his brain, and he nodded in understanding. But when questioned by the girl on how long she'd been gone, Ezra found himself at a loss. "...Beats me." His thoroughly unsatisfying answer came only after a long moment of contemplation, syllables slurring and stretching with a peculiar effortfulness. "I'm as out of it as you are, stranger. What's your name?"</s> <\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton As she replied, Alytra eyed him speculatively. He just sat there, right next to her, plopped his entitled little ass down as if he'd been invited. She hissed internally and glared at him ever so slightly, pulling her knees to her chest and making sure to leave as much space as possible in between her and her surprise guest of the evening. She was pleased, however, to have the chance for conversation with someone else who was fairly normal - or, at least, what she would consider MORE normal than the typical patient or staff member around Remmington's. Also, Alytra was both taken aback and pleased by the fact that the boy seemed to truly understand what she was experiencing. She noticed that he looked a little wobbly, as well. "Name's Alytra," she muttered, disappointed by the fact that he could shed no more light on her current situation than had already been shed, "And... You are?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. Relief washed over her that she wasn't the only one to be at a loss when it came to names here. Alytra was distracted briefly as she saw Jason pass by the Lounge out of the corner of her eye, and she could have sworn that she saw him smile one of those menacing smiles... She quickly focused her attention back on the newcomer once he had passed, however, and waited patiently for his reply.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra might've been delusional, but he wasn't stupid. He could see the subtle curling of the lip, the way her eyes narrowed as he made himself at home on the couch. It was clear - to him, at least - that he wasn't all too welcomed here. Still, it took him every last ounce of willpower in his being to refrain from pointing out that The Lounge was a communal area. If the girl had truly desired to go down the path of the lone wolf, she'd be better off holing up inside a bathroom stall. As this… 'Alytra' introduced herself, Ezra spent a few moments taking her in. She was pale, but not quite as much as he was, with a peppering of freckles all across her features. Of course, none of that were nearly as interesting as the purple hair - an oasis of colour in this wasteland. A compliment was right there on the tip of his tongue, though he couldn't bring himself to say it. Not just yet, at least. He wasn't about to get all buddy-buddy with some he'd just met. Especially not with someone who glared at him just for taking a seat. "...Ezra. It's Ezra." The name sounded wrong between his teeth, and he rued the repetition. There was something dodgy about any assertion one felt obliged to make twice. But it had just been so long since anyone in this hellhole addressed him properly, his name beginning to make the strange transition into a dead language. Ezra was disquieted to realise that the staff had ceased to call him anything at all. He didn't know when or how it happened, but one thing was for sure, this was all because of that bitch, Dr. Remmington. No doubt this was another one of her little mind-games, and that toady of hers, Jason, had to be in on it, too. Speak of the devil… there he was. Ezra would notice that ugly mug anywhere. He'd heard rumours of what Jason did to the other patients, but that was about as deep as it went. Ezra himself hadn't witnessed anything he did firsthand, though he'd certainly had his own run-ins with a separate kind of degenerate - the closeted kind with cigarettes to spare. For a moment, his mind nearly slips, nails digging into his palm to bring himself back to reality. No, no more getting lost in thought. There were other, more important things to deal with. Like the conversation he and Alytra were having, for example. "So? What're you in here for, then?"</s> <\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton When he spoke, Alytra could tell that this boy had definitely picked up on her signals and noticed the way in which she had reacted to his taking a seat near her. His face appeared to display that, although he wasn't too fond of her facial expressions, that he understood. Of course, that was probably a common theme for anyone here at Remmington's. Since all of the patients had their space invaded quite often and without their own consent, Alytra pretty much assumed that the others would feel the same way that she did about close encounters with strangers. Or, maybe it was just her, being "moody", slipping from an exciting "up" state into a dreary "down".... She mentally checked herself and attempted to control the ugly effects her disorder to the best of her abilities, along with the medicine that was flowing through her veins, if it was even the correct dosage/kind. It seemed, for a mere moment, that he was going to share something else with her, but hesitation reared its head, and instead, there was a brief pause, and then Alytra finally learned his name. It was a lovely name, Alytra thought to herself, the kind that would slip off the tip of one's tongue, if not for the hesitation that he had shown, and the awkward repetition of his name afterwards. Was he nervous? Of what? Alytra could be kind of intimidating, but she wasn't that scary.... Was she? She thought that she saw his palm twitch a bit while she waited for him to say more, but it could have easily been just her mind running rampant, full of unidentified chemicals from the drugs. "Um, my mom sent me here a while ago. I have anxiety and I'm mildly bi-polar." she confided in him, honestly, albeit a bit begrudgingly. She wasn't particularly proud of her disorders, and hoped that it wouldn't scare him off. Although a bit panicky around people, Alytra thought that she was literally going to die without someone to make conversation with. "Why are you here?" She pried, curious about what such a clean-cut looking guy could wind up here for.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra's eyes narrowed. Anxiety? Bipolar Disorder? Those weren't exactly things that got you committed to a mental institution, much less one like Remmington's. For a fleeting moment, he couldn't help but feel a sense of commiseration well up inside him. How long had she been here? Needless to say, Ezra had his own woes to wrangle, but there weren't many things in the world that made him feel this way. The abuse of power was something he'd always been wary of, and they had the audacity to call him crazy because of it. No one deserved to be in a place like this, no matter how incorruptible and virtuous they set themselves up to be. He knew better. "Psychosis and BPD." Ezra stated, quite bluntly, voice monotonous with disinterest. His face was a mask of detachment, but if one looked closely, they'd see a flicker of uncertainty. Up until this very day, he still wasn't sure whether or not his suspicions were completely unfounded. Hushed voices and lowered gazes, those were the things that greeted him whenever he walked into a room at home. But he supposed that wasn't the only factor that led to his confinement; more like the straw that broke the camel's back, really. He still remembered how he stuck his head into the oven hours before they dragged him here - and he was so close to blacking out, too. The memory brought a wry, feeble smile to his lips, as he continued. "I tried to kill my family, and I guess they were tired of me trying to kill myself all the time." Ezra would be lying if he said this revelation wasn't cathartic, and there was a sick sort of excitement as to how the girl would react mixed in there, as well. The therapists in here were useless - all they did was smile, nod, maybe scribble down some bullshit on a clipboard if they were feeling particularly productive that day. It was like talking to a brick wall, or rather, confiding in a goldfish. The therapists seemed to forget about everything he'd said by the time the next session rolled around. After a few months of this repetition, it was much easier for Ezra to simply clam up, and wait for the forty-five minutes to be over. With Alytra, though - or any other patient in Remmington's, for that matter - it was different. There was something of a mutual understanding between them, even if they'd never actually spoken to each other up until now. "They tried to keep it hush-hush, but you might've seen it in the tabloids, once or twice." He vaguely recalled a headline splashed across the cover of OK! Magazine, and it would've almost been amusing, if not for its tastelessness. "I think it was something like: 'The Pinkertons: Richer Than God, But They Can't Hide The Crazy!'. You know, that might actually be my personal favourite."</s>	<\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton Alytra could see Ezra eyeing her up, taking in her response, but the look on his face puzzled her. What was that? Anger? Confusion? Disbelief? She hadn't the slightest clue as to what he was thinking while she gave him her answer. She studied his face for a moment more as she considered talking, but decided that she would let it slide, not wanting to push too hard, as she would usually be so inclined to do, because he was a complete stranger, and although she didn't believe in the need for any barriers when it came to unveiling the truth, she figured that she would wait a little longer before becoming demanding and self-righteous... If she could manage. Her eyes widened as he seemingly proudly proclaimed that he had attempted to murder his own family. "Well, Ezra, that is a rather intriguing tale. I, too, have wanted members of my own family to drop dead. The self-mutilation bit, however, I will never understand. It's not really my style." She was blunt and couldn't help it, but she still hoped that her response wasn't too curt to the point of actually hurting her new-found acquaintance's feelings; on the other hand, here it was almost impolite to go beyond surface level. No one ever did. "So," she continued, somewhat intrigued, "You're a rich boy, eh? You must be realllllly rich, or famous or smart or something to get your name and story headlined like that, and the way that they put your family's last name out there makes it sound like most of the free world knows who you are. And no offense, I do not. And I certainly haven't "seen it in the tabloids".... I've been in here for about eight months." This last bit hit Alytra closer to home than she had imagined it would, and she tried not to let her face falter. She would keep her cool for as long as she could, at least in her current company.</s>
<\|description\|>Ezra Pinkerton Age: 19 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual, with an inclination towards men. Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychosis Personality: To describe Ezra as abrasive would be the understatement of the century. Inwardly self-destructive and outwardly misanthropic, the people he talks to often find themselves put off by his hostility. He doesn't abide by the rules, he doesn't play fairly, and he certainly doesn't let anyone think they can get one up on him. Ezra considers himself the alpha dog in any situation he's in, but when faced with truly confident or successful people, he can become flustered and defensive, lashing out with increasingly nonsensical insults. Despite that, Ezra is a capable manipulator when he needs to be, and has a knack for controlling people to get what he wants. He's very often obsessive about the things he does, the things he thinks about, and the people he chooses to follow. If he likes something, chances are he'll let you know it, and if he doesn't, well, he's never been shy about voicing his opinion in that matter as well. Try as he might, he's never really had the best poker face in the world, and it tends to give him away more than not. Ezra is hard to like, much less to love, but underneath the layers of barbed distrust and anger, lies a young man deeply frustrated by his condition. Appearance: With a height of 5'7", weighing in at around 135 pounds, Ezra isn't exactly the most imposing of figures. It doesn't help that he never stands up straight, either. His posture is terrible; shoulders rolled forward, knees bent, hands inside his pockets. No matter how many hours of sleep he gets a night, it's always fitful, as evident by the dark circles under his watery, blue eyes. There is an unhealthy pallor to his skin, even more so than usual, after a year spent in Remmington. This, combined with his lanky, blonde hair, gives him an overall appearance that would be best described as "washed out". Unless he is fully comfortable in his surroundings, he is usually unsmiling. It's not difficult to notice the way he suspiciously eyes people, watching their every move like a caged animal. History/Background Info.: Ezra grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, the youngest child to a wealthy businessman and his beautiful wife. The Pinkertons, as one of the primary shipping magnates in North America, were, and continue to be, one of the richest and most influential names from the continent. From the day he was born, Ezra had everything he wanted handed to him on a silver platter. To outsiders, his life was enviable. But behind closed doors, things were quite different. Ezra's parents were far too busy with work to deal with a child, and so tended to leave him and his siblings in the care of a nanny. This detachment between parent and child, perhaps, was why Ezra's unusual behaviour went undetected. People never seemed to like staying around Ezra for long; his carers had a curious habit of never lasting more than a month at a time - the frequency and intensity of his sometimes self-destructive tantrums driving them away from the Pinkerton estate. Shrugging it off as the unreliability of the working class, Ezra's parents turned a blind eye to these so-called "episodes". As far as they were concerned, there was nothing wrong with him - well, apart from being spoilt rotten, that is. For years, the behaviour Ezra displayed was simply swept under the rug. After all, it simply wouldn't do to have the prestigious Pinkerton name sullied, would it? Still, it was only a matter of time until things came to a head. Slowly but surely, Ezra's psyche began to turn on him. As with all things, it started out small. Shadows lurking at the edge of his vision, the occasional whisper at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell whether or not it was just his imagination - but these symptoms only worsened as time went by. Soon, Ezra began suffering from full-blown episodes of catatonia, and it was only then that his parents started to worry. After multiple trips to the psychiatrist, it seemed like they had finally pinned down just what was wrong with Ezra. Diagnosed with BPD and Psychosis, he was sent home with nothing more than a bottle of mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. But then, barely a month later - that was when things spiralled out of control. The night before his eighteenth birthday, something in him snapped. Convinced that his entire family was out to get him, he retrieved a knife from the kitchen, fully intending to carve up everyone in the house before they could do anything to hurt him. Fortunately, however, Ezra's plans were stopped in his tracks when the knife was wrestled away from him by his first target - his father. Despite their earlier reservations, Ezra's parents finally realised what they had to do. In a situation like this, seeking professional help would no doubt be the best course of action. Thus, after an extensive round of perusal and vetting, they finally settled on Remmington's Angels. Whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton were aware of the rumours surrounding the facility is anyone's guess, but two things were for sure - it keeps their son out of the public eye, and their reputation spotless. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Cigarettes. They're one of the only things that calm him down, but he finds it nigh impossible to get his hands on any in Remmington. Other/Special: Ezra is terrified of dogs. Whilst he isn't going to run screaming when he sees a chihuahua or corgi, anything larger is enough to scare the living daylights out of him. ---</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton White. All Ezra sees is white. White walls, white floors, white uniforms. In that very moment, he couldn't think of a colour he hated more. This… maddening plainness symbolised everything that was wrong with the place. It was difficult, if not impossible to distinguish where one wall ended, and where another began, giving the impression of an infinite, white abyss. Growing up, Ezra always thought white was the colour of purity, wholeness - everything Remmington's was not, as anyone who took up residence here would realise. Things weren't so bad though, some days, especially when the orderlies left him to his thoughts, and the voices in his head quieted down. But the more he dwelled on the matter, the more he realised what a thinly-veiled lie it was. He hated this place. Ezra could barely remember how long he'd been here. A week? A month? A year? It all sounded wrong to him, even as they swirled around in the recesses of his mind. The drugs they pumped him full of did everything except their intended purpose, memories slipping from him like sand through his fingers. Sometimes, Ezra was convinced that it was all just a ploy to keep him docile; placid. After all, how could he plot an escape route when he could barely walk down the corridors without tripping over his own feet? But those thoughts never stayed with him for long, his mind drifting away to other ideas before he could tighten his grasp. Plodding aimlessly along, Ezra's footsteps were muffled into silence by the linoleum floor. No one had come to bother him today, which was a first - though he couldn't say he was very happy about it either. Ezra had been jonesing for a cigarette ever since this morning, how was he going to get one with nobody around? Of course, he knew better than anyone that smoking was strictly prohibited for patients, but who was going to enforce such a rule when you could simply take advantage of it? Nothing came without a price, though it was one he was willing to pay to stave off withdrawal. Before he could bump into an orderly, however, Ezra noticed someone out of the corner of his eye. Those wilful shocks of purple hair drew a stirring of recognition out from within him, although he couldn't quite put a name to the face just yet - all he knew was that it started with an 'A'. "What'd they do to you?" The words spilt forth from his lips before he could stop them, and he began to approach the girl as if on a tether. Ezra's movements were slow, unsure. It wasn't often that he made conversation with the others in Remmington's, preferring to keep to himself. So why was he starting now? The answer to that was question was unknown, even to him. But maybe, just maybe, this would be the first thing in this place to do him good.</s> <\|message\|>Doctor Maria Remmington Alytra looked up upon hearing approaching footsteps, and a male's voice asking her a question, her trance broken. At least she assumed that it was her he was addressing, because no one else was close enough to have heard what he said. She looked up and knew that she had seen his face around, if only a few times, but couldn't guess his name for the life of her. She did notice his pretty eyes and the way that he held himself exerted an air of confidence, despite the feelings of utter paranoia that he must have been experiencing, if his emotions mirrored hers at all. What haven't they done to me? she thought to herself, letting out an irritated huff of breath. "You know," she stared at him bitterly, "I'm not quite sure that I really know what all they did to me. They stuck another fucking I.V. into me, and then pumped me full of unidentifiable liquids. I'm sure it's just some sort of antidepressant." She wasn't sure at all, but after her stunt earlier she wasn't wanting to cause any more trouble for Remmington and her staff, and she planned to avoid Jason at all costs for the remainder of the evening. "To be honest, I'm not even sure how long I was back there... Do you have any idea?" she inquired of the young man, dazedly. Even in a haze, Alytra had to admit that he was a rather fine looking boy, especially for Remmington's, albeit a bit pale and lifeless-looking.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Before the girl could answer, Ezra had already moved to sit down, draping himself over his side of the couch like a long-limbed octopus. Much to his amusement, however, he found it quite the fitting metaphor for his current predicament. His legs almost felt like jelly; like he'd collapse and slump into a heap of nothing if he tried to stand up again. There was no joy in the quiet huff of laughter that escaped him next, but… beggars couldn't be choosers, he supposed. In a place like this, one had to be content with any scrap of levity they could find - even if the punchline happened to be at their own expense. To the untrained eye, Ezra might've looked like he was off with the fairies, but he was paying full attention to his companion's ramblings. That was the thing about Remmington's, he never had any idea whether the other patients were just a figment of his imagination, or whether they were flesh and blood. Each of their individual experiences sounded so utterly relatable to Ezra that sometimes, he found himself convinced that the whole facility was simply a construct of his own overactive thalamus. He remembered the IV needle sliding under his skin, the drugs skittering across the surface of his brain, and he nodded in understanding. But when questioned by the girl on how long she'd been gone, Ezra found himself at a loss. "...Beats me." His thoroughly unsatisfying answer came only after a long moment of contemplation, syllables slurring and stretching with a peculiar effortfulness. "I'm as out of it as you are, stranger. What's your name?"</s> <\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton As she replied, Alytra eyed him speculatively. He just sat there, right next to her, plopped his entitled little ass down as if he'd been invited. She hissed internally and glared at him ever so slightly, pulling her knees to her chest and making sure to leave as much space as possible in between her and her surprise guest of the evening. She was pleased, however, to have the chance for conversation with someone else who was fairly normal - or, at least, what she would consider MORE normal than the typical patient or staff member around Remmington's. Also, Alytra was both taken aback and pleased by the fact that the boy seemed to truly understand what she was experiencing. She noticed that he looked a little wobbly, as well. "Name's Alytra," she muttered, disappointed by the fact that he could shed no more light on her current situation than had already been shed, "And... You are?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. Relief washed over her that she wasn't the only one to be at a loss when it came to names here. Alytra was distracted briefly as she saw Jason pass by the Lounge out of the corner of her eye, and she could have sworn that she saw him smile one of those menacing smiles... She quickly focused her attention back on the newcomer once he had passed, however, and waited patiently for his reply.</s>	<\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra might've been delusional, but he wasn't stupid. He could see the subtle curling of the lip, the way her eyes narrowed as he made himself at home on the couch. It was clear - to him, at least - that he wasn't all too welcomed here. Still, it took him every last ounce of willpower in his being to refrain from pointing out that The Lounge was a communal area. If the girl had truly desired to go down the path of the lone wolf, she'd be better off holing up inside a bathroom stall. As this… 'Alytra' introduced herself, Ezra spent a few moments taking her in. She was pale, but not quite as much as he was, with a peppering of freckles all across her features. Of course, none of that were nearly as interesting as the purple hair - an oasis of colour in this wasteland. A compliment was right there on the tip of his tongue, though he couldn't bring himself to say it. Not just yet, at least. He wasn't about to get all buddy-buddy with some he'd just met. Especially not with someone who glared at him just for taking a seat. "...Ezra. It's Ezra." The name sounded wrong between his teeth, and he rued the repetition. There was something dodgy about any assertion one felt obliged to make twice. But it had just been so long since anyone in this hellhole addressed him properly, his name beginning to make the strange transition into a dead language. Ezra was disquieted to realise that the staff had ceased to call him anything at all. He didn't know when or how it happened, but one thing was for sure, this was all because of that bitch, Dr. Remmington. No doubt this was another one of her little mind-games, and that toady of hers, Jason, had to be in on it, too. Speak of the devil… there he was. Ezra would notice that ugly mug anywhere. He'd heard rumours of what Jason did to the other patients, but that was about as deep as it went. Ezra himself hadn't witnessed anything he did firsthand, though he'd certainly had his own run-ins with a separate kind of degenerate - the closeted kind with cigarettes to spare. For a moment, his mind nearly slips, nails digging into his palm to bring himself back to reality. No, no more getting lost in thought. There were other, more important things to deal with. Like the conversation he and Alytra were having, for example. "So? What're you in here for, then?"</s>
<\|description\|>Ezra Pinkerton Age: 19 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual, with an inclination towards men. Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychosis Personality: To describe Ezra as abrasive would be the understatement of the century. Inwardly self-destructive and outwardly misanthropic, the people he talks to often find themselves put off by his hostility. He doesn't abide by the rules, he doesn't play fairly, and he certainly doesn't let anyone think they can get one up on him. Ezra considers himself the alpha dog in any situation he's in, but when faced with truly confident or successful people, he can become flustered and defensive, lashing out with increasingly nonsensical insults. Despite that, Ezra is a capable manipulator when he needs to be, and has a knack for controlling people to get what he wants. He's very often obsessive about the things he does, the things he thinks about, and the people he chooses to follow. If he likes something, chances are he'll let you know it, and if he doesn't, well, he's never been shy about voicing his opinion in that matter as well. Try as he might, he's never really had the best poker face in the world, and it tends to give him away more than not. Ezra is hard to like, much less to love, but underneath the layers of barbed distrust and anger, lies a young man deeply frustrated by his condition. Appearance: With a height of 5'7", weighing in at around 135 pounds, Ezra isn't exactly the most imposing of figures. It doesn't help that he never stands up straight, either. His posture is terrible; shoulders rolled forward, knees bent, hands inside his pockets. No matter how many hours of sleep he gets a night, it's always fitful, as evident by the dark circles under his watery, blue eyes. There is an unhealthy pallor to his skin, even more so than usual, after a year spent in Remmington. This, combined with his lanky, blonde hair, gives him an overall appearance that would be best described as "washed out". Unless he is fully comfortable in his surroundings, he is usually unsmiling. It's not difficult to notice the way he suspiciously eyes people, watching their every move like a caged animal. History/Background Info.: Ezra grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, the youngest child to a wealthy businessman and his beautiful wife. The Pinkertons, as one of the primary shipping magnates in North America, were, and continue to be, one of the richest and most influential names from the continent. From the day he was born, Ezra had everything he wanted handed to him on a silver platter. To outsiders, his life was enviable. But behind closed doors, things were quite different. Ezra's parents were far too busy with work to deal with a child, and so tended to leave him and his siblings in the care of a nanny. This detachment between parent and child, perhaps, was why Ezra's unusual behaviour went undetected. People never seemed to like staying around Ezra for long; his carers had a curious habit of never lasting more than a month at a time - the frequency and intensity of his sometimes self-destructive tantrums driving them away from the Pinkerton estate. Shrugging it off as the unreliability of the working class, Ezra's parents turned a blind eye to these so-called "episodes". As far as they were concerned, there was nothing wrong with him - well, apart from being spoilt rotten, that is. For years, the behaviour Ezra displayed was simply swept under the rug. After all, it simply wouldn't do to have the prestigious Pinkerton name sullied, would it? Still, it was only a matter of time until things came to a head. Slowly but surely, Ezra's psyche began to turn on him. As with all things, it started out small. Shadows lurking at the edge of his vision, the occasional whisper at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell whether or not it was just his imagination - but these symptoms only worsened as time went by. Soon, Ezra began suffering from full-blown episodes of catatonia, and it was only then that his parents started to worry. After multiple trips to the psychiatrist, it seemed like they had finally pinned down just what was wrong with Ezra. Diagnosed with BPD and Psychosis, he was sent home with nothing more than a bottle of mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. But then, barely a month later - that was when things spiralled out of control. The night before his eighteenth birthday, something in him snapped. Convinced that his entire family was out to get him, he retrieved a knife from the kitchen, fully intending to carve up everyone in the house before they could do anything to hurt him. Fortunately, however, Ezra's plans were stopped in his tracks when the knife was wrestled away from him by his first target - his father. Despite their earlier reservations, Ezra's parents finally realised what they had to do. In a situation like this, seeking professional help would no doubt be the best course of action. Thus, after an extensive round of perusal and vetting, they finally settled on Remmington's Angels. Whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton were aware of the rumours surrounding the facility is anyone's guess, but two things were for sure - it keeps their son out of the public eye, and their reputation spotless. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Cigarettes. They're one of the only things that calm him down, but he finds it nigh impossible to get his hands on any in Remmington. Other/Special: Ezra is terrified of dogs. Whilst he isn't going to run screaming when he sees a chihuahua or corgi, anything larger is enough to scare the living daylights out of him. ---</s> <\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton As she replied, Alytra eyed him speculatively. He just sat there, right next to her, plopped his entitled little ass down as if he'd been invited. She hissed internally and glared at him ever so slightly, pulling her knees to her chest and making sure to leave as much space as possible in between her and her surprise guest of the evening. She was pleased, however, to have the chance for conversation with someone else who was fairly normal - or, at least, what she would consider MORE normal than the typical patient or staff member around Remmington's. Also, Alytra was both taken aback and pleased by the fact that the boy seemed to truly understand what she was experiencing. She noticed that he looked a little wobbly, as well. "Name's Alytra," she muttered, disappointed by the fact that he could shed no more light on her current situation than had already been shed, "And... You are?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. Relief washed over her that she wasn't the only one to be at a loss when it came to names here. Alytra was distracted briefly as she saw Jason pass by the Lounge out of the corner of her eye, and she could have sworn that she saw him smile one of those menacing smiles... She quickly focused her attention back on the newcomer once he had passed, however, and waited patiently for his reply.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra might've been delusional, but he wasn't stupid. He could see the subtle curling of the lip, the way her eyes narrowed as he made himself at home on the couch. It was clear - to him, at least - that he wasn't all too welcomed here. Still, it took him every last ounce of willpower in his being to refrain from pointing out that The Lounge was a communal area. If the girl had truly desired to go down the path of the lone wolf, she'd be better off holing up inside a bathroom stall. As this… 'Alytra' introduced herself, Ezra spent a few moments taking her in. She was pale, but not quite as much as he was, with a peppering of freckles all across her features. Of course, none of that were nearly as interesting as the purple hair - an oasis of colour in this wasteland. A compliment was right there on the tip of his tongue, though he couldn't bring himself to say it. Not just yet, at least. He wasn't about to get all buddy-buddy with some he'd just met. Especially not with someone who glared at him just for taking a seat. "...Ezra. It's Ezra." The name sounded wrong between his teeth, and he rued the repetition. There was something dodgy about any assertion one felt obliged to make twice. But it had just been so long since anyone in this hellhole addressed him properly, his name beginning to make the strange transition into a dead language. Ezra was disquieted to realise that the staff had ceased to call him anything at all. He didn't know when or how it happened, but one thing was for sure, this was all because of that bitch, Dr. Remmington. No doubt this was another one of her little mind-games, and that toady of hers, Jason, had to be in on it, too. Speak of the devil… there he was. Ezra would notice that ugly mug anywhere. He'd heard rumours of what Jason did to the other patients, but that was about as deep as it went. Ezra himself hadn't witnessed anything he did firsthand, though he'd certainly had his own run-ins with a separate kind of degenerate - the closeted kind with cigarettes to spare. For a moment, his mind nearly slips, nails digging into his palm to bring himself back to reality. No, no more getting lost in thought. There were other, more important things to deal with. Like the conversation he and Alytra were having, for example. "So? What're you in here for, then?"</s> <\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton When he spoke, Alytra could tell that this boy had definitely picked up on her signals and noticed the way in which she had reacted to his taking a seat near her. His face appeared to display that, although he wasn't too fond of her facial expressions, that he understood. Of course, that was probably a common theme for anyone here at Remmington's. Since all of the patients had their space invaded quite often and without their own consent, Alytra pretty much assumed that the others would feel the same way that she did about close encounters with strangers. Or, maybe it was just her, being "moody", slipping from an exciting "up" state into a dreary "down".... She mentally checked herself and attempted to control the ugly effects her disorder to the best of her abilities, along with the medicine that was flowing through her veins, if it was even the correct dosage/kind. It seemed, for a mere moment, that he was going to share something else with her, but hesitation reared its head, and instead, there was a brief pause, and then Alytra finally learned his name. It was a lovely name, Alytra thought to herself, the kind that would slip off the tip of one's tongue, if not for the hesitation that he had shown, and the awkward repetition of his name afterwards. Was he nervous? Of what? Alytra could be kind of intimidating, but she wasn't that scary.... Was she? She thought that she saw his palm twitch a bit while she waited for him to say more, but it could have easily been just her mind running rampant, full of unidentified chemicals from the drugs. "Um, my mom sent me here a while ago. I have anxiety and I'm mildly bi-polar." she confided in him, honestly, albeit a bit begrudgingly. She wasn't particularly proud of her disorders, and hoped that it wouldn't scare him off. Although a bit panicky around people, Alytra thought that she was literally going to die without someone to make conversation with. "Why are you here?" She pried, curious about what such a clean-cut looking guy could wind up here for.</s>	<\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra's eyes narrowed. Anxiety? Bipolar Disorder? Those weren't exactly things that got you committed to a mental institution, much less one like Remmington's. For a fleeting moment, he couldn't help but feel a sense of commiseration well up inside him. How long had she been here? Needless to say, Ezra had his own woes to wrangle, but there weren't many things in the world that made him feel this way. The abuse of power was something he'd always been wary of, and they had the audacity to call him crazy because of it. No one deserved to be in a place like this, no matter how incorruptible and virtuous they set themselves up to be. He knew better. "Psychosis and BPD." Ezra stated, quite bluntly, voice monotonous with disinterest. His face was a mask of detachment, but if one looked closely, they'd see a flicker of uncertainty. Up until this very day, he still wasn't sure whether or not his suspicions were completely unfounded. Hushed voices and lowered gazes, those were the things that greeted him whenever he walked into a room at home. But he supposed that wasn't the only factor that led to his confinement; more like the straw that broke the camel's back, really. He still remembered how he stuck his head into the oven hours before they dragged him here - and he was so close to blacking out, too. The memory brought a wry, feeble smile to his lips, as he continued. "I tried to kill my family, and I guess they were tired of me trying to kill myself all the time." Ezra would be lying if he said this revelation wasn't cathartic, and there was a sick sort of excitement as to how the girl would react mixed in there, as well. The therapists in here were useless - all they did was smile, nod, maybe scribble down some bullshit on a clipboard if they were feeling particularly productive that day. It was like talking to a brick wall, or rather, confiding in a goldfish. The therapists seemed to forget about everything he'd said by the time the next session rolled around. After a few months of this repetition, it was much easier for Ezra to simply clam up, and wait for the forty-five minutes to be over. With Alytra, though - or any other patient in Remmington's, for that matter - it was different. There was something of a mutual understanding between them, even if they'd never actually spoken to each other up until now. "They tried to keep it hush-hush, but you might've seen it in the tabloids, once or twice." He vaguely recalled a headline splashed across the cover of OK! Magazine, and it would've almost been amusing, if not for its tastelessness. "I think it was something like: 'The Pinkertons: Richer Than God, But They Can't Hide The Crazy!'. You know, that might actually be my personal favourite."</s>
<\|description\|>Ezra Pinkerton Age: 19 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual, with an inclination towards men. Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychosis Personality: To describe Ezra as abrasive would be the understatement of the century. Inwardly self-destructive and outwardly misanthropic, the people he talks to often find themselves put off by his hostility. He doesn't abide by the rules, he doesn't play fairly, and he certainly doesn't let anyone think they can get one up on him. Ezra considers himself the alpha dog in any situation he's in, but when faced with truly confident or successful people, he can become flustered and defensive, lashing out with increasingly nonsensical insults. Despite that, Ezra is a capable manipulator when he needs to be, and has a knack for controlling people to get what he wants. He's very often obsessive about the things he does, the things he thinks about, and the people he chooses to follow. If he likes something, chances are he'll let you know it, and if he doesn't, well, he's never been shy about voicing his opinion in that matter as well. Try as he might, he's never really had the best poker face in the world, and it tends to give him away more than not. Ezra is hard to like, much less to love, but underneath the layers of barbed distrust and anger, lies a young man deeply frustrated by his condition. Appearance: With a height of 5'7", weighing in at around 135 pounds, Ezra isn't exactly the most imposing of figures. It doesn't help that he never stands up straight, either. His posture is terrible; shoulders rolled forward, knees bent, hands inside his pockets. No matter how many hours of sleep he gets a night, it's always fitful, as evident by the dark circles under his watery, blue eyes. There is an unhealthy pallor to his skin, even more so than usual, after a year spent in Remmington. This, combined with his lanky, blonde hair, gives him an overall appearance that would be best described as "washed out". Unless he is fully comfortable in his surroundings, he is usually unsmiling. It's not difficult to notice the way he suspiciously eyes people, watching their every move like a caged animal. History/Background Info.: Ezra grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, the youngest child to a wealthy businessman and his beautiful wife. The Pinkertons, as one of the primary shipping magnates in North America, were, and continue to be, one of the richest and most influential names from the continent. From the day he was born, Ezra had everything he wanted handed to him on a silver platter. To outsiders, his life was enviable. But behind closed doors, things were quite different. Ezra's parents were far too busy with work to deal with a child, and so tended to leave him and his siblings in the care of a nanny. This detachment between parent and child, perhaps, was why Ezra's unusual behaviour went undetected. People never seemed to like staying around Ezra for long; his carers had a curious habit of never lasting more than a month at a time - the frequency and intensity of his sometimes self-destructive tantrums driving them away from the Pinkerton estate. Shrugging it off as the unreliability of the working class, Ezra's parents turned a blind eye to these so-called "episodes". As far as they were concerned, there was nothing wrong with him - well, apart from being spoilt rotten, that is. For years, the behaviour Ezra displayed was simply swept under the rug. After all, it simply wouldn't do to have the prestigious Pinkerton name sullied, would it? Still, it was only a matter of time until things came to a head. Slowly but surely, Ezra's psyche began to turn on him. As with all things, it started out small. Shadows lurking at the edge of his vision, the occasional whisper at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell whether or not it was just his imagination - but these symptoms only worsened as time went by. Soon, Ezra began suffering from full-blown episodes of catatonia, and it was only then that his parents started to worry. After multiple trips to the psychiatrist, it seemed like they had finally pinned down just what was wrong with Ezra. Diagnosed with BPD and Psychosis, he was sent home with nothing more than a bottle of mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. But then, barely a month later - that was when things spiralled out of control. The night before his eighteenth birthday, something in him snapped. Convinced that his entire family was out to get him, he retrieved a knife from the kitchen, fully intending to carve up everyone in the house before they could do anything to hurt him. Fortunately, however, Ezra's plans were stopped in his tracks when the knife was wrestled away from him by his first target - his father. Despite their earlier reservations, Ezra's parents finally realised what they had to do. In a situation like this, seeking professional help would no doubt be the best course of action. Thus, after an extensive round of perusal and vetting, they finally settled on Remmington's Angels. Whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton were aware of the rumours surrounding the facility is anyone's guess, but two things were for sure - it keeps their son out of the public eye, and their reputation spotless. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Cigarettes. They're one of the only things that calm him down, but he finds it nigh impossible to get his hands on any in Remmington. Other/Special: Ezra is terrified of dogs. Whilst he isn't going to run screaming when he sees a chihuahua or corgi, anything larger is enough to scare the living daylights out of him. ---</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West "Hey, you! There it was. He didn't even have a chance to catch his breath yet. Arrow jumped when the thundering voice broke the silence in the hallway. He struggled to stand back up, using the wall for support. He could immediately tell the approaching man wasn't a member of the staff – he wore the same simple white uniform as Arrow had. However, his presence felt strong and menacing, making Arrow wary as the stranger approached. He struggled to remain calm, though he was already looking for his next route of escape should the situation take a turn for the worse. He wiped at his mouth in disgust after the man's crude comment. His was spinning from the drugs he was injected with less then five minutes ago, and his vision was further impaired by the tears that had welled up in his eyes. He stubbornly fought them back, blinking hard a few times. "That's disgusting." He spat. He felt more uncomfortable as the man came closer. He definitely could beat the snot out of the poor kid if he wanted to. "Besides, who the hell are you?" He made an attempt to sound confident, but it probably was not very effective considering his current state. If fact, he would probably just make things worse by mouthing off.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Well, this was new. Whenever Ezra brought up the subject of his family name, there was usually a spark of recognition; a turning of gears as they came to realise just who he was. The Pinkertons were often said to be up there with the Waltons and the Kochs, having dominated the US shipping industry since the early 20s, and to put it gently - you had to be living under a rock to not have heard of them. Today, however, it seemed as if he had finally encountered an exception to the rule. Whether or not he was pleased by the peculiar turn of events, Ezra couldn't tell, but it was certainly a refreshing deviation from the norm. "Was rich, and none taken. They're all a bunch of douchebags, anyway." Ezra wasn't so petty as to take an offhanded comment like that to heart. Growing up, he'd always been taught to have thick skin, and to take things with a grain of salt. Sticks and stones, right? Not like it was much help to him when he was in one of his "moods", but right now, for lack of a better term, he was too out of it to get into it. The drugs they gave him in Remmington's were good for one thing, he supposed - keeping those nasty, raging emotions at bay. "Eight months, huh? I've been here a little longer. …I think." And then, there was the downside. With the chemical cocktail of pills and injections given to him, Ezra could barely remember what he had for breakfast, let alone how much time he'd spent at Remmington's. But if he had to decide on a certain timeframe, it'd be somewhere close to a year, give or take. Though with his addled mind, he couldn't be sure. Those trips to the 'shock shop' in the beginning of January must've taken more out of him than he'd thought. Tentatively, Ezra's gaze flickered upwards, towards the spiky, purple mess sitting atop Alytra's head. As he spoke, his fingers finally found purchase, tearing away the flaking piece of skin from his lip. "They let you keep your hair like that?"</s> <\|message\|>Jason "Uh, excuse me?" Jason asked, all humor gone from his face. This young fool obviously had no clue who he was, nor any respect for authority. The boy appeared to be shaking, clearly immensely upset from whatever had happened moments before, and it almost evoked some hint of emotion from his cold heart. Almost. But Jason knew better than to start feeling bad for a newbie who was breaking the rules. And he could benefit quite a bit from taking the side of the staff on almost any matter, he realized, if he played his cards right. Jason practically snarled. "Who says it's disgusting? I love the taste of metal in my mouth." It would have been a comical statement if not for the absolute menace that shone through his bright eyes. He looked downright terrifying. Taking a step closer, he gestured towards the boy, still sitting on the hard ground against the painstakingly white wall behind him. The vein in his forehead bulged and throbbed, and he leaned over the boy, attempting to intimidate him. "I'll think about answering your questions after you answer mine. Now, I asked you once, and I will not ask again," Jason continued, "Who. the. fuck. are. you." The words came out hard and flat, with a bit of rage seeping into each one. He was not in the mood to be screwed with. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alytra was rather taken aback. As much hate as she harbored for her good for nothing father, and as much of a bitch her mother could be, she would never refer to them openly as "a bunch of douchebags". The term just sounded.... dirty? Perverted? Wrong, whatever it was. She was also even more astounded by the claim that Ezra made next. "More than eight months? A whole year? No offense, but that seems impossible... I know everyone who has been in and out of here since I arrived, I swear it... Or, at least, I could have sworn... Longer than me? I didn't think that anyone besides... Jason... Had been here for longer than I have... That can't be right, can it...?" She couldn't stop searching, attempting to find a rational answer to what she had just been told, but she couldn't. Maybe, she began to fear, those drugs had done a lot more to affect her mental and biological health than she had originally thought... "Well, anyway," Alytra moved the conversation along, trying her best to shrug it off, "What do you mean? This?" She pulled at her own lovely purple and black locks, affectionately. "Like that as in short, or like that as in dyed? Either way, obviously, yes, they do "let me"... It's amazing what you can get away with around here, if you have the right connections... Speaking of which," Alytra began to recall a time where she had seen Ezra, not knowing who he was at that point in time, in possession of a cigarette. "Haven't you been getting some nicotine into your system, somehow?" She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head slightly to the side. Perhaps, she wasn't the only one using her looks to receive something beneficiary that wouldn't be provided by Dr. Remmington or the more nefariously diligent staff members.</s>	<\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra could empathise, he knew exactly how Alytra felt. At Remmington's, without a calendar to keep track, days melted into weeks, and months into days. The place never seemed to change, either. Same walls, same people, same drugs, same everything. Each passing second felt like a bloated eternity, and some days, Ezra was sure the monotony would drive him mad. Well - madder, if you want to be picky about it. "Eight months, a year. What's the difference?" Sharp stabs of fatigue lent his voice a gravelly creakiness, and it was almost as if he had to heave the words from his jaw with a shovel. Still, he made a token effort of straightening his posture, draping an arm across the back of the couch. "Feels like a goddamned lifetime, either way." As the girl continued, Ezra couldn't quash the feeling of dread welling up in his stomach. He knew where this was going, and when Alytra finally popped the question, he was hardly shocked. Not many patients earned the supposed 'privilege' of cigarettes - the fact that his carcinogenic hobby hadn't been brought up in conversation earlier was an achievement in and itself. But that didn't stop his phlegmatic, drugged-up mask from slipping. Venom. In a single, ephemeral second, however, it faded, almost as quickly as it'd surfaced. Even with his eyes at half-mast, one could still see the pupils, as dark and sticky as a tar pit. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Ezra's voice was oddly clipped, and it was clear, despite the apparent insouciance, that Alytra had hit a nerve with her question. Rationalising - as he had tried many times before - would be of no use, he realised. No amount of excuses, big or small, would justify his actions. He knew that after he'd accepted that very first cigarette, there was no going back, and he'd be a fool to dig himself a deeper hole than he'd already done. Though he did find some solace in the fact that he wasn't alone in such an arrangement. "The 'right connections'… That's funny."</s>
<\|description\|>Ezra Pinkerton Age: 19 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual, with an inclination towards men. Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychosis Personality: To describe Ezra as abrasive would be the understatement of the century. Inwardly self-destructive and outwardly misanthropic, the people he talks to often find themselves put off by his hostility. He doesn't abide by the rules, he doesn't play fairly, and he certainly doesn't let anyone think they can get one up on him. Ezra considers himself the alpha dog in any situation he's in, but when faced with truly confident or successful people, he can become flustered and defensive, lashing out with increasingly nonsensical insults. Despite that, Ezra is a capable manipulator when he needs to be, and has a knack for controlling people to get what he wants. He's very often obsessive about the things he does, the things he thinks about, and the people he chooses to follow. If he likes something, chances are he'll let you know it, and if he doesn't, well, he's never been shy about voicing his opinion in that matter as well. Try as he might, he's never really had the best poker face in the world, and it tends to give him away more than not. Ezra is hard to like, much less to love, but underneath the layers of barbed distrust and anger, lies a young man deeply frustrated by his condition. Appearance: With a height of 5'7", weighing in at around 135 pounds, Ezra isn't exactly the most imposing of figures. It doesn't help that he never stands up straight, either. His posture is terrible; shoulders rolled forward, knees bent, hands inside his pockets. No matter how many hours of sleep he gets a night, it's always fitful, as evident by the dark circles under his watery, blue eyes. There is an unhealthy pallor to his skin, even more so than usual, after a year spent in Remmington. This, combined with his lanky, blonde hair, gives him an overall appearance that would be best described as "washed out". Unless he is fully comfortable in his surroundings, he is usually unsmiling. It's not difficult to notice the way he suspiciously eyes people, watching their every move like a caged animal. History/Background Info.: Ezra grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, the youngest child to a wealthy businessman and his beautiful wife. The Pinkertons, as one of the primary shipping magnates in North America, were, and continue to be, one of the richest and most influential names from the continent. From the day he was born, Ezra had everything he wanted handed to him on a silver platter. To outsiders, his life was enviable. But behind closed doors, things were quite different. Ezra's parents were far too busy with work to deal with a child, and so tended to leave him and his siblings in the care of a nanny. This detachment between parent and child, perhaps, was why Ezra's unusual behaviour went undetected. People never seemed to like staying around Ezra for long; his carers had a curious habit of never lasting more than a month at a time - the frequency and intensity of his sometimes self-destructive tantrums driving them away from the Pinkerton estate. Shrugging it off as the unreliability of the working class, Ezra's parents turned a blind eye to these so-called "episodes". As far as they were concerned, there was nothing wrong with him - well, apart from being spoilt rotten, that is. For years, the behaviour Ezra displayed was simply swept under the rug. After all, it simply wouldn't do to have the prestigious Pinkerton name sullied, would it? Still, it was only a matter of time until things came to a head. Slowly but surely, Ezra's psyche began to turn on him. As with all things, it started out small. Shadows lurking at the edge of his vision, the occasional whisper at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell whether or not it was just his imagination - but these symptoms only worsened as time went by. Soon, Ezra began suffering from full-blown episodes of catatonia, and it was only then that his parents started to worry. After multiple trips to the psychiatrist, it seemed like they had finally pinned down just what was wrong with Ezra. Diagnosed with BPD and Psychosis, he was sent home with nothing more than a bottle of mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. But then, barely a month later - that was when things spiralled out of control. The night before his eighteenth birthday, something in him snapped. Convinced that his entire family was out to get him, he retrieved a knife from the kitchen, fully intending to carve up everyone in the house before they could do anything to hurt him. Fortunately, however, Ezra's plans were stopped in his tracks when the knife was wrestled away from him by his first target - his father. Despite their earlier reservations, Ezra's parents finally realised what they had to do. In a situation like this, seeking professional help would no doubt be the best course of action. Thus, after an extensive round of perusal and vetting, they finally settled on Remmington's Angels. Whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton were aware of the rumours surrounding the facility is anyone's guess, but two things were for sure - it keeps their son out of the public eye, and their reputation spotless. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Cigarettes. They're one of the only things that calm him down, but he finds it nigh impossible to get his hands on any in Remmington. Other/Special: Ezra is terrified of dogs. Whilst he isn't going to run screaming when he sees a chihuahua or corgi, anything larger is enough to scare the living daylights out of him. ---</s> <\|message\|>Jason Shockingly, this whole conversation just felt so amazing to Alytra. The two of them were talking and listening and prying and sharing, and certain parts of the conversation were even downright aggressive and provocative... And it felt more right to her than anything had in weeks, maybe even months. This boy, Ezra, this was someone who actually understood her, how she thought and felt about Remmington and such. He even seemed onboard with the idea of sneaking around to gain advantages over the other patients and staff members, she assumed, after hearing his response. His reaction when she asked about the cigarettes was one that took her aback a bit, but not much. Alytra was so used to just being honest and bluntly saying what was on her mind, that when Ezra hesitated and told her basically to back off, it only confused her, as well as intriguing her more. "I would, actually," Alytra quipped, defiantly, "I would just [i]love[i] to know how you got them." She made a sort of "hmph" noise, and smiled at him arrogantly. She wasn't too intimidated by him to not press the matter further; his resistance only caused her to grow more curious about the matter... "And yes, being acquainted with the right kind of people here can indeed make all the difference.. That is, as right as any of them could possibly be. I think that everyone's a little wrong in this world, but that's just my cynical side taking over." She winked at Ezra and folded her arms. She wasn't about to back down from her questions quite so easily. Not yet. "Sadly, though, it is almost lights out.. Should we be going to bed, or...?" Alytra asked him, beginning to look around anxiously and breathe irregularly, waiting on Ezra's answer and trying not to totally lose her shit as night time neared. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When the young boy shrunk back from him further and covered his head with his hands, Jason did actually feel truly sorry for him. He could only allow himself to feel this way, though, because he knew that the boy could not see him, and therefore would not foolishly expect sympathy or comfort. Jason was not currently in the correct place or mindset to be able to offer either of those things. He watched on as the boy seemed to be struggling with himself internally, fighting some battle that no one could truly ever see. Finally, the boy looked up nervously and answered him. "Arrow, eh?" Jason raised an eyebrow in suspicion. It was a strange name, he thought, albeit interesting and unique. Watching the tears fall from Arrow's face didn't have a huge effect on Jason's emotional state, if that state even existed, because he had trained himself not to let himself feel for or really care about anyone but himself. But it didn't make him happy to watch it. And when Arrow begged him not to hit him, it struck a nerve. Jason sighed, and leaned towards the boy, hesitantly but also decidedly, and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Look, kid.. I'm not going to hit you, here, ever. Ok? Just watch yourself. Mind the staff. Don't cause any beef with them and you won't have any beef with me." He stood back up, tall again, and surveyed the halls, making sure that no one had witnessed this display. "Now, here, you're going to get up now and I'd suggest that you go to your room, it's almost lights out and you're obviously exhausted." Jason reached out his arm and let it dangle there, in mid-air, waiting for Arrow to except the highest form of friendship that Jason had offered anyone in years.</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West Arrow flinched slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. However, the gesture wasn't at all hostile, and Arrow didn't feel threatened by it. It struck him that that was the first time someone from that awful place had touched him without the intent to prick him with a needle or something else along those lines. He looked back up, a slightly puzzled expression on his tear-streaked face. The man still had a stony expression, but the fire seemed to have settled down a little in those icy-blue eyes. Arrow took a brief moment to admire this person, who, in a place that stripped them of their human rights and treated them instead like some science experiment, could still carry himself with such confidence. Meanwhile, Arrow sat on the floor sniveling like a baby. "He'll hurt you." It was barely audible through the hodgepodge of mumbling inside his head, but one single voice broke through and hissed the threat. It sounded far more real then the others and sent a chill down the boy's spine. His eyes darted around quickly, checking that he and the man were still alone in the hallway. When the man offered his hand, Arrow took a few seconds to process the meaning of the gesture. He hesitated, wiping his face in his elbow. The voices argued in his head as he reached out and took the man's hand, debating whether or not it was a good idea.</s>	<\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton His eyes narrowed, just minutely, but there was no mistaking it - Ezra wasn't pleased. Even without saying a single word, the irritation he felt was tangible, hanging thick and heavy in the air. If there was anything in the world he hated more than this place, it would be people probing into his own, personal business. Especially business of this particular nature. What happened between him and this mysterious 'benefactor' of his... Ezra would never admit it, though a small part of him wondered how fast daddy dearest would blow a gasket, if he ever did find out. "Then I'm sorry to disappoint." Ezra smirked, and there was a kind of liturgical finality to his words, booming and solemn like the 'Amen' at the end of a benedictory prayer. His mind was already made up, and his lips sealed. There was no way he was going to discuss the matter with anyone. Ever. Confiding in a so-called 'kindred spirit' was already proving more trouble than it was worth. Perhaps he would've been better off keeping to himself, after all. As Alytra mentioned lights-out, however, a wave of nausea swept over him. Ezra had barely noticed the sky getting dark outside, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to tether himself to reality. It couldn't be the end of the day already, could it? With each passing day, time seemed to grow increasingly elusive, like dust through his fingers. And yet, even after doing nothing but laze around the entire day, Ezra found himself exhausted - though it wasn't something sleep could fix. It was a tiredness that seeped into your very bones, that telltale ache taking root in your muscles like a chronic illness. Without the tar from a cigarette coating the insides of his lungs, he felt even worse than usual, and - "Ezra." ...Shit. "It's almost lights out. What are you still doing out here?" Ezra turned, with such an in-his-own-good-time deadpan, that it was impossible to tell whether he'd heard anything. Clinging onto the childish conclusion that if he didn't look, they would go away, he studiously avoided the newcomer's gaze. But for just a split second, his resolve faltered, and he dared a furtive glance at the source of the voice. Standing a few yards away, was a man. He was about six feet tall, in his thirties, with a crisp, white lab coat draped over his shoulders. Truth be told, there was nothing particularly remarkable about the scientist. He was tall, but not freakishly so, and the weight he carried seemed to balance things out somewhat. Built like a linebacker, he was the last person anyone wanted to get into a scuffle with. And yet, he never really got to exercise his authority, instead spending the greater part of his time running errands for Dr. Remmington. But still, there was something about his stare, something in those dull, amber hues of his that made Ezra uncomfortable. "What can I do for you, doc?" Ezra finally spoke up, after a long moment, false courage belying his apprehension. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe you could actually follow the rules, for once." the man replied, almost conversationally, but Ezra could tell there was something else beneath it all, something dark, when his gaze flickered towards Alytra. Jealousy, maybe? Possessiveness sounded better still. "And, you haven't taken your night meds yet." "Isn't that the nurses' job?" As the tiny, plastic cup in his hand rattles with mood stabilisers and antipsychotics, the sound makes Ezra grimace. "I'm not taking them." "I gave you that extra cigarette. The least you can do for me is take your pills, you know what happens when you don't." That's when the barrier of intrepidity around Ezra falls, crumbling, faltering, until there was nothing left of it. "Fine." Finally, he submits, words escaping in a muted hiss. He is slow to stand, but his movements are deliberate, crossing the remaining distance to where the scientist stood. Before anything else conspired, however, Gregg pulls Ezra aside, shooting a pointed look at Alytra. "Back to your room. Now."</s>
<\|description\|>Ezra Pinkerton Age: 19 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual, with an inclination towards men. Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychosis Personality: To describe Ezra as abrasive would be the understatement of the century. Inwardly self-destructive and outwardly misanthropic, the people he talks to often find themselves put off by his hostility. He doesn't abide by the rules, he doesn't play fairly, and he certainly doesn't let anyone think they can get one up on him. Ezra considers himself the alpha dog in any situation he's in, but when faced with truly confident or successful people, he can become flustered and defensive, lashing out with increasingly nonsensical insults. Despite that, Ezra is a capable manipulator when he needs to be, and has a knack for controlling people to get what he wants. He's very often obsessive about the things he does, the things he thinks about, and the people he chooses to follow. If he likes something, chances are he'll let you know it, and if he doesn't, well, he's never been shy about voicing his opinion in that matter as well. Try as he might, he's never really had the best poker face in the world, and it tends to give him away more than not. Ezra is hard to like, much less to love, but underneath the layers of barbed distrust and anger, lies a young man deeply frustrated by his condition. Appearance: With a height of 5'7", weighing in at around 135 pounds, Ezra isn't exactly the most imposing of figures. It doesn't help that he never stands up straight, either. His posture is terrible; shoulders rolled forward, knees bent, hands inside his pockets. No matter how many hours of sleep he gets a night, it's always fitful, as evident by the dark circles under his watery, blue eyes. There is an unhealthy pallor to his skin, even more so than usual, after a year spent in Remmington. This, combined with his lanky, blonde hair, gives him an overall appearance that would be best described as "washed out". Unless he is fully comfortable in his surroundings, he is usually unsmiling. It's not difficult to notice the way he suspiciously eyes people, watching their every move like a caged animal. History/Background Info.: Ezra grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, the youngest child to a wealthy businessman and his beautiful wife. The Pinkertons, as one of the primary shipping magnates in North America, were, and continue to be, one of the richest and most influential names from the continent. From the day he was born, Ezra had everything he wanted handed to him on a silver platter. To outsiders, his life was enviable. But behind closed doors, things were quite different. Ezra's parents were far too busy with work to deal with a child, and so tended to leave him and his siblings in the care of a nanny. This detachment between parent and child, perhaps, was why Ezra's unusual behaviour went undetected. People never seemed to like staying around Ezra for long; his carers had a curious habit of never lasting more than a month at a time - the frequency and intensity of his sometimes self-destructive tantrums driving them away from the Pinkerton estate. Shrugging it off as the unreliability of the working class, Ezra's parents turned a blind eye to these so-called "episodes". As far as they were concerned, there was nothing wrong with him - well, apart from being spoilt rotten, that is. For years, the behaviour Ezra displayed was simply swept under the rug. After all, it simply wouldn't do to have the prestigious Pinkerton name sullied, would it? Still, it was only a matter of time until things came to a head. Slowly but surely, Ezra's psyche began to turn on him. As with all things, it started out small. Shadows lurking at the edge of his vision, the occasional whisper at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell whether or not it was just his imagination - but these symptoms only worsened as time went by. Soon, Ezra began suffering from full-blown episodes of catatonia, and it was only then that his parents started to worry. After multiple trips to the psychiatrist, it seemed like they had finally pinned down just what was wrong with Ezra. Diagnosed with BPD and Psychosis, he was sent home with nothing more than a bottle of mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. But then, barely a month later - that was when things spiralled out of control. The night before his eighteenth birthday, something in him snapped. Convinced that his entire family was out to get him, he retrieved a knife from the kitchen, fully intending to carve up everyone in the house before they could do anything to hurt him. Fortunately, however, Ezra's plans were stopped in his tracks when the knife was wrestled away from him by his first target - his father. Despite their earlier reservations, Ezra's parents finally realised what they had to do. In a situation like this, seeking professional help would no doubt be the best course of action. Thus, after an extensive round of perusal and vetting, they finally settled on Remmington's Angels. Whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton were aware of the rumours surrounding the facility is anyone's guess, but two things were for sure - it keeps their son out of the public eye, and their reputation spotless. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Cigarettes. They're one of the only things that calm him down, but he finds it nigh impossible to get his hands on any in Remmington. Other/Special: Ezra is terrified of dogs. Whilst he isn't going to run screaming when he sees a chihuahua or corgi, anything larger is enough to scare the living daylights out of him. ---</s> <\|message\|>Jason Alytra took her time walking to her room, moving as slowly as possible. She was full of absolute dread, knowing what was about to happen. It was unavoidable, and she knew that this was all her fault. If only she hadn't attempted to escape the facility yet again, then she wouldn't have to deal with it. But she knew that, like the last times, Jason would carry out the threats that he had made to her fully. When she got to the door, she fumbled with the handle, finally managing to open it with shaky palms. As she shut the door to her room behind her, she turned towards the bed and shuddered. Jason was here already. There he sat, perusing a book that had been laying around, one of the only pass-times that Alytra could find in this place once she was sentenced to nightly solitude - Or, what was supposed to be alone time - at lights-out. He finished the section he was on, shoved a bookmark into it nonchalantly to hold his place (as if he'd be coming back here often, that pig), and set it down, then turning his full attention towards her. "Ahhh, Alytra. How happy I am that you decided you wanted another visit from me." He smirked at her, looked into her eyes, and winked. "Now. This is going to be extremely satisfying... For me. So just do as you're told, for once in your life, please, you fucking bitch." With that, he pulled her towards his own body, until she was standing between his legs as he sat on the edge of the bed. He reached up and began to kiss her; first her jaw, then her neck, then her chest, and so on. Alytra squirmed under the heat of his lips, but she knew better than to try and fight him or run or call for help. First, no one would hear her if she did. Everyone in the facility, besides a few specific officials, were supposed to be in their personal rooms or offices right now, and would remain there until morning time. Second, if Alytra even tried to run, fast as she was, she would never outrun Jason. And lastly, she wasn't strong enough to fight... And she knew that she would pay worse if she did. Alytra had a few secrets of her own, things that Jason knew about and that no one else could. And so, Alytra stood there and took her punishment. Jason moved his hands, running them up and down her body, all over her, and although she felt physically sick, he felt nothing but pure ecstasy. He was enjoying every bit of this. As the hospital clothing came off, he admired her body and was thoroughly pleased. And just like that, Alytra was once again conditioned to believe that her trying to escape Remmington's was a very, very bad idea... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the morning, Alytra awoke, alone, in her bed. She wished that it had been to the sounds of birds chirping or the rays of sunlight through the windows. But it wasn't that, not at all. It was another dreary morning in Remmington's, and this life felt more like a nightmare than her dreams did. She wished that her dreams were her reality, that what happened last night wasn't real... But it was. Alytra felt sick again. She lay in bed for a while, and then stood, shakily, and reached over to grab the pills that lay beside her. Someone had been in here, and it was possible that it was Jason who had set them here, but it was probably a doctor. She swallowed them, one by one, and wondered how late she had slept in. Sighing, she walked over to the door and opened it, stepping out into the white hallway and preparing to face a new day.</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West "Get yer arse up, boy." Arrow's eyes flew open at the sound of his father's drunken, slurred speech. The room was dark and silent, and it took him a few long seconds to remember where he was. His hands clenched the edges of the mattress and his heart hammered against the inside of his ribcage. He sat up slowly, squinting into the darkness. Across the room he could see the dark shape of his roommate on the other bed, so he must still be in his room. It was not uncommon for someone to come and collect him just before wake-up, so it might have been the first time he actually woke up there. His hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, and he brushed it back, using his fingers like a comb. Was it hot? He was probably just from the nightmares. He pulled his white tee shirt off and tossed it to the foot of his bed, then flopped back onto his pillow. What time was it? There was no way to tell, because there wasn't a clock or a window in the room. In fact, he hadn't noticed much more then the two beds. Each of them had a small night table with a single drawer. He rolled over and opened his, but it was empty. He laid there for what felt like hours. He drifted in and out of sleep, but not really enough to actually feel rested. Just when he thought he would go crazy from waiting, the lights came on in the room. He groaned and covered his face as the sterile white light filled his vision. Just as he started to regain his sight a nurse walked in the room. She didn't say anything, but handed him a little plastic cup with a few pills in it, as well as a bottle of water. She smiled ever so slightly at him, maybe amused by his extreme bed-head, then set a clean set of clothes on his table and left. He eyed the cup of pills suspiciously before setting it down on the table. He wasn't going to take those nasty thing willingly. Besides, it had always been the injections before. Why would they suddenly switch to pills? Maybe because of the biting incident? Either way, he didn't trust them. He wasn't sure what they were supposed to do after the lights came on. Perhaps he was supposed to go find breakfast or something, but he had no idea where it would be. So, instead he sat on the bed and leaned against the wall, eventually dozing off again.</s> <\|message\|>Maloney "Nails" Fowler Nails darted out into the hallway the next morning, already starting to feel a little tense. It had been some time since her last dose, and she was most definitely aware of her rising panic. She lifted a pen that she'd stolen from a staff member up to the nearest wall and paused in thought. Then she jotted down a short, simple sentence. You'll know...someday. She went from room to room like this, scribbling cryptic phrases on the walls and doors nearby. When she got to room 22, Nails was in the middle of trying to climb a doorframe in order to reach the ceiling when a young woman opened the door and stepped outside. "Shit."</s>	<\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra had always been a light sleeper, and no matter how exhausted he was, the sound of shuffling sheets was enough to keep him up all night. The dosage of Xanax Gregg had given him was about as useful as a screen-door on a submarine. Every time, just as he thought he was about to drift into unconsciousness, the soft, curling tendrils of sopor simply withdrew, leaving him in the uncomfortable limbo between sleeplessness and slumber. Once or twice, Ezra had half a mind to get up and give his roommate a good talking-to, but then he hesitated. This place was bad enough as it is, was it really worth it to make himself more enemies than he'd already done? Minutes ticked by as he weighed out the pros and cons in his mind. In the end, however, Ezra decided it wasn't worth it. He was no stranger to sleepless nights, after a year spent in Remmington's, and he already had enough trouble on his hands, as it was. Maybe with a few more favours, he could get Gregg to transfer him to a single room, but for now, all he could do was suck it up and try to sleep. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours. Soon, the buzzing fluorescent lights of the room flickered on - 7 a.m. Ezra did get a few winks of sleep here and there, but not nearly enough for him to be fully awake during the day. Propping himself up on his elbows, he turned to look at his roommate. Still asleep. No surprise there, though he had to admit, it was pretty impressive how the boy managed to be insensate every time he saw him. When his gaze flickered downwards, Ezra noticed the cup of pills sitting on the nightstand. While he had resisted taking them at first, he learnt over time that it was either this, or an injection. With a hard swallow, he downed the medicine, setting the little plastic cup back down on the nightstand. Now, he needed to get himself some breakfast. But first, a smoke was in order. It would be awhile until the nurses came back to check on them, and Gregg's influence was more than enough to have them look the other way if they did catch him in the act. In one swift, practiced motion, Ezra had a lit cigarette hanging from his lips, the plastic lighter quickly disappearing back beneath his pillow. For a long moment, he just sat there, clouds of smoke spilling from the corners of his mouth, his free hand laid across his stomach. "Hey, kid." Ezra began, almost involuntarily. His voice was soft, though it still seemed to carry across the room, bouncing off the stark, white walls. Truth be told, he wasn't quite sure what he'd hoped to achieve with this, but he pressed on. "You awake?"</s>
<\|description\|>Arrow West Age: 16 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual Mental Illness/Disorder: Schizophrenia Personality: While most people diagnosed with Schizophrenia are emotionally distant, Arrow did not receive this trait. He is a highly social creature, with a personality similar to a puppy's. He is playful and sweet, and wants nothing more then to be liked. However, he has a hard time separating his delusions from reality, and can quickly become hostile. He stresses over things most people wouldn't think twice about, and worst of all is that he is definitely a crier. Appearance: He is around 5' 6", which he feels is kinda short for his age. He is built small, with long lean legs and narrow shoulders. His skin is light, and his hair a light brown. His dark blue eyes complete his puppy-dog look. History/Background: Arrow grew up as the middle child. He was sort of overlooked, something any middle child could relate too. He never did well in school, because people would pick on him, calling him names like "Special Edd" - or maybe none of that happened, and it was just another delusion. Either way, he was constantly getting in fights, and constantly losing these fights. When he was in middle school, his mother and little sister were killed in a freak car accident. Arrow was traumatized, of course, and his condition grew worse. His father took to alcohol, and his brother moved out and went to college. Being a person who required a lot of attention, Arrow felt abandoned at best. His mood swings worsened, and by highschool he had been arrested twice on school campus. He was finally expelled and spent his days home with his father. Though he said his father would never hit him, and it was just his delusions, the social workers thought otherwise. As the foster system wouldn't take him until he received "treatment", he ended up at Remmington's a few short weeks ago. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Arrow loves to draw. It's one of the few things that can calm him down. Other/Special: He is terrified of heights.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Well, this was new. Whenever Ezra brought up the subject of his family name, there was usually a spark of recognition; a turning of gears as they came to realise just who he was. The Pinkertons were often said to be up there with the Waltons and the Kochs, having dominated the US shipping industry since the early 20s, and to put it gently - you had to be living under a rock to not have heard of them. Today, however, it seemed as if he had finally encountered an exception to the rule. Whether or not he was pleased by the peculiar turn of events, Ezra couldn't tell, but it was certainly a refreshing deviation from the norm. "Was rich, and none taken. They're all a bunch of douchebags, anyway." Ezra wasn't so petty as to take an offhanded comment like that to heart. Growing up, he'd always been taught to have thick skin, and to take things with a grain of salt. Sticks and stones, right? Not like it was much help to him when he was in one of his "moods", but right now, for lack of a better term, he was too out of it to get into it. The drugs they gave him in Remmington's were good for one thing, he supposed - keeping those nasty, raging emotions at bay. "Eight months, huh? I've been here a little longer. …I think." And then, there was the downside. With the chemical cocktail of pills and injections given to him, Ezra could barely remember what he had for breakfast, let alone how much time he'd spent at Remmington's. But if he had to decide on a certain timeframe, it'd be somewhere close to a year, give or take. Though with his addled mind, he couldn't be sure. Those trips to the 'shock shop' in the beginning of January must've taken more out of him than he'd thought. Tentatively, Ezra's gaze flickered upwards, towards the spiky, purple mess sitting atop Alytra's head. As he spoke, his fingers finally found purchase, tearing away the flaking piece of skin from his lip. "They let you keep your hair like that?"</s> <\|message\|>Jason "Uh, excuse me?" Jason asked, all humor gone from his face. This young fool obviously had no clue who he was, nor any respect for authority. The boy appeared to be shaking, clearly immensely upset from whatever had happened moments before, and it almost evoked some hint of emotion from his cold heart. Almost. But Jason knew better than to start feeling bad for a newbie who was breaking the rules. And he could benefit quite a bit from taking the side of the staff on almost any matter, he realized, if he played his cards right. Jason practically snarled. "Who says it's disgusting? I love the taste of metal in my mouth." It would have been a comical statement if not for the absolute menace that shone through his bright eyes. He looked downright terrifying. Taking a step closer, he gestured towards the boy, still sitting on the hard ground against the painstakingly white wall behind him. The vein in his forehead bulged and throbbed, and he leaned over the boy, attempting to intimidate him. "I'll think about answering your questions after you answer mine. Now, I asked you once, and I will not ask again," Jason continued, "Who. the. fuck. are. you." The words came out hard and flat, with a bit of rage seeping into each one. He was not in the mood to be screwed with. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alytra was rather taken aback. As much hate as she harbored for her good for nothing father, and as much of a bitch her mother could be, she would never refer to them openly as "a bunch of douchebags". The term just sounded.... dirty? Perverted? Wrong, whatever it was. She was also even more astounded by the claim that Ezra made next. "More than eight months? A whole year? No offense, but that seems impossible... I know everyone who has been in and out of here since I arrived, I swear it... Or, at least, I could have sworn... Longer than me? I didn't think that anyone besides... Jason... Had been here for longer than I have... That can't be right, can it...?" She couldn't stop searching, attempting to find a rational answer to what she had just been told, but she couldn't. Maybe, she began to fear, those drugs had done a lot more to affect her mental and biological health than she had originally thought... "Well, anyway," Alytra moved the conversation along, trying her best to shrug it off, "What do you mean? This?" She pulled at her own lovely purple and black locks, affectionately. "Like that as in short, or like that as in dyed? Either way, obviously, yes, they do "let me"... It's amazing what you can get away with around here, if you have the right connections... Speaking of which," Alytra began to recall a time where she had seen Ezra, not knowing who he was at that point in time, in possession of a cigarette. "Haven't you been getting some nicotine into your system, somehow?" She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head slightly to the side. Perhaps, she wasn't the only one using her looks to receive something beneficiary that wouldn't be provided by Dr. Remmington or the more nefariously diligent staff members.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Ezra could empathise, he knew exactly how Alytra felt. At Remmington's, without a calendar to keep track, days melted into weeks, and months into days. The place never seemed to change, either. Same walls, same people, same drugs, same everything. Each passing second felt like a bloated eternity, and some days, Ezra was sure the monotony would drive him mad. Well - madder, if you want to be picky about it. "Eight months, a year. What's the difference?" Sharp stabs of fatigue lent his voice a gravelly creakiness, and it was almost as if he had to heave the words from his jaw with a shovel. Still, he made a token effort of straightening his posture, draping an arm across the back of the couch. "Feels like a goddamned lifetime, either way." As the girl continued, Ezra couldn't quash the feeling of dread welling up in his stomach. He knew where this was going, and when Alytra finally popped the question, he was hardly shocked. Not many patients earned the supposed 'privilege' of cigarettes - the fact that his carcinogenic hobby hadn't been brought up in conversation earlier was an achievement in and itself. But that didn't stop his phlegmatic, drugged-up mask from slipping. Venom. In a single, ephemeral second, however, it faded, almost as quickly as it'd surfaced. Even with his eyes at half-mast, one could still see the pupils, as dark and sticky as a tar pit. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Ezra's voice was oddly clipped, and it was clear, despite the apparent insouciance, that Alytra had hit a nerve with her question. Rationalising - as he had tried many times before - would be of no use, he realised. No amount of excuses, big or small, would justify his actions. He knew that after he'd accepted that very first cigarette, there was no going back, and he'd be a fool to dig himself a deeper hole than he'd already done. Though he did find some solace in the fact that he wasn't alone in such an arrangement. "The 'right connections'… That's funny."</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West 'Well, shit.' Arrow mentally scolded himself. It was now completely clear that this man wasn't someone he could smart mouth and still get out of the situation unharmed. As the man leaned over him, Arrow instinctively shrank backwards. As if the motion were rehearsed, he pulled his knees to his chest and crossed his arms over his head protectively. Shadowy figures danced on the edge of vision, though he knew as soon as he turned to look they would disappear. Soft, menacing voices mumbled incoherently, mocking his pathetic display. None of it was real; the added stress was making his hallucinations surface, even through the heavy dose of drugs he had been given. His heart rate rapidly increased, until he could feel his pulse pounding in his ears. He kept his face covered still as tears sprung up in his eyes and spilled down his face. The voices were right, of course; he was pathetic. "A-Arrow." He answered the man, swallowing hard. "Arrow West." He allowed the tears to fall into his lap, not daring to move and wipe them away. The voices sneered at him. Figures laughed out the corner of his eye. Arrow squeezed his eyes shut. "Please don't hit me."</s> <\|message\|>Jason Shockingly, this whole conversation just felt so amazing to Alytra. The two of them were talking and listening and prying and sharing, and certain parts of the conversation were even downright aggressive and provocative... And it felt more right to her than anything had in weeks, maybe even months. This boy, Ezra, this was someone who actually understood her, how she thought and felt about Remmington and such. He even seemed onboard with the idea of sneaking around to gain advantages over the other patients and staff members, she assumed, after hearing his response. His reaction when she asked about the cigarettes was one that took her aback a bit, but not much. Alytra was so used to just being honest and bluntly saying what was on her mind, that when Ezra hesitated and told her basically to back off, it only confused her, as well as intriguing her more. "I would, actually," Alytra quipped, defiantly, "I would just [i]love[i] to know how you got them." She made a sort of "hmph" noise, and smiled at him arrogantly. She wasn't too intimidated by him to not press the matter further; his resistance only caused her to grow more curious about the matter... "And yes, being acquainted with the right kind of people here can indeed make all the difference.. That is, as right as any of them could possibly be. I think that everyone's a little wrong in this world, but that's just my cynical side taking over." She winked at Ezra and folded her arms. She wasn't about to back down from her questions quite so easily. Not yet. "Sadly, though, it is almost lights out.. Should we be going to bed, or...?" Alytra asked him, beginning to look around anxiously and breathe irregularly, waiting on Ezra's answer and trying not to totally lose her shit as night time neared. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When the young boy shrunk back from him further and covered his head with his hands, Jason did actually feel truly sorry for him. He could only allow himself to feel this way, though, because he knew that the boy could not see him, and therefore would not foolishly expect sympathy or comfort. Jason was not currently in the correct place or mindset to be able to offer either of those things. He watched on as the boy seemed to be struggling with himself internally, fighting some battle that no one could truly ever see. Finally, the boy looked up nervously and answered him. "Arrow, eh?" Jason raised an eyebrow in suspicion. It was a strange name, he thought, albeit interesting and unique. Watching the tears fall from Arrow's face didn't have a huge effect on Jason's emotional state, if that state even existed, because he had trained himself not to let himself feel for or really care about anyone but himself. But it didn't make him happy to watch it. And when Arrow begged him not to hit him, it struck a nerve. Jason sighed, and leaned towards the boy, hesitantly but also decidedly, and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Look, kid.. I'm not going to hit you, here, ever. Ok? Just watch yourself. Mind the staff. Don't cause any beef with them and you won't have any beef with me." He stood back up, tall again, and surveyed the halls, making sure that no one had witnessed this display. "Now, here, you're going to get up now and I'd suggest that you go to your room, it's almost lights out and you're obviously exhausted." Jason reached out his arm and let it dangle there, in mid-air, waiting for Arrow to except the highest form of friendship that Jason had offered anyone in years.</s>	<\|message\|>Arrow West Arrow flinched slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. However, the gesture wasn't at all hostile, and Arrow didn't feel threatened by it. It struck him that that was the first time someone from that awful place had touched him without the intent to prick him with a needle or something else along those lines. He looked back up, a slightly puzzled expression on his tear-streaked face. The man still had a stony expression, but the fire seemed to have settled down a little in those icy-blue eyes. Arrow took a brief moment to admire this person, who, in a place that stripped them of their human rights and treated them instead like some science experiment, could still carry himself with such confidence. Meanwhile, Arrow sat on the floor sniveling like a baby. "He'll hurt you." It was barely audible through the hodgepodge of mumbling inside his head, but one single voice broke through and hissed the threat. It sounded far more real then the others and sent a chill down the boy's spine. His eyes darted around quickly, checking that he and the man were still alone in the hallway. When the man offered his hand, Arrow took a few seconds to process the meaning of the gesture. He hesitated, wiping his face in his elbow. The voices argued in his head as he reached out and took the man's hand, debating whether or not it was a good idea.</s>
<\|description\|>Arrow West Age: 16 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Bisexual Mental Illness/Disorder: Schizophrenia Personality: While most people diagnosed with Schizophrenia are emotionally distant, Arrow did not receive this trait. He is a highly social creature, with a personality similar to a puppy's. He is playful and sweet, and wants nothing more then to be liked. However, he has a hard time separating his delusions from reality, and can quickly become hostile. He stresses over things most people wouldn't think twice about, and worst of all is that he is definitely a crier. Appearance: He is around 5' 6", which he feels is kinda short for his age. He is built small, with long lean legs and narrow shoulders. His skin is light, and his hair a light brown. His dark blue eyes complete his puppy-dog look. History/Background: Arrow grew up as the middle child. He was sort of overlooked, something any middle child could relate too. He never did well in school, because people would pick on him, calling him names like "Special Edd" - or maybe none of that happened, and it was just another delusion. Either way, he was constantly getting in fights, and constantly losing these fights. When he was in middle school, his mother and little sister were killed in a freak car accident. Arrow was traumatized, of course, and his condition grew worse. His father took to alcohol, and his brother moved out and went to college. Being a person who required a lot of attention, Arrow felt abandoned at best. His mood swings worsened, and by highschool he had been arrested twice on school campus. He was finally expelled and spent his days home with his father. Though he said his father would never hit him, and it was just his delusions, the social workers thought otherwise. As the foster system wouldn't take him until he received "treatment", he ended up at Remmington's a few short weeks ago. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Arrow loves to draw. It's one of the few things that can calm him down. Other/Special: He is terrified of heights.</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West Arrow flinched slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. However, the gesture wasn't at all hostile, and Arrow didn't feel threatened by it. It struck him that that was the first time someone from that awful place had touched him without the intent to prick him with a needle or something else along those lines. He looked back up, a slightly puzzled expression on his tear-streaked face. The man still had a stony expression, but the fire seemed to have settled down a little in those icy-blue eyes. Arrow took a brief moment to admire this person, who, in a place that stripped them of their human rights and treated them instead like some science experiment, could still carry himself with such confidence. Meanwhile, Arrow sat on the floor sniveling like a baby. "He'll hurt you." It was barely audible through the hodgepodge of mumbling inside his head, but one single voice broke through and hissed the threat. It sounded far more real then the others and sent a chill down the boy's spine. His eyes darted around quickly, checking that he and the man were still alone in the hallway. When the man offered his hand, Arrow took a few seconds to process the meaning of the gesture. He hesitated, wiping his face in his elbow. The voices argued in his head as he reached out and took the man's hand, debating whether or not it was a good idea.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton His eyes narrowed, just minutely, but there was no mistaking it - Ezra wasn't pleased. Even without saying a single word, the irritation he felt was tangible, hanging thick and heavy in the air. If there was anything in the world he hated more than this place, it would be people probing into his own, personal business. Especially business of this particular nature. What happened between him and this mysterious 'benefactor' of his... Ezra would never admit it, though a small part of him wondered how fast daddy dearest would blow a gasket, if he ever did find out. "Then I'm sorry to disappoint." Ezra smirked, and there was a kind of liturgical finality to his words, booming and solemn like the 'Amen' at the end of a benedictory prayer. His mind was already made up, and his lips sealed. There was no way he was going to discuss the matter with anyone. Ever. Confiding in a so-called 'kindred spirit' was already proving more trouble than it was worth. Perhaps he would've been better off keeping to himself, after all. As Alytra mentioned lights-out, however, a wave of nausea swept over him. Ezra had barely noticed the sky getting dark outside, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to tether himself to reality. It couldn't be the end of the day already, could it? With each passing day, time seemed to grow increasingly elusive, like dust through his fingers. And yet, even after doing nothing but laze around the entire day, Ezra found himself exhausted - though it wasn't something sleep could fix. It was a tiredness that seeped into your very bones, that telltale ache taking root in your muscles like a chronic illness. Without the tar from a cigarette coating the insides of his lungs, he felt even worse than usual, and - "Ezra." ...Shit. "It's almost lights out. What are you still doing out here?" Ezra turned, with such an in-his-own-good-time deadpan, that it was impossible to tell whether he'd heard anything. Clinging onto the childish conclusion that if he didn't look, they would go away, he studiously avoided the newcomer's gaze. But for just a split second, his resolve faltered, and he dared a furtive glance at the source of the voice. Standing a few yards away, was a man. He was about six feet tall, in his thirties, with a crisp, white lab coat draped over his shoulders. Truth be told, there was nothing particularly remarkable about the scientist. He was tall, but not freakishly so, and the weight he carried seemed to balance things out somewhat. Built like a linebacker, he was the last person anyone wanted to get into a scuffle with. And yet, he never really got to exercise his authority, instead spending the greater part of his time running errands for Dr. Remmington. But still, there was something about his stare, something in those dull, amber hues of his that made Ezra uncomfortable. "What can I do for you, doc?" Ezra finally spoke up, after a long moment, false courage belying his apprehension. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe you could actually follow the rules, for once." the man replied, almost conversationally, but Ezra could tell there was something else beneath it all, something dark, when his gaze flickered towards Alytra. Jealousy, maybe? Possessiveness sounded better still. "And, you haven't taken your night meds yet." "Isn't that the nurses' job?" As the tiny, plastic cup in his hand rattles with mood stabilisers and antipsychotics, the sound makes Ezra grimace. "I'm not taking them." "I gave you that extra cigarette. The least you can do for me is take your pills, you know what happens when you don't." That's when the barrier of intrepidity around Ezra falls, crumbling, faltering, until there was nothing left of it. "Fine." Finally, he submits, words escaping in a muted hiss. He is slow to stand, but his movements are deliberate, crossing the remaining distance to where the scientist stood. Before anything else conspired, however, Gregg pulls Ezra aside, shooting a pointed look at Alytra. "Back to your room. Now."</s> <\|message\|>Jason Jason watched this Arrow boy process what he was saying and gave him a moment to do so. He looked pathetically sad and scared, and in most cases Jason would have kicked the boy or maybe even spat on him, laughed, and walked away. But something about the way that he had whispered it... "Please don't hit me." It was seriously messing with his head. When Arrow was ready and had placed his hand into the one stretched toward him, Jason yanked him to his feet and grabbed him gently by the shoulders to make sure that he wasn't going to fall back down. He knew full well how the drugs that they were given, often against their will, could affect them, and had had a great fall or two of his own in his days spent at Remmington's. Once he was sure that Arrow was steady, he let go of him and backed away, awkwardly clearing his throat. "Well, I guess I'll um.. See you around." Jason turned and stalked down the hall towards his own room, and then looked back over his shoulder, calling out, "And hey, kid, don't forget what I said about minding the staff. They're here to help you, not hurt you..." But, as he walked away, not even Jason fully believed what he'd said. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After she'd finished her sentence, Alytra could tell that she had struck a nerve. She should have bitten her tongue, perhaps, for once in her short life. Short, although here it seemed like it would never end... Regardless, she had obviously upset Ezra, which was a common theme for her. Most people that she knew couldn't stand the thought of being so open, especially with a stranger. Most people she knew weren't as honest as her, or were too ashamed to be honest.. But what could this rich, publicly-popular, pretty boy possibly have to be ashamed of? She pondered that for a moment, until he spoke up, and then redirected her full attention to Ezra. When he did speak, though, Alytra felt even worse than she had before, because she could see the look in his eyes, the one that told her that he was about done with their conversation. That he would never trust her (she didn't blame him, for in this world there was hardly ever anyone worth trusting, and in Remmington's, she hadn't met one other soul yet who was). And most importantly, she could tell that he was giving up on her. The only chance at companionship that she may have had, and she'd totally blown it. Alytra was about ready to get up and excuse herself, when suddenly a deep male voice broke into her thoughts, and she recognized it instantly as Smith's. And then, she knew. Alytra now knew why Ezra was ashamed, and she knew why he'd wanted to keep it from her, and she knew why the look on his face as the conversation between the two progressed that he seemed to turn every shade of green and his eyes hardened and his body stiffened. She knew, because she'd done the same kinds of things, too. She watched Ezra waltz across the room to where Dr. Smith stood, almost begrudgingly and yet also in a way that seemed to scream that he desired it... And then Smith addressed her, sharply, in a way that she was not at all used to. He was never quite so... Rude? No, Alytra thought, she would settle on the word curt, because he had never been particularly mean to her before. And she thought that it was strange behavior, but thinking about what Ezra's possible relations with Smith could be... Well, needless to say, the reaction made sense, at least in her mind. So, with a last attempt at being polite and casual, despite the raging worry inside, Alytra rose, walked towards the doors that led out of the lounge and down one of those horrible hallways, and turned to Ezra one last time, beseechingly. "Well, Ezra, it was great to chat with you. Thanks for being the first person here to show any real friendship to me, and I sincerely hope that you will confide in me again some time. I promise that no matter what, I won't judge you, and I'm just glad to have someone to talk to... Well, uh, have a good night... Or, I guess, a decent one, nights here are never GOOD... Um, ok, well I'll leave you to it then... Uh.. Yeah. Good night." Alytra could have died of embarrassment, but what else should she have said? She was internally facepalming. She smiled awkwardly and left the room, heading to her own. And then the smile fell, and her mind started going numb in preparation for what she knew would await her there.</s>	<\|message\|>Arrow West When he stood, Arrow's vision went blank for a moment. He felt like all the blood in his upper body dissolved, like that feeling when you hang upside down for too long and then sit back upright. His eyes rolled, and it took a second for him to regain his senses. He didn't notice the man had been holding him upright until he let go, and suddenly Arrow felt small again. The man took a step back and cleared his throat, wearing an expression Arrow couldn't quite identify. If it was anyone else he would have said it was embarrassment, but for some reason Arrow had a hard time believing that was it. Before Arrow could say any kind of thanks, the man turned, speaking over his shoulder as he walked away. "...They're here to help you, not hurt you." The words weren't convincing, but perhaps it was this man's round-about way of trying to comfort him. Arrow held up his hand, a gesture of acknowledgment and farewell, before turning to walk the other way. He remembered he was staying in room 17. However, the few times he had actually been there he had been so wiped out from the effects of his medication the doctors practically had to carry him. He recalled being told he had a roommate, but he wasn't sure if they had actually met. If they had, he couldn't remember their name. No guards, nurses or anyone else seemed to be looking for him, so he guessed he was just supposed to go to the room. He walked down the hallway slowly, squinting at the numbers painted on the doors, looking for the right one. He turned a bend into a hallway that – of course – looked just like the rest. A few doors down, he found the one with a gray number 17 standing out on an otherwise perfect white paint job. He stood in front of it for a moment, feeling a little unsure of himself. He was sure he probably still looked like a wreck. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, clearing away any tears that might still be clinging to his lashes. He knocked once on the door before opening it and poking his head inside. He called out a soft "Hello" to announce his presence before stepping inside. Arrow was the first one back. He breathed a small sigh of relief, glad he would get at least a few short minutes of solitude. The room was bare, with the walls once again being painted all white. Though perhaps it was just his imagination, but the shade of white seemed to be just a little darker, as if it had almost tried to be a creamy color. A single florescent light lit up the space. There didn't seem be be a switch, so it was probably automatic. There were two beds on either side of the room. One was already made up with white sheets and a single pillow. The other still had the sheets folded neatly at the foot of the mattress, but had yet to be put on. Arrow assumed that was his bed, so he moved across the room and flopped heavily onto it. 'I'll put the sheets on in a minute,' he said to himself, eyelids heavy, 'I'll just relax for a minute first.'</s>
<\|description\|>Jason IF YOU WANT TO PLAY ONE OF THE STAFF MEMBERS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! THE TWO THAT I MENTIONED IN THE BEGINNING ARE UP FOR GRABS, OR YOU CAN CREATE YOUR OWN. BUT THE MORE PATIENTS, THE BETTER. Here is where I'll post some possible bios for staff members: ========================================================================================================= Age: 22 Gender: Male Sexual Orientation/Preference: Straight/women Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: TBA Personality: He is a shady guy, who obviously has some malice in his voice when he speaks. He seems cold and stand-offish and does his own thing most of the time. He has not made any attempt to form friendships with any of the patients in the institute and seems to be fine with that. He isn't someone that you would feel comfortable standing in a room alone with. Appearance: Jason is of decent height, about 6 feet tall, and has extremely pale skin. His hair, the opposite, is dark and thick, framing his face with bangs that swoop down over his icy blue irises. Despite the bright tint of his eyes, they seem deep and dark when you look into them, mysterious and rather captivating. He wears the same as the other patients, white stretchy pants and a t-shirt. He is also incredibly fit for someone who stays contained all of the time. History/Background Info.: Nobody really knows much about Jason's past, besides possibly Remmington, and no one has ever cared enough (or had the guts) to ask him. However, he has been in this mental hospital for quite a while, about 7 years, and has no known family outside of it. He has some history of both being abused, as well as abusing others, sexually and otherwise. He has had confrontation with some of the patients, specifically Alytra, in the past. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Pissing people off. Other/Special: He is sort of a "teacher's-pet" in the sense that he is Remmington's rat - he will turn in patients who aren't behaving according to the standards of the doctors/scientists and does small jobs for Remmington in return for some more freedom than the other patients get.</s> <\|message\|>Alytra May Trenton Alytra could see Ezra eyeing her up, taking in her response, but the look on his face puzzled her. What was that? Anger? Confusion? Disbelief? She hadn't the slightest clue as to what he was thinking while she gave him her answer. She studied his face for a moment more as she considered talking, but decided that she would let it slide, not wanting to push too hard, as she would usually be so inclined to do, because he was a complete stranger, and although she didn't believe in the need for any barriers when it came to unveiling the truth, she figured that she would wait a little longer before becoming demanding and self-righteous... If she could manage. Her eyes widened as he seemingly proudly proclaimed that he had attempted to murder his own family. "Well, Ezra, that is a rather intriguing tale. I, too, have wanted members of my own family to drop dead. The self-mutilation bit, however, I will never understand. It's not really my style." She was blunt and couldn't help it, but she still hoped that her response wasn't too curt to the point of actually hurting her new-found acquaintance's feelings; on the other hand, here it was almost impolite to go beyond surface level. No one ever did. "So," she continued, somewhat intrigued, "You're a rich boy, eh? You must be realllllly rich, or famous or smart or something to get your name and story headlined like that, and the way that they put your family's last name out there makes it sound like most of the free world knows who you are. And no offense, I do not. And I certainly haven't "seen it in the tabloids".... I've been in here for about eight months." This last bit hit Alytra closer to home than she had imagined it would, and she tried not to let her face falter. She would keep her cool for as long as she could, at least in her current company.</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West "Don't touch me!" Arrow snarled, his voice shaky. He pulled his arm back from the nurse, his blue eyes wild and scared. She said nothing, and just held her hand out, motioning for him to give her back his arm so she could inject him with his medication. He hated the stuff; it made his eyes heavy and his thoughts fuzzy. Of course, that's probably what it was intended to do, in order to keep him and everyone else out of trouble. He had been at Remmington's for only two and a half weeks, and his dislike for the place was growing stronger. For the most part, they kept him either drugged or locked up in some room for 'observation'. He hardly saw anyone, with the exception of this goddamned nurse and her needle. He didn't even have clothes that fit properly yet. He currently had one of the facility's white tee-shirts that was so big it came down to his knees. The woman sighed after a few more moments. She stood up and moved towards him. Arrow backed up like a cornered animal, his eyes darting around looking for an escape. Of course, there wasn't one. There never was. She reached out and seized his wrist with an iron grip. He yelped and struggled against her, pushing her away with his free arm. He collided with the wall behind him, and the nurse leaned into him to hold him still as she fumbled with the needle. He screamed as he felt the prick on his arm. He twisted his head around and bit down hard on the nurse's arm, clamping down until he could taste the metallic flavor of blood. The nurse stumbled back and called for help. Another doctor-looking guy opened the door. Arrow quickly saw his opportunity. He charged the guy at the door. He must have looked kind of scary, with the crazy blue eyes and blood at the corners of his mouth, because the man simply stepped back and held his arms up in front of his face protectively. Arrow had no plan, and the drugs were quickly coming into effect, but he ran down the hall like his life depended on it. His bare feet slapped the white tile floor, and his heavy breathing echoed off the walls. It was awful, everything was white. He turned down a hallway that looked exactly like the last. His footsteps became unsteady as the drugs pumped through his veins, and eventually he tripped. He choked down a sob as he struggled to get back up, his vision spinning. He was able to stumble around the next corner before he had to stop, leaning against one of those horrible white walls for support. He slumped to the floor, feeling defeated, and listened for the sound of footsteps, which he was sure would come in just a few moments.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Jason maneuvered stealthily through the halls, peering around corners and keeping a constant look-out for any fellow patient who could potentially be considered "misbehaving", or breaking any sort of Remmington rule. He had just prevented that young, wild bitch, Alytra from escaping the facility a mere hours earlier, and Dr. Remmington had been impressed, which was the only feeling that Jason wanted her to have towards him. It was a good thing to be on Remmington's (or any of the doctor's/researcher's') good side, no matter the cost, he firmly believed. Despite her cold-hearted attitude and her lack of respect for anyone's personal space, Maria Remmington was the closest thing that he had to kin here, since he had been forced to make the transition from adolescent to adult within these bright, white walls. If Jason felt any loyalty towards anyone in the world it was to Dr. Remmington. He took a turn and strode down the next hallway, reflecting on the day's earlier events involving Alytra. Ahhh, what I'm going to do to her... She will learn one way or another that her freedom is a privilege and not a right, and that she has to earn respect. It isn't going to be given to her just because she's an entitled little cu- Jason's thoughts were cut off, as he heard what sounded like a female shrieking somewhere a few halls over. Likely, someone had probably fought their treatment or taken off running from the doctors, or better yet, attacked one of them. This occurred frequently here, and after seven years of residing here it was second-nature to Jason. Just then, a short distance away from Jason appeared a young male, thin and rabid-looking, with blood dripping from his lips. He looked new, Jason couldn't recall having seen him around here before. And Jason knew everybody here. "Hey, you!" He hollered, as he headed in his direction. Looking around, he could see that no one had pursued the boy. He must have bit hard. "You, who are you?" Jason demanded, upon nearing the boy. "And why does it look like you've been getting frisky with a woman who's on her period?" Jason cocked his eyebrow and smiled devilishly as he made his remark, hoping to disturb the boy - although, he already seemed rather disturbed, like most people here were.</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West "Hey, you! There it was. He didn't even have a chance to catch his breath yet. Arrow jumped when the thundering voice broke the silence in the hallway. He struggled to stand back up, using the wall for support. He could immediately tell the approaching man wasn't a member of the staff – he wore the same simple white uniform as Arrow had. However, his presence felt strong and menacing, making Arrow wary as the stranger approached. He struggled to remain calm, though he was already looking for his next route of escape should the situation take a turn for the worse. He wiped at his mouth in disgust after the man's crude comment. His was spinning from the drugs he was injected with less then five minutes ago, and his vision was further impaired by the tears that had welled up in his eyes. He stubbornly fought them back, blinking hard a few times. "That's disgusting." He spat. He felt more uncomfortable as the man came closer. He definitely could beat the snot out of the poor kid if he wanted to. "Besides, who the hell are you?" He made an attempt to sound confident, but it probably was not very effective considering his current state. If fact, he would probably just make things worse by mouthing off.</s> <\|message\|>Ezra Pinkerton Well, this was new. Whenever Ezra brought up the subject of his family name, there was usually a spark of recognition; a turning of gears as they came to realise just who he was. The Pinkertons were often said to be up there with the Waltons and the Kochs, having dominated the US shipping industry since the early 20s, and to put it gently - you had to be living under a rock to not have heard of them. Today, however, it seemed as if he had finally encountered an exception to the rule. Whether or not he was pleased by the peculiar turn of events, Ezra couldn't tell, but it was certainly a refreshing deviation from the norm. "Was rich, and none taken. They're all a bunch of douchebags, anyway." Ezra wasn't so petty as to take an offhanded comment like that to heart. Growing up, he'd always been taught to have thick skin, and to take things with a grain of salt. Sticks and stones, right? Not like it was much help to him when he was in one of his "moods", but right now, for lack of a better term, he was too out of it to get into it. The drugs they gave him in Remmington's were good for one thing, he supposed - keeping those nasty, raging emotions at bay. "Eight months, huh? I've been here a little longer. …I think." And then, there was the downside. With the chemical cocktail of pills and injections given to him, Ezra could barely remember what he had for breakfast, let alone how much time he'd spent at Remmington's. But if he had to decide on a certain timeframe, it'd be somewhere close to a year, give or take. Though with his addled mind, he couldn't be sure. Those trips to the 'shock shop' in the beginning of January must've taken more out of him than he'd thought. Tentatively, Ezra's gaze flickered upwards, towards the spiky, purple mess sitting atop Alytra's head. As he spoke, his fingers finally found purchase, tearing away the flaking piece of skin from his lip. "They let you keep your hair like that?"</s>	<\|message\|>Jason "Uh, excuse me?" Jason asked, all humor gone from his face. This young fool obviously had no clue who he was, nor any respect for authority. The boy appeared to be shaking, clearly immensely upset from whatever had happened moments before, and it almost evoked some hint of emotion from his cold heart. Almost. But Jason knew better than to start feeling bad for a newbie who was breaking the rules. And he could benefit quite a bit from taking the side of the staff on almost any matter, he realized, if he played his cards right. Jason practically snarled. "Who says it's disgusting? I love the taste of metal in my mouth." It would have been a comical statement if not for the absolute menace that shone through his bright eyes. He looked downright terrifying. Taking a step closer, he gestured towards the boy, still sitting on the hard ground against the painstakingly white wall behind him. The vein in his forehead bulged and throbbed, and he leaned over the boy, attempting to intimidate him. "I'll think about answering your questions after you answer mine. Now, I asked you once, and I will not ask again," Jason continued, "Who. the. fuck. are. you." The words came out hard and flat, with a bit of rage seeping into each one. He was not in the mood to be screwed with. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alytra was rather taken aback. As much hate as she harbored for her good for nothing father, and as much of a bitch her mother could be, she would never refer to them openly as "a bunch of douchebags". The term just sounded.... dirty? Perverted? Wrong, whatever it was. She was also even more astounded by the claim that Ezra made next. "More than eight months? A whole year? No offense, but that seems impossible... I know everyone who has been in and out of here since I arrived, I swear it... Or, at least, I could have sworn... Longer than me? I didn't think that anyone besides... Jason... Had been here for longer than I have... That can't be right, can it...?" She couldn't stop searching, attempting to find a rational answer to what she had just been told, but she couldn't. Maybe, she began to fear, those drugs had done a lot more to affect her mental and biological health than she had originally thought... "Well, anyway," Alytra moved the conversation along, trying her best to shrug it off, "What do you mean? This?" She pulled at her own lovely purple and black locks, affectionately. "Like that as in short, or like that as in dyed? Either way, obviously, yes, they do "let me"... It's amazing what you can get away with around here, if you have the right connections... Speaking of which," Alytra began to recall a time where she had seen Ezra, not knowing who he was at that point in time, in possession of a cigarette. "Haven't you been getting some nicotine into your system, somehow?" She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head slightly to the side. Perhaps, she wasn't the only one using her looks to receive something beneficiary that wouldn't be provided by Dr. Remmington or the more nefariously diligent staff members.</s>
<\|description\|>Maloney "Nails" Fowler Age: 13 Gender: Female Sexual Orientation/Preference (if you so choose to include it): Asexual Mental Illness/Disorder/Etcetera: PTSD, slightly paranoid Personality: When medicated, Nails is a fearful, jumpy girl who seems to be both afraid of physical contact and yearning for it at the same time. She seems to not remember much about her life before becoming a patient, and can only speak about it in disjointed fragments. She otherwise communicates normally, with only some small quirks, such as her inclination to avoid first-person pronouns. She puts up with just about any harsh treatment with minimal protest, and seems to have accepted her status as a lost cause. However, in between dosages, she can become a holy terror. More like an animal than a human at these times, she acts purely on instinct and will not hesitate to bite, kick, and particularly seems fond of scratching - a trait that earned her nickname. Appearance: Very small for her age in stature, Nails stands at only about 4'10", and is extremely thin and wiry. History/Background Info. (this can be however brief or long you'd like, just give me something): Nails and her sister didn't exist. At least, not legally. Born in a rural area of Montana, both sisters were brought into this world at home, and no documentation was ever made of their lives. Suspicions arose when the body of an unidentified toddler was discovered in the forest by a pair of lost hikers, and the remaining daughter was removed from her abusive parents' care once the dead child was found to have been her sister. Once separated from her family, Nails' case quickly faded away from the public eye, and she was sent to Remmington's Angels, where she was promptly forgotten. Favorites/Interests/Hobbies: Life was difficult at Nails' old home, leaving no room for anything not concerned with keeping her head down and surviving. Despite this, Nails did develop an interest in reading and writing, and often makes up her own stories to pass the time. Other/Special: Nails is often so desperate for company that she even looks forward to seeing the doctors and other staff.</s> <\|message\|>Mai Vu Midnight. The pacing was subtle. Back and forth, back and forth. The occasional sigh of boredom or the tap of something against the wall in room 18. It's sole occupant hadn't been able to go asleep yet. Another sedative made useless on her immune system for all that it did in making sure her eyes never closed for long. The mangled stuffed animal on the ground was a sign for something wrong to a degree, a single utterance of it's apparent "betrayal" in the grand scheme of things as she kept moving back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. A half hour to pass. The insatiable slam on the wall was that of a punch being thrown at it as she began to speak of things that didn't quite make sense. But one of the many claims against the empty air came in a voice quite terrifying and completely enraptured in the tale that was being told as a result of things. "TWO PILLS A DAY will keep the bad things away! HIDE THE PILLS AWAY and the Guests will come out to play!" Whatever the fuck she was on about, it wasn't anything normal. Another hallucination perhaps? Had they hidden her pills from her? That just wasn't nice. Fifteen minutes after the half-hour. She'd stopped banging on the wall and had sat down in front of her own room door, knocking on it in an uncoordinated and messy pattern. Sometimes, They knocked back. The little game of "Knock Knock" was played by so many of the Guests. So much fun, so much fun...Haaa, she might actually stop causing too bad a racket that the Plague Doctors wouldn't have to come and gas her room again with that pretty purple smoke. Instead, it would just be the simple but effective methods she had of using up her time as she failed to sleep or even manage herself into reasonable bed attire. Knock, Knock Mai. Knock Knock. Knock...Knock. ...Hahaha.~</s> <\|message\|>Maloney "Nails" Fowler Nails only dared to let her eyes flicker open once the person was gone. She supposed that they must have been sent to her room to make sure she hadn't died in her sleep, as sedated people sometimes do. She was lucky - or unlucky, depending on one might view it - to have been born healthy, otherwise her treatment in this place may have crushed her before she was even old enough to feel its weight. Still, she bore several trademarks of Remmington's abuse. Dark bruises often marred her skin, especially under her eyes and along her jaw, and tonight her lip was bleeding. Nails winced as she adjusted her position on the bed. One of the staff had jammed his knee under her shoulder in the process of pinning her down during one of her "episodes", and it was apparently still sore. Despite all of her physical problems, however, Nails' head felt remarkably clear at the moment. Wishing for time to write, she mentally cursed curfew and tried to get some real rest.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Alytra took her time walking to her room, moving as slowly as possible. She was full of absolute dread, knowing what was about to happen. It was unavoidable, and she knew that this was all her fault. If only she hadn't attempted to escape the facility yet again, then she wouldn't have to deal with it. But she knew that, like the last times, Jason would carry out the threats that he had made to her fully. When she got to the door, she fumbled with the handle, finally managing to open it with shaky palms. As she shut the door to her room behind her, she turned towards the bed and shuddered. Jason was here already. There he sat, perusing a book that had been laying around, one of the only pass-times that Alytra could find in this place once she was sentenced to nightly solitude - Or, what was supposed to be alone time - at lights-out. He finished the section he was on, shoved a bookmark into it nonchalantly to hold his place (as if he'd be coming back here often, that pig), and set it down, then turning his full attention towards her. "Ahhh, Alytra. How happy I am that you decided you wanted another visit from me." He smirked at her, looked into her eyes, and winked. "Now. This is going to be extremely satisfying... For me. So just do as you're told, for once in your life, please, you fucking bitch." With that, he pulled her towards his own body, until she was standing between his legs as he sat on the edge of the bed. He reached up and began to kiss her; first her jaw, then her neck, then her chest, and so on. Alytra squirmed under the heat of his lips, but she knew better than to try and fight him or run or call for help. First, no one would hear her if she did. Everyone in the facility, besides a few specific officials, were supposed to be in their personal rooms or offices right now, and would remain there until morning time. Second, if Alytra even tried to run, fast as she was, she would never outrun Jason. And lastly, she wasn't strong enough to fight... And she knew that she would pay worse if she did. Alytra had a few secrets of her own, things that Jason knew about and that no one else could. And so, Alytra stood there and took her punishment. Jason moved his hands, running them up and down her body, all over her, and although she felt physically sick, he felt nothing but pure ecstasy. He was enjoying every bit of this. As the hospital clothing came off, he admired her body and was thoroughly pleased. And just like that, Alytra was once again conditioned to believe that her trying to escape Remmington's was a very, very bad idea... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the morning, Alytra awoke, alone, in her bed. She wished that it had been to the sounds of birds chirping or the rays of sunlight through the windows. But it wasn't that, not at all. It was another dreary morning in Remmington's, and this life felt more like a nightmare than her dreams did. She wished that her dreams were her reality, that what happened last night wasn't real... But it was. Alytra felt sick again. She lay in bed for a while, and then stood, shakily, and reached over to grab the pills that lay beside her. Someone had been in here, and it was possible that it was Jason who had set them here, but it was probably a doctor. She swallowed them, one by one, and wondered how late she had slept in. Sighing, she walked over to the door and opened it, stepping out into the white hallway and preparing to face a new day.</s> <\|message\|>Arrow West "Get yer arse up, boy." Arrow's eyes flew open at the sound of his father's drunken, slurred speech. The room was dark and silent, and it took him a few long seconds to remember where he was. His hands clenched the edges of the mattress and his heart hammered against the inside of his ribcage. He sat up slowly, squinting into the darkness. Across the room he could see the dark shape of his roommate on the other bed, so he must still be in his room. It was not uncommon for someone to come and collect him just before wake-up, so it might have been the first time he actually woke up there. His hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, and he brushed it back, using his fingers like a comb. Was it hot? He was probably just from the nightmares. He pulled his white tee shirt off and tossed it to the foot of his bed, then flopped back onto his pillow. What time was it? There was no way to tell, because there wasn't a clock or a window in the room. In fact, he hadn't noticed much more then the two beds. Each of them had a small night table with a single drawer. He rolled over and opened his, but it was empty. He laid there for what felt like hours. He drifted in and out of sleep, but not really enough to actually feel rested. Just when he thought he would go crazy from waiting, the lights came on in the room. He groaned and covered his face as the sterile white light filled his vision. Just as he started to regain his sight a nurse walked in the room. She didn't say anything, but handed him a little plastic cup with a few pills in it, as well as a bottle of water. She smiled ever so slightly at him, maybe amused by his extreme bed-head, then set a clean set of clothes on his table and left. He eyed the cup of pills suspiciously before setting it down on the table. He wasn't going to take those nasty thing willingly. Besides, it had always been the injections before. Why would they suddenly switch to pills? Maybe because of the biting incident? Either way, he didn't trust them. He wasn't sure what they were supposed to do after the lights came on. Perhaps he was supposed to go find breakfast or something, but he had no idea where it would be. So, instead he sat on the bed and leaned against the wall, eventually dozing off again.</s>	<\|message\|>Maloney "Nails" Fowler Nails darted out into the hallway the next morning, already starting to feel a little tense. It had been some time since her last dose, and she was most definitely aware of her rising panic. She lifted a pen that she'd stolen from a staff member up to the nearest wall and paused in thought. Then she jotted down a short, simple sentence. You'll know...someday. She went from room to room like this, scribbling cryptic phrases on the walls and doors nearby. When she got to room 22, Nails was in the middle of trying to climb a doorframe in order to reach the ceiling when a young woman opened the door and stepped outside. "Shit."</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Somewhere, in the mess of houses and shacks that huddled around the palace, a woman cooked breakfast. She hummed to herself as she stirred the cauldron slowly. The brown slush bubbled inside the rim. The woman stopped suddenly, holding a finger to her head. A thought hit her, and she turned to weave her way through the bodies that littered the floor, heaving breaths and releasing snores. She walked over them on her tiptoes, dodging fingers and toes. She looked up, seeing the rooster through the holes in the ceiling. It reared back and let out a call to wake up, wake up, wake up. Yet no one in the shack moved. Seviral bodies groaned and rolled over, only to fall asleep again. Most ignored the sound of the bird. The woman went back to her bowl, singing a little louder now that she knew they were already semi-awake. In the corner, two bodies lay curled up under the same blanket. They faced one another, foreheads touching. The man moved and rubbed his eyes. He moved just enough to wake up the girl, who promptly rolled over and closed her eyes tight. "Daryn, wake up," the man said to his sister, "Today's the day we go apply for the knight positions." Two days prior, their boss had asked them to become spies for the rebellion. They were more than happy to serve, but this task was different. By become knights, they would be the inside source the rebellion. Daelyn didn't doubt the two of them would be selected, but it was still itching in his mind. "We will get in. Why get up with the rooster?" The girl asked, wiping at her own eyes. "We won't be the only people wanting this job," he reminded her, and that got her up. They both took a bowl of brown mush from the cook, she smiled with no teeth left in her mouth.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia The maids that bustled about cleaning the Prince's apartments contemplated waking him so he could get ready for the day. "Should we wake him?" a small-statured maid said. Her large honey colored eyes flickered to the last set of doors that lead deep into the Prince's small wing. "That will be unnecessary." A voice from behind the maids made them jump. They turned towards the source of the voice although it was one they knew well. Standing behind them was a woman dressed in a dark green tunic with green pants and black boots. She lacked the dark colored strip of cloth the maids normally seen wrapped around her eyes but thankfully she kept them closed. "The Prince is already awake. He wakes early so he can look over some of his lessons." The woman said as the maids parted to the side so she could walk through. The woman was blind but found her way through the Prince's chambers without bumping into anything or with assistance. To the maids the woman and those like her were frightening. The maids waited until the woman was behind the doors of the Prince's chamber before speaking. "Do the mages always have to be so creepy?" Most were off put by the unemotional tones and expressionless faces of the King's mages. To many they were just meat puppets with unnerving abilities. The Prince had been awake for some time as he poured over an old text in one of the old tongues. "Prince Triver," the woman said as she approached the large desk he was seated at, "Your father wishes to see you soon and you and I have some unfinished business." Triver looked up from his book momentarily and was greeted by the sight of colorless eyes. With a small screech of fright at the sudden shock; Triver had seen her eyes before and each time he wondered what it must be like to live in a world of black. "Now that I have your attention, you must tell me what you've read." The woman placed her index finger onto the page that Triver had been reading. The Prince sighed softly. He was quite a soft-hearted man who seemed to attract the mages. "All that it says is 'the contract must be made'..." Triver was not well versed in the tongues of the old and it wasn't like the woman could read the texts herself. A small sigh came from the woman before she reached for the simple charm around her neck. It was nearly identical to the one that Triver wore around his. "I will consult the other mages but thank you, Prince." the woman bowed before fixing her posture and tossing her long hair over her shoulder. Just by looking at the two, you couldn't tell that they were brother and sister. Well, half-siblings to be exact. Triver was fair haired with lightly tanned skin and sharp features and by contrast his sister had a dark complexion with raven colored hair and delicate features. The only marker that they may have been related was within the shape of their eyes (well you couldn't tell anyways because she always kept hers closed.) They had the same general almost rectangular shape of heavy-lidded eyes, and their love of learning. It wasn't much to go on since most people had eyes like that, but there was something about their eyes that made many people wonder if this woman was the rumored bastard child of the King. "Ser'deni..." Triver said as the woman began to turn away from him. "Let us walk together. I think my father was going to choose the latest knights today." Triver was exhausted from staying up so late reading and trying to decipher the old text for Ser'deni. "If you wish then, Prince." Ser'deni's words brought a light flush to the cheeks of the Prince. He didn't know if she was truly his sister, but she was a close friend that he could rely on. "Call me Triver, please. You are too formal for someone who was known me my entire life." Triver disliked it when people he was close to were so distant and formal. "I am sorry." Ser'deni said, "But I am just a mage and you are the Prince. I must honor your place." Triver sighed and crossed his arms over his chest as they walked. He wanted to tell the woman that they were from the same mold, well at least the same man, and then maybe she would see that they were the same. Triver held little knowledge on titles for those 'below' him and usually the prince did not acknowledge such things. The walk was shorter than Triver would have liked it to be but his father was already waiting for him. The man was dressed in his finest clothes with a soft snow rabbit skin cape flowing behind him. Ser'deni parted ways with Triver to occupy a spot behind the King, as it was a customary spot for his mages to stand. The Prince approached his father with a sleepy smile before standing to the right of him with his arms folded behind his back.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker They ate and got dressed, throwing on the same gray tunics and pants they wore the day before. The rebellion had diminishing funds, and since they had no jobs, the outfits were patched and holey, covered in dirt. Daelyn brushed Daryn off with a wet piece of cloth, dusting the thin layer of brown off. There wasn't much they could do about the clothes, but he brushed it over her face, too. She did the same for him, and then took the community razor to his face to trim the beard. "Are you sure you don't want me to just shave it off? The weather is beginning to warm up." she asked, rubbing his cheeks. "I won't be mistaken as a girl," he said, "Not again." They shared a dry laugh, and she continued to shave his face. The people who crowded the house began to empty out, leaving them alone. When she finished with his face, she checked her own reflection in the window. "Are you nervous?" He asked, wrapping his belt around his waist. His head cocked a little to the side, and his eyes were wide. She reminded him of a puppy. Not turnng to face him, she answered, "No. Are you?" Daelyn wasn't a fighter. He had dropped out of knight training some time ago, and it had been a great loss. Daelyn was an exceptional knight, but he was too gentle. Things had changed since then. He was stronger. She could see the muscles in his arms, his chest was well defined. He was capable physically, but she still worried about him. "A little," he replied, "I'm out of practice." He turned to face her, doing her a favor by picking the knots out of her hair. He curled each curl with his finger, calming the mess. She thanked him, squeezing his hand. When he looked at her, for a moment he wasn't so nervous. His stomach stopped trying to run away. They left then, hurrying up to the castle, which lay in the middle of the Village. By the time they arrived at the stone gate, there was a small crowd, some bystanders and some shaking young men with ashen faces. The gate began to open, and Daryn inspected the security. Guards surrounded each side, top and the bottom. A few guards rode horses, but most stood still, holding their sword in front of their chest. They kept their eyes forward, making her doubt their humanity. Maybe they were stone. A man on a horse told the people who were going through the trials to follow him. Daelyn led the way, Daryn trailing behind him. "The trials have 3 stages," the man announced, standing now in front of about ten young men and Daryn. "First, there's a test of intelligence. You must read aloud and solve a riddle. It seems easy enough, but I warn you. Do not let your guard down. Next, there is a test of endurance. You will run. We will run until only six are left standing. The last stage is the fights, where you will fight individually, until only two are left. These two are the new knights for the king." He paused to breathe. "As always, the king will be present through all trials, so you will also be informally tested on etiquette.</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker They ate and got dressed, throwing on the same gray tunics and pants they wore the day before. The rebellion had diminishing funds, and since they had no jobs, the outfits were patched and holey, covered in dirt. Daelyn brushed Daryn off with a wet piece of cloth, dusting the thin layer of brown off. There wasn't much they could do about the clothes, but he brushed it over her face, too. She did the same for him, and then took the community razor to his face to trim the beard. "Are you sure you don't want me to just shave it off? The weather is beginning to warm up." she asked, rubbing his cheeks. "I won't be mistaken as a girl," he said, "Not again." They shared a dry laugh, and she continued to shave his face. The people who crowded the house began to empty out, leaving them alone. When she finished with his face, she checked her own reflection in the window. "Are you nervous?" He asked, wrapping his belt around his waist. His head cocked a little to the side, and his eyes were wide. She reminded him of a puppy. Not turnng to face him, she answered, "No. Are you?" Daelyn wasn't a fighter. He had dropped out of knight training some time ago, and it had been a great loss. Daelyn was an exceptional knight, but he was too gentle. Things had changed since then. He was stronger. She could see the muscles in his arms, his chest was well defined. He was capable physically, but she still worried about him. "A little," he replied, "I'm out of practice." He turned to face her, doing her a favor by picking the knots out of her hair. He curled each curl with his finger, calming the mess. She thanked him, squeezing his hand. When he looked at her, for a moment he wasn't so nervous. His stomach stopped trying to run away. They left then, hurrying up to the castle, which lay in the middle of the Village. By the time they arrived at the stone gate, there was a small crowd, some bystanders and some shaking young men with ashen faces. The gate began to open, and Daryn inspected the security. Guards surrounded each side, top and the bottom. A few guards rode horses, but most stood still, holding their sword in front of their chest. They kept their eyes forward, making her doubt their humanity. Maybe they were stone. A man on a horse told the people who were going through the trials to follow him. Daelyn led the way, Daryn trailing behind him. "The trials have 3 stages," the man announced, standing now in front of about ten young men and Daryn. "First, there's a test of intelligence. You must read aloud and solve a riddle. It seems easy enough, but I warn you. Do not let your guard down. Next, there is a test of endurance. You will run. We will run until only six are left standing. The last stage is the fights, where you will fight individually, until only two are left. These two are the new knights for the king." He paused to breathe. "As always, the king will be present through all trials, so you will also be informally tested on etiquette.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia The other mages soon joined Ser'deni in their places behind the king. There were ten in total, counting her. Most of them were men although there were a few men who wore their hair long and held feminine faces. Ser'deni had been raised alongside the nine other mages and knew them all quite well. Six of them were blind; some wore cloth over their eyes while some did not. A man was missing a leg and leaned heavily on a carved walking stick. Another was mute although his physical appearance bore no indication. And one could not hear or talk. The mages held no loyalty towards each other despite being brought up and raised with the others. They were bonded by their use of magic and their disabilities and nothing more. For this occasion they were handed heavy black cloaks that hid their faces and disabilities from the eyes of the would-be knights. The mages were not only here for the safety of the King and his son, they were also here to participate in the choosing of the knights. All mages were skilled in many areas of magic but each held their own strength in one area. "This is going to be fun." A man off to the right of Ser'deni said, he was standing directly behind the Prince. "Inaris...keep your voice down." Another scolded the man. Inaris made a sound of displeasure before falling into silence. Triver wanted to talk to the mages behind him but the arrival of the knight candidates took his attention. They all seemed so young, although Triver wasn't old by any means. As a young man of only twenty years, he still had a lot to learn and see. Triver, his father, the mages and a few nobles sat on a raised platform covered with a richly decorated canopy of blue and gold. He wondered if any of the candidates knew what was in store for them. The Prince had pestered Ser'deni and the others for information about their roles in all of this. "Our job is to break the weak from the strong. We will use our skills as mages to ensure that only the strongest are chosen." Those words left a chill that ran down his spine. Triver had never seen the mages in action before but he had heard stories of the generals who were given a mage as part of their army; they always told tales of the brutality of their magic. The mages were what helped win more land for Danycia and they were what kept the people under his father's thumb. Triver would be lying if he said that he didn't hold some fear of the black-clad figures behind him. The King watched the candidates with a dark gaze; he was uninterested in having new knights. He mostly wanted to see them bend and break under his mages so that all would know his power. The King was a twisted man who enjoyed the look of pain on others. His wife and son were the only ones exempt from his cruelty; his son would carry on his legacy as a ruthless ruler and his wife would remain obedient and serve as a link to further his influence in her native kingdom. The Prince beside him had always been disgusted with the way that his father took such pleasure in the pain and terror of others. He was not close to his father; the man was nothing more than one he had to deal with in order to survive. Rumors floated around that his father had murdered his own brother to gain the throne. Triver didn't doubt those rumors although he should have defended his father. He should have tried to protect his father's reputation as a "grand and fine" king but he found that he could not. Triver wanted to change things within the kingdom. He wanted to live in a world of peace but with his father alive, that could never be possible. The King waited for the start of the tests to be announced. He would not give those commoners the experience of hearing his voice. He was better than they were, as he was chosen by the gods to rule them. The man that had given the candidates their instructions stood tall in front of the nervous looking potential knights, but under the king. "Let the trials begin!" One after the other had stepped in front of the King and read out loud from one of the classic Danycian books that detailed the adventures of a hero before they were given their riddle. One man, almost immediately after he started reading, grasped his head and screamed in agony as his body crumpled to the floor. Triver knew without looking behind him what had happened. His stomach turned and it brought little comfort that he did not know which mage had turned the man into a pile of helpless and hurting flesh.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn looked around the room, taking in each and every face. The mages lined up behind the king and his son, faces covered by the black cloaks they wore. Seeing them sent a chill up her spine. Daryn didn't like magic. When her father's business had begun to fail, he had went to a local mage and asked him to help us. For more money than they had to spare, the mage did, but all the fish they caught, though plenty, were spoiled. Daelyn said that the mage was a fake, improperly trained. But when she looked at the mages, Daryn still felt a little sick to her stomach. Their mother used to read them stories of the mages parts in the war; both knew what they could do. As curious as she was to their part here, she felt mostly fear. Daelyn wanted the first man go up, stepping just a few feet above the crowd. The way they were lined up, Daryn would be next. He could see her face twisting, worry lines between her brows. He understood her fear. He listened to the words of the man, lost in the story he read. Then, the man started screaming. He dropped the book- mistake number one- and held his head in his hands. He fell to the floor, and Daelyn moved to help him stand. Daryn caught his arm, her eyes wide. It hurt him to see the man in pain, lying in a broken pile in the floor. When he stopped screaming, the room was silent. No one moved, and Daelyn shook violently. Daryn released his arm, and he moved forward, picking the shaking, unconscious man up off the floor. He was covered in his own urine; his face was whiter than a sheet. Daelyn carried the man to the door and leaned him against the wall, only to return to the scene. One down. Nine to go. Daryn stared at the book now in her hands. The knight in charge told her to turn to a certain page. She didn't shake, didn't falter. Her words were clear, her voice nice. Their mother had taught them to read a long time ago; the lessons hadn't faded. The image of the man raced through her head, a fault of the mages. It couldn't be proved, but she knew. When she was almost finished, the pain began at the back of her head. It was like someone held a torch up to the nape of her neck, a fire spreading through her skull. She closed her eyes, but she didn't scream. An anger built up in her, towards everyone in the room, and it fueled her resistance. Nothing could stop the pain, though, and she was blinded by it. Unable to stand, she fell to her knees, felt hands on her shoulders, but she didn't scream. Clutching the book tight against her chest, she spoke to her brother behind her, "Get back in line, I'm okay." He did, and the pain stopped. It went as quickly as it came. Daryn opened her eyes and let out a long breath. She was dizzy, but she stood, finishing her part and then answering her riddle. It gave her pride to know she passed, even though she felt like fainting. Daelyn touched her cheek, and she couldn't even smile at him. Instead, she stood behind the line, waiting for this whole ordeal to be over. Daelyn stepped up, holding the book. He flipped the page and read, just like his sister. He didn't know what was coming, and his hands shook violently. His voice remained steady, but his eyes kept darting up to the mages. Wondering what he would need to endure for their sick pleasure. Or was it the king's pleasure? Either way, Daelyn didn't like the group of people on stage. He made it through the entire piece and was given his riddle. That's when the voices came. They were loud, echoing voices. It didn't hurt, no, it was just distracting. He couldn't think, found himself searching around the room violently for lips to read, to figure out what was going on. In his haste, he turned towards Daryn, who had her brows furrowed in that way that she did, but she was repeating his riddle over and over again. He couldn't hear her, and the headache was building from the white noise. Finally, he screamed out the answer, clutching both ears and then handed the book to the knight and went to stand by Daryn. The voices left him, and he could hear clearly again. He found Daryn's hand, and they stood like that, both of them panting, both feeling extremely proud of the other one. In the time that passed, they lost two more people, leaving a group of eight, seven boys and one girl. But every face was already exhausted, mentally strained from the first trial.</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Enn dug through his satchel, pulling out two new uniforms for them and some apples. He threw the apples to each of them, setting the clothes on the bed. "I got those for you from the kitchen. Do not expect food to be given to you on a regular basis. Some of us can go all day without eating. Enjoy that." Daryn had already eaten most of it when he finished talking, and she kicked herself. She may have been hungry, but she would have saved the apple if she had known it might be her only food for the day. Daelyn held his in his hand, laughing at the internal battle that crossed her face. He watched her decide to finish it, tossing the core to one of the dusty corners. Daelyn stuck his own apple on the bed, planning on sticking it in his new tunic. Enn continued, "Get changed, and then meet me outside. You'll be staying in the prince's personal guard quarters, so you are pretty lucky." With that, he walked out the door, shutting it as best he could. The door slipped a little further off the hinges, leaving a huge gap in the frame. Daryn was already pouring over the new outfits, hoping hers wouldn't be so small this time. She held them up one at a time, fingers running over the soft fabric. She threw the taller one to Daelyn, laying hers back on the bed. The fabric was soft, new. The outfits had never been worn, unlike the one she wore now. It was a deep red, a color that reminded her of blood. The sleeves would come down to her elbows, but there was a stretch to the fabric. It would be easy to move in. She put the outfit on, seeing that it did fit her better, but there was still no hiding her femininity. She turned to face Daelyn, grimacing. "Why are all these outfits so masculine?" she asked, holding her arms out. Daelyn laughed at her, looking down at himself. His old gray boots didn't really fit in with the unworn outfit. "Because you're the first female knight. Therefore, you are the first female guard to the prince." Daryn made a face, stepping forward and running around the room to make sure she could move. It was easy, and she didn't work up a sweat. "These are nice," she said, as they walked out the door. Enn was waiting there, digging his toe into the ground. He smiled up at them, nodding his head. Daelyn looked around the area, seeing the same men that were standing around the well the night before. Now, they saw Daryn, with her long curls, her body shape, her sunburnt cheeks. It was as if no one had ever seen a woman. Daryn was too busy picking at her tunic to notice. Daelyn did, though, as men elbowed their friends, pointing towards his sister, incredulous. His fists tightened at his side, anger building up in his stomach. Some man whistled, catching Daryn's attention at last. She found the source of the whistle, shooting the man an obscene gesture. The man and his friends laughed, bending at the middle. Enn chuckled at her, ignoring the men. "Giving you a weapon might not be a good idea," he said, still laughing, "But that is what we need to do first." He lead them both away, towards another building outside the castle. It was a smaller stone building, another one room all to itself. This door stayed on its hinges, though, Daelyn noticed. They stepped inside to see the walls lined with swords, shields, armor, bows, and quivers full of arrows. "You may choose a sword to carry. It will be your sword from here on out." The twins found belts with sheaths for their swords and then began to look at swords. Daelyn lifted every sword he came to, tossing it from hand to hand. Most of the swords didn't balance right or they felt too heavy. Eventually, he found a sword in the back, dusty from not being used. It fit in his hand, didn't tilt one way or the other. It wasn't heavy, but it wasn't too light. He took it, watching Daryn inspect the weapons. She simply touched the hilt, probably getting a years worth of history from feeling the grooves made by hands over the years. He watched her pick one up, running her hand the length of the blade. It was a newer sword by the looks of it, but it had an imprint in the hilt. Daryn stared at it, thinking. Her brows furrowed, and then she turned back to the two of them. "Why that one?" Enn asked, making a face at her. "It is a newer blade, forged within the past five years. Yet, the person who carried it used it often. It's experienced, and it's young." She fell silent, putting it away. Daelyn could have finished her thought. Just like them. Young and experienced. Enn shrugged his shoulders and led them out, walking towards the castle finally. They walked in, following him through the corridors and halls, watching the many maids bustle on past them. Daryn got more than one strange look, but several of the maids gazed at Daelyn as they walked past. Enn turned the corner into a room filled with white. They must be in the infirmary. Enn led them towards the back, where the shadows of three people were cast against the ground. When they came around the corner, it was the prince and two of his mages. Daryn recognized the female. "Your majesty," Enn said, bowing at the waist to the royal figure. Daryn and Daelyn did the same, standing on each side of Enn. "Your knights, just as you requested. With that, he left, leaving Daryn and Daelyn standing there, hands behind their back. A feeling of awkwardness passed over Daryn, looking at the two mages, who had been laughing at something when they walked up. It was odd, seeing them in this position.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia "Ah! Welcome." Triver said as he stood up from his chair. "I am Triver and these are my friends." The prince gestured to the two mages on either side of him. Inaris gave a short laugh, "More like we're his babysitters." Ser'deni threw her pillow at him. Inaris threw it back, only for it to accidentally miss and hit the prince. Triver's cheeks flushed pink as he picked the pillow up off of the ground. He launched the pillow at Inaris with an irritated growl. "Watch where you're throwing things!" Triver said before rubbing the red spot on his cheek. The unholy pillows of the infirmary felt more like pieces of wood that feather pillows. "Aren't you going to introduce us?" Ser'deni asked as she turned her attention towards the direction of the knights. "I see that you've healed nicely." She said to Daryn, "And how's your brother's injuries? Rean healed him but everyone knows she doesn't like to put her full effort into it." Triver tried not to laugh. The prince was a goofy boy when he was with friends. This was the true Triver - he enjoyed a good laugh or two and would gladly be the butt of the joke. Not many people got to see this side of him. He cleared his throat before speaking up. "Where are my manners? This is Ser'deni," The woman bowed her head, "And he is Inaris." the blond man gave a slight wave before lying back in his bed. "Why don't we give you a tour of the castle and then we can go about doing a few things for the day?" Triver suggested. He smoothed out his clothes before looking at the two mages. "We will come back to visit you--" Inaris held up his hand to silence the prince. "We're fine. Just still a bit tired and the nurses aren't watching. This place is too stuffy." He got out of the bed and slipped on one of the robes that were off to the side of each bed. The patients usually were in their underclothes and the robes were for modesty's sake, although Inaris really didn't care about being modest. He just didn't want to sunburn or blind anybody. Ser'deni also ignored the pleas of the prince to stay and rest. They only needed to rest after yesterday's events. It wasn't like they had their legs cut off or something. She tightly wrapped the robe around her body before walking around her bed and towards Inaris. Together they walked towards the doors of the infirmary. "I think I stood up too fast." "Shh...We're going to get some food. I'm tired of gruel." "Do you think little Triver would mind?" "He's going to take the knights for breakfast. I'm not going to miss out on that." Triver sighed before turning towards the twins. "I am sorry for the way they are acting. Usually they are quite...creepy. But they will be joining us for a while today so please...just don't take anything they say to heart." If he knew the mages, they would try to make the new knights as uncomfortable as possible. Well Inaris would, Ser'deni would just sit there and nod her head when appropriate. The prince led the way as he pointed out some of the important areas of the castle and finally when they reached a small dining room closer to his wing of the castle, Triver motioned for them to take a seat. "I've never taken knights before but I will treat you both well. This is where you will come to eat if you wish; it is a private room for my servants to dine in, and there will be no men who will hit on you in here." He said to Daryn. Triver helped the servants bring out the food and set it on the table before taking his seat again. "I will ask of one thing of you both. So long as you serve under me, please do not think of me as just a prince." "He gets touchy about that." Ser'deni spoke up as she stole a piece of ham. Next to her, Inaris was busy stuffing his mouth with a few rolls spread with honey and nuts. "Just think of him as a kid that needs protecting." "I am not a child anymore." "You will always be our little prince, we will always protect you." Triver felt his cheeks warm up in embarrassment.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker The entire tour around the castle was nothing short of creepy for Daryn. She was uncomfortable around the mages, even more so when they acted like normal human beings. Seeing them joke around, it made a shiver run up Daryn's spine. She kept a quiet distance, taking in the magnificent sights of the palace. Daelyn, always being the opposite of his sister, found the mages to be intriguing. To see them acting normal was wonderful. It allowed Daelyn to understand who they were, outside of being the King's pawns. He felt almost refreshed, seeing them joke around. He did sense Daryn's discomfort, keeping an eye on her through the walk. The private dining room was elaborate, a table set in the middle, empty for the moment. The twins were led into seats, and then they watched as Triver helped the servants. Daryn could have fainted, disbelief clouding her mind. The prince shouldn't have to help the servants, but there he was. She was touched by his kindness, wondering for a moment if he was putting on a show for his new knights. He made the comment about no one hitting on Daryn while they ate, and she choked on her food. Daelyn clapped her on the back, and she caught her breath, sitting the bread down she had been eating. Had he noticed too? Everyone seemed to look at her funny, and it was starting to have an effect on her. Daryn was still panting when the prince made his request to them to think of him as more than a prince. Daelyn thought on that. What else was he? He chuckled at Ser'deni's comment about him being a kid that needed protecting. Surely, that's not what the prince meant. Daryn was breathing normally, trying to find words in her mind. Daelyn watched the gears turn. "Thank you for your kindness, your majesty," Daryn said, smiling at the boy. Daelyn touched her shoulder for support. "But we are only knights to you, a prince. We will treat you as no less." Daelyn knew that wasn't what the prince wanted to hear. "But, your majesty, if you were looking for two friends in the Lyker twins, we will do all we can." Daryn shot him a look of confusion, her eyes falling down to the table. It wasn't that she didn't want to be friends with Triver. She liked the boy's personality. Befriending the prince, though, would only cause a moral dilemma when the time came to betray the royal family. Daelyn would never think that way; he was too kind to tell someone like Triver no. Daryn saw a world of similarities in the two of them. She felt his hand still on her shoulder, and she smiled up at him. In honesty, it had been a long time since the two of them found friendship in anyone but the other.</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia "Thank the gods he's getting more friends." Inaris joked. Triver shot him an irritated glance before going back to his food. Ser'deni elbowed him in the side. "Be nice to the prince, Inaris." Triver wanted to slam his head onto the table and he had been thinking of it up until the time he heard Inaris mention something about getting the prince a pillow. The mage always had his abilities out in the open and he had a habit of prying into the minds of others for a quick observation. No doubt he was doing that to the twins. For a mage skilled in magic of the mind, they were able to be almost undetectable. For those like Ser'deni, who used the ability sparingly due to the strain, it was often a very painful experience for those that they targeted. "Why do you seem surprised that Triver is so unlike the picture that you were given?" Inaris asked Daryn. His tone was light, as if he had just mentioned the weather or commented on the food. Triver could see the large dagger that Inaris clutched tightly in his hand. The mages always reacted to the slightest things; often mistaking them as threats. That was one of the reasons why the king was so well protected; they acted on things before they truly became threats. Ser'deni quickly looked towards the knights before pressing her lips together and whistling. Red eyed crows flew through the open window and landed behind her on the large chair. "Calm down! Inaris didn't mean like that!" Triver stood to his full height, knocking his chair down behind him. He was just thankful that she hadn't brought out the vulture. "You always overreact!" "It is my job!" "No, your job is to protect fath- my father, not me!" Triver yelled at her. Inaris was trying to calm the both of them down. Inaris knew what Ser'deni meant about it being her job. He wasn't as oblivious as they thought. Once things calmed down between the two of them, the woman pointed a finger in the direction that she thought Daelyn was (and surprise, surprise...she was wrong.) "You....you're the one that kicked my bird at the trials." "He's to your left...."Triver said with a dry voice. The crows had remained in the room under the orders that they would be on their best behavior. They bounced around the room picking at the shiny objects they found before depositing them on the table in front of Triver. "No, go over a bit more. There he is." Inaris giggled lightly. "Someone's as blind as a bat." Triver looked at his new knights with a pleading 'put me out of my misery' look. He mouthed 'help me' when The crows tried to steal the buttons on his tunic.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker The twins were on their feet in one switch motion, knocking the heavy chairs to the floor with a loud noise. They had one hand on their swords, the other across the opposite's chest. They both caught themselves at the same time, bringing their hands back to protect themselves. Daelyn's head spun. He wasn't even sure how this had happened, but the man had a knife. The woman had crows that didn't look all that threatening, but the look in their eyes scared him. He inched closer to Daryn, until their sides touched. He glanced at Daryn, not surprised to see her face a brilliant shade of red. Even he was afraid of her temper. Daryn felt her face turning red long before Daelyn saw it. She didn't enjoy being threatened, especially for something she had simply thought and wasn't intended to be an insult. The mage had used his power to twist it out of context, and it filled her with a feeling of belittlement. She made herself a mental note to not think around Inaris, who she strongly distrusted. Her hand squeezed the hilt of the sword at her side, ready to draw, but Daelyn was gripping her other hand, his eyes darting around the room in panic. She looked at Triver, who looked a little scared, if not a little aggravated at his mages. Her anger finally reached its boiling point when Ser'deni pointed at her and her brother, trying to figure out who kicked that cursed vulture. "Your bird was trying to kill us," Daryn reminded her, almost shouting, "And it would have, had Daelyn not kicked it." She turned to face Inaris, finally letting go of her sword. "And you! How dare you violate my thoughts like that! You have no idea what harm has come to the two of us at the hand of His Majesty the King. Am I surprised that Prince Triver is not like his father? Yes, but I am also very glad." She stopped to catch her breath. "Don't ever let me know you've used your power on me again, or the consequences will be heavy." "She doesn't mean that," Daelyn interjected, his face turning white. He pulled her back, wide eyed. "Yes, I do. I will not be threatened by the likes of these two." "I promise, she will do you no harm." Daryn swung around to face him but stopped. His face was calm, a little frightened but calm. She saw the desperation in his blue eyes, eyes that darted back and forth between her and the prince. Letting out a long, slow breath, she turned back to face the three of them. Her hands shook; her face still burned. Yet, she fought her temper, for the sake of her brother and the prince. It was Daelyn that picked up on the prince mouthing the two of them words. He wasn't sure what he could do to help him, but he needed to get his sister out of here, before she evoked the wrath of the two mages. The last thing they needed was a fight. As much confidence as he held in Daryn, he knew she would lose that fight. "Your majesty," Daelyn said, breaking the silence, "I think my sister needs to air out her temper. Would you like to join the two of us on a walk around the castle? We've yet to see the grounds." He grabbed Daryn's upper arm, yanking her towards the door. "Ser'deni, I ask for forgiveness for what I did to your companion. I was protecting my own, like you are now." He turned to the prince a final time, "We will be outside the doorway. If it is okay, you might want to tell your mages to take a leave. I can ensure your safety; my sister is no threat to you." With that, he yanked Daryn out the door, shutting it behind him. Daryn turned to glare at him, gritting her teeth. Daelyn rubbed his temple, closing his eyes to her.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia Once his knights were on the other side of the door Triver turned towards the mages who were carrying on as if nothing happened. He didn't know how they could simply ignore threats and angry words. He guessed that it came with their jobs or from the battlefield. He guessed that it was a little bit of both. "I cannot believe you two." Triver said as he rubbed his face. "Hm?" The two mages looked at the prince before whispering to each other. "What do you mean?" "That sort of behavior. You just...you just threatened their lives and now you're acting as if nothing has happened." Triver could not wrap his head around their strange behavior. Both shrugged, "We were raised to be this way. We are simply tools for the king and nothing more." Inaris said; it wasn't their fault that they had been raised in such a manner. Threats were to mean nothing to them unless they involved the royal line. They were to be mindless machines that the king could use and abuse. There was something about the easiness with which Inaris spoke those words that made Triver's skin crawl. "Why don't you go with them? We will know if any harm comes to you." Ser'deni said as she moved closer to the prince. "We are sorry for making you upset but we are not sorry for doing our job." She brought a hand to the prince's face before reaching the top of his head and ruffling his hair. "Run along and play, little prince." The mages collected a few more bits of food before bowing to the prince and leaving. They passed the twins before making their way down one of the dim corridors. A few moments later Triver exited the room. "I apologize for their behavior." Triver would have bowed but he had always been taught to only bow in the presence of his father. "Now let us see the grounds." Triver showed the twins where they could train, the special training area for mages, the gardens, stables, blacksmith, and a few other places before settling back into the garden. He wanted to know a bit more about them and the gardens would be the perfect place to ask. He failed to notice a crow sitting in a nearby tree, partially hidden by the leaves. "Come, sit with me." He gestured to the long bench close to one of the fountains. The gardens were extravagant and had been planned by his mother. All of her favorite flowers were in bloom and surely the Queen would be collecting some soon. "Where are you both from?" Triver was curious about the world outside of the castle walls. ~*~ Within the southern tower of the castle, the mages roamed free. This was their territory. They lived within the tower because no one else wanted to live close to them, and the king's chambers were along the southern and most protected side of the castle. Inaris bid farewell to Ser'deni as they neared their rooms. His room was a floor lower than hers. His room was grand compared to some. It was the same size as the others but almost every inch of the room was covered in old texts. Even though the man was blind he had found a way to read by using his magic. But the walls behind the books were decorated in richly colored murals depicting the outdoors. His bed was large and focused in the middle of his room; off to the side there was a simple bath chamber and his room housed several large windows. He quickly locked the door to his room before opening one of the books on his bed. No one must know that he had that book in his possession.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daelyn kept a close eye on Daryn as they walked around the grounds. She was quiet, unusually so, but she was taking in every sight. He could see her eyes scale the wall that surrounded the castle, the guards standing at the top, and the dents and cracks. While he understood what she was doing, he chose to ignore her. They stood on each side of the prince. Daelyn made a note to come back and check out the stables; he loved horses. Daryn's attention was brought back to the journey when they entered the garden. Everything was overwhelming. The colors, the smells, the sounds. It was like stepping out of the royal grounds and into the wild. Daryn couldn't keep her eyes still. She was breathless. Daelyn sat down beside the Prince; Daryn sat on the other side. When the Prince asked where they came from, Daryn smiled at him. Daelyn took a deep breath and looked at her. She nodded. "Not far from here, at the edge of the sea, there's a tiny village called Port Danycia. Most of the people there live on boats or raise goats. The ground isn't fertile enough for crops; it is mostly rock and cliffs. We grew up on a fishing boat there with our father," she told him, looking down at her hands. "It was a beautiful place. When the sun set, it would reflect the most amazing shades of orange and pink across the water. The air always smelled like salt and sand. We had a festival, called Festival of Moons, and everyone would help build this giant fire in the village center. There was a man who would tell stories all night, using the light from the fire to cast shadows on the ground." She looked towards Daelyn, who was nodding. "Once a month, the children and their mothers would make a trip into the royal city to buy medicine and supplies we could not get on our own. It was always a big deal, because we put on our best clothes and brushed our hair. We had to walk through a thick forest to get there," Daelyn continued, "If it rained, we would hide in the caves that you could find strewn through the forest." Daryn laughed, remembering clearly how small the caves had been. After their mother died, the twins stopped going on those adventures. The last walk back from the royal city had been the hardest journey they had ever taken. It had rained, but the three of them didn't stop. "When it would storm, the lightning would hit the water, and so we would have to pitch tents on land. The fireflies would come out, and we would open the tent and let them in, only to shut it again and trap them. Waking up covered in dead fireflies was worth watching them create a night sky in our tent." Daeyln watched his sister talk, seeing her face relax. He missed home, just as much as she did. Yet, he didn't know if they would ever get to go back. It seemed so far away. "We would love to take you there, your majesty," Daelyn said, "But I'm sure your mages would not allow it. Tell us about your childhood here."</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn's heart hurt for the prince. She couldn't imagine being cooped up inside these walls, trapped. She needed space to run, struggle. Yet, she also needed company. She glanced up at Daelyn who was watching Triver's face closely. What would life be like without her brother? It was rumored that they came out of the womb cradled in each other's arms. How true that was is to be guessed, but Daryn didn't know who she would be without her brother. To imagine a life spent with Daelyn gone on dangerous battles without her hurt. She felt the desire to go over and hug him, but the Prince started crying. Her eyes went wide, and she scooted away from him. It was Daelyn who reached over and put a hand on Triver's shoulder. He couldn't begin to imagine what the Prince felt, couldn't even begin to. It was a lot for anyone to deal with. Daelyn commended the boy for being so strong, and he made it a point to try harder to deal with the mages. It was Daryn he worried about treating the mages badly. He knew how much she distrusted them, and he understood why. He glanced over at her to see her wide eyes and chuckled to himself. The crow flew down and told them about Inaris. Daryn wasn't outright surprised, but Daelyn was. The man had seemed alright, if not a bit cold. It was clear that Ser'deni and Triver were shocked. Either one of the twins could have seen that. When the prince fell to the ground, out cold, Daelyn leaned after the boy, catching him before he hit the hard ground. The alarms blared over the two of them; guards ran everywhere. Daelyn scooped the boy up into his arms, looking to Daryn for instruction. "I don't know," she said, giving him a look, "I guess we head back to the castle. Find Ser'deni." The bird was long gone, the sounds of metal armor in its place. Daryn weaved her way through the mess, Daelyn right behind her. It wasn't long before they ran into a familiar face. "Twins. I was looking for you," Enn said, giving Daelyn a odd look. "Prince Triver was a little shocked," Daelyn answered. "No doubt. It is a shock to us all." Enn shook his head, reaching for Daryn's elbow. "Come, quickly. Garrod wishes to speak to the two of you and the prince." They took off then, finding it a lot easier to weave through the crowds with Enn leading them. They ducked inside the castle, where the alarm didn't sound quite to loud. Daryn felt like she could breathe again. Enn led then down a long hallway that ran the length of the castle, not towards the center. They followed him into a room with a heavy wooden door. Garrod looked up at the three of them. "Thank you, Enn," he said, his voice deep. Daryn had to admit the man was handsome, in a kind of scary way. He was built, tanned from years training outside. Yet, in his face were shadows, ghosts of things that Daryn could not have imagined. "Orders from the King are that his son, Ser'deni, and the two of you are to leave the castle immediately and search for Inaris. I know you two are new, and he might be hoping you get killed while you're out there. Yet, the fact that you're with the prince right now shows some potential." He stood to face them both, crossing his arms. "As soon as you wake sleeping beauty, have him call for Ser'deni, so we can prep you all to leave." Daelyn sat Triver down in a seat, shaking his arms and hands. The idea of leaving the fortress was exciting, frightening but exciting. Daryn was jittery, ready to move. He could see her out of the corner of his eye. "How do you suggest we protect ourselves from his magic?" she asked, her back to the prince. "Wit," Garrod replied, "You in particular showed some intelligence during the trials. And your brother showed immense strength. Be smart, be fast. Be ready to drive your sword home."</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia When Triver woke he was staring up at the ceiling. Everything felt numb as if he had just taken a dip into the garden fountain during the middle of winter. There was no way that Inaris had just up and left with some of the most valuable things in Danycia. He wasn't going to believe it. Inaris was a good man, a bit twisted and hard to understand, but he was good. Triver knew that this was some sort of mistake. Maybe the books were misplaced and...and- "Prince." The sound of his sister's voice caught him off guard. "You called for us- me." That's right, there would never be an 'us' anymore. The mage had grown used to talking about herself and Inaris as one in the same. "I didn't call-" "I heard you calling. It must have been when you were asleep." There had been times in the past when the Prince would call for the mages in his sleep. Inaris had been plagued by those calls, as his mid magic was the strongest and the hardest to control. Ser'deni slumped next to her half-brother and wrapped her arms around him loosely. They stayed like that for a few moments. Broken and afraid. Inaris was a marked man; there was nothing that they could do to save him. Triver was reluctant to let go of his only source of comfort. She pulled away and wiped the Prince's face dry before standing and looking towards the twins. "Thank you...for ensuring he is fine." Her tone was dead. Even Triver had lost the spark in his eyes. "I have some supplies waiting. I was to be sent out on a small mission in two weeks' time, so we can use the equipment I prepared." She and Triver knew how to guard themselves against Inaris well enough but the knights were a cause for concern. "If we come across Inaris," she had pulled the twins aside as the prince went to gather some supplies. "Only think of the mundane - a rock, your childhood pet, a fish, anything other than your next move or your feelings." "Inaris is highly skilled in mind magic and he can and will turn your thoughts and emotions against you. If he does something like what we had done at the trials - the voices - do not focus on them. I can supply two talismans if needed. They offer minimal protection but they would be better than nothing." Ser'deni ran a hand through her dark hair and she sighed. This was a hard task, to kill a former lover. She was worried about what this was going to do to her brother - he had never experienced the death of one so dear. Triver and a few servants came carrying a few weapons and bags of supplies. Soon their horses were prepared and they were sent out. Above them the vulture and two crows circled overhead while one rode on the mage's shoulder to provide her with information about their surroundings. Triver was staring blankly at the horse's mane. He should have been happy. This was his first time outside of the castle walls but he couldn't bring himself to smile about it. All he could think about was Inaris. He searched everywhere in his memories for any hidden clues or something that would allow him to make sense of their current situation. Maybe deep in some memory there was a time when Inaris was acting a little differently and his mind had simply filed it away without a second glance. Their first stop was a small village just a few miles from the capital. It was on the very edge of the great forest and there were bound to be bandits.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn clenched the reins of the horse, enjoying the gentle sway of the beast under her. She had always liked horses. Animals in general, really. Daelyn had too, which explained why he was brushing his fingers through the horse's mane, making clucking noises to it. The horse's ears swiveled around when he clicked his tongue, and he patted its neck periodically. Daryn liked to see him so happy. They led the group through the woods, Daryn leading the convoy. Daelyn took a guard position behind the rest, a typical guard position. As they walked, the listened to the woods, the birds in the trees and the creeks running through. The woods were a solace, a peace for the twins. These were the same woods she had been telling Triver about earlier, but when she glanced over to tell him, she changed her mind. The boy looked broken. Instead, she fiddled with the bow she'd picked up before they left. She pulled the group into the small village right outside the woods, a place the twins hated to stop. The village was known for its black market and thieves. Daelyn remembered the place in passing, but the images were vivid. Hurrying through on the way to the capital, afraid to let his hand stray from his money. Bandits, he remembered bandits. Daryn had slowed the group down, and he came in a lot closer, shutting the space between them. He rode up beside Triver and Ser'deni. "Let us hope we do not stay long in this place," he said quietly, "No good comes from this village." The buildings were broken stone, falling into the streets in big clumps. There were no signs telling visitors what was what, and the air surrounding them smelled of strong liquor. Beggars leaned against the same buildings, sleeping with gray matted hair and dirt smeared face. Daelyn couldn't stand to look at them. He looked towards Daryn, who stared straight ahead, sitting tall. They were still wearing guard uniforms and would be easy targets for the thieves. Daryn thought, walking the horse into the center of the village. They needed disguises. Everyone would know who the prince was in a matter of seconds, if they took the time to look at his face before they stole all his money. She dug through her mind for anyone she knew through the rebellion that would be here. Sanuel. He owned a tavern in this God forbidden place. She remembered him mentioning it in passing once. Where had he said she could find him? She pulled her horse up to a building with a solid wooden door, painted red. A big 'R' was painted in black across the front in swirling letters. Daryn got off her horse, handing the reigns to Daelyn, who peered at her. "We need to hide who we are. I know a man who works here. He will provide us with the disguises we need. Just stay outside and wait on me; I'll hurry back out." With that, she smiled at Daelyn and walked in, leaving him standing , holding her horse. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the tavern, the thick smoke, and the stench of liquor. Men piled around tables, staring at her as she passed, but she looked at every face, searching. He had to be here. She got to the front of the store, where a man was watching her carefully. "I'm looking for Sanuel," she said, in a low whisper, leaning carefully over the counter. "No one here by that name," he grunted. "My name is Daryn Lyker. He will know me," she pleaded, feeling light headed. The man gave her a once over, disappearing through a back door. He came back out a moment later, nodded and led Daryn around the corner. Through a door, she followed him, glad to be out of that room. Back here, it didn't stink. She could breathe. A man stretched out across a bed, hands folded behind his eyes. His sandy blonde hair was long, in a single braid that lay over his shoulder. He was dressed nicer than the men outside, leather vest, clean new boots. His eyes were closed, but she saw his chest rise and fall. When the door shut behind her, his eyes opened, and he sat up. The sight of him made her nervous, twisting her stomach into pieces. Few men could made Daryn swoon. What she felt for the man was a mix of admiration and fear. He gave her a smile, swinging his legs off the bed and standing. "My girl, how far you've come," he said, looking her over. "it's good to see you, Sanuel."</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn sat on the edge of the bed with the man, one of his hands pressed firmly on her upper thigh. She had finished telling him about the trials, and her hands were shaking where she clasped them in her lap. Sanuel was cooing at her gently, stroking the fabric of her uniform. She was quiet now, feeling his touch, confused feelings washing over her. She liked the man a lot. He was someone she feared and respected, cared for a lot. But there had been times when Sanuel pushed her past her limits. She pushed those vivid memories of unwanted intimacy out of her mind, reminding herself of who he was. Head of the rebellion. Her boss. Although she would never admit it, she was more frightened of him that attracted to him. "What brings you here, Daryn?" He asked, the smile disappearing from his face. He was back to business. "We are on a mission as the guards to the Prince. And we need disguises. So we can pass through unseen," she rambled, struggling to steady her voice. The blonde man nodded, standing up quickly. He strode over to a wooden chest in the corner of the room, pulling open the lid. It only took moments for the man to pull out several articles of clothing. Triver would need a hat. Ser'deni would most likely be okay. Daryn and her brother would need new outfits completely. Like he was reading her mind, he pulled out a hat for Triver and two outfits for the twins. To her distress, he pulled out a long dress for her. "Thank you, sir. I should be going before they begin to wonder too much." Sanuel simply nodded and pulled her in for a hug, hands drifting over the length of her back. She pulled away from him, turning to leave the room with her arms piled high. Outside, Daelyn watched his sister hurry out the door, shoving a hat roughly onto the prince's head. She carried clothes, nice outfits for the two of them. She seemed uneasy, and her face was a brilliant shade of red. Before he could ask, Ser'deni asked him a question. He smiled at her. "The nearest city is Port. Which is a coastal city. Well, village. It's too small to call it a city. We can stay there for the night, and then continue on in the morning," Daelyn answered, dismounting. Daryn shoved clothes at him, and he noticed why she was so flustered. The man inside had given her a dress. That was like Sanuel. He was probably going to be watching them leave. Daelyn had a very strong dislike for the man. "Please excuse my sister and I while we go change," Daelyn said, bowing quickly and then pulling Daryn into the nearest alley. She was already stripping out of her clothes when he turned to face her. "He didn't try anything with you, did he?" He asked, hurrying. She shook her head violently, tugging the dress over her. Daelyn didn't believe her for a minute. Daryn felt like a fool. She hated dresses. She hated feeling so constricted and helpless. She felt like a child in a dress, playing house. It was idiotic. If Sanuel wasn't such a pervert, maybe she wouldn't be in this position. She let her hair down as she finished dressing, scowling at Daelyn who was wearing a simple back tunic and pants. "I'm so jealous," she muttered, pushing past him. "The color matches your skin," he blurted out, following her. She laughed, nearly bending over. She walked up to where the Prince and Ser'deni waited. She carefully and painfully mounted again, stringing her bow around her shoulder and her sword at her saddle. Another reason to dislike dresses, there was no where to put your sword. "We should get to Port before dark," she said, kicking her horse into motion, "The past is full of bandits."</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia Triver and Ser'deni waited patiently for the siblings to return. The prince finally looked around the small town from under the hat that had been jammed on top of his head. He sighed and looked at the blind woman. "Things are going to get a lot harder, aren't they?" Ser'deni nodded. "Yes. We have orders and we must carry them out, even if it means killing a part of our hearts. It shall be okay though, I am still here for you." Their hands remained clasped together until Daryn and Daelyn came back. "What would we do about bandits?" Triver asked as he pulled his horse alongside Daryn's. "Kill them." The mage said from the back of the line. Ser'deni was more confident in her abilities to summon if she wasn't in the middle of things. The woman held tightly to the reigns of her horse. She wasn't accustomed to land dwelling beasts; her heart was in the sky and often her birds were how she traveled to the war zones in the northern part of Danycia and its surrounding kingdoms. Triver didn't like the easy way in which Ser'deni spoke but he assumed that it came with the baggage of being a solider for the Danycian King. A soft sigh left his lips as he turned to face forward. His mind drifted to the tales he once read in a book back in the castle library. It had been an old dusty thing bound in thick leather and decorated with gold colored writing. They were nothing more than children's tales but Triver found himself believing them; tales of mermaids luring people, particularly men, to their deaths in the water and tales of mischievous fae who take a liking to human children. Triver's mother was not of Danycia, she was from a neighboring kingdom down in the far south of the lands, so he had grown up hearing her tales from home. As it grew later out Triver's heart had begun to beat a little faster. He was unsure about this journey. What if it went horribly wrong and things weren't as they seemed. What if he or any of his companions were killed? He didn't think he could live with himself if any of the siblings or his half-sister were to be killed while trying to protect him. "Three people are ahead on the path." Ser'deni said as she untied the black strip of cloth from her eyes. It had begun to slip down so she decided to use it to tie her hair back. "Four more wait in the trees just before them." The Prince didn't know if she had other bird summons as he couldn't see the three crows any longer. The low hoot of an owl made the prince jump. He had never bothered to ask just how many different bird summons the woman had, for all he knew the owl hoot could have been a coincidence. To him, the unnatural vultures and red-eyed crows always were frightening. "Shall we confront them or go around them? He cannot fight well and I fear that we may be out numbered. Mages fight at our best in long range attacks." The made asked as she looked towards the dusky sky. It wasn't quite dark out yet but the path was beginning to darken slowly and steadily as they traveled further. "Can't your birds help?" The woman sighed, "Yes and no; depending on our situation and if we get to them before they decide to move closer to us." The Prince was feeling terribly out of place; had no battle experience. Sure he could swing a sword (badly) but he preferred books and studying to swords and daggers, and had paid much more attention in his history courses rather than during his sword training. His stomach knotted nervously as he waited to see what would happen.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn stopped the horses, staring ahead at the trees. Daelyn came up beside her, looking at her face. She was deep in her own mind, flipping through her options. They could continue, take the chance of losing the fight and losing the prince. They could go around them, safe but cowards. If they fought the group, there was always the chance that they would be discovered for who they were. Whatever the final choice, they needed to keep the prince hidden. Daryn scaled her surroundings, wondering if there was a way to fight from a distance, so the birds could help. "We can't go around," Daelyn said, quietly beside her, "Night is falling, and we would be lost in minutes if we strayed from the path." "We can't confront them," she said in agreement, turning on her horse to face him, "Or else we risk Triver's safety." They just looked at one another for a second, sharing the same thought. How do we fight them from this distance? An owl sounded overhead, like a hint. Daryn looked around in fright, thinking of the birds in the arena. An idea hit her, and she jerked back to look at Daelyn. "What if we fight from above?" Daelyn's face lit up, and he nodded with a smile creeping across his face. They both dismounted, tying the horses to a tree. "Daelyn and I will ambush them, since they already know we are here. We can't hide from them, and night is falling too fast to go around. I will climb up the trees and over to where they are. I'm a pretty good shot," Daryn said, tapping her bow, "I can knock the first three out before the other four know what hit them. That's where Daelyn will come in. When the other four uncover themselves, he will catch them off guard and knock those four out." She paused, looking up at the trees. "Ser'deni, we need you to stay back and protect Triver. We can't risk them seeing him, or else every bandit in the area will know we are here. From here, if we need help, you can send some." Then, Daryn looked down at her outfit. She was wearing that stupid dress. Daelyn caught her looking at it and drew his sword. With a swift movement, he chopped it off at the knee, yanking the rest of the fabric away from Daryn. It was embarrassingly short, showing most of her leg and boots. Daelyn didn't like that so much skin was showing, but she seemed to like it as she disappeared into the nearest tree. She'd always been much better at climbing that he had. Daelyn gave the made and prince a nod, moving forward in the shadows of the trees. Ser'deni had been right. There were three men with jagged, worn swords drawn waiting on the path. They whispered amongst themselves, eyeing the bushes behind them every so often. Daelyn assumed that was where the rest of there crew hid. Daelyn heard the whistle of the arrow right before it struck the first man. It hit right where Daryn had aimed, the heart. The dead man looked at his two partners and collapsed on the ground as another arrow struck the second man. By now, the third was checking the trees, sword at the ready. These bandits were unaccustomed to confrontation. While he turned himself in circles, Daryn shot her final blow, hitting this man in the back, clearing through to the front. He gave a guttural cry and collapsed beside his friends. Silence spread over the small path. Daelyn held his breath, hearing Daryn moving overhead. If the four were hiding behind the trees, they weren't coming out. Daryn stared down at Daelyn's hunched figure, waiting. Nothing was happening. She cussed under her breath, putting her bow back over her back. When she led out a long breath, the arrow sizzled through the air, landing in her thigh. It was all she could do not to scream, ducking further into her shadows. They knew where she was. Tears formed in her eyes as she jerked the arrow out, feeling the warm blood flow down her leg. She had to get down to Daelyn. Already, though, she was light headed. Daelyn saw the bloody arrow land on the grass beside him, and he jumped up. The source of the arrow was a man clad in black, hiding right in the shadow in front of the bushed. When Daelyn stood, the three other men did the same, swords drawn. The black dressed man disappeared, making Daelyn cuss. It was all he could do, though, to keep the other three men at bay. Panting, he drove his sword through their stomachs, pushing them into a heap behind the path. Overhead, Daryn watched the man in black run towards Ser'deni and Triver. She fought her numb leg to move, eventually crashing to the ground in an unconscious heap. Daelyn heard her hit hard ground, following the sound to her bloody body. He picked her up and raced back to where he was sure the man was heading.</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daelyn came into the clearing where he could hear Ser'deni yelling for him. He sat the unconscious Daryn down, moving over to inspect the prince. There was a lot of blood, and it made his heart race. It seemed to be all over the two of them. Ser'deni looked weak, but whatever wound Triver had gotten was healed up. Daelyn saw the bloody arrow laying on the grass and assumed poison. He looked around at the horses. Two of them were severely wounded, show through the chest. They would be dead before morning. He stood, going after the other two horses, who were hidden in the bushes. "There's a healer in Port," Daryn muttered, as he walked past her with the horses. She was moving around, although the wound on her leg throbbed steadily. She didn't even try to get up. Her head spun, and she felt like she might vomit. Daelyn nodded down at her, picking her up and putting her on her horse. "That's where we will go then," he said, situating her against the beast's neck. He seriously doubted that she would be able to stay upright. He tied the horses reins to his own horse's, going to pick up Triver. The boy was a dead weight. Whatever poison was on that arrow had severe paralyzing effects. Daelyn put the boy on the back of Daryn's horse, right up against her. He wrapped the boys arms around Daryn, and she held on to him as tight as she could. Daelyn moved and swept up Ser'deni next, knowing she could probably walk. But she looked dead tired. He sat her up on his own horse, and swung up on it behind her. She was much smaller than him, and it was easy to reach around her. "I promise we will make it," he whispered to her, touching her upper arm, "I won't let anything happen to him." He had noticed how close they were. Daelyn didn't know how they were connected, but they reminded him of Daryn and himself. He knew how much it hurt her to see him hurt. He felt it now, looking at Daryn with her still bleeding, fist sized hole in her leg. Daelyn kicked his horse into a run, jerking the other horse into movement. The path was black. He had to rely on the horse's senses to get through the overgrown path. He forked to the right when the time came, hoping he remembered the way. Hours seemed to pass as they pulsed forward. Daryn could feel the horse's heart racing under her, its muscles pulsing on her pained legs. The air began to smell like salt, and she perked up, knowing they were close to home. Already, if she looked up, she could see the gates. The horses slowed down as the gates came into view. Daelyn brought them to a stop, staring down at the two guards. "Your business here?" the older man asked, crossing his arms. "We are looking for a healer," Daelyn said, "My sister and I were born in Port. We have friends in the village." The man looked at him with hesitation, glancing over at Daryn, who struggled to hold her head up. The man raised his hand at his partner, who went for the crank. As soon as the gate was open wide enough, he lead the horses through. Port was exactly how the twins remembered. It was on long line on buildings facing the cliffs down to the sea. The natural cliff rocks made roads, and the horse's steps clattered across the sleeping town. They passed the town center, where a fire still burned. Animals roamed around the village unattended, eating whatever had been left out for them. Daelyn led the horses down to the last house in the line and began banging on the door. When no one answered right away, he began to hit louder and faster, until the door swung angrily open. An old, disheveled lady stepped outside, glaring at him. She had a mountain of white, wild hair piled up on her head, and her skin was covered in black markings, making her look threatening. The twins knew better. "Daelyn Lyker, what brings the likes of you to my doorstep at this hour?" Daelyn smiled at the old lady, who was talking louder than normal. She looked around the street. "Please, Amaria, we need a healer," Daelyn said, nodding to the three people still on the horses. "Boy, that man is on the brink of death! And that poor mage looks like she could faint walking," she scolded, "Hurry bring them in, before you wake up the entire village." She disappeared into the house, leaving the four of them on the doorstep. Daelyn grabbed Triver up, taking him into the house and setting him down on the large wooden table that sat in the middle on the front room. He went back and got Ser'deni, laying her down on one of the many cots that lined the room. Amaria had been one of the best healers within 100 miles, but he didn't know if her business still thrived. He went back to get Daryn, who jumped down into his arms. Once inside, she did her best to stand, leaning against the door frame. "I'll stand guard," she muttered, brushing her long hair away from her face. Amaria rushed over to her, shoving a wet clump of leaved in her hand. "Pack that into the wound, and don't let anyone in until morning," the old woman said, leaving her to tend to herself.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia The ride to Port wasn't rough on Triver, he couldn't feel the horse beneath him and he couldn't see anything beyond just blurs of color that bled together to create dark areas. He didn't feel bad; he knew that he was dying. There was something that he found to be peaceful about it and it was the fact that his body was numb. If he could have felt anything then maybe his reaction would have been a bit different. There were so many things that the Prince needed to do still. He needed to find Inaris and take him back home, he needed to make sure that Ser'deni wouldn't cry, he needed to ensure that his knights were safe...he wanted a family; he wanted to fall in love and get married. If he died now, he would regret everything in his life. After some time the Prince simply passed out. Ser'deni was afraid for once. Usually she could handle things like death and being injured because that was what she had been taught to do. It was different when she cared for the person who was dying. She had never felt this before and the feeling on its own was frightening and confusing. The woman fought to stay awake throughout the ride. When they slowed and she could hear the sounds of a sleeping town, she let out a deep sigh. There was hope for Triver after all. They were taken down from the horse one by one and honestly she was a bit frustrated. She was a mage, not a kid and she was sure that she was older than the twins anyways. Triver could hear the fuzzy and far-off voices of everyone around him. He could hear the twins and the stranger and even Ser'deni. The mage tried to get up from the cot but she felt so sleepy and she nearly fell forward. "It'll be okay." She said to Triver as she reached for his hand. One of her hands was placed on the table to keep her balance and the other gripped the Prince's hand. He would have gripped hers back if he had the chance. Ser'deni sighed and pressed her lips to his forehead before smoothing back his sandy hair. The woman scolded her and the mage was about to say something back when something was thrust into her hands. "A blanket." The woman said before moving about, grabbing things to heal the prince. Ser'deni felt useless as she felt her way back to the cot. Once she was curled up into a small ball and she had the blanket draped over her, the mage began to cry. Was she going to lose the two people that she held the most dear? She had lost her mother but she had been too young to understand or remember her clearly. In the morning the mage woke with no memory of falling asleep. The only thing that she remembered was Triver was on death's door. She sat up too quickly and her mind spun as she looked around the room. Although she was weak with mind magic, Ser'deni could reach out and poke around at the minds of other people. She used it as a means of moving through crowded rooms without the need to openly display her disability. He's still here. She thought once she came into contact with Trivr's dreams. She knew it was Triver because everyone had a unique color to their thoughts. Triver's was a deep and dark royal blue. Inaris's had been a muddy gold. Even the twins had their own color. The mage tumbled to the floor, her feet tangled in the blanket and she furiously kicked it away from her before scrambling to Triver, who had been placed on a nearby cot. He was asleep but alive and that was all that mattered to her.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn fought sleep as she slumped down and sat at the base of the door. She had crammed the herbs into her swollen leg and then wrapped it in a piece of hot cloth that Amaria had given her. While she fought to keep her eyes open, she watched the old lady and her brother bustle about. Amaria was a mage, but she didn't use her magic unless she absolutely had to. Instead, she used her knowledge of other healing methods. Brews and the like. Amaria lay Triver out on the table and laid both of her hands on his chest. They stayed like that for a very long time, and Daryn knew that she was countering whatever poison was killing the prince. Suddenly, the old mage pulled back, slumping against the back wall. Daelyn moved to help her stand. "Move him to a bed beside his sister," the old lady whispered, patting Daelyn's arm, "She will be upset when she wakes up. He will want her as well, I assume." Amaria glanced at Daryn whose eyebrows were perked up. The lady chuckled. "Didn't know they were related, huh? Well, there's a lot you two don't know. Protect the Prince like your life depends on it," she said, walking out of the room, "Because, my twins, it does." Daelyn followed her command and moved Triver to a cot right beside Ser'deni. He covered the boy up and moved away. They were siblings. He could hardly believe it. They didn't look alike at all. At least Daryn and he looked the same. Daelyn sat down on the floor beside Daryn, who wrapped her arms around his body. She hummed a song to him, quietly, and he knew she was going to fall asleep. "I'm sorry I got you hurt," he said, closing his eyes and falling into the sound of her light voice. "You did nothing," she said, "It was all my idea. I owe the two of them an apology." They spent a few minutes in silence, leaning against each other with their eyes closed. Sleep came quickly but unwillingly. It was Daryn who woke up first, hearing Ser'deni hit the floor. She jumped but remained still, waiting and watching the young mage tend to her brother. Daryn patted Daelyn's head and finally stood, moving into another room in the house. The kitchen. Already, Amaria was cooking, and whatever it was smelled better than the castle food had during their short day there. Daryn offered to help, but the old woman scolded her away. So, she waited by the door, watching the prince and Ser'deni. How had Amaria known about them being siblings? More importantly, how had she known it was the prince? Daryn had her guesses, the first being that Triver was very hidden without his hat. Anyone would know who he was now. She made herself a goal to find them new disguises. "Daryn, set the table," Amaria barked from behind her, pressing a stack of ceramic plates in the girl's hands. Daryn didn't argue, knowing it was useless with the woman. The same table Triver had been healed on would be dined on this morning. The tan wood of the table was carved and burned with different markings, words and letters and symbols that Daryn couldn't read. She glanced at her brother, who was sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Amaria entered the room with food, some sort of meat that filled the room with its scent. "Now, we wait for the boy to get hungry," Amaria said, sitting down at the table with a chuckle.</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia "We have different mothers." Ser'deni said as she helped her brother sit up. He was a little pale and weak but at least he was alive. "And do not apologize for being injured Daryn Lyker, things happen that we cannot control." Triver looked around the home with a confused expression before Ser'deni told him of what had happened. There were fuzzy bits in his mind that were flashes of blurred color or jumbled words muffed by the same fog. With the information that he was given, the prince's eyes widened and he looked at the older mage. "Thank you." he said as Ser'deni helped him to the table. He sat across from the female knight. To his right sat his sister, her hand gently clasping his. The two used to be affectionate with each other as children. Triver thrived on physical contact with others, particularly his sister and Inaris, and it was a habit that persisted. Triver shook his head, "I didn't think you knew about that." He told the younger mage. She shrugged and scooted a cup closer to him. "I have known for many years, now be quiet and eat. Thank you Lady Amaria, for healing him." Ser'deni said with a polite nod of her head. Triver had been gifted with the looks of his mother: fair hair and skin, well defined features and a sweet smile that tugged a little more to one side. His eyes were all his father's from the shape to the color. He was an uneven mix of his parents. In contrast to Triver's lighter appearance, Ser'deni looked like her mother's people. Dark skinned with long dark hair and dark tattoos that ran from the border of her lip down to her throat. Only her eyes showed any resemblance to those of her father's and brother's eyes; of course one could only notice if they were opened. While they might now have looked like brother and sister there were a few things about them that gave the subtle hints. They were just little habits that one would catch over time. "Should we stay in Port for another night and gather some more supplies?" The mage asked, half of their supplies had been lost with the horses. Other bandits probably already got to them by now and it would be useless to head back to check. Triver was eating quietly next to her, they needed a map of some sort in order to plot their route. He assumed that one of the twins had a map that they could use. He knew that they were instructed to search the southern part of Danycia for any signs of Inaris. "We need to see if any one has any information on Inaris." Triver said as he glanced at the twins, Daryn in particular. "How is your injury by the way? I trust that your brother is fine?" He was concerned for their well-being, they were his knights after all.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn watched the prince carefully as he began to eat, breathing out a little sigh of relief. Her brother came over and sat beside her, eating as well. He had fallen back into his silent stage, watching everyone around him, thinking about what they would do next. He weighed the questions in his head for a moment, and then Daryn spoke his answers, like she could read his mind. "Yes, we should stay in Port for a while. Not for long, but I don't think it's wise to travel before we have regained all our strength," and although she looked at Triver, she meant the latter part for herself as well. While her leg no longer bled, it itched with healing, and she knew she would be limping for several days. "Daelyn and I will go out shopping today, and find a place to stay. We can't burden Amaria." The last word left Daryn's mouth no sooner than Amaria swung around and whacked the girl on the head. Daryn yelped, reaching for her sword hilt out of instinct. Of course, she had taken it off the night before. "You will do no such thing," Amaria said, sitting down at the last empty seat at the head of the table, "It would be nonsense to waste money on boarding when I have beds to spare. If you don't mind a few of my patients coming and going throughout the day." Both twins knew there was no point in arguing. The old woman would get her way eventually. Daelyn shook his head and glanced over at Daryn, who bit her lip. They would be putting her in danger, and Amaria meant too much to the both of them for her to be in danger. "Whatever you want, Amaria," Daryn said, turning her attention to the prince's last question. "And I'm fine, Prince. No arrow can bring me down. Just seriously maim me." She pulled away from the table and stood, unwrapping and showing the wound to Triver. It was bright pink, looking empty and already faintly scarred. "Amaria wasn't able to heal me, due to the severity of the poison in your system. I don't need it though; I'll be fine." Daelyn nodded along with her, touching her shoulder for her to sit back down. "And I am uninjured," Daelyn answered, with a small smile.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia "We can pay her," Ser'deni said as she produced a small cloth bag of coins from her side. The woman counted out five gold coins per person before sliding them across the table to Amaria. "This is for our medical fees," she repeated the process until there was enough coins on the table to cover their boarding and food. "And here is payment for our board and food." Ser'deni tied the small bag and remaining coins to her belt again before asking Triver how Daryn's wound looked. The prince was a little uncomfortable with the fact that the woman had showed her wound and he was about to suggest letting his mage finish healing her when she spoke. It looks good." He said to Ser'deni before looking at the twins. He wanted to see Port. It would help him keep his mind off of finding Inaris. "I was wondering if it would be risky in allowing me to see Port?" he asked before digging into his breakfast. The mage beside him sighed and shook her head but kept quiet. She didn't know if he should be allowed to leave this place considering that he had almost died last night. Ser'deni didn't want to be overbearing and she knew that he needed to keep his mind free of the fact that they were on a man hunt for their friend but the prince going out in public was something that she didn't want to risk. She could only hope that the two knights would agree with her. Once breakfast was over the mage helped clean up by taking the dishes into the kitchen; she would rather help than feel like she was being a burden. "Lady Amaria...may I ask how you escaped the King's clutches?" All mages, regardless of their social background, were property of the King according to the Daynician laws. Fake mages, simple folk with limited magical abilities, were easy to weed from the real mages; Ser'deni doubted that Amaria was one of the fake mages. There was a strong feel of magic around the woman. Triver looked up curiously. That was something that his sister never brought up. Being a mage was like being sold into slavery before one's birth. From the moment a child shows magical skills in their early childhood they are sent to the castle to serve the King. His sister was unlucky enough to have been born in the castle walls. There was a knock on the door and the prince quickly answered it despite the protest of his sister. Standing just beyond the door's edge was a man of average height with a stocky build and dark red hair with a braided beard and a moustache. He looked to be a few years older than Triver. "Hello! I am here to see Amaria, I am Adi." The man bowed politely before Triver side stepped to allow him in. Adi grinned and waved to everyone in the room, his eyes scanned over Triver and Ser'deni before landing on the twins. He hadn't seen them in years. "Hello Lyker twins!" Adi said as he moved in to hug them. There was a faint burning sensation at the back of his mind but he brushed it off as exhaustion from work.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Adi storming into the room seemed to stun both the twins and Amaria. He swept both of them up into a hug, which neither twin hesitated to return. Both of the twins had fond memories of the boy, now a man. A childhood friend, Adi had been a huge part of their lives in Port. Daelyn considered the man a brother, although the feelings Adi had towards Daryn were always something a little stronger than brotherhood. Daelyn had always thought that, though it had never been brought full circle. The twins hugged the man, lingering a moment and then returning to their seats. "I think it would be a great idea for you to get out, Triver," Daryn said, careful not to use the Prince's title, in case Adi hadn't realized already. Their identities were better left secret, regardless of how safe they were at Amaria's house. "I would be happy to escort you around Port for a day or two." She smiled at the boy before her before realizing her mistake. "Oh, I'm sorry. Triver, Adi is an old friend of ours from when we lived in Port before. He's like a brother to us." "Ser'deni, while Daryn is with Triver, it would be best if we continue on with our mission. We can shop for supplies and ask anyone around town if they have seen Inaris," Daelyn said, knowing very well that it would be a fight to pull Ser'deni away from the prince. Daryn, though, was very capable of protecting him. They were safe within the walled city, and he knew she equalled any man in the city. Triver was safest with the woman by his side. Amaria offered Adi her seat at the table, moving to the shelves on her wall. "To answer your question, Ser'deni, I was fired. You see, some years back, there was a rebellion against the king. Several people from Port rose up to join the rebellion." She looked towards the twins, who stared at her stone faced. They held their breath, hoping she would not mention the twins part in said rebellion. "I had been working for the king around fifty years, and when I heard from some rebels from Port were being executed, I helped several of them escape." She looked away from the twins, "Of course, I couldn't save everyone. The king allowed me to live, but, as punishment, my two children were both killed." She paused and looked at the Prince. "What possessed him to let me live, I'll never know."</s>
<\|description\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker 23 years old Knights; Spies for the Rebellion Daryn and Daelyn share a past that they do not like to repeat. The two of them grew up on a tiny fishing boat which only came to shore to sell its wares. The fishing boat was a relatively wealthy business, and most of their youth was pleasant. The rebellion kept its distance from the four of them, although they understood enough of what was going on. At some point, their mother was asked to come help with the rebellion, because she was from one of the families that founded the rebellion. She did, leaving her children on the boat. At the age of twelve, Daryn and Daelyn watched their mother's execution, hidden behind their father in a crowd of people. Something in the children sparked as they watched their mother being carried to a pile of bodies. When they turned 18, they both left their father's now failing fishing boat to join the rebellion, with a promise that they would return with enough money to fix his boat, if not buy him a new one. That was five years ago. When they joined the rebellion, they were thrown into training as blank slates. Daelyn wasn't a fighter; that was easy to see. He had the strength and the size, but he couldn't stand to kill, to see the light fade from their eyes. He was too gentle, too nurturing. Dae became a shy boy, rarely ever talking, cradling animals and babies. Eventually, he was moved to help care for the animals around the base. Daryn, on the other hand, flourished. What she lacked in muscle, she made up for in agility and wit. She was smart, and she could beat any man in a sword fight. Yet, Daryn was rough, crass at times. She didn't know how to hold her tongue or her temper, and often, she found herself in trouble. Daryn cared for Dae like she was his mother though. Protecting him endlessly put a joy in her heart that she couldn't explain. They would often be seen, standing, shoulders touching, just whispering or breathing. One can tell that Daryn and Daelyn are identical twins. Both of them have brown, ringlets of hair. Daryn keeps it at rest on her shoulders; Daelyn at the ear length. To lesson the confusion, Dae shows a full brown beard. Both adults have bright, sea blue eyes that reflect the very waves of the ocean they grew up on. They are beautiful people, in two very different ways. Since they live as peasants, both of them wear gray tunics that reach about mid-thigh, black pants, and gray ankle height boots. Daelyn wears a necklace that once belonged to his mother; Daryn wears a bracelet made from fishing twine all braided together, a gift from her father.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Adi storming into the room seemed to stun both the twins and Amaria. He swept both of them up into a hug, which neither twin hesitated to return. Both of the twins had fond memories of the boy, now a man. A childhood friend, Adi had been a huge part of their lives in Port. Daelyn considered the man a brother, although the feelings Adi had towards Daryn were always something a little stronger than brotherhood. Daelyn had always thought that, though it had never been brought full circle. The twins hugged the man, lingering a moment and then returning to their seats. "I think it would be a great idea for you to get out, Triver," Daryn said, careful not to use the Prince's title, in case Adi hadn't realized already. Their identities were better left secret, regardless of how safe they were at Amaria's house. "I would be happy to escort you around Port for a day or two." She smiled at the boy before her before realizing her mistake. "Oh, I'm sorry. Triver, Adi is an old friend of ours from when we lived in Port before. He's like a brother to us." "Ser'deni, while Daryn is with Triver, it would be best if we continue on with our mission. We can shop for supplies and ask anyone around town if they have seen Inaris," Daelyn said, knowing very well that it would be a fight to pull Ser'deni away from the prince. Daryn, though, was very capable of protecting him. They were safe within the walled city, and he knew she equalled any man in the city. Triver was safest with the woman by his side. Amaria offered Adi her seat at the table, moving to the shelves on her wall. "To answer your question, Ser'deni, I was fired. You see, some years back, there was a rebellion against the king. Several people from Port rose up to join the rebellion." She looked towards the twins, who stared at her stone faced. They held their breath, hoping she would not mention the twins part in said rebellion. "I had been working for the king around fifty years, and when I heard from some rebels from Port were being executed, I helped several of them escape." She looked away from the twins, "Of course, I couldn't save everyone. The king allowed me to live, but, as punishment, my two children were both killed." She paused and looked at the Prince. "What possessed him to let me live, I'll never know."</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia Ser'deni's brow knitted together as she tried to remember any sort of things that linked back to what the older woman told her. Amaria probably hadn't been one of the king's personal mages because there was no way that they were able to leave him. He has ensured that his person mages would forever be under his control by using spells and seals that would render them helpless or even kill them. No one was brave enough to try testing the limits on them so they didn't know for sure. It troubled her that she couldn't understand the reasoning that the king would let someone live. He was a ruthless and cruel man who had no troubles in using people before discarding them like table scraps. "What's she talking about?" Triver asked curiously as he looked at Amaria before looking back to Ser'deni. The woman sighed and she gave a brief explanation. "He caught wind of a rebellious group that, although it wasn't very large, it had a big impact on the southern parts of the kingdom. They planned a larger rebellion that would have resulted in either a civil war or the massacring of our citizens. He chose to massacre his citizens." It hadn't affected Ser'deni in any way and Triver hadn't been told much beyond it was the king's duty to protect his crown. Triver sat stiffly in his seat and he looked down at the table. There was no way that his father could have done it, right? "There was a time when he considered bringing us into it...that would have wiped out this entire town." The other mages were always ready to please the king. They enjoyed taking the lives of others and they were just as bad as he was. "Let's not dwell on that any longer though." Adi was listening carefully and it didn't take long for him to piece together that the prince was sitting across from him. He sat there with an open mouth, trying to find his words. Finally he spoke up. "What's the prince of Danycia doing here?" Triver looked up with wide, frightened eyes. He had forgotten about the red haired man and now he was exposed. He looked to his knights for assistance with the matter. "Uh...um..." Triver hesitated and he fidgeted in his seat. "He's okay; there wasn't any hint of Adi being linked to what's left of the rebellion." Ser'deni said softly. Adi looked at the woman with wide eyes and he jumped up. "What are you talking about?!" "Nothing. Just know that you're cleared, now to the matter of allowing Triver to see Port and what life is like beyond the castle walls." The mage leaned against the wall and addressed the twins. "I will allow Triver to accompany you, Daryn, but one of my pets must be following you at all times. I still want to know what is happening throughout the kingdom out of my own curiosity as well." Triver's heart began to thump wildly in his chest. He would get to see the kingdom! It was slightly tainted now that the mage had told him a tidbit of the history surrounding the area but he was still eager to go exploring. "Can I swim in the ocean?" He asked suddenly. Adi shook his head. "Not unless you want to be drowned by the mermaids. Beautiful creatures but they have a nasty habit of grabbing ankles." The man crossed his arms over his chest before his eyes crinkled at the edges, "There are some pools up in the north hills that you can swim in, I promise they are mermaid free." Adi was willing to help the prince; he was the next in line for the throne and Adi thought it was better to have a bloodless rebellion than one that would wipe out most of the kingdom. He was a pacifist by nature and he avoided all talk of the rebellion as best as he could. Even if they had to wait another twenty years before peace could be reached then he would be willing to stick it out. "Are you going with Daelyn?" Adi asked the mage. "It seems odd that you'd leave the prince all alone." Triver wanted answers as well. Why was there a sudden change of heart from the woman? "I want him to learn about the outside world in ways the king never did. I want him to be able to understand the impact a ruler has on his or her people and I want him to learn from past mistakes. Most of all...I want my brother to be able to stand on his own when I'm no longer here." The weight of her words hit Triver hard. He knew that the mages didn't have a long lifespan but she never had said it out loud before. Being born a mage was both a blessing and a curse. You could do things that were unimaginable to normal humans but you couldn't have the best of both worlds. Mages paid for their magic with their life, the more they used magic the shorter their lives were. The prince stood up and excused himself. He didn't know where he was going to go but he wanted out of there. "Go get him Daryn. You'll be able to calm him down, take Adi with you as well." Ser'deni said. The prince needed some time to cool off and she hoped that Daryn would be able to help him. He needed people other than mages in his life.</s>	<\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn cussed loudly and jumped up, kissing her brother on the head. She grabbed her sword, strapping it around her hips and looking at Adi expectantly. She didn't like that the man acted like he knew more about Port than anyone else in the room. She definitely hadn't planned on letting Triver swim with mermaids, but he did deserve to see them. They were amazing things, the mermaids. With Adi behind her, Daryn took off out the door, seeing that Triver hadn't made it too far. She fell into step beside him, touching his shoulder gently. "Today, Triver, you will see some amazing things," she said, smiling at him. First, she intended to take him down to the ocean. Not to swim, but to look. Everyone needed to feel their feet in the water, taste the spray of the water against the rocks. She wouldn't feel right if he didn't at least stick his hands in the water. Yet, Daryn knew that he was hurt. Ser'deni was right, but she knew how hard that was to hear. There had been a time when Daelyn and she had the same conversation. The night before the trials, they had sat down in the dirt floor of their shack, held hands and prayed to whatever god was listening. "What happens if one of us dies?" Daelyn had asked, unable to hide the shake in his voice. Daryn had squeezed his hand, staring at the footprints in the dirt. "The other must go on," she had whispered, "And they will have to learn to survive alone." Daryn knew how impossible it felt to live without a sibling. She couldn't imagine that life, a life without his curls, his eyes, his gentle personality. Daryn snapped herself back to the present, concentrating on where they were going. Triver was leading himself through the center of town. People were lined on the side of the rocky street with fruits, fishes, and other wares. Women shopped, baskets propped on thin hips, babies on the other side. Old men gambled with little wooden balls and cups in front of the tavern, cussing loudly when someone lost. It all made Daryn smile, feeling back at home. There were faces in the crowd that knew her, and she knew them. "Port is forced to survive on its own. Because of that rebellion Amaria told you about, people here don't receive help from your father. The people are tough, making their own ways to live, and no, it's not always honest. See that lady over there?" Daryn pointed into a colorful tent with clothes hanging from the swaying beams, "Her name is Lydia. She has three children, and her husband died at sea when I was just little. She dyes and sells her own clothes to the people in Port. Lydia is one of the wealthiest people in Port. Without interference from the royal city, Port sort of flourished." She led him out of the growing crowd, onto a smaller pathway. The ocean stretched out to their left, at the bottom of a steep cliff. The farther they walked, the less people they saw. Daryn walked close to the edge, looking. "Ah-ha!" she said, coming to a stop. "Adi thinks it's a bad idea to swim in the ocean, and I agree. But I think you should definitely see it closer than this." She knelt down on the ground, reaching over the edge. There was a ladder, made from ropes and wood, slung over the edge. It was a long way down, but the edge wasn't as steep as everywhere else. The cliff went outwards here, coming to end on a big stretch of sand. It was like a tiny beach. Daryn pulled the ladder up just enough to show the prince the first rung. "I'll go down first, you go second, and Adi will go last. I promise it's completely safe, and I will not let the mermaids get you." With that, she disappeared over the edge, breathing in the amazing air. It hadn't been this clear before how homesick she'd really been. Back at Amaria's, Daelyn watched the door shut, hoping Daryn would actually be able to calm the prince down. She wasn't very good at being patient with people. He let out a big breath and looked across the table at the mage. The feeling in his gut told him that the mage didn't like him very much at all. This was business, though, and it didn't matter. They were on a mission. "The best place to talk to people would be the marketplace. At this time of day, I bet everyone is there. After that, we can go to the docks and see if he got on a boat," Daelyn said, pushing his chair away from the table. He moved to get his sword, squeezing Amaria's hand as he went past. "Ser'deni, do you think you could glimpse into people's minds and see if they've seen him? I mean, we can't ask everyone, and that would be the fastest way to do it." Daelyn remembered her saying that mind magic wasn't her strong point. Yet, he wasn't about to point out that if she couldn't do it, he would find another way. Ser'deni was completely capable; he was sure she was more capable than even he understood. He finished getting ready, standing by the door. "Oh, sorry about last night. I know you could have taken care of yourself; I didn't need to toss you around," he said, to the mage, "When people get hurt, old shepherd instincts kick in, and I tend to get protective. I didn't mean to insult you, if I did."</s>
<\|description\|>Information on Danycia Chosen by the gods to weild magic, the mages are fully human although none believe that. Magic is a fickle thing, typically if one parent is a mage there is no gauruntee that their children would be as well. Magic can show itself multiple times in a single generation or it may take a hundred years to show back up in the bloodlines. Families that advertise themselves as a strong line of mages usually aren't blood related. As a trade off for great skills in magic all mages have some degree of disability. This may range to having only one arm or leg, deafness, muteness or blindness to missing an organ (never the heart, lungs or brain). Sometimes mages may have multiple disabilities although it is quite rare. Mages run the risk of dying young if they are pushed beyond their limits. They must keep their emotions under check at all times or they may loose concentration on spells and have them backfire or in cases of extreme emotion like rage or sadness, they can get out of control. WIP This is the main kingdom of the humans. It is located along a coast, giving Danycia a great fishing economy. A majority of Danycia lies inland where it extends to the farthest boarders of the smallest human kingdoms. For generations the ruling family of Danycia has brought prosperity to their people, currently only three kings have been tyrants and almost all of them have died early. Within this world magic is linked directly to the life force. It can kill you if you use too much magic at once or if you run out of it. All living things possess magic and can be trained to use it. Mages are special beings who have a larger quantity of magic (and life force) and learning to use magic comes easier to them. Mages usually show signs of magical abilities as children through simple means like levitating objects of themselves, accidentally setting fires and things like that. There are schools for teaching magic although they have been regulated to be only for the higher classes.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia The other mages soon joined Ser'deni in their places behind the king. There were ten in total, counting her. Most of them were men although there were a few men who wore their hair long and held feminine faces. Ser'deni had been raised alongside the nine other mages and knew them all quite well. Six of them were blind; some wore cloth over their eyes while some did not. A man was missing a leg and leaned heavily on a carved walking stick. Another was mute although his physical appearance bore no indication. And one could not hear or talk. The mages held no loyalty towards each other despite being brought up and raised with the others. They were bonded by their use of magic and their disabilities and nothing more. For this occasion they were handed heavy black cloaks that hid their faces and disabilities from the eyes of the would-be knights. The mages were not only here for the safety of the King and his son, they were also here to participate in the choosing of the knights. All mages were skilled in many areas of magic but each held their own strength in one area. "This is going to be fun." A man off to the right of Ser'deni said, he was standing directly behind the Prince. "Inaris...keep your voice down." Another scolded the man. Inaris made a sound of displeasure before falling into silence. Triver wanted to talk to the mages behind him but the arrival of the knight candidates took his attention. They all seemed so young, although Triver wasn't old by any means. As a young man of only twenty years, he still had a lot to learn and see. Triver, his father, the mages and a few nobles sat on a raised platform covered with a richly decorated canopy of blue and gold. He wondered if any of the candidates knew what was in store for them. The Prince had pestered Ser'deni and the others for information about their roles in all of this. "Our job is to break the weak from the strong. We will use our skills as mages to ensure that only the strongest are chosen." Those words left a chill that ran down his spine. Triver had never seen the mages in action before but he had heard stories of the generals who were given a mage as part of their army; they always told tales of the brutality of their magic. The mages were what helped win more land for Danycia and they were what kept the people under his father's thumb. Triver would be lying if he said that he didn't hold some fear of the black-clad figures behind him. The King watched the candidates with a dark gaze; he was uninterested in having new knights. He mostly wanted to see them bend and break under his mages so that all would know his power. The King was a twisted man who enjoyed the look of pain on others. His wife and son were the only ones exempt from his cruelty; his son would carry on his legacy as a ruthless ruler and his wife would remain obedient and serve as a link to further his influence in her native kingdom. The Prince beside him had always been disgusted with the way that his father took such pleasure in the pain and terror of others. He was not close to his father; the man was nothing more than one he had to deal with in order to survive. Rumors floated around that his father had murdered his own brother to gain the throne. Triver didn't doubt those rumors although he should have defended his father. He should have tried to protect his father's reputation as a "grand and fine" king but he found that he could not. Triver wanted to change things within the kingdom. He wanted to live in a world of peace but with his father alive, that could never be possible. The King waited for the start of the tests to be announced. He would not give those commoners the experience of hearing his voice. He was better than they were, as he was chosen by the gods to rule them. The man that had given the candidates their instructions stood tall in front of the nervous looking potential knights, but under the king. "Let the trials begin!" One after the other had stepped in front of the King and read out loud from one of the classic Danycian books that detailed the adventures of a hero before they were given their riddle. One man, almost immediately after he started reading, grasped his head and screamed in agony as his body crumpled to the floor. Triver knew without looking behind him what had happened. His stomach turned and it brought little comfort that he did not know which mage had turned the man into a pile of helpless and hurting flesh.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn looked around the room, taking in each and every face. The mages lined up behind the king and his son, faces covered by the black cloaks they wore. Seeing them sent a chill up her spine. Daryn didn't like magic. When her father's business had begun to fail, he had went to a local mage and asked him to help us. For more money than they had to spare, the mage did, but all the fish they caught, though plenty, were spoiled. Daelyn said that the mage was a fake, improperly trained. But when she looked at the mages, Daryn still felt a little sick to her stomach. Their mother used to read them stories of the mages parts in the war; both knew what they could do. As curious as she was to their part here, she felt mostly fear. Daelyn wanted the first man go up, stepping just a few feet above the crowd. The way they were lined up, Daryn would be next. He could see her face twisting, worry lines between her brows. He understood her fear. He listened to the words of the man, lost in the story he read. Then, the man started screaming. He dropped the book- mistake number one- and held his head in his hands. He fell to the floor, and Daelyn moved to help him stand. Daryn caught his arm, her eyes wide. It hurt him to see the man in pain, lying in a broken pile in the floor. When he stopped screaming, the room was silent. No one moved, and Daelyn shook violently. Daryn released his arm, and he moved forward, picking the shaking, unconscious man up off the floor. He was covered in his own urine; his face was whiter than a sheet. Daelyn carried the man to the door and leaned him against the wall, only to return to the scene. One down. Nine to go. Daryn stared at the book now in her hands. The knight in charge told her to turn to a certain page. She didn't shake, didn't falter. Her words were clear, her voice nice. Their mother had taught them to read a long time ago; the lessons hadn't faded. The image of the man raced through her head, a fault of the mages. It couldn't be proved, but she knew. When she was almost finished, the pain began at the back of her head. It was like someone held a torch up to the nape of her neck, a fire spreading through her skull. She closed her eyes, but she didn't scream. An anger built up in her, towards everyone in the room, and it fueled her resistance. Nothing could stop the pain, though, and she was blinded by it. Unable to stand, she fell to her knees, felt hands on her shoulders, but she didn't scream. Clutching the book tight against her chest, she spoke to her brother behind her, "Get back in line, I'm okay." He did, and the pain stopped. It went as quickly as it came. Daryn opened her eyes and let out a long breath. She was dizzy, but she stood, finishing her part and then answering her riddle. It gave her pride to know she passed, even though she felt like fainting. Daelyn touched her cheek, and she couldn't even smile at him. Instead, she stood behind the line, waiting for this whole ordeal to be over. Daelyn stepped up, holding the book. He flipped the page and read, just like his sister. He didn't know what was coming, and his hands shook violently. His voice remained steady, but his eyes kept darting up to the mages. Wondering what he would need to endure for their sick pleasure. Or was it the king's pleasure? Either way, Daelyn didn't like the group of people on stage. He made it through the entire piece and was given his riddle. That's when the voices came. They were loud, echoing voices. It didn't hurt, no, it was just distracting. He couldn't think, found himself searching around the room violently for lips to read, to figure out what was going on. In his haste, he turned towards Daryn, who had her brows furrowed in that way that she did, but she was repeating his riddle over and over again. He couldn't hear her, and the headache was building from the white noise. Finally, he screamed out the answer, clutching both ears and then handed the book to the knight and went to stand by Daryn. The voices left him, and he could hear clearly again. He found Daryn's hand, and they stood like that, both of them panting, both feeling extremely proud of the other one. In the time that passed, they lost two more people, leaving a group of eight, seven boys and one girl. But every face was already exhausted, mentally strained from the first trial.</s>	<\|message\|>Information on Danycia "And I thought my handling of people was harsh." Inaris teased once the first trial was over. Beside him Ser'deni made a face of disapproval, even if she had never seen the expression for herself and the man standing next to her hadn't either. Inaris was the best of using mental magic and he was quite proud that he was able to master one of the most difficult types of magic, and the only known "Seer of Truths" in Danycia. He was well known for a streak of cruelty and he had a nasty habit of burning through slaves like wildfire. "I am not like you, Inaris. I find no pleasure in this." Ser'deni only did as she was told like a good little girl. She did not enjoy tormenting others and she certainly did not enjoy the reputation that came with it. Inaris grunted before turning his attention to the Prince. Since Inaris lacked the ability of sight, he often used his magic to supplement his missing sense. Most of the mages used their magic to fill the voids left by their disabilities. For Ser'deni it was having some sort of creature feed information to her about the environment. "The little Prince is afraid~" Inaris cooed softly. Triver did his best to ignore the male behind him, Inaris had always teased him in their younger years and even as adults that would never change. The prince fixed his gaze to the remaining eight; it had been painful to watch the others fall under the mages magic. As a prince, Triver was immune to the mages and their magic. He was one that they could not touch (as he was the only surviving heir to the throne it was forbidden that the mages used their magic on him.) The rustling of the heavy cloaks caught his ears and a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. "Do not listen to Inaris." Ser'deni whispered. The King ignored the words shared between the mages and his son. He had always allowed Triver to interact with the mages since one day (in the very distant future) the boy would become king and follow in the footsteps of his father. "We are only doing our job. Please allow us to continue, the candidates must be able to endure pain and suffering to be deemed worthy." Her words made a bubble of nervousness rise in Triver's throat. They were doing this for his safety? He didn't want to be protected by them or the knights; he didn't want to be protected by anyone! Ser'deni returned to her previous location, allowing Inaris to return to his place. The King scanned the small group of candidates before silently betting with himself which would crack first. His money was on the lone woman. The King had little respect for women and even his wife wasn't immune to his treatment. She might have been his wife but the King held little respect for anyone who wasn't capable of holding political power. The female mages behind him, as few as they were, were only valued for their magic. He stood up and finally addressed the crowd. The King was tall, like his son with similar features although the boy had his mother's gold spun hair. The King's hair was a dark and earthy brown that he wore short to hide the many silver hairs that streaked through it. "The time has come for the second trial!" He barked out and the knight in charge of announcing the events quickly parroted his words. Some might say the King was mad and there probably wasn't a soul in the room that wouldn't agree. He sat back down heavily in his gold colored mini-throne, as Triver had called it. It was simply a smaller version of the Danycian throne that had been a symbol of power for hundreds of years. Just as soon as the King had settled into his seat, it began to rain.</s>
<\|description\|>Information on Danycia Chosen by the gods to weild magic, the mages are fully human although none believe that. Magic is a fickle thing, typically if one parent is a mage there is no gauruntee that their children would be as well. Magic can show itself multiple times in a single generation or it may take a hundred years to show back up in the bloodlines. Families that advertise themselves as a strong line of mages usually aren't blood related. As a trade off for great skills in magic all mages have some degree of disability. This may range to having only one arm or leg, deafness, muteness or blindness to missing an organ (never the heart, lungs or brain). Sometimes mages may have multiple disabilities although it is quite rare. Mages run the risk of dying young if they are pushed beyond their limits. They must keep their emotions under check at all times or they may loose concentration on spells and have them backfire or in cases of extreme emotion like rage or sadness, they can get out of control. WIP This is the main kingdom of the humans. It is located along a coast, giving Danycia a great fishing economy. A majority of Danycia lies inland where it extends to the farthest boarders of the smallest human kingdoms. For generations the ruling family of Danycia has brought prosperity to their people, currently only three kings have been tyrants and almost all of them have died early. Within this world magic is linked directly to the life force. It can kill you if you use too much magic at once or if you run out of it. All living things possess magic and can be trained to use it. Mages are special beings who have a larger quantity of magic (and life force) and learning to use magic comes easier to them. Mages usually show signs of magical abilities as children through simple means like levitating objects of themselves, accidentally setting fires and things like that. There are schools for teaching magic although they have been regulated to be only for the higher classes.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia "Ah! Welcome." Triver said as he stood up from his chair. "I am Triver and these are my friends." The prince gestured to the two mages on either side of him. Inaris gave a short laugh, "More like we're his babysitters." Ser'deni threw her pillow at him. Inaris threw it back, only for it to accidentally miss and hit the prince. Triver's cheeks flushed pink as he picked the pillow up off of the ground. He launched the pillow at Inaris with an irritated growl. "Watch where you're throwing things!" Triver said before rubbing the red spot on his cheek. The unholy pillows of the infirmary felt more like pieces of wood that feather pillows. "Aren't you going to introduce us?" Ser'deni asked as she turned her attention towards the direction of the knights. "I see that you've healed nicely." She said to Daryn, "And how's your brother's injuries? Rean healed him but everyone knows she doesn't like to put her full effort into it." Triver tried not to laugh. The prince was a goofy boy when he was with friends. This was the true Triver - he enjoyed a good laugh or two and would gladly be the butt of the joke. Not many people got to see this side of him. He cleared his throat before speaking up. "Where are my manners? This is Ser'deni," The woman bowed her head, "And he is Inaris." the blond man gave a slight wave before lying back in his bed. "Why don't we give you a tour of the castle and then we can go about doing a few things for the day?" Triver suggested. He smoothed out his clothes before looking at the two mages. "We will come back to visit you--" Inaris held up his hand to silence the prince. "We're fine. Just still a bit tired and the nurses aren't watching. This place is too stuffy." He got out of the bed and slipped on one of the robes that were off to the side of each bed. The patients usually were in their underclothes and the robes were for modesty's sake, although Inaris really didn't care about being modest. He just didn't want to sunburn or blind anybody. Ser'deni also ignored the pleas of the prince to stay and rest. They only needed to rest after yesterday's events. It wasn't like they had their legs cut off or something. She tightly wrapped the robe around her body before walking around her bed and towards Inaris. Together they walked towards the doors of the infirmary. "I think I stood up too fast." "Shh...We're going to get some food. I'm tired of gruel." "Do you think little Triver would mind?" "He's going to take the knights for breakfast. I'm not going to miss out on that." Triver sighed before turning towards the twins. "I am sorry for the way they are acting. Usually they are quite...creepy. But they will be joining us for a while today so please...just don't take anything they say to heart." If he knew the mages, they would try to make the new knights as uncomfortable as possible. Well Inaris would, Ser'deni would just sit there and nod her head when appropriate. The prince led the way as he pointed out some of the important areas of the castle and finally when they reached a small dining room closer to his wing of the castle, Triver motioned for them to take a seat. "I've never taken knights before but I will treat you both well. This is where you will come to eat if you wish; it is a private room for my servants to dine in, and there will be no men who will hit on you in here." He said to Daryn. Triver helped the servants bring out the food and set it on the table before taking his seat again. "I will ask of one thing of you both. So long as you serve under me, please do not think of me as just a prince." "He gets touchy about that." Ser'deni spoke up as she stole a piece of ham. Next to her, Inaris was busy stuffing his mouth with a few rolls spread with honey and nuts. "Just think of him as a kid that needs protecting." "I am not a child anymore." "You will always be our little prince, we will always protect you." Triver felt his cheeks warm up in embarrassment.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker The entire tour around the castle was nothing short of creepy for Daryn. She was uncomfortable around the mages, even more so when they acted like normal human beings. Seeing them joke around, it made a shiver run up Daryn's spine. She kept a quiet distance, taking in the magnificent sights of the palace. Daelyn, always being the opposite of his sister, found the mages to be intriguing. To see them acting normal was wonderful. It allowed Daelyn to understand who they were, outside of being the King's pawns. He felt almost refreshed, seeing them joke around. He did sense Daryn's discomfort, keeping an eye on her through the walk. The private dining room was elaborate, a table set in the middle, empty for the moment. The twins were led into seats, and then they watched as Triver helped the servants. Daryn could have fainted, disbelief clouding her mind. The prince shouldn't have to help the servants, but there he was. She was touched by his kindness, wondering for a moment if he was putting on a show for his new knights. He made the comment about no one hitting on Daryn while they ate, and she choked on her food. Daelyn clapped her on the back, and she caught her breath, sitting the bread down she had been eating. Had he noticed too? Everyone seemed to look at her funny, and it was starting to have an effect on her. Daryn was still panting when the prince made his request to them to think of him as more than a prince. Daelyn thought on that. What else was he? He chuckled at Ser'deni's comment about him being a kid that needed protecting. Surely, that's not what the prince meant. Daryn was breathing normally, trying to find words in her mind. Daelyn watched the gears turn. "Thank you for your kindness, your majesty," Daryn said, smiling at the boy. Daelyn touched her shoulder for support. "But we are only knights to you, a prince. We will treat you as no less." Daelyn knew that wasn't what the prince wanted to hear. "But, your majesty, if you were looking for two friends in the Lyker twins, we will do all we can." Daryn shot him a look of confusion, her eyes falling down to the table. It wasn't that she didn't want to be friends with Triver. She liked the boy's personality. Befriending the prince, though, would only cause a moral dilemma when the time came to betray the royal family. Daelyn would never think that way; he was too kind to tell someone like Triver no. Daryn saw a world of similarities in the two of them. She felt his hand still on her shoulder, and she smiled up at him. In honesty, it had been a long time since the two of them found friendship in anyone but the other.</s>	<\|message\|>Information on Danycia "Thank the gods he's getting more friends." Inaris joked. Triver shot him an irritated glance before going back to his food. Ser'deni elbowed him in the side. "Be nice to the prince, Inaris." Triver wanted to slam his head onto the table and he had been thinking of it up until the time he heard Inaris mention something about getting the prince a pillow. The mage always had his abilities out in the open and he had a habit of prying into the minds of others for a quick observation. No doubt he was doing that to the twins. For a mage skilled in magic of the mind, they were able to be almost undetectable. For those like Ser'deni, who used the ability sparingly due to the strain, it was often a very painful experience for those that they targeted. "Why do you seem surprised that Triver is so unlike the picture that you were given?" Inaris asked Daryn. His tone was light, as if he had just mentioned the weather or commented on the food. Triver could see the large dagger that Inaris clutched tightly in his hand. The mages always reacted to the slightest things; often mistaking them as threats. That was one of the reasons why the king was so well protected; they acted on things before they truly became threats. Ser'deni quickly looked towards the knights before pressing her lips together and whistling. Red eyed crows flew through the open window and landed behind her on the large chair. "Calm down! Inaris didn't mean like that!" Triver stood to his full height, knocking his chair down behind him. He was just thankful that she hadn't brought out the vulture. "You always overreact!" "It is my job!" "No, your job is to protect fath- my father, not me!" Triver yelled at her. Inaris was trying to calm the both of them down. Inaris knew what Ser'deni meant about it being her job. He wasn't as oblivious as they thought. Once things calmed down between the two of them, the woman pointed a finger in the direction that she thought Daelyn was (and surprise, surprise...she was wrong.) "You....you're the one that kicked my bird at the trials." "He's to your left...."Triver said with a dry voice. The crows had remained in the room under the orders that they would be on their best behavior. They bounced around the room picking at the shiny objects they found before depositing them on the table in front of Triver. "No, go over a bit more. There he is." Inaris giggled lightly. "Someone's as blind as a bat." Triver looked at his new knights with a pleading 'put me out of my misery' look. He mouthed 'help me' when The crows tried to steal the buttons on his tunic.</s>
<\|description\|>Information on Danycia Chosen by the gods to weild magic, the mages are fully human although none believe that. Magic is a fickle thing, typically if one parent is a mage there is no gauruntee that their children would be as well. Magic can show itself multiple times in a single generation or it may take a hundred years to show back up in the bloodlines. Families that advertise themselves as a strong line of mages usually aren't blood related. As a trade off for great skills in magic all mages have some degree of disability. This may range to having only one arm or leg, deafness, muteness or blindness to missing an organ (never the heart, lungs or brain). Sometimes mages may have multiple disabilities although it is quite rare. Mages run the risk of dying young if they are pushed beyond their limits. They must keep their emotions under check at all times or they may loose concentration on spells and have them backfire or in cases of extreme emotion like rage or sadness, they can get out of control. WIP This is the main kingdom of the humans. It is located along a coast, giving Danycia a great fishing economy. A majority of Danycia lies inland where it extends to the farthest boarders of the smallest human kingdoms. For generations the ruling family of Danycia has brought prosperity to their people, currently only three kings have been tyrants and almost all of them have died early. Within this world magic is linked directly to the life force. It can kill you if you use too much magic at once or if you run out of it. All living things possess magic and can be trained to use it. Mages are special beings who have a larger quantity of magic (and life force) and learning to use magic comes easier to them. Mages usually show signs of magical abilities as children through simple means like levitating objects of themselves, accidentally setting fires and things like that. There are schools for teaching magic although they have been regulated to be only for the higher classes.</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia Once his knights were on the other side of the door Triver turned towards the mages who were carrying on as if nothing happened. He didn't know how they could simply ignore threats and angry words. He guessed that it came with their jobs or from the battlefield. He guessed that it was a little bit of both. "I cannot believe you two." Triver said as he rubbed his face. "Hm?" The two mages looked at the prince before whispering to each other. "What do you mean?" "That sort of behavior. You just...you just threatened their lives and now you're acting as if nothing has happened." Triver could not wrap his head around their strange behavior. Both shrugged, "We were raised to be this way. We are simply tools for the king and nothing more." Inaris said; it wasn't their fault that they had been raised in such a manner. Threats were to mean nothing to them unless they involved the royal line. They were to be mindless machines that the king could use and abuse. There was something about the easiness with which Inaris spoke those words that made Triver's skin crawl. "Why don't you go with them? We will know if any harm comes to you." Ser'deni said as she moved closer to the prince. "We are sorry for making you upset but we are not sorry for doing our job." She brought a hand to the prince's face before reaching the top of his head and ruffling his hair. "Run along and play, little prince." The mages collected a few more bits of food before bowing to the prince and leaving. They passed the twins before making their way down one of the dim corridors. A few moments later Triver exited the room. "I apologize for their behavior." Triver would have bowed but he had always been taught to only bow in the presence of his father. "Now let us see the grounds." Triver showed the twins where they could train, the special training area for mages, the gardens, stables, blacksmith, and a few other places before settling back into the garden. He wanted to know a bit more about them and the gardens would be the perfect place to ask. He failed to notice a crow sitting in a nearby tree, partially hidden by the leaves. "Come, sit with me." He gestured to the long bench close to one of the fountains. The gardens were extravagant and had been planned by his mother. All of her favorite flowers were in bloom and surely the Queen would be collecting some soon. "Where are you both from?" Triver was curious about the world outside of the castle walls. ~*~ Within the southern tower of the castle, the mages roamed free. This was their territory. They lived within the tower because no one else wanted to live close to them, and the king's chambers were along the southern and most protected side of the castle. Inaris bid farewell to Ser'deni as they neared their rooms. His room was a floor lower than hers. His room was grand compared to some. It was the same size as the others but almost every inch of the room was covered in old texts. Even though the man was blind he had found a way to read by using his magic. But the walls behind the books were decorated in richly colored murals depicting the outdoors. His bed was large and focused in the middle of his room; off to the side there was a simple bath chamber and his room housed several large windows. He quickly locked the door to his room before opening one of the books on his bed. No one must know that he had that book in his possession.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daelyn kept a close eye on Daryn as they walked around the grounds. She was quiet, unusually so, but she was taking in every sight. He could see her eyes scale the wall that surrounded the castle, the guards standing at the top, and the dents and cracks. While he understood what she was doing, he chose to ignore her. They stood on each side of the prince. Daelyn made a note to come back and check out the stables; he loved horses. Daryn's attention was brought back to the journey when they entered the garden. Everything was overwhelming. The colors, the smells, the sounds. It was like stepping out of the royal grounds and into the wild. Daryn couldn't keep her eyes still. She was breathless. Daelyn sat down beside the Prince; Daryn sat on the other side. When the Prince asked where they came from, Daryn smiled at him. Daelyn took a deep breath and looked at her. She nodded. "Not far from here, at the edge of the sea, there's a tiny village called Port Danycia. Most of the people there live on boats or raise goats. The ground isn't fertile enough for crops; it is mostly rock and cliffs. We grew up on a fishing boat there with our father," she told him, looking down at her hands. "It was a beautiful place. When the sun set, it would reflect the most amazing shades of orange and pink across the water. The air always smelled like salt and sand. We had a festival, called Festival of Moons, and everyone would help build this giant fire in the village center. There was a man who would tell stories all night, using the light from the fire to cast shadows on the ground." She looked towards Daelyn, who was nodding. "Once a month, the children and their mothers would make a trip into the royal city to buy medicine and supplies we could not get on our own. It was always a big deal, because we put on our best clothes and brushed our hair. We had to walk through a thick forest to get there," Daelyn continued, "If it rained, we would hide in the caves that you could find strewn through the forest." Daryn laughed, remembering clearly how small the caves had been. After their mother died, the twins stopped going on those adventures. The last walk back from the royal city had been the hardest journey they had ever taken. It had rained, but the three of them didn't stop. "When it would storm, the lightning would hit the water, and so we would have to pitch tents on land. The fireflies would come out, and we would open the tent and let them in, only to shut it again and trap them. Waking up covered in dead fireflies was worth watching them create a night sky in our tent." Daeyln watched his sister talk, seeing her face relax. He missed home, just as much as she did. Yet, he didn't know if they would ever get to go back. It seemed so far away. "We would love to take you there, your majesty," Daelyn said, "But I'm sure your mages would not allow it. Tell us about your childhood here."</s>	<\|message\|>Information on Danycia "I've lived my entire life within the walls of the castle; reading books, learning languages, drawing..." His eyes focused on the brightly colored flowers off to his left. "I was never allowed to leave, only once or twice but that was to accompany my father and mother to her home kingdom." Triver might have never gone hungry or known heartbreak and he's been given everything that he's ever wanted, but compared to the people of his kingdom, the ordinary people who scratch out a living on the bottom of a fish barrel, he had nothing. There are no adventures, there are no times spent catching fireflies. He felt bitter and jealousy flared within his veins. He has everything and yet he has nothing. "My only friends were Inaris and Ser'deni. They are four years my senior so they were closer to each other than they were to me." Triver looked down at his hands. They fumbled with a few of the silver buttons on his tunic; he didn't know what else to do with them. "You might not like the mages for what they do," He looked at the twins, Daryn in particular, "But to me they are my most precious people. We would play here in the gardens. They would use their magic to take me on journeys. They would make things bearable for me." There had been a time in his younger years that Triver had wished he could fling himself over the castle walls. The crow that was perched in the tree gave a caw before flying off. Triver looked for the black bird but he couldn't find it. A soft sigh was pulled from the lips of the prince. "I do not like what my father is doing - has done with the mages." Triver admitted, it was well known that the prince, and almost everyone else in the castle disliked the way the mages were used as weapons. "They are my best friends...but they are sent to the battlefield on a regular basis...I do not get to see much of them; this is the first time in a year that I have been able to be with Inaris and Ser'deni in the same room. This is the first time in months that Ser'deni has been playful towards me." Triver felt the hot tears prick the corners of his eyes. He felt so lonely. What if his friends were sent to battle and never returned alive? He would have nobody then. Triver wiped away the tears that fell onto his cheeks and he looked up at his knights. He laughed in an attempt to clear the tears but more kept coming; he couldn't stop them. A little while later the crow returned. It came to rest on a nearby bush. "It is alright, prince. Thank you for your kind words, they have warmed my heart." For a moment Triver was shocked, he knew that magic was something that he could never understand but talking birds? "I came to deliver you a message. All of you. First to the twins; I am sorry for the way I treated both of you. I was simply looking after the prince. And the news that I have for you, prince....it will make your heart heavy. Inaris...he's gone." "Gone?" Triver felt his blood run cold. "Not as in dead gone. He's missing, along with some of the king's books. The ones in his private study. A hunt has been called for Inaris; if he is found he will be executed. You two shall guard the prince in case Inaris comes after him." The crow fell silent as Triver processed what was said. Inaris was gone with some of the most valuable books in all of Danycia. Those books contained spells of great magnitude - they were forbidden; although his father could not cast magic he hoarded magic books since before Triver was born. He had said it was to ensure that when the time comes, he could have the upper hand. "He is a traitor!" The crow let loose another caw, louder and more heartfelt than before. Triver felt dizzy. This could not be happening. Inaris would no do such thing. He had promised Triver that no matter what, they would stay together. But he had broken that promise before, when he had distanced himself years ago. He was losing a piece of himself. Triver felt his breakfast in the back of his throat. The alarms were raised; the guards ran past, their armor clinking together as they shouted to search the grounds for the mage. Triver could see little black dots in the corners of his vision. His eyes closed and he slumped to the ground.</s>
<\|description\|>Information on Danycia Chosen by the gods to weild magic, the mages are fully human although none believe that. Magic is a fickle thing, typically if one parent is a mage there is no gauruntee that their children would be as well. Magic can show itself multiple times in a single generation or it may take a hundred years to show back up in the bloodlines. Families that advertise themselves as a strong line of mages usually aren't blood related. As a trade off for great skills in magic all mages have some degree of disability. This may range to having only one arm or leg, deafness, muteness or blindness to missing an organ (never the heart, lungs or brain). Sometimes mages may have multiple disabilities although it is quite rare. Mages run the risk of dying young if they are pushed beyond their limits. They must keep their emotions under check at all times or they may loose concentration on spells and have them backfire or in cases of extreme emotion like rage or sadness, they can get out of control. WIP This is the main kingdom of the humans. It is located along a coast, giving Danycia a great fishing economy. A majority of Danycia lies inland where it extends to the farthest boarders of the smallest human kingdoms. For generations the ruling family of Danycia has brought prosperity to their people, currently only three kings have been tyrants and almost all of them have died early. Within this world magic is linked directly to the life force. It can kill you if you use too much magic at once or if you run out of it. All living things possess magic and can be trained to use it. Mages are special beings who have a larger quantity of magic (and life force) and learning to use magic comes easier to them. Mages usually show signs of magical abilities as children through simple means like levitating objects of themselves, accidentally setting fires and things like that. There are schools for teaching magic although they have been regulated to be only for the higher classes.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn clenched the reins of the horse, enjoying the gentle sway of the beast under her. She had always liked horses. Animals in general, really. Daelyn had too, which explained why he was brushing his fingers through the horse's mane, making clucking noises to it. The horse's ears swiveled around when he clicked his tongue, and he patted its neck periodically. Daryn liked to see him so happy. They led the group through the woods, Daryn leading the convoy. Daelyn took a guard position behind the rest, a typical guard position. As they walked, the listened to the woods, the birds in the trees and the creeks running through. The woods were a solace, a peace for the twins. These were the same woods she had been telling Triver about earlier, but when she glanced over to tell him, she changed her mind. The boy looked broken. Instead, she fiddled with the bow she'd picked up before they left. She pulled the group into the small village right outside the woods, a place the twins hated to stop. The village was known for its black market and thieves. Daelyn remembered the place in passing, but the images were vivid. Hurrying through on the way to the capital, afraid to let his hand stray from his money. Bandits, he remembered bandits. Daryn had slowed the group down, and he came in a lot closer, shutting the space between them. He rode up beside Triver and Ser'deni. "Let us hope we do not stay long in this place," he said quietly, "No good comes from this village." The buildings were broken stone, falling into the streets in big clumps. There were no signs telling visitors what was what, and the air surrounding them smelled of strong liquor. Beggars leaned against the same buildings, sleeping with gray matted hair and dirt smeared face. Daelyn couldn't stand to look at them. He looked towards Daryn, who stared straight ahead, sitting tall. They were still wearing guard uniforms and would be easy targets for the thieves. Daryn thought, walking the horse into the center of the village. They needed disguises. Everyone would know who the prince was in a matter of seconds, if they took the time to look at his face before they stole all his money. She dug through her mind for anyone she knew through the rebellion that would be here. Sanuel. He owned a tavern in this God forbidden place. She remembered him mentioning it in passing once. Where had he said she could find him? She pulled her horse up to a building with a solid wooden door, painted red. A big 'R' was painted in black across the front in swirling letters. Daryn got off her horse, handing the reigns to Daelyn, who peered at her. "We need to hide who we are. I know a man who works here. He will provide us with the disguises we need. Just stay outside and wait on me; I'll hurry back out." With that, she smiled at Daelyn and walked in, leaving him standing , holding her horse. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the tavern, the thick smoke, and the stench of liquor. Men piled around tables, staring at her as she passed, but she looked at every face, searching. He had to be here. She got to the front of the store, where a man was watching her carefully. "I'm looking for Sanuel," she said, in a low whisper, leaning carefully over the counter. "No one here by that name," he grunted. "My name is Daryn Lyker. He will know me," she pleaded, feeling light headed. The man gave her a once over, disappearing through a back door. He came back out a moment later, nodded and led Daryn around the corner. Through a door, she followed him, glad to be out of that room. Back here, it didn't stink. She could breathe. A man stretched out across a bed, hands folded behind his eyes. His sandy blonde hair was long, in a single braid that lay over his shoulder. He was dressed nicer than the men outside, leather vest, clean new boots. His eyes were closed, but she saw his chest rise and fall. When the door shut behind her, his eyes opened, and he sat up. The sight of him made her nervous, twisting her stomach into pieces. Few men could made Daryn swoon. What she felt for the man was a mix of admiration and fear. He gave her a smile, swinging his legs off the bed and standing. "My girl, how far you've come," he said, looking her over. "it's good to see you, Sanuel."</s> <\|message\|>Information on Danycia Triver blinked when a hat was placed onto his head. It was pushed so far that it covered his eyes. With an annoyed huff he quickly picked it up over his eyes before directing his attention to the mage. She was looking uneasy - something that Triver had never seen before in her. She had gone on conquests for their father, she killed people but sitting in a village made her nervous? Triver didn't understand why she had such a change in her mood. "Don't want you to be seen." She mumbled out before directing her attention to Daelyn. "Are we getting closer to the sea?" She asked. "We've never been to the sea. It's something that he'd enjoy." Triver hadn't left the castle walls until today and Ser'deni was always placed up north in the Great Desert and the surrounding areas. Ser'deni only wanted the prince to be happy again. "He always used to talk about the sea when he was a little boy...." Triver was barely able to hear her words; he wasn't paying much attention to anything. His mind kept drifting back to Inaris. It had to be some sort of mistake or this was all some sort of horrible nightmare and he'd wake up any minute and then he'd tell Inaris and Ser'deni and they'd laugh. But this wasn't a dream. He could smell the foul stench of alcohol and waste. It burnt his nose and caused the prince to cover his lower face to mask the smell. Ser'deni reached out a hand and grabbed Triver's larger one. She could feel is unease which only made hers increase. He squeezed her hand back and gave a faint smile, although it didn't reach his eyes. Her birds were perched around the broken village, keeping an eye and ear out for danger. It was their duty to still protect the prince despite their mission.</s> <\|message\|>Daryn and Daelyn Lyker Daryn sat on the edge of the bed with the man, one of his hands pressed firmly on her upper thigh. She had finished telling him about the trials, and her hands were shaking where she clasped them in her lap. Sanuel was cooing at her gently, stroking the fabric of her uniform. She was quiet now, feeling his touch, confused feelings washing over her. She liked the man a lot. He was someone she feared and respected, cared for a lot. But there had been times when Sanuel pushed her past her limits. She pushed those vivid memories of unwanted intimacy out of her mind, reminding herself of who he was. Head of the rebellion. Her boss. Although she would never admit it, she was more frightened of him that attracted to him. "What brings you here, Daryn?" He asked, the smile disappearing from his face. He was back to business. "We are on a mission as the guards to the Prince. And we need disguises. So we can pass through unseen," she rambled, struggling to steady her voice. The blonde man nodded, standing up quickly. He strode over to a wooden chest in the corner of the room, pulling open the lid. It only took moments for the man to pull out several articles of clothing. Triver would need a hat. Ser'deni would most likely be okay. Daryn and her brother would need new outfits completely. Like he was reading her mind, he pulled out a hat for Triver and two outfits for the twins. To her distress, he pulled out a long dress for her. "Thank you, sir. I should be going before they begin to wonder too much." Sanuel simply nodded and pulled her in for a hug, hands drifting over the length of her back. She pulled away from him, turning to leave the room with her arms piled high. Outside, Daelyn watched his sister hurry out the door, shoving a hat roughly onto the prince's head. She carried clothes, nice outfits for the two of them. She seemed uneasy, and her face was a brilliant shade of red. Before he could ask, Ser'deni asked him a question. He smiled at her. "The nearest city is Port. Which is a coastal city. Well, village. It's too small to call it a city. We can stay there for the night, and then continue on in the morning," Daelyn answered, dismounting. Daryn shoved clothes at him, and he noticed why she was so flustered. The man inside had given her a dress. That was like Sanuel. He was probably going to be watching them leave. Daelyn had a very strong dislike for the man. "Please excuse my sister and I while we go change," Daelyn said, bowing quickly and then pulling Daryn into the nearest alley. She was already stripping out of her clothes when he turned to face her. "He didn't try anything with you, did he?" He asked, hurrying. She shook her head violently, tugging the dress over her. Daelyn didn't believe her for a minute. Daryn felt like a fool. She hated dresses. She hated feeling so constricted and helpless. She felt like a child in a dress, playing house. It was idiotic. If Sanuel wasn't such a pervert, maybe she wouldn't be in this position. She let her hair down as she finished dressing, scowling at Daelyn who was wearing a simple back tunic and pants. "I'm so jealous," she muttered, pushing past him. "The color matches your skin," he blurted out, following her. She laughed, nearly bending over. She walked up to where the Prince and Ser'deni waited. She carefully and painfully mounted again, stringing her bow around her shoulder and her sword at her saddle. Another reason to dislike dresses, there was no where to put your sword. "We should get to Port before dark," she said, kicking her horse into motion, "The past is full of bandits."</s>	<\|message\|>Information on Danycia Triver and Ser'deni waited patiently for the siblings to return. The prince finally looked around the small town from under the hat that had been jammed on top of his head. He sighed and looked at the blind woman. "Things are going to get a lot harder, aren't they?" Ser'deni nodded. "Yes. We have orders and we must carry them out, even if it means killing a part of our hearts. It shall be okay though, I am still here for you." Their hands remained clasped together until Daryn and Daelyn came back. "What would we do about bandits?" Triver asked as he pulled his horse alongside Daryn's. "Kill them." The mage said from the back of the line. Ser'deni was more confident in her abilities to summon if she wasn't in the middle of things. The woman held tightly to the reigns of her horse. She wasn't accustomed to land dwelling beasts; her heart was in the sky and often her birds were how she traveled to the war zones in the northern part of Danycia and its surrounding kingdoms. Triver didn't like the easy way in which Ser'deni spoke but he assumed that it came with the baggage of being a solider for the Danycian King. A soft sigh left his lips as he turned to face forward. His mind drifted to the tales he once read in a book back in the castle library. It had been an old dusty thing bound in thick leather and decorated with gold colored writing. They were nothing more than children's tales but Triver found himself believing them; tales of mermaids luring people, particularly men, to their deaths in the water and tales of mischievous fae who take a liking to human children. Triver's mother was not of Danycia, she was from a neighboring kingdom down in the far south of the lands, so he had grown up hearing her tales from home. As it grew later out Triver's heart had begun to beat a little faster. He was unsure about this journey. What if it went horribly wrong and things weren't as they seemed. What if he or any of his companions were killed? He didn't think he could live with himself if any of the siblings or his half-sister were to be killed while trying to protect him. "Three people are ahead on the path." Ser'deni said as she untied the black strip of cloth from her eyes. It had begun to slip down so she decided to use it to tie her hair back. "Four more wait in the trees just before them." The Prince didn't know if she had other bird summons as he couldn't see the three crows any longer. The low hoot of an owl made the prince jump. He had never bothered to ask just how many different bird summons the woman had, for all he knew the owl hoot could have been a coincidence. To him, the unnatural vultures and red-eyed crows always were frightening. "Shall we confront them or go around them? He cannot fight well and I fear that we may be out numbered. Mages fight at our best in long range attacks." The made asked as she looked towards the dusky sky. It wasn't quite dark out yet but the path was beginning to darken slowly and steadily as they traveled further. "Can't your birds help?" The woman sighed, "Yes and no; depending on our situation and if we get to them before they decide to move closer to us." The Prince was feeling terribly out of place; had no battle experience. Sure he could swing a sword (badly) but he preferred books and studying to swords and daggers, and had paid much more attention in his history courses rather than during his sword training. His stomach knotted nervously as he waited to see what would happen.</s>
<\|description\|>Gilbert Nightray Nickname Gilbert of "Gil" Gender Male Age Physically 24, 125 actual Birthday February 5th Astrological Sign Aquarius From & Creator Pandora Hearts - Jun Mochizuki Personality * Gruff * Reserved * Loyal * Observant * Protective Gilbert Nightray is a man of many faces. Towards most newcomers, he appears rather cold and reserved. There are many who consider him rather unapproachable due to this, and how disinterested he seems in most people at first glance. The kind, timid, easily picked on boy he once was has long vanished into a stronger, colder person with a deadly cunning. Yet, the endless loyalty he had then hasn't faded. He would gladly cheat, lie and even die for his friends, Oz specifically. He is driven by a need to accompany and protect those who he holds close. If anyone is a threat to Oz, he specifically targets them and won't rest until they're dead. His exterior seems rather frigid, as shown by his cold, unyielding gaze and expressions. Yet, Gilbert warms towards certain people after knowing them for a significant amount of time. Also, if he knows you're an ally, he's more likely to be more hospitable. Beneath the cold exterior is a loyal person who would go to the ends of the earth to support his friends. Besides his duties to his master, he is very independent and does not like to have his schedule restrained. He enjoys his alone time significantly, and often cooks, practices his shooting and aim, goes for a quick smoke, or even reluctantly has a cup of tea with Xerxes Break. He likes being useful to Oz and those around him. He also doesn't like following a mundane schedule, and hates repetitiveness. He often attempts to change his schedule at least a tiny bit each day. This doesn't necessarily mean traveling all around, because he doesn't really have the time of money to do that. He knows he has too many responsibilities, and he isn't the type to just leave and abandon people. He can get irritated very quickly at times, even more when dealing with Alice or Xerxes Break, or any threat to Oz. He has a habit of disliking stubborn people, even though he can kind of be stubborn himself. He's ridiculously stubborn, and is willing to do terrible things if he's commanded to by Oz. He's weak-willed when it comes to Oz, but can be stubborn and stand up to those who have more power than he does for the sake of others. This is one of his fatal flaws and can certainly get him harmed. Powers & Abilities * Talented with guns * High physical resistance * Very speedy fighter He as control of a chain called Raven. Raven can do the following: * Create dangerous blue flames * Able to somewhat seal the power of other chains, or summons * Create Illusions Likes * Dogs * Generous People * Gourmet Food * Violin music * Cool, mild weather Dislikes * Cats * Food with extremely spicy/sweet/salty/etc flavoring * Deadlines * Severely humid weather Occupation/Hobby Gilbert is rather talented with cooking. Apartment Interior Apartment Room 207 Possessions * Gun * His infamous hat * Bookof Edgar Allen Poe's best stories * Pocketwatch [ Each Islanders have eight total. Can be a sport's item, a weapon, a pet, a gaming console, a book, etc. ] Clothing Other N/A</s> <\|message\|>Gilbert Nightray Opening Festival! The warm season of summer seemed to opening be upon the island. Lush, green leafs decorated the tall trees. The forests and environment of the island was full of life. For those who had arrived on the island, a festival would be held to commemorate their new lives. The opening festival would be held for three nights in a row. For those three nights, the sky would be illuminated by fireworks of iridescent and opulent colors. Many colorful stands had been set up by the civilians and workers. Candied apples and firework stands, among other tiny, temporary shops selling knick knacks, had been put up. Different districts of the island were holding different festivities. The island was awake at night, and it seemed that everyone was out and about... ---- Gilbert Nightray lifted his head to stare up at the lively fireworks that illuminated the night sky. It seemed that even the stars, which gleamed coldly, were being blocked out by the rich, colorful lights. Being in such a new place, with much of his memories hazed out, had alarmed him at first. But there appeared to be no way off the island, even though he had not yet given up hope to return to his old life. The more time passed, the more he was certain that he had a life off of the island. That feeling only strengthened with the arrival of Vincent. Although the two weren't exactly on the best of terms, even Gilbert had to acknowledge the fact that it made him feel reassured to see a familiar face in the crowd. Not that most of the people here were unfriendly... But it seemed to be in his nature not to immediately trust others around him. He wasn't going to easy make friends with anyone here. His piercing golden gaze flickered away from the night sky, and down back to ground level. He was near the back of some of the stands, where the lights weren't as bright or festive. The air was cooler back here, away from the huddled masses of people. The night provided him with time to think. As he leaned against a tall, fallen wooden log, his eyes closed momentarily. A small headache from all of the noise had begun to reach him, which was why he had sought out a quieter place to gather his thoughts.</s> <\|message\|>Erika Furudo ~Beatrice, The Endless Witch~ It was remarkable, something that she found new and refreshing. It was something that never occurred during the repeating cycle of the Rokkenjima incident, something that never occurred during her time in a realm that most would never understand. Just thinking about that realm did make her wonder on how she was sent here. Was she only a mere copy of Beatrice, a game piece? Or was she simply in some unknown gameboard controlled by the Voyager Witches? She shook her head, it was quite a confusing mess to even think about, and pushed those thoughts to the deepest depths of her mind. Despite wearing her flamboyant ballgown, the Endless Witch rested herself on one of the grassy hills of this island, watching all sorts of colorful lights burst out in the night sky. Sure, it felt lonely with him not around, but she didn't exactly like the crowds back to where the festival stands and other kinds of celebrations were occurring. She just... felt shy around big crowds, and it was a whole other thing if some people didn't accept the concept of magic. "Heh... at this rate, I'll be some local hermit. Not that I mind that, but..." Beatrice chuckled to herself. That could be a possibility... Glancing over to her right, she saw a lone flower growing next to her. It was a unique flower, something different than the usual roses that she surrounded herself with. With great interest for it, she decided to pluck it right off of it's roots, maybe she could use it as a hair ornament so she wouldn't be using that same rose pin all of the time. "Oh... it smells wonderful too..." she comments on the flower's aroma, peaking her interest for it. Before she could examine the flower even more, it turns out that her alone time had taken an end... "Lady Beatrice. I brought over some snacks for you from the festival stands," the voice of her butler, Ronove, caught her attention, almost startling her at first. After getting over her momentary surprise, she looks over to see that he had all sorts of snacks for her, such as candy apples, assorted chocolates, cinnamon rolls, and of course... "I see, and of course, you included tea for me. Why thank you," the witch says in gratitude as she takes the flatter of all of the snacks that Ronove had brought over for her. Setting down on the grass next to her, she looked over to her side to where her butler was, but saw that he had disappeared in a cluster of golden butterflies by then. Shrugging to herself, she takes a taste of the snacks, some of them were ones that she hasn't even seen before. Though, for a moment, she could had sworn that the bushes behind her had rustled a bit, but figured it was only the wind. Either way, she thought a little picnic at the grassy hill would sum up her festival experience. --- ~Erika Furudo~ "Good... very good..." a certain detective says to herself as she hides behind one of the festival stands, a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other. Out of all times, it made you wonder on what she was up to... Jotting down notes onto her notebook, she keeps a close eye out for anybody that might try to look at her confidential business. It was one thing to find suspicious activity, but for someone to purposefully peep at her work was a whole different thing! Now that she had proper notes regarding the Endless Witch, she might as well monitor some of the other festival-goers for anything interesting to note. Heck, she only was glad that there was a festival because that meant that it would bring all of the islanders to one place. She didn't even care if she were in some unknown island, this place was just asking for a detective to go and learn all sorts of things and investigate abnormalities! Quick on her feet despite wearing heels, Erika scurried over to take cover behind a garbage bin, her pen hand ready to write down anything that she happens to find here. She toughed out the terrible smell for now, because she had some research material to observe! ...gotcha... the detective thought to herself as she saw someone (Gilbert) that happened to isolate himself from the crowded festivities. N</s> <\|message\|>Kigro Splashfoot In his mind, none could describe the festival's beauty. Compared to the festival, the beach was a quiet wasteland void of light. The cooled sand, the chilly breeze that lethargically passed through, Kigro's sniffled nose, one would think the beach a terrible place to camp. It saddened him to remember that people thought this way. The festival's explosion of sound and life was enjoyable yes, but he preferred comfort over fun. That wasn't to say that Kigro wasn't enjoying any of the festival. Past the raised terrain sat the carnival in full bloom. The sight of it's warm colors, accompanied by the soft hums of it's people and attractions, made for a beautifully subtle sight. The small bursts of light and sound that flew above it's picture furthered in the sight's excellence. It perplexed him, how could people be so mesmerized by the festival when they were so close to it? Not to say the festival wasn't a treat, but why would you squint at a painting when you could step back and see it fully?That was their minds, not his, and he had no problem with the extra space. Kigro shifted more into chilled sand as he pulled the blanket to hug his shoulders further. He took a sip of some hot chocolate and rested the steam producing mug on the pillow next to him. Despite him doing this for years now, he could definitely say that this year's festival was for sure the best yet. A few more minutes of watching the fireworks and he reached for his mug. When he found it empty, he reached over to the thermos and poured himself another. The drink puffed up a small poof a smoke in gratification. Kigro let it rest on the sand this time; he was pretty sure that it would melt someone's tongue off if they drank it currently. His head lowered and his grin widened as another light slithered in the air and popped.</s>	<\|message\|>Gilbert Nightray That terrible, itching feeling of being watched and observed hit Gilbert like a brick to the face. Due to being in... an organization (which he could not quite recall the name of right now. Blast these clouded memories.) The peacefulness of the his secluded spot had been shattered. He instinctively dug into one of his jacket's pockets, trying to retrieve a box of cigarettes, but he found none. A bit irked that he had forgotten he was trying to quit, he withdrew his hand from his pocket and gave a small sigh after coming up empty handed. Often, he smoked as a reaction to stress... Until he had decided to actually quit. Nonetheless, he still carried a gun with him, and had his chain Raven to summon if a threat did truly emerge. If whoever or whatever was observing him was dangerous, he'd definitely be able to defend himself against most assaults. But for now, he had enough of being spied on. His eyebrows furrowed into a scowl and his contemplative gaze became cold. "Cut the crap and come out from where you're hiding." He commanded in a gruff tone, golden eyes glaring around the area. He was purely going on the utter feeling and suspicion that someone was watching him, but didn't quite know for sure. The youthful-looking man dragged his gaze towards the trashcan, but moved over it, not really able to tell where exactly this mystery stalker was actually hidden.</s>
<\|description\|>Jason Diabolus Age:17 Parent: Tartaros (Roman Verison of Tartarus) Personality: He is smart, sometimes kind and very protective over the weak. His morals are only that he will win at all costs, except for that which will harm those he cares about. He was Gaea's weapon, but he escaped. He also has a strong desire for somebody to care about him. He has thrived at Camp Jupiter and has risen to the rank of Praetor. Weapons: Soul Edge (image of sword is Soul Edge). The sword can asorb the essence of Gods, Giants, and Titans. Making Jason the one of the only mortals capable of killing a god. Powers: Dark Gravity: He can manipulate a sort of dark energy to pull objects or beings towards him, or throw them away. Enhanced Strength: Like his father, Jason can easily over power a titan or Giant in a battle of strength. Monster Creation and Lordship: He can create any monster including those which do not exist, and has complete control over them. Essence Asorbtion: Jason can asorb the essence of an immortal into his sword. Just as any other child of a primordial can) Bio: Jason never knew his mother. All he knows is that she was brought into Tartarus by the Primordial God himself. Raped, forced to bear Jason and his sister Tate, the murdered. Jason was to be a gift from Tartarus to Gaea. To bring forth their era. Things didn't go as planned. He escaped when he was only four, and returned a year later to get his newborn sister from the god. Jason has since raise Tatus on the run. They lived in the pit, seeing the horrors on the pit everyday until Jason turned 15 and found a way out. Since then he has lived at Camp Jupiter and became Praetor of the Camp after helping them defeat Gaea on her second coming. He has always ruled well, with his best friend and mother figure, Shriekr at his side. Shriekr, the first of the Xenomorph species was Jason's first creation. A fully sentient and telepathic monster. Created to resemble the nightmares he saw every day. She protects him fiercely, seeing Jason as her son. Recently she mutated and became a Xenomorph Queen. 30 feet tall and even more intelligent than before. She can now lay eggs which will hatch a fully grown Xenomorph. Queen Shriekr still stays with Jason. Protecting the boy she sees as her son. Shriekr: Apperance: Jason is 6 Feet 2 inches tall.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason Diabolus stood alone on a hill, his pit energy armor surrounding the boy as he looked at the demigods training below. They were his legion, and no Praetor in the history of Rome had ever been as proud of their legion as Jason was of his legion. He smiled as he watched them train. His pet, Shriekr stood beside him. Hissing contently as she stood next to her human. Although she did tower over him. 'They all look up to you, you know' she said to him</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Long hair trailing behind her, Estelle drifted contently among the clouds. She flew high enough so the mundanes below would not see her and panic upon seeing a winged being. A loud flapping sound drew her attention and she glanced over to see her dragon Phoenix flying next to her. His mind wrapped around hers in welcome and she gave him a smile as she flapped upwards and over him. Tucking her wings she started to fall past him but at the last moment she grabbed the crest spine on his back and swung herself up onto his back, grasping a small ridge in front of her as Phoenix spread his wings and began to drift. How did your hunt fair? She inquired. She felt him brush against her mind, felt how content he was. Very well. Some sheep had wandered from the flock. They will not be missed. Estelle groaned. I hate it when you eat sheep, you always get their wool stuck in your teeth and then I have to get it out for you. A rumble erupted beneath her as Phoenix laughed. Fear not Little One, I promise I don't have wool stuck in between my teeth. Estelle giggled with him as she relaxed against his neck, sighing as she closed her eyes. She enjoyed the wind breezing through her hair for a few moments before straightening and patting Phoenix on the side of his neck. We better get back. I promised Zane I would help with the horses today. She felt the dragon's affirmation as he angled himself in the direction of the camp. Soon it was in sight and Phoenix headed for the ground, landing on the beach. Estelle slide down onto the soft sand and after waving goodbye to Phoenix, she left her dragon to take a swim in the ocean as she began the trek towards the stables. As she walked here and there campers would stop and ask her how her day was or what she was up to. For having not been at the camp for very long, Estelle was very surprised that all the demigods there took to her so quickly. It was she had been there for years. The wood nymphs, satyrs, and their resident centaur all liked her as well. She wasn't sure about the camp leader, Mr. D but then again she didn't think the God liked anyone. At least he didn't mispronounce her name like he did with most of the campers. Her thoughts then turned to the God subject. She wondered if any of them would like her if they knew her past or who her father happened to be. She wondered how long it would take them to start to question why she hadn't been claimed yet. And none of them could place her powers either so it lead to even more questions. Mr. D and Chiron where the only ones to know of her time spent in Fallen Shadows and she guessed they just assumed she got her power from the experiments. If only it were that easy. She shook the thoughts from her head as she arrived at the stables and peeked inside. Zane was already inside and she stepped up next to him as he was grooming one of the pegasi. Patting the horse gently on her nose she gave a small smile up at the son of poseidon who greeted her return. After asking her flight went he then handed a curry brush and began showing her how to brush down the horses coats. Soon she had mastered the motion and he wandered away to begin mucking out the stalls. Estelle began humming to herself softly, enjoying the bright blue day.</s>	<\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason rolled his eyes at Shriekr. "Yeah, yeah. They may all look up to me but it means nothing. I'm just a boy without them. The Legion is everything to me. Nothing could ever take them fr-" Jason was interrupted as a massive lightning bolt slammed into the Legion and reduced them to burning skeletons in seconds. Jason was speechless as he stared on. He looked at the Xenomorph Queen, even as the pounding voice of Zeus was heard around the world. "MORTALS AND DEMIGODS. WE HAVE DECIDED THAT YOU ARE OUR SLAVES. BOW BEFORE YOUR NEW MASTERS. DEMIGODS, FACE YOUR DEATH." With that the gods all warped down, the Roman versions attacking the Roman camp. With the legion gone they were free to destroy the city. Jason watched as New Rome burned. He felt his inside shatter as everything he was broke. He had failed. What worth was he? In anger the boy slammed a boulder forward with Dark Gravity in frustration. Slamming Bellona in the face and knocking the war goddess flat. Jason realized that the gods might be attacking the Greeks as well. He might have time to save somebody. As flame rolled throughout the city, lightning rained down, and all forms of attack the gods could muster tore forward. He watched as his legion began to rise and march alongside each other towards him. The boy spun and pulled out an orb, filled with Pit energy and The Rivers in Tartarus. It spun around and opened a green portal to the Greek camp. As he was about to step through, Mars rushed him. But Shriekr tackled the enraged God. 'GO! I'LL HOLD HIM' She barked and shoved Jason through. Knowing the portal would close behind him. Jason shakily got to his feet in the middle of the Greek attack. Gods and Monsters fighting everywhere. A loud roar to his side, followed by bad breath, made him spin to see a Drakon. It's teeth red with Demigod body parts hanging out of its teeth rushing him. Jason through soul edge through the beast's head. And watched as it asorbed the very essence of the Drakon. Jason rushed forward and grabbed his sword. His pit energy holding a domain around his body, barely visible until something nearly hit him. In which time it became visible and solid as it threw the object away. Jason was ready for War.</s>
<\|description\|>Jason Diabolus Age:17 Parent: Tartaros (Roman Verison of Tartarus) Personality: He is smart, sometimes kind and very protective over the weak. His morals are only that he will win at all costs, except for that which will harm those he cares about. He was Gaea's weapon, but he escaped. He also has a strong desire for somebody to care about him. He has thrived at Camp Jupiter and has risen to the rank of Praetor. Weapons: Soul Edge (image of sword is Soul Edge). The sword can asorb the essence of Gods, Giants, and Titans. Making Jason the one of the only mortals capable of killing a god. Powers: Dark Gravity: He can manipulate a sort of dark energy to pull objects or beings towards him, or throw them away. Enhanced Strength: Like his father, Jason can easily over power a titan or Giant in a battle of strength. Monster Creation and Lordship: He can create any monster including those which do not exist, and has complete control over them. Essence Asorbtion: Jason can asorb the essence of an immortal into his sword. Just as any other child of a primordial can) Bio: Jason never knew his mother. All he knows is that she was brought into Tartarus by the Primordial God himself. Raped, forced to bear Jason and his sister Tate, the murdered. Jason was to be a gift from Tartarus to Gaea. To bring forth their era. Things didn't go as planned. He escaped when he was only four, and returned a year later to get his newborn sister from the god. Jason has since raise Tatus on the run. They lived in the pit, seeing the horrors on the pit everyday until Jason turned 15 and found a way out. Since then he has lived at Camp Jupiter and became Praetor of the Camp after helping them defeat Gaea on her second coming. He has always ruled well, with his best friend and mother figure, Shriekr at his side. Shriekr, the first of the Xenomorph species was Jason's first creation. A fully sentient and telepathic monster. Created to resemble the nightmares he saw every day. She protects him fiercely, seeing Jason as her son. Recently she mutated and became a Xenomorph Queen. 30 feet tall and even more intelligent than before. She can now lay eggs which will hatch a fully grown Xenomorph. Queen Shriekr still stays with Jason. Protecting the boy she sees as her son. Shriekr: Apperance: Jason is 6 Feet 2 inches tall.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason had his own little circle of fighting, as the greeks fought, they also stared at the son of Tartarus. As the monsters that jumped him were torn to shreds, and as monsters. Xenomorphs to be exact climbed out of the ground to protect him. The boy had even charged the god of War and beat the god into submission with his bare hands before Ares disappeared. The greeks were in aw. Most knew exactly who this was. The boy who already had legends about him. The one who had faced Gaea head on and won. The boy who had slayed the God of the Pit. After the battle Jason stood among the ring of torn apart monsters in front of him. Two Xenomorphs sat on either side. Guarding him. When the dragon eyed him. Jason spoke to its mind. Being the son of Tartarus he could do that with monsters. 'Dragon you do not need to watch me like I am food. I mean your camp no harm' Jason then turned to the girl in front of him. "I'm hurt you don't recognize me, Little Star. As for my legion. Jupiter destroyed them and New Rome. I came here to protect my Greek Allies. A praetor's duties never end until the day he dies"</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Phoenix's eyes narrowed at the human, a puff of smoke curling up from his nostrils. Like you would even taste good. Not enough meat on you anyway. The dragon shot back as he watched Estelle walk over to the male demigod, the lizard following after her in case the two-leg tried anything funny. His attention was then taken by Estelle who staggered slightly upon hearing the boys words. He quickly shot his head forward to catch her, concern radiating from his mind to hers. Estelle, upon hearing the words Little Star, stumbled as a jolt of shock ran through her and a faint memory rose to the surface. A memory from long ago in a place that still haunts her nightmares to this day. She stared at the boy in shock as the words from that fated conversation rang in her ears. "I'm Jason, what's your name?" "I don't remember." "That's okay, I'll just give you a name. How about Estelle? It means Little Star." "Little Star?" "Yeah, you'll be my Little Star." As the memory faded away Estelle pushed herself away from Phoenix and took a few hesitant steps towards the boy who now stood before her, unable to believe her eyes. However, before she could react any further, a call of her name drew her attention away to see Zane walking towards her with a concerned expression. She blinked at the blood covering him and knew she faired no better. Zane stopped before, placing his hands on her small shoulders as he looked her over for wounds, sighing in relief upon seeing only scratches marring her pale skin. Estelle herself let her eyes scan over the male that had become like a brother to her. She frowned upon seeing a gash in his side and recalled that he had been in the group to help move the dead. "You should have come to the tent to be healed." She scolded him as she reached a hand out and hovered her palm over the wound. A golden light spilled out to cover the injury and after a few minutes she pulled her hand away to reveal healed skin. She blinked spots from her vision, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over her. She stumbled, both Phoenix and Zane rushing to catch her. She waved they attempts away as she steadied herself, stating she was fine. Zane scowled and reached out to hand her something. She looked down to see a bag of Ambrosia. She then looked back up at him. "Has it been given out to the others?" "Not yet-" "Then go hand it out. Go." She ordered firmly when he tried to argue. He sighed, shot her an exasperated look before leaving to attend to his task. Estelle then turned back to Jason, walking over to him. As she stared up at him, she hesitantly reached a hand up to touch his cheek. "I didn't think I would ever see you again." She whispered, blinking back the tears that filled her eyes. As her eyes ran over him she noted the scratches covering him. Frowning she reached out and ran her healing hand over them. Though it normally wouldn't take anything out of her, between the battle and healing the others earlier, she was drained. And so it wasn't rather surprising that another wave of dizziness swam over her and she sagged towards the ground as her knees gave out on her, her body having finally been pushed to the limit.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason moved forward without hesitation and caught her. "Don't worry Little Star, I got you. Come on. Let's you get you somewhere you can rest. It'll be like old times" He says softly to the girl. On the inside he smiling broadly and stupidly. He had found his best friend again. The girl who he had never stopped thinking about since the day they had gotten separated. The only girl he's ever had any sort of romantic feelings towards. He felt those feelings ignite inside his heart once again. Jason was pleased to see who Estelle had grown to be. A leader, powerful and confident. She had become intelligent and perfect in every way to him. If at all possible the girl had become even more beautiful. All these thoughts ran through his head as he scooped up the tired girl and carried her. As he always had when she became tired. Jason laid her down on a cot within the newly set up quarters for the camp. He kneeled down next to her. "Rest here, Little Star. I'll help your camp heal their wounded and prepare the camp for the next attack. You'll find I'm quite a good leader." He says softly to her. "Come find me after you have regained your strength." He whispers. Then gets up and heads outside. Upon leaving the cabin he looked at the campers all around who were standing around, scared. The boy took a step towards them. "Greeks, lend me your ears!" He said loudly. Most of them turned to listen, except for one show off Ares kid who tried to challenge Jason, and was promptly punched in the face by an older sister of his. Who then nodded to Jason with respect. The sight of that alone made Jason smirk slightly. "Greek. Roman. What does it all mean anymore when the very gods we fought for have killed us? Sworn to enslave our world? What does it mean to us anymore. Demigods? That name no longer suits us. We are not going to lie down and obey the Gods on this are we? Not going to let them destroy our homes, our friends. Because let me tell you, that is what they will do. Jupiter struck down my entire legion with just a single bolt. I watched as the gods burned New Rome and killed everybody inside. Then I fled to here, to help all of you avoid the same fate." Jason says softly as he looks downwards. A solemn tone taking his voice. Then the boy looks upwards, his red and silver eye filled with sadness and anger. "I'm not letting these... these pitiful excuses for dietys rule my life! I'm not letting them strike me down because it pleases them! I'm certainly not letting them enslave the world I love!" Jason said with renewed vigor. "I think it's time the gods give to a new Race of Immortal. Just as the Gods took their throne by the destruction of their parents. I believe it is time for them to face their destruction at our hands. It's time for new race of Immortal to rise and take the throne. As of now, the Age of the Gods is over. It is time to usher in a New Era. A new age! It's time for the Age of the Elysians. Of Us. Now I ask you my friends, who stands with me? Who will punish the pitiful excuses that call themselves gods with me? Who will throw them from their moutaintop fortress? Step forward now. Those who do not step forward, fear not for you will not be judged. You will be protected and will have a place in the coming age should you choose." Jason says as a lone Athena Girl steps forward. 'I will stand with you Praetor!' She said, followed by the rest of the assembled demigods. Jason looked out at them all. Who then turned to him and demand he lead them into the New Age. Jason nodded solemnly and accepted. Then went about ensuring the camp would have barriers to prevent any further attacks. This was the beginning of the Age of the Elysians.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle As Estelle was laid onto the bed, Phoenix curled up outside the cabin. The girl sighed and closed her eyes, feeling her dragons presence in the back of her mind. It wasn't long before he gave her a mental nudge and stated she would want to see this before enveloping her mind in his. Estelle blinked her eyes open and stared blankly up at the ceiling of the cabin as she watched through PHoenix's eyes. They watched as Jason stepped forward and started speaking to the assembled demigods. It was an impressive speech to be sure. Once he was done Estelle laid there for a few minutes. She was tired but her body was still tense and she wasn't able to relax. She sat up with a sigh, having to steady herself as she grew light-headed for a moment. Once the dizziness had passed she pushed herself to her feet. There were things to be done and there was no time for her to resting. She exited the cabin, feeling Phoenix's displeasure in the back of her mind. Her eyes surveyed the camp, heart aching at the destruction she beheld. How did it come to this? She blinked back tears as she walked towards the medic tent to make sure no one needed healing. There were a few people that had minor wounds but before she could heal them Zane shooed her from the tent with an order to rest. She huffed. The last thing she felt like doing was resting. So instead she went around the camp offering assistance where she could. The Mess Hall had suffered the least damage and so she went to help straighten the columns that had fallen over. Gold threads shot from her fingers as she flew above the stones, helping lift them into the air. Phoenix then grabbed it and set it in its place, making sure it wouldn't fall over again. It was tiring work but it was worth it if it meant she was helping out and not being a nuisance. Once that was done she flew up high over the camp before landing on top of Half Blood Hill. She sighed, hair blowing behind her as she gazed down at her home. The Gods would pay for this if it killed her. She owed that much to those that had lost their lives in the unprovoked attack the Gods had launched against them. She drifted down the hill, wandering through the battle field. The monsters had been taken care of accordingly. A sniffle distracted her and she glanced near the stables, spying a small child from the Athena cabin. Estelle walked over and crouched next to the girl, recognizing her as Ellen. She wordlessly wrapped her arms around the child, lifting her into her lap as the girl sobbed against her chest, Estelle soothingly petting her hair. "A-Anna's g-g-gone." Ellen cried. Estelle gently wiped the tears from her face. "I'll make the Gods pay for this Ellen, I swear." Estelle whispered, running her fingers through the child's' hair as the girl continued to cry. Eventually she cried herself to sleep and Estelle sat there with the sleeping child in her lap, hand still petting her hair.</s>	<\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason landed on the half-blood hill as he stared out at the scene before him. The Gods were raining down the apocalypse on the mortals. He watched as lightning bolts slammed into buildings, tidal waves and earthquakes brought buildings down and crashing into each other. His right hand slowly closed into a fist. A surge of black energy tore from his fist. Darkening the area around his hand for a small second. The boy reluctantly turned away from the scene of the Gods going insane. It was at that moment he noticed Estelle. He walked over to the girl. "I thought I told you to rest, Little Star." He said softly as he crouched down next to her. Looking at the sleeping child. "She's too young to be experiencing this." He said softly.</s>
<\|description\|>Jason Diabolus Age:17 Parent: Tartaros (Roman Verison of Tartarus) Personality: He is smart, sometimes kind and very protective over the weak. His morals are only that he will win at all costs, except for that which will harm those he cares about. He was Gaea's weapon, but he escaped. He also has a strong desire for somebody to care about him. He has thrived at Camp Jupiter and has risen to the rank of Praetor. Weapons: Soul Edge (image of sword is Soul Edge). The sword can asorb the essence of Gods, Giants, and Titans. Making Jason the one of the only mortals capable of killing a god. Powers: Dark Gravity: He can manipulate a sort of dark energy to pull objects or beings towards him, or throw them away. Enhanced Strength: Like his father, Jason can easily over power a titan or Giant in a battle of strength. Monster Creation and Lordship: He can create any monster including those which do not exist, and has complete control over them. Essence Asorbtion: Jason can asorb the essence of an immortal into his sword. Just as any other child of a primordial can) Bio: Jason never knew his mother. All he knows is that she was brought into Tartarus by the Primordial God himself. Raped, forced to bear Jason and his sister Tate, the murdered. Jason was to be a gift from Tartarus to Gaea. To bring forth their era. Things didn't go as planned. He escaped when he was only four, and returned a year later to get his newborn sister from the god. Jason has since raise Tatus on the run. They lived in the pit, seeing the horrors on the pit everyday until Jason turned 15 and found a way out. Since then he has lived at Camp Jupiter and became Praetor of the Camp after helping them defeat Gaea on her second coming. He has always ruled well, with his best friend and mother figure, Shriekr at his side. Shriekr, the first of the Xenomorph species was Jason's first creation. A fully sentient and telepathic monster. Created to resemble the nightmares he saw every day. She protects him fiercely, seeing Jason as her son. Recently she mutated and became a Xenomorph Queen. 30 feet tall and even more intelligent than before. She can now lay eggs which will hatch a fully grown Xenomorph. Queen Shriekr still stays with Jason. Protecting the boy she sees as her son. Shriekr: Apperance: Jason is 6 Feet 2 inches tall.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason followed Estelle, unsure of where she was leading him. Whenever she climbed the tree in front of him and inquired about what happened, the boy sighed slightly. "That. Well that's a story which brings out a lot of pain in me." He said softly and looked down for a second. Not looking like the fearless Roman he usually was. "After we were separated, I looked all over for you. Sadly, I never found you. In my journey, I stumbled upon Lupa. The wolf goddess saw what I was, but also sensed my strength and led me to Camp Jupiter. I arrived in a time of crisis. One of their Praetors had gone Rouge and Gaea was rising to crush the camp. I was drafted into the Quest by a girl. Whom I became very... intimate with during my time there. Anyways, I got that rogue Praetor to turn back from helping Gaea, and I took her on in battle. Needless to say, I beat her. But let the Praetor have his revenge on her for corupting him. In her final moments the Earth Goddess struck me down and I hit the ground. I died. But that same Praetor was a child of Mors and brought me back. The Romans raised me on the shields and made me their Praetor. Quite a few months passed without incident, until my father rose from the Abyss, and I was switched to this camp by Juno in order to make an Alliance. Upon the success of this, my father launched a surprise attack. I led the Greeks and Romans against his forces and charged him directly. Which somehow ended up making me seem like a legend to the greeks and romans. I already hear stories being told about me. After my father was struck down, I proposed to the girl I mentioned earlier. She said yes and we were engaged. After that point, I took London on a vacation and then I was kidnapped. Held hostage by a Daughter of Khaos, Cleopatra. She worshipped my father and was able to resurrect him from my sword. I was eventually able to escape, but she came after me and our fellow demigods. I fought her, and she killed Shriekr. I became... enraged and killed the bitch. Then my father rose and Tate took him down. She forced him to resurrect Shriekr. But in his last moments he managed to kill her. After that... the gods attacked. I'm the only survivor of camp jupiter. They got everybody. Even London."</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA Teia looked at the two demigods. She'd been following them for sometime. They were powerful, with incredible futures ahead of them. Standing just within ear shot, she listened to the boys, Jason, story with mild interest. Up till now, Teia had been behind the scenes, whispering into the minds of demigods, molding the future. But now, she decided to step up, male herself known. Well, kinda. With a deep breath, she walks towards the two, arms held out as to not trigger the powerful demigods instincts to kill her. "Hello. I am Adrasteia, daughter of Moros."</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle gazed down at Jason in silence, absorbing his story. All this had happened while she had been locked away in Fallen Shadows? Wow, it was a lot to take in for sure. As she opened her mouth to give a reply she paused upon hearing a voice call out to them. Surprised, she looked down and saw a girl approaching them. This was a demi-god she had never seen before. Moros. That was the God of Doom. That must suck, having him for a parent. At least the only thing her father did was hide her away. As she opened her mouth the question the newcomer a presence made her freeze as she slowly turned and looked up. Crimson eyes glowed down at her, set above a wide smile. Estelle's eyes widened as her body locked. "Loki." The name fell from her lips like a stone and the smile widened as the boy that looked around her age bowed low. "So nice of you to remember me Estelle. How have you faired in your new home?" Suddenly his smile turned cold as he glared down at her. "You escaped from me my dear. That wasn't a nice thing to do. Especially when I was so close to breaking you." Loki sighed and leaned against the tree as his eyes flickered to Jason and the other girl. He tilted his head as he stared at Jason. "So this is the boy that kept you sane all those years. I expected…more.." He turned his attention back to Estelle who had remained frozen the entire time, stepping closer to the girl. As he leaned down to examine her face her body began trembling. He grinned, the smile anything but kind as he reached up to brush a hand against her cheek. A small whimper escaped her and his grin widened. "Still having those nightmares?" He chuckled. When she remained silent his expression hardened. "I asked you a question Little Star." Estelle flinched like she had been struck, almost falling off the tree branch. He chuckled again as he stood straight. "Have you been enjoying the God's show on the mortal world? It's so delightful isn't it?" He said with a laugh, eyes gleaming with an eerie glow. Estelle finally managed to find her words. "W-Why aren't you going crazy like the other Gods?" Loki began laughing as if she had just told him a funny joke. "Can't go crazy if you were already insane in the first place. Isn't that right Mary?" He asked the doll that had been resting on his right shoulder. Hearing an answer no one else could Loki then turned back to Estelle, taking a step closer to her. "It's been a treat seeing you again darling but I'm afraid I must be going. Things to do, cities to destroy. You know how it is." He giggled as he bowed to them before promptly disappearing. Estelle remained frozen there, hands clenching the tree branch in front of her. Her body was shaking and her eyes had a vacant expression to them, the blue contrasting vividly against her bloodless cheeks. Seeing Loki had brought back memories she would rather forget, horrors that haunt her every dream and sometimes even when she was awake.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason lunged towards the god, who disappeared just before the boy managed to catch him. Jason growled in anger. "COME BACK AND FACE ME, COWARD. I SWEAR I'LL YEAR YOU APART" He screamed as he looked around, protective over the girl behind him. Then he turned to look at Estelle. "Shit." He said before looking at Teia. "You. Daughter of Moros. Come here. Help me get her back to camp" Jason said to Teia quickly.</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA "Oh, well its nice to meet you too." She laughed, stepping forward to support the shaky girl. "And I'd prefer to be called Teia." Looking back and forth between the two, she smiled. Teia was gifted with the future, and the future of these two was very entertaining. 'Oh this will be fun..' She thought to herself.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle When they reached the camp there was a rush of wind as Phoenix landed. He had been away hunting but had come speeding back upon feeling how distressed Estelle was. He gently took the girl from Jason and cradled her to his chest, mind enveloping hers. Estelle? What is it? What's wrong? He waited anxiously for an answer. The reply came, weak and fragile. Loki... All it took was that one word and a snarl escaped Phoenix, smoke curling from his nostrils, rage filling him upon hearing that name. He knew exactly what the God had done to Estelle and just thinking about it made the dragon want to rip the insane deity limb from limb. He glanced around at the gathering demigods that wanted to know what was wrong. Knowing Estelle wouldn't want the others to see her like that, Phoenix pressed her closer to his breast and spread his wings, taking to the air. He flew up high over the camp, hoping the feeling of the soothing wind would calm the girl. After flying for a few minutes he felt Estelle stir and he slowly released her as she spread her own wings and began drifting next to him. She then quietly filled him in on the meeting between herself and Loki, Phoenix injecting growls here and there. Once the tale was finished they drifted silently next to her. Estelle was wrapped in her own thoughts and Phoenix knew well enough to leave her be for the moment. Estelle knew that next time she was face-to-face with the God, she couldn't freeze up. She couldn't let her fears get the better of her. She would be ready next time he decided to pay her a visit.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason watched as Phoenix took Estelle and took off. He debated going after her but decided that the demigods on the ground needed him much more at the moment. "Get back to your duties. Let's ensure they can't launch another attack like this morning" He says to them. They all nod and move off to continue working on making the camp a large fortress. Jason turned to Teia. "So, Teia... your father is Moros?" He said, trying to get a feel in his mind for what this girl could do. Also trying to figure out whether or not she is an enemy of his. The boy crossed his arms as waited for an answer</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA Teia wore a ghost of a smile, looking down before straight back up into Jason's eye . "He created me, yes." She was unsure of just how much to reveal. Fate was a fickle thing, a little to much knowledge could throw it off course. "I intend to serve with you and the other Demigods to over throw the Olympians. I ask for nothing special, I'll be happy with a foot soldier position."</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Phoenix and Estelle flew for a few moments more before Estelle asked when Phoenix had eaten. He then admitted he had stopped his hunt and flew back upon feeling her fear. A sense of guilt washed over her and she angled her wings towards the west, stating they had time for him to hunt and maybe pick something up for the camp to eat tonight. Phoenix agreed and off they went. They returned an hour later with a cow clenched in Phoenix's claws. They dropped it off at the Dining Pavilion where Phoenix stayed to help prepare the animal for the meal. A few of the kids from the Demeter cabin showed up to help. As Estelle left the pavilion she knew that they would be no burning food for the Gods tonight. She gazed around, noting that the rest were hard at work fortifying the camp. She eventually spotted Jason and she walked over, giving him and Teia a small smile. She felt better than she did earlier though she was rather embarrassed they had to see her like that.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason studied Teia. "You're hiding something. I'll grant you the benefit of doubt, but mark my words. Betray us and you will beg me to kill you" He says simply before looking her over a second time. "Welcome to the Cause" He says. The boy was interrupted by the return of Estelle. He turned around upon seeing her and hugged her tightly. "If that bastard dares show his face again I swear I'm going to tear it off" He says softly into her ear, trying to comfort the girl as he had during times of old.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle felt a jolt of surprise run through her when Jason turned and hugged her. She stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, not used to display of affections like this. She wasn't used to affection at actually, human affection that is. Phoenix shows affection but its in a different way, a sibling or parental way. Was Jason hugging her like a friend? She couldn't imagine what else it could be. Her arms came up and she hesitantly wrapped them around him, wondering if she was doing it right. Having been locked away in a place where affection is nonexist and pain and misery is the very air the doctors breathed, she hadn't been hugged since the last time she had seen Jason, which was fourteen years ago. After a few moments passed she felt her body relaxing against him, resting her head against his chest. She heard it rumble as he talked and she looked up at him. "He'll be back, he just can't seem to leave me alone." She replied back softly.</s>	<\|message\|>Jason Diabolus "Then he will beg me to kill him." He whispered quietly to her. Holding the girl for a bit longer before he let go and stared at Estelle. "So. We've got to figure out how we are going to strike back against the Gods, now then don't we? " He askes the girl.</s>
<\|description\|>Jason Diabolus Age:17 Parent: Tartaros (Roman Verison of Tartarus) Personality: He is smart, sometimes kind and very protective over the weak. His morals are only that he will win at all costs, except for that which will harm those he cares about. He was Gaea's weapon, but he escaped. He also has a strong desire for somebody to care about him. He has thrived at Camp Jupiter and has risen to the rank of Praetor. Weapons: Soul Edge (image of sword is Soul Edge). The sword can asorb the essence of Gods, Giants, and Titans. Making Jason the one of the only mortals capable of killing a god. Powers: Dark Gravity: He can manipulate a sort of dark energy to pull objects or beings towards him, or throw them away. Enhanced Strength: Like his father, Jason can easily over power a titan or Giant in a battle of strength. Monster Creation and Lordship: He can create any monster including those which do not exist, and has complete control over them. Essence Asorbtion: Jason can asorb the essence of an immortal into his sword. Just as any other child of a primordial can) Bio: Jason never knew his mother. All he knows is that she was brought into Tartarus by the Primordial God himself. Raped, forced to bear Jason and his sister Tate, the murdered. Jason was to be a gift from Tartarus to Gaea. To bring forth their era. Things didn't go as planned. He escaped when he was only four, and returned a year later to get his newborn sister from the god. Jason has since raise Tatus on the run. They lived in the pit, seeing the horrors on the pit everyday until Jason turned 15 and found a way out. Since then he has lived at Camp Jupiter and became Praetor of the Camp after helping them defeat Gaea on her second coming. He has always ruled well, with his best friend and mother figure, Shriekr at his side. Shriekr, the first of the Xenomorph species was Jason's first creation. A fully sentient and telepathic monster. Created to resemble the nightmares he saw every day. She protects him fiercely, seeing Jason as her son. Recently she mutated and became a Xenomorph Queen. 30 feet tall and even more intelligent than before. She can now lay eggs which will hatch a fully grown Xenomorph. Queen Shriekr still stays with Jason. Protecting the boy she sees as her son. Shriekr: Apperance: Jason is 6 Feet 2 inches tall.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason lunged towards the god, who disappeared just before the boy managed to catch him. Jason growled in anger. "COME BACK AND FACE ME, COWARD. I SWEAR I'LL YEAR YOU APART" He screamed as he looked around, protective over the girl behind him. Then he turned to look at Estelle. "Shit." He said before looking at Teia. "You. Daughter of Moros. Come here. Help me get her back to camp" Jason said to Teia quickly.</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA "Oh, well its nice to meet you too." She laughed, stepping forward to support the shaky girl. "And I'd prefer to be called Teia." Looking back and forth between the two, she smiled. Teia was gifted with the future, and the future of these two was very entertaining. 'Oh this will be fun..' She thought to herself.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle When they reached the camp there was a rush of wind as Phoenix landed. He had been away hunting but had come speeding back upon feeling how distressed Estelle was. He gently took the girl from Jason and cradled her to his chest, mind enveloping hers. Estelle? What is it? What's wrong? He waited anxiously for an answer. The reply came, weak and fragile. Loki... All it took was that one word and a snarl escaped Phoenix, smoke curling from his nostrils, rage filling him upon hearing that name. He knew exactly what the God had done to Estelle and just thinking about it made the dragon want to rip the insane deity limb from limb. He glanced around at the gathering demigods that wanted to know what was wrong. Knowing Estelle wouldn't want the others to see her like that, Phoenix pressed her closer to his breast and spread his wings, taking to the air. He flew up high over the camp, hoping the feeling of the soothing wind would calm the girl. After flying for a few minutes he felt Estelle stir and he slowly released her as she spread her own wings and began drifting next to him. She then quietly filled him in on the meeting between herself and Loki, Phoenix injecting growls here and there. Once the tale was finished they drifted silently next to her. Estelle was wrapped in her own thoughts and Phoenix knew well enough to leave her be for the moment. Estelle knew that next time she was face-to-face with the God, she couldn't freeze up. She couldn't let her fears get the better of her. She would be ready next time he decided to pay her a visit.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason watched as Phoenix took Estelle and took off. He debated going after her but decided that the demigods on the ground needed him much more at the moment. "Get back to your duties. Let's ensure they can't launch another attack like this morning" He says to them. They all nod and move off to continue working on making the camp a large fortress. Jason turned to Teia. "So, Teia... your father is Moros?" He said, trying to get a feel in his mind for what this girl could do. Also trying to figure out whether or not she is an enemy of his. The boy crossed his arms as waited for an answer</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA Teia wore a ghost of a smile, looking down before straight back up into Jason's eye . "He created me, yes." She was unsure of just how much to reveal. Fate was a fickle thing, a little to much knowledge could throw it off course. "I intend to serve with you and the other Demigods to over throw the Olympians. I ask for nothing special, I'll be happy with a foot soldier position."</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Phoenix and Estelle flew for a few moments more before Estelle asked when Phoenix had eaten. He then admitted he had stopped his hunt and flew back upon feeling her fear. A sense of guilt washed over her and she angled her wings towards the west, stating they had time for him to hunt and maybe pick something up for the camp to eat tonight. Phoenix agreed and off they went. They returned an hour later with a cow clenched in Phoenix's claws. They dropped it off at the Dining Pavilion where Phoenix stayed to help prepare the animal for the meal. A few of the kids from the Demeter cabin showed up to help. As Estelle left the pavilion she knew that they would be no burning food for the Gods tonight. She gazed around, noting that the rest were hard at work fortifying the camp. She eventually spotted Jason and she walked over, giving him and Teia a small smile. She felt better than she did earlier though she was rather embarrassed they had to see her like that.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason studied Teia. "You're hiding something. I'll grant you the benefit of doubt, but mark my words. Betray us and you will beg me to kill you" He says simply before looking her over a second time. "Welcome to the Cause" He says. The boy was interrupted by the return of Estelle. He turned around upon seeing her and hugged her tightly. "If that bastard dares show his face again I swear I'm going to tear it off" He says softly into her ear, trying to comfort the girl as he had during times of old.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle felt a jolt of surprise run through her when Jason turned and hugged her. She stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, not used to display of affections like this. She wasn't used to affection at actually, human affection that is. Phoenix shows affection but its in a different way, a sibling or parental way. Was Jason hugging her like a friend? She couldn't imagine what else it could be. Her arms came up and she hesitantly wrapped them around him, wondering if she was doing it right. Having been locked away in a place where affection is nonexist and pain and misery is the very air the doctors breathed, she hadn't been hugged since the last time she had seen Jason, which was fourteen years ago. After a few moments passed she felt her body relaxing against him, resting her head against his chest. She heard it rumble as he talked and she looked up at him. "He'll be back, he just can't seem to leave me alone." She replied back softly.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus "Then he will beg me to kill him." He whispered quietly to her. Holding the girl for a bit longer before he let go and stared at Estelle. "So. We've got to figure out how we are going to strike back against the Gods, now then don't we? " He askes the girl.</s> <\|message\|>Hunter Monroe Hunter would walk up to the demigods. "Excuse me, But fighting the gods isn't so... easy." Hunter would point to his eye patch. "A handful of us still remember the effect from last time we tried. But if you remember New York, it didn't work, at all. Only this time, the gods are out for blood. A lot of it." Hunter would sigh. "So unless you have a plan, to take out the gods, Most these demigods are too scared to fight their parents, or to fight them again. But the ones that are still willing to fight, Those are the ones you are going to need the most right now." Hunter would look at them. "Oh ya, i'm Hunter, Former field officer for the Titan army. And the main reason you guys didn't have a tank to deal with at the empire state building." His ego fueled, Now he feels he was correct, for once a lot more demigods have noticed the corrupt power ofthe gods, or are scared enough to stand up to them. Hunter would hold his hand out to shake.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason looks at the boy in front of him. "Don't tell me how to fight my war. My Legion had more victories than this camp and they were all terrified. Only an idiot isn't scared when they fight. I have many ideas of how to kill the Gods. Besides, I've killed bigger than the Gods"</s> <\|message\|>Hunter Monroe Hunters smile continued. "Right you are! But fear can only get you so far in a fight, And we are not fighting just One god, We are fighting all of them. Think about something, at any given time there's about 300-600 demigods between the two camps. If I am wrong feel free to correct me, But how many of those 600 do you think are still alive right now?" By this point Hunters smile was gone. "Most of us are in too poor condition to fight, either by physical injury or by emotional. We are not ready for another God war. If you have a plan, great. But we need to do something with the demigods who can't fight. Camp isn't safe anymore."</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle looked over at the camp. "We need more warriors if we're going up against the Gods." She said, frowning thoughtfully. Phoenix landed next to her and nudged her mentally. I've been thinking. What about the others we left behind at Fallen Shadows. They respected you there and you have been unhappy about the fact that you were unable to free them as well. Estelle turned to look at her dragon and smiled. "That's an excellent idea Phoenix." She turned back to Jason. "I know where we can get extra warriors. Just give Phoenix and I a week at most and you'll have them."</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus "You're not going alone. The Gods could attack you and overwhelm you both while you are en-route. Classic tactics done by you greeks, ambush the major threats before they can strengthen themselves." The boy responded, at that same moment a hole in the ground open next to Jason, he held out his left arm and caught a blue sword that flew up by its handle. The boy slipped both swords into sheaths on his back so they crossed in an X. "You're not going alone"</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle frowned and folded her arms as she stared up at him, not even blinking in surprise when another sword appeared from the ground. "Well you can't very well come with me and leave the camp undefended. Phoenix and I can move faster if we're alone. We need these warriors. Besides, I have my keys." She told him, a stubborn set to her jaw.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus "You're right I can't leave it undefended. Fortunately I actually have faith in our fellow demigods. Not to mention, they're not alone" Jason says as another pit opens and an army of Xenomorphs crawl out of the pit. They take position around the camps borders. A group of 4 approached Jason. "Blue, Charlie, Delta, and Echo. Due to Shriekr's.... absence (the boy couldn't bear the thought that she was dead) you four will ensure that the camp stays safe from attack. Organize your brethren as needed, and protect the campers. Should you begin to become overwhelmed, you know how to reach me. I'll always be listening in." He said, all buisness before turning to Estelle. "I'm going"</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle scowled at him before sighing. She knew that look in his eyes. It meant he had his mind made up and absolutely nothing would change it. She briefly considered flying away before he could react but her heart clenched at the thought of doing that to him. She climbed up onto Phoenix, knowing he would be faster than her and offered her hand out to help Jason up onto the dragon.</s>	<\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason responded by lifting into the air himself, his Dark Gravity able to hold him and propel him at any speed humanly possible. "Let's go. Lead the way" the Roman Praetor says softly to the girl as his eyes scan over her and the dragon</s>
<\|description\|>Hunter Monroe Age: 17 Parent: Nemesis Personality: Hunter is one of those people who tries to be a good person, But always tends to come across as a bad guy. He gets defensive of what he believes and of the people closest to him. Hunter also tends to pick sides very fast in most conflicts. Weapons: Hunter uses a four foot sword as his main weapon, As his two back ups he keeps a modified hatchet and varies knives. He has experience with many firearms but he rarely carries one with him. Powers: Hunters powers are limited because of his Mother being a minor goddess. He holds the power to bring peoples worst regrets to them, This power is limited to weak willed such as mortals, or to people who have a strong connection to what they regret most. Bio: Hunter never got along with the gods, He always blamed the gods for how demigods were treated. He wasn't claimed until he turned 14 and by that point he already formed hate for the gods. He was a minor officer int he Titan army during the titan war. He is Infamous for riding a tank and screaming "PAYBACK TIME!", then later running said tank into a bridge support. Even after the Titan war Hunter eventually came back to camp. Though serving with the titans for much of the war it was hard for Hunter to rejoin camp half blood. He eventually left camp to try an survive on his own, Or at least until the gods started their new run for power. Appearance: Hunter stands about 5' 11" with partially burnt brown hair. His eyes were originally brown but on his left eye he wears an eye patch, under that his eye is a light gray color. He wears thick jeans, a T-shirt and an light open jacket over his shirt.</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA Teia looked at the two demigods. She'd been following them for sometime. They were powerful, with incredible futures ahead of them. Standing just within ear shot, she listened to the boys, Jason, story with mild interest. Up till now, Teia had been behind the scenes, whispering into the minds of demigods, molding the future. But now, she decided to step up, male herself known. Well, kinda. With a deep breath, she walks towards the two, arms held out as to not trigger the powerful demigods instincts to kill her. "Hello. I am Adrasteia, daughter of Moros."</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle gazed down at Jason in silence, absorbing his story. All this had happened while she had been locked away in Fallen Shadows? Wow, it was a lot to take in for sure. As she opened her mouth to give a reply she paused upon hearing a voice call out to them. Surprised, she looked down and saw a girl approaching them. This was a demi-god she had never seen before. Moros. That was the God of Doom. That must suck, having him for a parent. At least the only thing her father did was hide her away. As she opened her mouth the question the newcomer a presence made her freeze as she slowly turned and looked up. Crimson eyes glowed down at her, set above a wide smile. Estelle's eyes widened as her body locked. "Loki." The name fell from her lips like a stone and the smile widened as the boy that looked around her age bowed low. "So nice of you to remember me Estelle. How have you faired in your new home?" Suddenly his smile turned cold as he glared down at her. "You escaped from me my dear. That wasn't a nice thing to do. Especially when I was so close to breaking you." Loki sighed and leaned against the tree as his eyes flickered to Jason and the other girl. He tilted his head as he stared at Jason. "So this is the boy that kept you sane all those years. I expected…more.." He turned his attention back to Estelle who had remained frozen the entire time, stepping closer to the girl. As he leaned down to examine her face her body began trembling. He grinned, the smile anything but kind as he reached up to brush a hand against her cheek. A small whimper escaped her and his grin widened. "Still having those nightmares?" He chuckled. When she remained silent his expression hardened. "I asked you a question Little Star." Estelle flinched like she had been struck, almost falling off the tree branch. He chuckled again as he stood straight. "Have you been enjoying the God's show on the mortal world? It's so delightful isn't it?" He said with a laugh, eyes gleaming with an eerie glow. Estelle finally managed to find her words. "W-Why aren't you going crazy like the other Gods?" Loki began laughing as if she had just told him a funny joke. "Can't go crazy if you were already insane in the first place. Isn't that right Mary?" He asked the doll that had been resting on his right shoulder. Hearing an answer no one else could Loki then turned back to Estelle, taking a step closer to her. "It's been a treat seeing you again darling but I'm afraid I must be going. Things to do, cities to destroy. You know how it is." He giggled as he bowed to them before promptly disappearing. Estelle remained frozen there, hands clenching the tree branch in front of her. Her body was shaking and her eyes had a vacant expression to them, the blue contrasting vividly against her bloodless cheeks. Seeing Loki had brought back memories she would rather forget, horrors that haunt her every dream and sometimes even when she was awake.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason lunged towards the god, who disappeared just before the boy managed to catch him. Jason growled in anger. "COME BACK AND FACE ME, COWARD. I SWEAR I'LL YEAR YOU APART" He screamed as he looked around, protective over the girl behind him. Then he turned to look at Estelle. "Shit." He said before looking at Teia. "You. Daughter of Moros. Come here. Help me get her back to camp" Jason said to Teia quickly.</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA "Oh, well its nice to meet you too." She laughed, stepping forward to support the shaky girl. "And I'd prefer to be called Teia." Looking back and forth between the two, she smiled. Teia was gifted with the future, and the future of these two was very entertaining. 'Oh this will be fun..' She thought to herself.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle When they reached the camp there was a rush of wind as Phoenix landed. He had been away hunting but had come speeding back upon feeling how distressed Estelle was. He gently took the girl from Jason and cradled her to his chest, mind enveloping hers. Estelle? What is it? What's wrong? He waited anxiously for an answer. The reply came, weak and fragile. Loki... All it took was that one word and a snarl escaped Phoenix, smoke curling from his nostrils, rage filling him upon hearing that name. He knew exactly what the God had done to Estelle and just thinking about it made the dragon want to rip the insane deity limb from limb. He glanced around at the gathering demigods that wanted to know what was wrong. Knowing Estelle wouldn't want the others to see her like that, Phoenix pressed her closer to his breast and spread his wings, taking to the air. He flew up high over the camp, hoping the feeling of the soothing wind would calm the girl. After flying for a few minutes he felt Estelle stir and he slowly released her as she spread her own wings and began drifting next to him. She then quietly filled him in on the meeting between herself and Loki, Phoenix injecting growls here and there. Once the tale was finished they drifted silently next to her. Estelle was wrapped in her own thoughts and Phoenix knew well enough to leave her be for the moment. Estelle knew that next time she was face-to-face with the God, she couldn't freeze up. She couldn't let her fears get the better of her. She would be ready next time he decided to pay her a visit.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason watched as Phoenix took Estelle and took off. He debated going after her but decided that the demigods on the ground needed him much more at the moment. "Get back to your duties. Let's ensure they can't launch another attack like this morning" He says to them. They all nod and move off to continue working on making the camp a large fortress. Jason turned to Teia. "So, Teia... your father is Moros?" He said, trying to get a feel in his mind for what this girl could do. Also trying to figure out whether or not she is an enemy of his. The boy crossed his arms as waited for an answer</s> <\|message\|>ADRASTEIA Teia wore a ghost of a smile, looking down before straight back up into Jason's eye . "He created me, yes." She was unsure of just how much to reveal. Fate was a fickle thing, a little to much knowledge could throw it off course. "I intend to serve with you and the other Demigods to over throw the Olympians. I ask for nothing special, I'll be happy with a foot soldier position."</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Phoenix and Estelle flew for a few moments more before Estelle asked when Phoenix had eaten. He then admitted he had stopped his hunt and flew back upon feeling her fear. A sense of guilt washed over her and she angled her wings towards the west, stating they had time for him to hunt and maybe pick something up for the camp to eat tonight. Phoenix agreed and off they went. They returned an hour later with a cow clenched in Phoenix's claws. They dropped it off at the Dining Pavilion where Phoenix stayed to help prepare the animal for the meal. A few of the kids from the Demeter cabin showed up to help. As Estelle left the pavilion she knew that they would be no burning food for the Gods tonight. She gazed around, noting that the rest were hard at work fortifying the camp. She eventually spotted Jason and she walked over, giving him and Teia a small smile. She felt better than she did earlier though she was rather embarrassed they had to see her like that.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason studied Teia. "You're hiding something. I'll grant you the benefit of doubt, but mark my words. Betray us and you will beg me to kill you" He says simply before looking her over a second time. "Welcome to the Cause" He says. The boy was interrupted by the return of Estelle. He turned around upon seeing her and hugged her tightly. "If that bastard dares show his face again I swear I'm going to tear it off" He says softly into her ear, trying to comfort the girl as he had during times of old.</s> <\|message\|>Estelle Estelle felt a jolt of surprise run through her when Jason turned and hugged her. She stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, not used to display of affections like this. She wasn't used to affection at actually, human affection that is. Phoenix shows affection but its in a different way, a sibling or parental way. Was Jason hugging her like a friend? She couldn't imagine what else it could be. Her arms came up and she hesitantly wrapped them around him, wondering if she was doing it right. Having been locked away in a place where affection is nonexist and pain and misery is the very air the doctors breathed, she hadn't been hugged since the last time she had seen Jason, which was fourteen years ago. After a few moments passed she felt her body relaxing against him, resting her head against his chest. She heard it rumble as he talked and she looked up at him. "He'll be back, he just can't seem to leave me alone." She replied back softly.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus "Then he will beg me to kill him." He whispered quietly to her. Holding the girl for a bit longer before he let go and stared at Estelle. "So. We've got to figure out how we are going to strike back against the Gods, now then don't we? " He askes the girl.</s> <\|message\|>Hunter Monroe Hunter would walk up to the demigods. "Excuse me, But fighting the gods isn't so... easy." Hunter would point to his eye patch. "A handful of us still remember the effect from last time we tried. But if you remember New York, it didn't work, at all. Only this time, the gods are out for blood. A lot of it." Hunter would sigh. "So unless you have a plan, to take out the gods, Most these demigods are too scared to fight their parents, or to fight them again. But the ones that are still willing to fight, Those are the ones you are going to need the most right now." Hunter would look at them. "Oh ya, i'm Hunter, Former field officer for the Titan army. And the main reason you guys didn't have a tank to deal with at the empire state building." His ego fueled, Now he feels he was correct, for once a lot more demigods have noticed the corrupt power ofthe gods, or are scared enough to stand up to them. Hunter would hold his hand out to shake.</s> <\|message\|>Jason Diabolus Jason looks at the boy in front of him. "Don't tell me how to fight my war. My Legion had more victories than this camp and they were all terrified. Only an idiot isn't scared when they fight. I have many ideas of how to kill the Gods. Besides, I've killed bigger than the Gods"</s>	<\|message\|>Hunter Monroe Hunters smile continued. "Right you are! But fear can only get you so far in a fight, And we are not fighting just One god, We are fighting all of them. Think about something, at any given time there's about 300-600 demigods between the two camps. If I am wrong feel free to correct me, But how many of those 600 do you think are still alive right now?" By this point Hunters smile was gone. "Most of us are in too poor condition to fight, either by physical injury or by emotional. We are not ready for another God war. If you have a plan, great. But we need to do something with the demigods who can't fight. Camp isn't safe anymore."</s>
<\|description\|>Jerome Odeum Age: 20 Role: Guardian of Ancelstierre's Empress Neko Gold Saint Armor: All the blue is gold!!!!! Your just color blind!!! Species: Neko Personality: Laid back, calm under pressure, full of joy, rarely serious, finds danger to be the best thing about his job, loves a good fight now and then, likes to state that he's single every time he meets a girl that he fells is attractive, it doesn't seem like it but he is very responsible. History: (Optional) To Be Roleplayed</s> <\|message\|>Yuno Ancelsti A new day has begun in the world known as Sentara. Here in Sentara there are 5 great nations one of them being Ancelstierre a magic filled nation where humans and creatures live in peace. We start at Ancelstierre Palace where Empress Yuno begins her day. --------- Empress Yuno Ancelsti was awoken by the bright sunlight coming in from her bedside window. As she sits up she looks around her room. She then gets up and puts on her robe and heads to the palace's private hot spring in order to wash up. After some time in the hot spring she returns to her living quarters and puts on the Family Robe, she pulls her hair out from under the robe as she takes her hair pin(The big needle in her hair in the pic) which holds the Ancelsti Family Jewel in it. After putting the final bits and pieces to her outfit she walked up to a crystal known as a TeleCrystal which is used for communications in the nation(much like a phone) she taps it with her finger as it begins to glow. "Sir Jiro?" She says "Yes Lady Yuno." Jiro's voice is heard from the crystal. "Please tell the chef to begin making preparations for breakfast." she says "Of course Lady Yuno." Jiro said "Will you be going out on your morning walk this morning?" he added "Yes I will be." She responds "Then allow me to accompany you Lady Yuno." Jiro said "I'd be sad if you did not join me Sir Jiro." Yuno says in a very cheerful voice as Jiro is heard giving off a slight giggle. "Very well I shall meet you in the palace garden Lady Yuno." Jiro said as the TeleCrystal stopped glowing. Yuno started making her way to the Palace Garden.</s> <\|message\|>Eris Bangriph (aka: The fire starter or The Dragon General) "ALRIGHT EVERYONE, TRAINING TIME!" Eris bellowed as she stood in front of the batch of new recruits most of Which were shaking just staring at the suit of armor that she had on while others tried to figure out if they should run away. "We have to get you boys into shape!" She said as her armor disappeared in a plume of cold fire and she was left standing there in what looked like a bathing suit. "Come at me!" She boomed as she got into a fighting stance and the and waited for the recruits to take the challenge, but when she saw how the stared she had an idea "If you don't come at me.... I come after you in this" she said before snapping her clawed fingers and her armor reappeared on her body but this time without the helmet "and do you really want that?" She questioned and almost instantly the group shook their collective heads and picked a weapon from off the wall to which she replied by having her armor disapate and her resume her earlier stance "and don't be afraid to come at me like your ready to kill me for real, because the first one to "kill" is allowed to take an extended breakfast but if nobody manages to get me by the time I have to leave which is in... 30 minutes then you are all gonna be running laps around the training hall for the next week!" She said laughing at the suddenly serious faces on all of them. "WELL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, COME AT ME!" She yelled with her tail cracking like a bull whip and all of them rushed her. And with that marks the beginning of Grand General Eris Bangriph's day. During the sparring multiply things were running through Eris's head, mostly about what to have for breakfast. "Some pancakes from that new restraunt sounds pretty nice" she said as she pushed back a man trying to swing down on her with a sword. "Pick it up people 14 minutes left to defeat me!" She called out to the 28 or so student that were still up a and about.</s> <\|message\|>Vespasian Nerva Meanwhile in Vyseni,Khent at The Wolf Palace --------- Nerva groaned as he rose from his bed, looking around he saw Ezikiel splayed out on a chair, still sleeping. He got up, put on a light robe and went about getting ready for the day. After getting dressed and smoothing out his hair he noticed Ezikiel was waking up, he turned to his friend and said "good morning Ezzy". Ezikiel rubbed his eyes and stretched before responding "yawn...Morning, Nerva" he sat up in the chair and saw that Nerva had already gotten dressed. Nerva walked over to a balcony looking over the city and was soon joined by Ezikiel, they looked over the city for a moment before Nerva sighed and said "come on, the senate will be in session in a bit" and after belting his sword to his side, the two set out for the senate building.</s>	<\|message\|>Jerome Odeum Jerome walked around the palace playing with magic on the tips of his fingers. Another day of secretly protecting the Empress. He knows she always have her morning walks with Jiro. So he had free time until she was back from her walk. Jerome continued through the doors of the palace and made his way towards the town. On his way there he passed by Eris, who seemed to be training the new recruits. He stopped and hid behind a bush. The recruits looked like they needed all the help they could get. So Jerome quickly threw a ball of fire at Eris knowing that fire doesn't affect her. He then turned and ran from the bush laughing. A while or so later Jerome arrived at the town. Shops were opened and kids could be seen running through the streets. A lot of the town's folk knows Jerome. He often buys a lot of food from the shops and give it to the children. But today he was looking for something more important than food. Back at his lab in the palace he was working on a new elixir and happened to run out of herbs. He hopefully thought one of the herb merchants would have what he's looking for.</s>
<\|description\|>Vance Meridian Nicknames/Aliases: N/A Gender: Male Birthday: May 19th Age: 33 Class: Templar Occupation: Knight Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: (See above) Personality: Vance is very strict with the rules that he was raised by, and keeps these morals as his guides in whatever he does. He has a strong sense of justice, and what he feels is right and wrong. He's easy to get along with, as long as he doesn't suspect any foul play has been done by those around him. Though he is quiet, and reserved in his opinions of those around him, he is usually empathic to those who he is near. Likes: Order, protecting those who can't protect themselves, camping. Dislikes: Disobedience, injustice, disagreements. Past/History: Growing up, Vance was seen to be quite skilled in the healing arts, and displayed a fierce protectiveness of those around him whenever they were being mistreated, or bullied. This led to him being recommended to the knighthood for training to become a Templar. In his teenage years, he showed promise, but the hopes were dashed when he saw a friend get killed, and the murderer walked, due to a technicality in the system. Vance went out that night, and killed the man himself, thus betraying his order. He went into hiding for years, just recently emerging again after a hiatus, leading a nomadic life mostly in solitude after the 'incident'. Time hasn't done much to alleviate his feelings of guilt for his betrayal, though he was never caught, or brought to trial for his own crimes. He has been traveling across the land, trying to do everything in his power to right his wrongs, helping anyone who will accept it, and never take payment for his deeds. The first place that he approached was the forest town of Masa(May-sa), and he considers that his 'home'. He can never again go back to his kingdom for fear of being charged for his crimes.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia Elisha has arrived at the city gates of Maplestead. It's been about two hours now since she left her home on her steed. The amount of people is keeping her steed from being able to get inside the city grounds. She spots a stable right near the city gates that allow the steeds of various adventurers rest and recover their strength there. Leaving her identification details and steed at the caretaker, she departs for the town square. As she's walking, the girl pulls out her pocket watch. "It's already 8:50?" Panic suddenly manifests on her face. "I'm gonna be late!" Elisha quickly assesses her surroundings. The bar that her father used to frequent was to her left, and the weapons shop to her right. That means the town square should be six blocks away. If she was to make it in time, she'll have to run there. But running is a bad idea for her. Yet, it's her only option to get to the location in time. "I have to do it." Elisha readies herself by taking a couple of deep breaths. The girl pulls out her medicine that's meant to help her if she ever gets an attack. She grips the small bag of pills in her left hand firmly. One last deep breath. Elisha races off. The wind in her face. The feel of speeding through the crowd and stands. thump Moving her legs. The adrenaline in her blood. Turning the corner. thump Happy to be alive and able to run. Letting everything else go. The town square was in sight. thump thump In a few seconds, she was at the town square. "I... I actually made it?" A moment of happiness. Suddenly followed up by fear. thump thump thump As the adrenaline faded away, the fatigue and pain quickly made themselves at home in her body. A sudden inferno blazes up in her chest. Elisha drops her bag of medicine onto the ground before collapsing herself, gasping for air and feeling very light-headed. "It hurts. It hurts." Her vision was blurring, and her lungs were getting tighter by the second. She desperately tries to reach out for her bag, but it unfortunately landed just a bit out of her reach.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia, while waiting for the gates to open, happens to see a younger-looking girl rushing towards the castle. Wow, lively little sprite. She's got some fancy clothes on, and what's that in her- Cecelia's thoughts were soon interrupted by the little girl eating dust. After a few seconds of shock, Cecelia realized that the girl wasn't getting up. Cecelia broke out into a sprint to get the girl. She picks the girl up to her feet and hands her the bag after picking it up for her. Now she starts walking the girl in the direction of the palace, where it seemed she was headed. "Are you ok there? What happened?" Cecelia wondered if this was a good idea, but that poster mentioned being in groups, and she'd prefer to have friends in her group than enemies. Show them you care, and they might accept you. Cecelia heard an old friend from the streets tell her when she was nine and wanting to go to the ball. She never really fit in, but this place was full of people for one goal: to stop those monsters. Or get gold, but stopping the monsters is the only way to do so, so that reason still stands. Cecelia continues to help the girl in the direction she was originally headed. Brennen Garron Brennen strolls in after paying to have his horse stabled whilst he checks out the palace. I don't like working with people, but I'm not getting any choice. Oh, well. At least I might be able to teach someone a little more tactics. If I'm REALLY lucky, I'll meet my dream fighter. I just want a good fight is all. I'm tired of teaching little brats how to spot a general weakness with a given swordfighting style. I teacha and teach, but they really learn close to nothing. One person has given me a fun fight in the past year or so. I just want a good match. Brennen breaks from his internal complaining when he sees a woman helping up a little girl. They can't both be here for the flyer, they're young. The spiffed-up tyke especially. Someone better watch over the younger ones here. I can't be a tactician forever. Hell, I don't know if I'll be in a group with either of them. Statistics say no. Meh, oh well. Hey, that looks palace-y. That might be the place.</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana The man's steps cascaded in a steady rhythm as he paced himself across great distances on his travels. This upcoming town would be a necessary pit-stop for both rest, moneymaking, and for some information which he coveted more than getting money. Although sometimes the two went in hand together as semi-agreeable type of couple. His pace quickened. As when he glanced upwards to the sky he saw that it was getting grey and his experience outdoors was that it would be a heavy rain that he didn't need to endure. He probably had a couple of hours at best to enjoy the town before retreating indoors. Inside the town he found that was adequate as he traveled up along the manicured streets with pleasant little bushes and ornamental trees. There was also a bunch of posters everywhere and some criers shouting something. But he payed no attention as just standing still to listen to the contents proved to be of no use or interest to him. Instead his attention was focused on the signage and he'd hope to find a tavern quickly enough.</s>	<\|message\|>Vance Meridian Vance was now about an hour from the gates of Maplestead, nearly falling asleep on the back of his horse as it traveled onward. A bright flash of light rushed in front of the horse, scaring it, and causing it to rear up slightly, which instantly snapped Vance to attention. He grabbed the reigns and tried to calm the horse. "Whoa... it's ok, it's alright" he said in a soft voice. It had a light accent to it when he spoke. After taking a moment to calm his horse, he looked around for what scared it, but there was only darkness in the forest around him leading to the town. He slowly nudged the horse forward again, moving slowly, and constantly looking around them. When he was finally at ease, the light flashed again, like the fading light of a firefly in front of him. It didn't seem threatening, and he swore that he heard something. After it disappeared, he continued on, but keeping his guard up. He had nearly been attacked once already, and the flier did say that monsters were becoming such a problem, that they were paying people to exterminate them. The light appeared again, racing in front of him. "Help me.." it said in a small, feminine voice. "Help you?" Vance repeated, not sure that he'd heard anything at all. He thought that he may have been going crazy from exhaustion. "Behind you!" the small, panicked voice said while the light flashed again in front of him. Before he could react, he was pulled from his horse, hitting the ground with a 'thud', and being held down by two small demons. Each one was griping one of his shoulders and a third emerged to attack him while the others held him down. Without time to analyze the situation, he didn't have time for an incantation, or know how to properly defend himself. He raised his boot to kick away the one in front of him while trying to struggle free of the ones that were holding him from behind. He opened his eyes wide to try and get a look at them to see what he was up against, but all he could see were pairs of yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. As the one that he kicked was recovering, and coming close for another attack, the ones on his back held him tighter. He reached down, barely able to reach the sword at his side, but his body was moving in desperation to survive. He grabbed the handle of his sword, drawing it and quickly swinging it around to try and hit the demons who were holding him, while keeping the third at bay. When he was clear of the monsters, he positioned himself to that he was facing all of them. "Always keep your enemies in your sights" he thought, remembering the basics of his training as a Templar. As soon as he could see them, or what could be seen of them anyway, he was in a ready stance. He looked to each one, gauging their strength, knowing that they needed to attack him all at once to stand a chance due to their size, but one of them was brave and lunged forward, quickly impaled by a thrust of Vance's sword through its chest. The sword started to glow with a white light as the demon was banished. It shrieked as its body faded away. Vance's broadsword was still glowing with a holy light as he raised it in front of his face. He closed his eyes, and started whispering softly. "I call forth the light, to banish evil to the depths of hell, to bring again the light of day from the darkest night!" He opened his eyes as his sword continued to glow. He turned it around, thrusting it into the ground in front of him, sending a beam of light towards the demons, which started to flee, unsuccessfully when they saw their comrade defeated on his blade. The light quickly disintegrated their small bodies and then faded. After the light from his sword faded away, he re-sheathed it, and headed towards his horse. "Now THAT was an incantation!" the small, female voice said as the fading light returned in front of Vance's face. His first inclination was to swat at it, like an annoying fly, but he didn't. He didn't feel threated by it, mostly seeing it as an annoyance, one he would soon be rid of. Remounting his horse, and making sure that his pack was secure, he started towards Maplestead again. The small light seemed to follow him now, staying back a bit, but still noticeable. Vance sighed. "Can I help you?" he asked the small light. "I'm comin' with ya. You saved me! Those demons would have torn me apart." the small voice said. Vance knew that this would be a headache, but there was nothing that he could do about it. "What's your name, Templar?" she said in a curious tone. "Vance" he said sternly, sounding annoyed. "Oh, Well Vance, I'm Eve. I live here…. Well, I used to, until the monsters started coming around, then me and all my friends scattered, and then those things attacked me, but then you saved me, and now I'm here, with you! Where are we going? Are we on a quest, or are we just out for a night stroll? What are we doing?" she said excitedly. Her speech seemed to speed up as she went on, which got annoying quickly. She was very emphatic on using the term 'we' when she spoke. Vance looked up to the sky with that familiar "Why me?" looked. "Eve" he repeated. "I'm heading to Maplestead" "Maplestead… oooo, what's there?" she asked curiously. The glow around her was now constant; she was a small fairy, no bigger than Vance's hand, and constantly emitting light when she felt that she was safe. "We…" he started, then corrected himself. "I'm going on a quest to exterminate these monsters, but I'm doing it for money" he said stoically. She was flying in front of him, in part lighting his way as they traveled through the night. Once he got to the gate, he was welcomed by the guards, and questioned as to why he was here. It was no surprise that the guards would be cautious with all of the attacks as of late. "State your business." One of them stated harshly. "My name is Vance Meridian. I am a Templar, here to accept the quest to eradicate the monsters from this land" he started. "For the money!" Eve chimed in, unwelcomingly, which caused Vance to get a nervous expression on his face. Vance mouthed the words "Shut up, Eve!" through clenched teeth to her when she smiled at him. "Another one for this death quest that's been advertised" one of the guards scoffed. "Proceed to the town square, someone'll be by… sometime… to give you more information." Vance nodded to the guard, clicking his tongue, giving the horse the signal to move forward into the town. Maplestead was a busy place, filled with both townspeople, and others who came from all over to help with this quest. He was thankful that he was on a horse when he saw people nearly trampling over each other to get around. Making his way to the town square, he looked up from the people to notice the girl, just as she dropped her bag, and another woman helping her to her feet. He gave it little thought, as he hadn't bet on being with anyone for this, except his new companion, Eve. Nevertheless, he tied his horse off at the nearest post, dismounting and walking into the square. All he had to do now was wait for someone to give direction on the details of this quest. Eve fluttered towards her new friend, and landed gently on his shoulder, kicking her little feet gently back and forth while they waited.</s>
<\|description\|>Vance Meridian Nicknames/Aliases: N/A Gender: Male Birthday: May 19th Age: 33 Class: Templar Occupation: Knight Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: (See above) Personality: Vance is very strict with the rules that he was raised by, and keeps these morals as his guides in whatever he does. He has a strong sense of justice, and what he feels is right and wrong. He's easy to get along with, as long as he doesn't suspect any foul play has been done by those around him. Though he is quiet, and reserved in his opinions of those around him, he is usually empathic to those who he is near. Likes: Order, protecting those who can't protect themselves, camping. Dislikes: Disobedience, injustice, disagreements. Past/History: Growing up, Vance was seen to be quite skilled in the healing arts, and displayed a fierce protectiveness of those around him whenever they were being mistreated, or bullied. This led to him being recommended to the knighthood for training to become a Templar. In his teenage years, he showed promise, but the hopes were dashed when he saw a friend get killed, and the murderer walked, due to a technicality in the system. Vance went out that night, and killed the man himself, thus betraying his order. He went into hiding for years, just recently emerging again after a hiatus, leading a nomadic life mostly in solitude after the 'incident'. Time hasn't done much to alleviate his feelings of guilt for his betrayal, though he was never caught, or brought to trial for his own crimes. He has been traveling across the land, trying to do everything in his power to right his wrongs, helping anyone who will accept it, and never take payment for his deeds. The first place that he approached was the forest town of Masa(May-sa), and he considers that his 'home'. He can never again go back to his kingdom for fear of being charged for his crimes.</s> <\|message\|>Veltis Arunda ADRIAL HACKIS Adrial took notice of the mans tensity and displeasure at what he had to say, his Elvinian eyes took notice of his quivering jaw, the clenching of his teeth along with the silent glare he was given. He thought curiously, until the man spoke. "Wait a minute- go back to what you said earlier. Do you really leave men to bleed out? That... That's horrible. I mean you have the ability to save lives yet... You choose not to?- Please clear this up for me because it's bothering the hell out of me." Adrial silently glared back at Jeer, his facial expressions slowly twisted and shaped into a bitter, exasperated scowl, nostrils lightly flared in enmity. His voice changing from calming to more bothered and slightly heated. "Really? You are asking me... why? Why on earth would I bother saving a bunch of ignorant, selfish and abusive simple minded soldiers who only see me as a tool for their own safety and get themselves hurt on purpose because they believe just because a cleric is by their side that they have every right to be reckless?! They wouldn't be able to comprehend the sheer amount of concentration, energy and training that is required to bend every single broken blood vessel and vein inside a mans body! Working the flesh until its healed by carefully and swiftly stitching together each bit of bloody tissue by my own mental strength! Do you know what thanks I get for staring deep into the bloody murderous wounds of hundreds of thousands of soldiers who are crying out in agony before me? do you know the sheer horror of having to stare into a mans dying eyes to heal him? Do you know the praise I receive for bringing the many back from the brink of death, at the cost of my own sanity, my own willpower and potentially my own life?!" Adrial clenched his fists tightly and grimaced, turning his face away, as his expression changed from pure anger to a mix between both hatred and heartache, a slight tear formulating in his eye as he stared away, reflecting on his previous experiences as his eyes met his boots. "Nothing... You are treated like nothing but a dog... a pet who's only purpose is saving others who don't deserve it. I get no rewards for my actions, no praise, no acceptance. I'm simply a tool to be abused because I can do things others can't. A hundred years. A hundred years... of murder... And my reward was just my life... while many gained medals and were showed in gold and praise... I was granted nothing, not even a simple thank you..." Adrial's expression soured, twisting his gaze back to jeer, his eyes blazing with hostility and aggressiveness. "So why bother saving those who just hurt people in the end? Why bother saving the life of someone if they will never thank you, and crush you under their heel when you're done "saving them". Let the brutes and monsters die... And if you're the type of person who willingly rushes out to get hurt... And force me to plunge back into the horrors of that previous, grim reality... I will let you die a horrible, painful and agonising death... I won't let reckless neanderthals plunge me back into the emotionally scarring carnage of those times... I won't allow it." His last words were bitter and emotionally harsh, the cleric turned quickly, proceeding to stroll away, leaving jeer and his companion to themselves. VELTIS ARUNDA "I am here for the quest to slay the monsters which have become a nuisance to this town, and the surrounding areas. My name is Van.." Veltis calmly listened to the knight, his left hand laid upon his hip whilst he elegantly and nonchalantly brushed his long, flowing white hair in front of his face behind himself, which shun with a elegant glow as the light of the sun rebounded its rays off of the impossibly smooth and silky hairstyle, along with displaying his smooth and soft skin, void of inperfections, definately one to take care of how he looks, if atleast somewhat overcared for...! What a wonderful thing to hear. He thought. That someone had the same mindset as he did, Perhaps the two would meet again in the near future hopefully wished silently, his smile never once wavering when Vance spoke, not even when a sudden fairy would speak up out of the blue and reveal itself to his eyes. "Hi! I'm Eve!" "What's your name?" "Did you sign up for the quest too?" "Wow, a bow!" "Are you good with it?" "How many monsters have you killed?" "You're cute!" "I love those shoes!" Veltis, put his right foot back in surprise, but almost instantly relaxed as the adorable fairy spoke, retaining his calm, collected and stylish pose once more, hand on hip, he let the fairy return to what he assumed was a companion of hers. "Sorry for the interruption. My name is Vance Meridian. I am a Templar from Masa. I am skilled in the ways of white magic, both to heal, and harm." He said. "And you are?" Veltis gave his arm a surprisingly strong and friendly handshake, before pulling back and with a slow turn, Veltis put both arms behind his head and turned with his back toward Vance, his body twisting into a rather odd and flamboyant side angle as does his head, so he could just about look behind him to view Vance, thus being able to speak to him, his eyes almost glowed from the suns shine upon him, both his golden and green eye shining and looking with grace to both Vance and Eve. Once he posed, Vance would notice on Veltis' back in all it's glory a large bulky greatbow the size of a man attached to his back, with a large boxed quiver behind it, holding impressive large arrows which would definitely require some strength to pull, which didn't exactly seem possible on Veltis' feminine, slim physique. "Ah, I happen to be graced with the bow! Greatbow to be precise! A strong weapon with superb firepower, though admittedly slow to fire, I'm much better at working in a team, so should we join arms at one point in our lives, you would find me a compulsory unit to your group!" Veltis bent his right arm back, and slowly stroked the mithril string of his large bow, pulling and releasing the string gently, which made an echoing reverberation, before the Hero turned fully around to look at Vance with his arms still behind his head, smiling dearly at him. "I however am just one man. I am no stronger than anyone else who desires to change our realm for the better. I hold no person below me, nor above me, I treat all those who seek to build a better world as my equals, and I thus seek to make sure that those who act in malice are forced to see the error of their ways or are removed from realm, my desires are as simple and plain as that! It would be impossible for me alone to accomplish this, but over the years, I believe this would be possible...!" Veltis' arms rested at his sides, deciding to politely bow in respect before raising his head up to speak again. "But where are my manners! My name is Veltis Arunda, no titles, for I do not deserve them! It is truly an honor to meet you, Vance and of course your beautiful companion, eve! 'Tis a pleasure to be graced by two people of, if I may be so bold, unmatched refined elegance! I would very much enjoy meeting you once again! I pray the quest goes well for both of you! Should I be payed, I plan to give my reward to the beggars of the city, too many are stepped underfoot, and they need the comfort of a warm bed as much as anyone! Farewell, Vance, Lady Eve!" Veltis once again elegantly bowed and waved gently before proceeding to walk away, to await the groupings.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia The woman who had helped her earlier was waving at her with a sincere smile. Elisha found it rude to not wave back, even if she wanted to avoid giving the older woman a misunderstanding. She shyly tries to force a smile, as well as waving back. One of the other adventurers however bumps into her as they were walking, which causes her to lose some of her balance. Thankfully she was able to catch herself, but not without hitting somebody else. After regaining her footing, Elisha takes a few steps back before bowing as low as she could towards the person she bumped into. "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you," she said as sincerely as she could. Upon lifting her head, she noticed that this was the person who was signing up alongside her at the line. "Louis... Françoise Le Blanc... de La Vallière... was it?" Elisha didn't have the best memory, but extravagant names such as his somehow keep sticking out for her. "It's a lovely name. Just... long." However, her stomach suddenly makes itself known by growling. "Oh god, why now?! Ssshhhh~!" Blushing madly as well as clutching her stomach, she was hoping that nobody heard the noise it made. "I-I'm sorry for my rude manners. I-it's just that... I haven't had anything since last night," she continues before she returns to bowing.</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière As Louis was raised in a very upper-crust home, he was brought up on a very strict code of manners (is that a thing; code of manners? Ah screw it, it is now). There were strict ways to do things, and things that you strictly couldn't do. Bodily noises were one such thing. However, that was normally...urg...gas expelled from either the mouth or rear (gah! Such a ghastly image). The cries of a person's stomach were a little different. First of all, you couldn't tell it was going to make that noise until it actually happened, and even then you couldn't stop it any more then you could stop your own heart from beating though shear force of will. Secondly, it didn't release any offensive gas into the air. While the upper class may be complete snobs, at least they weren't completely unreasonable With that in mind, Louis opened up his bag and pulled out a gourmet breakfast sandwich, wrapped up in cloth to keep it clean. "You shouldn't embark on such a quest without eating something" he said while holding it out to the girl with the noise stomach. Suddenly, his brain finished processing what his mouth had just said and panicked "d-d-d-d-d-don't misunderstand I'm only doing this so you don't e-e-e-embarrass yourself! As a n-n-n-n-n-noble, it is my duty to fix such obvious mistakes before me if it is within my power to do so" he claimed, his cheeks tomato red "really! It's not because I think you're pretty or anything, that's simply absurd, get such thoughts out of your head!"</s>	<\|message\|>Vance Meridian Vance and Eve both listened to the man's philosophy, and way of life, and for the most part, Vance agreed with it. When Veltis turned around, Vance found himself admiring the bow that was on his back. It was beautifully crafted, and it looked like it could be deadly in the right hands. He imagined Veltis using it with a fusion of both power, and grace. It was an impressive thought, and he hoped that he would get to see it someday. After a firm handshake, and a nod, Vance spoke. Eve seemed to be smitten with his posture and the way that he spoke. "There are many evils in the world, and it takes people like us to make sure that peace is preserved in these dark times." He said. "You're one of the good ones, Veltis" he added. Eve had a small blush, and a big smile appear on her face as Veltis referred to her as 'beautiful' Vance found even himself admiring Veltis. He was one of the good guys, and he would surely be a powerful ally in the fight for good. He wasn't too bad on the eyes, either, as Eve pointed out. As Veltis walked away, Vance watched him, and then looked to others who were around them. He suddenly felt a new sense of purpose in doing this quest. They money was good, but these people, all of them, were worth saving. He truly hoped that he, and Veltis, would cross paths again.</s>
<\|description\|>Vance Meridian Nicknames/Aliases: N/A Gender: Male Birthday: May 19th Age: 33 Class: Templar Occupation: Knight Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: (See above) Personality: Vance is very strict with the rules that he was raised by, and keeps these morals as his guides in whatever he does. He has a strong sense of justice, and what he feels is right and wrong. He's easy to get along with, as long as he doesn't suspect any foul play has been done by those around him. Though he is quiet, and reserved in his opinions of those around him, he is usually empathic to those who he is near. Likes: Order, protecting those who can't protect themselves, camping. Dislikes: Disobedience, injustice, disagreements. Past/History: Growing up, Vance was seen to be quite skilled in the healing arts, and displayed a fierce protectiveness of those around him whenever they were being mistreated, or bullied. This led to him being recommended to the knighthood for training to become a Templar. In his teenage years, he showed promise, but the hopes were dashed when he saw a friend get killed, and the murderer walked, due to a technicality in the system. Vance went out that night, and killed the man himself, thus betraying his order. He went into hiding for years, just recently emerging again after a hiatus, leading a nomadic life mostly in solitude after the 'incident'. Time hasn't done much to alleviate his feelings of guilt for his betrayal, though he was never caught, or brought to trial for his own crimes. He has been traveling across the land, trying to do everything in his power to right his wrongs, helping anyone who will accept it, and never take payment for his deeds. The first place that he approached was the forest town of Masa(May-sa), and he considers that his 'home'. He can never again go back to his kingdom for fear of being charged for his crimes.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia realized that she was in the same group as Elisha, the girl she picked up earlier. Glad to already know someone, she headed west until she found the gate, trying not to seem too eager to test her combat skills. I haven't used my blade in so long, but I need money. Remember, protect someone. Doesn't have to be Elisha, but someone. Anyone. Any one of these vilag- she stops mid-thought. These are vilagers who have also signed up to help defend their neighbors... Keep the vilagers alive. As the gate opens, she sees a large bird-like creature. Hey, I know someone who pays big for exotic pets. Hm... "Could we capture it and sell it...?" The last thought slipping out loud. Cecelia withdraws to the back of the pack. While I need money, I should keep as much of my dignity as I can. I am "The Shadow" after all. We could just stun the thing and tie it down. Or they might settle down after the scarecrow-thingies are gone. Maybe just toss a net over one after we take out the scarers. Cecelia keeps trying to think of ways to cage a bird to get some extra cash, possibly to get out of doing this quest. Maybe make coin on the side and fake my death? Well, I do have a tendancy to get overly attached to people... Meh, I'll just wing it. There's enough people to keep the scaries busy while I sneak in for a kill. Brennen Garron Brennen listens to his group. Well, at least I know that one of them is a spellsword. So long as she's properly trained, she should have the same capabilities as me, but with wider range of magic. Good. As he walked south towards the gate, he realized that the "heroes" from the palace weren't the only volunteers. There were some locals in whatever gear they could afford. Brennen looks out the gate with a wild grin. "Finally. Some action." Holding his left hand out, he sends a surge of magic to create a fireball in his hand while his other hand reaches for the shortsword on his back. Scanning quickly and thinking out loud, in a loud enough voice for all the villagers and 'heroes' to hear: "Scarecrows. If they're like the real things, then some fire should take them down to cinders. Fire magic users and people with torches, go for them, but watch it, they've got blades. I got nothin' so far on that, uh... thing over there. It can tear into flesh, so I'd say keep your distance if at all possible. Test its speed and refleses before rushing in and getting yourself killed. We can do this if we stick to a plan, and I don't hear anyone else with a plan."</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna heard her team announced, and took a moment to think. She recognized the names from...somewhere. it took her a moment to realize, but when she did, she smiled. She had seen Elisha's name on the paper she had herself signed. A scion of the Marluxia family, who, according to Lenna's relatives, were a very old fashioned family, ascribing to some very out-dated views. Lenna hoped the young girl wouldn't be a problem as a result. Cecilia she'd heard vague rumors about. The Shadow was a figure wrapped in, well, Shadow. Lenna knew very little about her, and only could really hope she was trustworthy. She knew the woman would be competent. As for the final one, Lenna knew of the Valliere family. They were as rich and powerful as the Underwoods. However, she'd heard of the massacre that had taken place. She had to admit, she felt bad for the poor kid. One thing did occur to Lenna as she departed with her allies. She would have to keep them safe. *** Lenna paused only a moment before getting ready to jump into the fray. "Keep each other safe, and protect the villagers. The demons are what are driving the birds mad, most likely, so take them out quickly." "Could we capture it and sell it?" Lenna bristled visibly, the fur on her ears standing on end. "Absolutely not. That's illegal and wrong. Besides, we have a mission to accomplish. Focus on it, thief, not the money." Lenna was perhaps being mean to the legendary Shadow. From Lenna's perspective, the girl already was hard to trust because of her reputation. Beyond that, Lenna had never needed to make ends meet with earning her own that, so she really didn't understand that Cecilia might actually NEED some money. And with that, Lenna lauched herself into battle, beast stone gleaming. One moment, a relatively short woman was running forward. The next, an absolutely gargantuan rabbit as big as a horse was charging forth, letting out a furious war cry. She bounded forward quickly. She had been rushing for a scarecrow, and had leapt toward it, prepared to tear the demon apart, before a voraptus dive at her and slammed into her side. She fell to the side and rolled, wincing in pain. The voraptus continued its assault, charging with a low and deadly dive, and Lenna shifted into human shape and rolled under it. She grabbed its tail, and was lifted quickly into the sky. Before the bird got too high, Lenna climbed up its back a bit and shifted into bunny form again. The weight of the huge bunny was too much for the bird to maintain flight, and it began to fall, Lenna tearing into its back. After a few moments it crashed. Lenna had killed it, crushing the feral beast's bones and tearing it's flesh. She had gotten battered in the attempt too, however. Lenna was tossed to the side by the crashing bird, and, before she could get up, was slammed into by another. Her reckless charge had had good results, but left her in dire straits.</s>	<\|message\|>Vance Meridian Vance and Eve both listened and the crier began to list the groups that were going on the quest. "The fourth group will exit by the Northern gate. They are Miercoles of..." he siiiiighed as if to say 'what is up with spellswords and not filling out their information'," Miercoles the spellsword. Vance of Masa and Elle of Asterith." As soon as they called the third group, Eve was starting to worry that they wouldn't get called at all. As soon as the crowds around them began to cheer, and applaud, Eve gave them several proud bows, as if she had already been victorious. Vance simply sighed. He was by no means a showman, and he didn't like being the center of attention. "Let's go" he said, nearly having to carry her away from the adoring crowd. She fluttered faithfully behind him as he walked. Vance's head turned towards one of the gates as it opened, signaling that they were to head that way. "Already?" he thought to himself. "Damnit!" he whispered. Even flew closer to his face. "What's wrong?" she asked. He sighed, closing his eyes. "I thought that we'd have more time to prepare." He said, walking at a steadier pace to his horse. After approaching it, and unbuckling the bag that was strapped behind the saddle, he whispered something to his fairy companion. She blushed a bit, but then nodded. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a cloth tent that he would use as a privacy curtain, enough to cover half of the horse's backside, and Vance, as he started to give orders to Eve. Only Vance's voice could be heard behind the curtain, as well as protests from his horse. "Harder" "Faster" "Pull more on it!" "That's it, now do it again on the other side" "Yeah, you got it" "Too hard!" All that was heard from Eve were small grunts, as well as protests from the horse as Vance accidentally backed into it a time or two during all of this. What the hell were they doing under that tent!? With one last small grunt from Eve's efforts, the curtain fell to reveal Vance wearing his full plate armor, which he always needed assistance putting on. There were twenty four pieces in all, 12 for each side, not including the shield that he wore on his back. Reaching up, Vance adjusted one of his shoulder plates, and it clinked against the chest guard as it moved into place. "Not bad! Those straps can be a pain sometimes" he said with a grin as he put the tent back into the bag behind the saddle. Eve responded with a small salute to him. He mounted his horse, guiding it towards the northern gates. As he approached, the gates opened and the two portly men seemed to be bothered that they had to work today. Vance shot them a look of scorn for what he considered laziness. Maybe if they weren't drowning their sorrows in a bottle, they could pick up a sword for the cause, but he didn't dwell on it too much before he was out of the gates. A few others emerged before the gates were shut, and locked behind them. "Who was supposed to be with us?" Eve said as they looked at the carnage that was already taking place a small way out of the gate. "A Spellsword, and a .." he started to say, but then saw some of the volunteer villagers rush from behind him towards the scare crow demons with pitchforks, and a few handmade spears. "Damnit!" he said, kicking his horse and taking off after them. One of them had fallen before reaching the scarecrows, thankfully. One less that he would have to worry about. He quickly dismounted and readied his shield, as well as drawing his sword. There were so many of them, and so many villagers that were trying to fend them off. His rational mind tried to prioritize what he should do, but he had to work on gut instincts. One of the villagers stabbed at a scarecrow, but he only succeeded in getting it stuck in the creature. The villager was quickly knocked to the ground with the monster hovering over him with a sickle, ready to make the kill. Vance rushed towards them, using his shield to knock the scarecrow off balance, and slashing at its midsection with his sword. With one quick motion, he had beheaded the creature before it hit the ground. He helped the villager to his feet, but his attention was quickly diverted towards the chaos around him. "Aren't we supposed to be getting help with these things?" Eve said as she looked around, helping him survey the situation. "Introductions will come later!" he said as he headed towards another scarecrow that was running towards his horse. "If we live." he added.</s>
<\|description\|>Vance Meridian Nicknames/Aliases: N/A Gender: Male Birthday: May 19th Age: 33 Class: Templar Occupation: Knight Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: (See above) Personality: Vance is very strict with the rules that he was raised by, and keeps these morals as his guides in whatever he does. He has a strong sense of justice, and what he feels is right and wrong. He's easy to get along with, as long as he doesn't suspect any foul play has been done by those around him. Though he is quiet, and reserved in his opinions of those around him, he is usually empathic to those who he is near. Likes: Order, protecting those who can't protect themselves, camping. Dislikes: Disobedience, injustice, disagreements. Past/History: Growing up, Vance was seen to be quite skilled in the healing arts, and displayed a fierce protectiveness of those around him whenever they were being mistreated, or bullied. This led to him being recommended to the knighthood for training to become a Templar. In his teenage years, he showed promise, but the hopes were dashed when he saw a friend get killed, and the murderer walked, due to a technicality in the system. Vance went out that night, and killed the man himself, thus betraying his order. He went into hiding for years, just recently emerging again after a hiatus, leading a nomadic life mostly in solitude after the 'incident'. Time hasn't done much to alleviate his feelings of guilt for his betrayal, though he was never caught, or brought to trial for his own crimes. He has been traveling across the land, trying to do everything in his power to right his wrongs, helping anyone who will accept it, and never take payment for his deeds. The first place that he approached was the forest town of Masa(May-sa), and he considers that his 'home'. He can never again go back to his kingdom for fear of being charged for his crimes.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia Elisha's mind was wavering off to something else when Louis had suddenly swung his arm around her. She was very surprised at his sudden gesture and her face had turned beet red. Not that many men have gotten this close to her before barring family members, and so she felt very awkward. "S-sir Louis please! I am v-very flattered but t-there is a time and place for this!" Louis wasn't finished, and soon converted his hold onto her into a full on body hug. Elisha found this situation to be very very awkward, and her heart was pounding madly. Their closeness, his body heat and hers, as well as the alcohol's aura mixing together was bad. Her head was starting to feel light, and she had starting losing conciousness. thump However, she was brought out of it by a sharp pain in her chest and had a pained look on her face. "A-again? Why now of all times?" She jumps out of her seat and out of Louis' grasp. "I-I need to go to the bathroom." Not wanting to be a bother to the others, she starts heading for the bathroom, but not before asking the waitress where it was located. She was directed to go to the door in the corner of the room. thump thump Once inside, she closes the door before keeling towards the wall and slid down to her knees. She was sweating pretty badly, unsure if it was caused by the alcohol or her heart acting up. "This hurts. I-I need to drink my medicine..." Her medicine bag was still thankfully hanging by her waist, and so she quickly grabs one of the pills inside and swallowed it immediately. It only took a moment to stop her heart from getting worse and go back to normal, but she felt exhausted and drained. She turned back around and sat down on the floor properly with her knees close to her chest while regaining her breath. Elisha wipes the sweat off of her forehead before noticing how small and cramped the bathroom was. There was only enough room for one toilet and one bathroom sink inside. Although you could probably fit in two or three people if the need would arise for some reason. The room wasn't fancily designed, but it probably is doing its job well. The smell wasn't too bad either. After a few minutes, Elisha had calmed down enough that she could stand up again. "I need to be more careful... I've already had two pills today. Any more could be very dangerous for me." She shortly walks out of the bathroom and starts walking back towards her group, trying to look as calm as she could. Before that though, she walks over to the waitress named Lucia, as her father had shouted out a moment earlier, and bows as low as she could. "Thank you, Miss Lucia." Before she could make a little more small talk with her however, someone suddenly barged in to the bar and made a scene. He seemed harmless judging from his words, but his cat suddenly jumping out and smacking his face with a hairball was enough to get her to start giggling a bit.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Hearing the crier's information, Cecelia rolled her eyes. "Great. Typical nobles." Realizing who all was in her team, she immediately regretted her words. Looking around at her team, she babbles "I- I mean, I've had bad experiences with high nobles and loyalty stuff. Sorry..." Her embarrassment was cut short by someone short: the owner. Hearing the name 'Finny', Cecelia giggled and couldn't stop. Once he was done, she noticed Elisha's face as she got up and rushed to the bathroom. Not seeing that as a good sign, Cecelia attempted to pursue, getting up ever so gracefully as her drunken body allowed. About halfway to the door Elisha had gone through, Cecelia tripped over... Well, she's pretty drunk, so she just tripped and got a face full of floor. Elisha emerged as Cecelia was finally able to pick herself up, and went over to her, but before she could get close enough, a boy hit the door like it hit him first, monologuing. Cecelia was frozen during his speech, until a cat that was presumably his, interrupted him, pissed him off, and spat a hairball in the boy's face. Cecelia couldn't help but giggle madly at the sight. Once she was able to dial her giggling fit down, she turned back to Elisha "Hey, you alright, sweetie?" Still using family-esque names due to her drunken mind not filtering her mouth, she continued after placing her hand on Elisha's shoulder "Did you have too much to drink? Was it your heart condition? Or was Louis' gesutre that bad?" Adding the last question with a smile, she rubbed Elisha's shoulder with her thumb in an attempt to comfort the younger girl. "I just saw you running and got worried. I would've been there sooner, but the floor wanted to have a chat with me." Brennen Garron Brennen heard the crier's announcement about them having to help again and, just over a mumble, commented, ever so delicately "Fuuuuuuuuuuhuhuhuuuck" just before letting his head drop back onto one of the few non-dampened spots on his scarlet robe's sleeve. Most of it looked like he had been using it to play tic-tac-toe, with his snot in place of ink. With the owner having introduced himself and his staff, he now at least knew a name to call the bar man who would serve him his final two ales before he passed out at the table. He tried to think positively I'm a good tactician. Great even! I can use any number of trained men to protect a villag- and that's where the positivity stopped. Brennen's brain resumed its grief for those he had lost. This time, he didn't cry as badly. Just silent tears as he stared through his darkened scarlet jacket sleeve into the distance. That's when some... kid barged in. He was yammering about himself and how great he is, and at the exact moment Brennen thought about throwing a bottle at the kid's head, the young 'un was interrupted by a cat he referred to as shin. After the human had given his rebuttal to the cat's interruption, it promptly spat a hairball in his face. Laughing, Brennen said "good job, shin."</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière "Elishaaaaaaaaaa..." Louis moaned "don't...don't try to escape the hugz. You can't run from them; they will find you" he cried out to the fleeing girl, unable to muster up the motor function to pursue her "is doesn't matter...sheeee can't run for long...the hugz shall catch her." He said to himself "oh well...I still feel like hugz. Oh Lenna" he sang her name as he hobbled over to the beastkin and, for lack of a better word, 'fell' into hug with her "u like hugs right? Ha, what'm I saying, of course you do! You're a sexy bunny lady, and bunnies are cute little balls of fuzzy that love cuddlez. Therefor! you must love cuddlez too. Is science" he then passed out while still managing to keep a hold of Lenna</s>	<\|message\|>Vance Meridian "Tell ya what, this one's on me. I also got the reward gold over in the back. It's available in full upon request, but I'm also agreein' to keep hold of it if ya don't need it now. No need to pay bar tabs whilst there's gold in yer pouch in the back. I take tabs out of the pouch if it's not paid up front" Vance nodded to finny as he took the bottle of ale, taking a big swig of it after raising it towards the bartender. "Thanks" he said. He turned his back to the counter, looking at the other patrons. His expression was that of worry, and it got worse as he looked at each of the heroes that was left after the first mission. There was a drunk girl, who raced into the bathroom, with a female friend helping her. A Rabbit-girl who had carried her already-drunk companions in. A man who looked to be depressed from the battle. A seemingly horny drunk that was eying the girl who ran into the bathroom. After hearing the banter between the newcomer, and his cat, the last thing he heard was the cat hacking up a hairball onto it's companion's cheek. "Great.." Both Eve, and Vance thought in unison. "This is our fighting force? We're putting our lives in the hands of.... them?" Vance said to Eve, as the hairball slid off of Bartholomew's cheek, and onto the counter with a squishy "thud". With a heavy sigh, he took another swig of ale. "Cheers" he said in a less than subtle tone to the room.</s>
<\|description\|>Elisha Marluxia Nicknames / Aliases: Eli / Elle Gender: Female Birthday: June 30th Age: 17 Class: White Mage Occupation: Student Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: Personality: Gentle, kind, shy, and meek, Elisha's personality was molded through her harsh upbringing. A girl with a heart of gold, she's always willing to help someone if it meant their happiness. Never one to hold a grudge, her kindness knows no bounds. She has always put others ahead of herself, where her martyrical nature has bit her in the rear more than once before. Despite this, she grit her teeth and forced herself to move on. Underneath all of this however, is a girl whose self-esteem is always at a dangerously low point. Someone who frequently questions her purpose and goal in life. Her outward demeanor hiding a frail and weak person. She frequently has considered committing suicide, but she has always barely shot the idea down by telling herself that she just needs a little more time to change. As a result of her family's long outdated look on left-handed people being "servants" of a greater evil, she has developed a complex about her dexterity. While she is naturally a southpaw, she has forced herself to deal with the world with her right hand as well. Elisha only ever reverts to her dominant hand in private or during dire situations, while keeping her right in public. Hometown: Otonoki - A fairly average-sized town just about two hours to the South of Maplestead by horse. The town is best known for developing some of the most successful mages in history. Featuring some of the top ranking universities in the country, Otonoki's quality in teaching is well-known and respected. If one wants to learn how to be a very good mage, then Otonoki is one of the best places to learn at. Otonoki has a medieval theme attached to it. The town is abundant with nature and filled with green pastures and surrounded by forests. Aside from that, the town is covered by several mountains to its West side which compliment its old-fashioned look, as well as serve as the training grounds for up and coming mages. Likes: Children, left-handed tools, music, reading Dislikes: Loud and crowded areas, romance, large bodies of water, her family, being referred by her last name Past / History: Born into the wealthy and prestigious but old-fashioned magi family of Marluxia, her upbringing was meant to be one of high class. At first, this was the case. An accident during her child years nearly took her life, as well as leaving her heart in a very frail state. Elisha was no longer able to be physically fit. Every time she tried to run, her heart would be strained easily and she'd be out of breath. Anything that shocks or surprises her can give her a heart attack. Anything that hits the area around her heart can give her a heart attack. Her family was supportive despite this. Her siblings were there to help, and her parents spent their precious work time to be with her. Somehow though, Elisha felt they were only doing all of this out of pity. A thought that quickly turned into fact. Her life slowly turned for the worse when her parents discovered her preference for her left hand. Her family was quick to change their demeanor around her. "A sign of the devil's servant", they say. Elisha's family beat her. They locked her in her room for years. Only letting her out for food and trips to the bathroom. The servants who tried to comfort or sympathize with her were quickly fired and replaced, eventually leaving her with no one to connect with. No one was allowed to be associated with the "devil's servant". She grew to resent her family, all the while never once losing her kindness to others despite the abuse. She greeted and spoke to them all the same, with a smile and polite mannerism. Over the years, she forced herself into relearning the world by using her right hand. Once her parents deemed that she has "cleansed" herself enough, they allowed her to "live" normally again. Given that she was tutored at home to avoid other people finding out about her dexterity on top of the abuse she went through, she had poor social skills. They eventually allowed her to study at a high school near their mansion. With her first year being the point of when she was taken advantage of several times due to her kind and awkward nature. She took all of this in stride. She never considered anyone her friend and treated everyone the same, despite a few of them showing legitimate signs of wanting to be friends with her.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia The woman who had helped her earlier was waving at her with a sincere smile. Elisha found it rude to not wave back, even if she wanted to avoid giving the older woman a misunderstanding. She shyly tries to force a smile, as well as waving back. One of the other adventurers however bumps into her as they were walking, which causes her to lose some of her balance. Thankfully she was able to catch herself, but not without hitting somebody else. After regaining her footing, Elisha takes a few steps back before bowing as low as she could towards the person she bumped into. "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you," she said as sincerely as she could. Upon lifting her head, she noticed that this was the person who was signing up alongside her at the line. "Louis... Françoise Le Blanc... de La Vallière... was it?" Elisha didn't have the best memory, but extravagant names such as his somehow keep sticking out for her. "It's a lovely name. Just... long." However, her stomach suddenly makes itself known by growling. "Oh god, why now?! Ssshhhh~!" Blushing madly as well as clutching her stomach, she was hoping that nobody heard the noise it made. "I-I'm sorry for my rude manners. I-it's just that... I haven't had anything since last night," she continues before she returns to bowing.</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière As Louis was raised in a very upper-crust home, he was brought up on a very strict code of manners (is that a thing; code of manners? Ah screw it, it is now). There were strict ways to do things, and things that you strictly couldn't do. Bodily noises were one such thing. However, that was normally...urg...gas expelled from either the mouth or rear (gah! Such a ghastly image). The cries of a person's stomach were a little different. First of all, you couldn't tell it was going to make that noise until it actually happened, and even then you couldn't stop it any more then you could stop your own heart from beating though shear force of will. Secondly, it didn't release any offensive gas into the air. While the upper class may be complete snobs, at least they weren't completely unreasonable With that in mind, Louis opened up his bag and pulled out a gourmet breakfast sandwich, wrapped up in cloth to keep it clean. "You shouldn't embark on such a quest without eating something" he said while holding it out to the girl with the noise stomach. Suddenly, his brain finished processing what his mouth had just said and panicked "d-d-d-d-d-don't misunderstand I'm only doing this so you don't e-e-e-embarrass yourself! As a n-n-n-n-n-noble, it is my duty to fix such obvious mistakes before me if it is within my power to do so" he claimed, his cheeks tomato red "really! It's not because I think you're pretty or anything, that's simply absurd, get such thoughts out of your head!"</s> <\|message\|>Vance Meridian Vance and Eve both listened to the man's philosophy, and way of life, and for the most part, Vance agreed with it. When Veltis turned around, Vance found himself admiring the bow that was on his back. It was beautifully crafted, and it looked like it could be deadly in the right hands. He imagined Veltis using it with a fusion of both power, and grace. It was an impressive thought, and he hoped that he would get to see it someday. After a firm handshake, and a nod, Vance spoke. Eve seemed to be smitten with his posture and the way that he spoke. "There are many evils in the world, and it takes people like us to make sure that peace is preserved in these dark times." He said. "You're one of the good ones, Veltis" he added. Eve had a small blush, and a big smile appear on her face as Veltis referred to her as 'beautiful' Vance found even himself admiring Veltis. He was one of the good guys, and he would surely be a powerful ally in the fight for good. He wasn't too bad on the eyes, either, as Eve pointed out. As Veltis walked away, Vance watched him, and then looked to others who were around them. He suddenly felt a new sense of purpose in doing this quest. They money was good, but these people, all of them, were worth saving. He truly hoped that he, and Veltis, would cross paths again.</s> <\|message\|>Tanzin Akar Maplestead was a funny town. It sounded so plain by the name that Tanzin had glanced over it the last time he looked at a map but the promise of a royal award was something Tanzin didn't take lightly. Money was the ultimate motivation, sure, but the promise of creatures too big to handle was something that really appeared to be irresistible. "Ha!" The great ogre of a man shouted, in the tavern he was calling home for the night, slamming his fists onto the table as he just finished his sixth pitcher of mead of the night. "They should have just asked me." He cockily said to his present company, a band of sellswords who were dwarfed by Tanzin's size. Wiping the messy drink from around his mouth, he continued, "Sheep herders and stable boys are all they'll get! Greed promising more than they can handle, all will run at the sight of anything bigger than them!" Again he slammed the table, "I'm off, then!" He said in a haste. It wasn't even the day of and he was already just outside of Maplestead, but he gathered up his things and darted out the door, hooting and a hollering. Other patrons, including the sellswords, shook their heads and all made comments about that drunkards quest. "It was a fool's errand," they said. The country of Sejan was at risk of being overrun and the those drinking patrons all had their theories about why this quest was happening. "There is no pay, they just bodies to throw at those things to keep them back!" They agreed that not even a man Tanzin's size could fight off the bigger of the creature out there. - The next morning, Tanzin was up and ready to go. He thought he was eyeballing the competition but much to his dismay, some of them were going to be his teammates. At least that is what they told him as soon as he signed up, signing just underneath a long-written name. "Hmph!" Tanzin scoffed as he strode past the other signees talking amongst themselves. None of these squishy folk looked at all strong. Tanzin strolled away, not wanting to socialize with such weaklings, and returned to his massive warhammer resting on the ground. Despite it having quite some value, nobody could lift it aside from Tanzin, himself. He swung that hammer with ease and threw it up on his shoulders, waiting for the call to begin the hunt. --- Petite and quiet, Elle managed to sneak in behind a rather large man, who could probably give giants a run for their money, and sign her name. There were so far quite a few who signed on and she was satisfied to see that so many people were trying to come to this city's aid. The city of Maplestead had become overly crowded as refugees flocked into the city gates. The sudden influx of horrific demons and creatures drove those that were unable to defend themselves and their property into the city wall. Elle had been in Maplestead for a few days now, resting as she had grown very ill in the past week. She was just starting to feel better when this royal decree was passed around every town crier inside the city walls. The refugees were the first sign that thing were bad, the decree present the problem a far worse. There are too many for them to handle! Elle thought to herself as she finished signing and looked at the small collection of guardsmen that stood on the other side of the sign-up sheet. They were giving her dirty looks and a muttering caused one of them to snort in laughter. Obviously, Elle had appeared quite intimating following that large man, but she had power that none would believe. It was a shame that it had to be daytime, however. The sun was already starting to beam down, almost blinding the nocturnal Elle. All of this wasn't her first choice but Elle had a sense Juna was wanting this. Last night's display of Aran's Star becoming eclipsed by a meteor that appeared to be heading right for Maplestead, burned up before it reached the ground. It was a sign that something apocalyptic could be on the rise as Aran was Juna's Child of War and she was the Keeper of Stjarna, an underworld of sorts. Signing up felt like her duty and so she did, despite being ill and likely not at full strength with her sickness and at day. Hopefully this crusade would carry on into the night where Elle was more useful. For a moment, Elle watched the conversations of the others. She wanted to join as they were likely interesting people and very likely to become her immediate allies but alas, she suddenly felt a wave of heat that threatened to knock her out. Best if she fled to somewhere with water first and she could always meet those of her group later. So she fled the courtyard for a brief moment, fetching some water from a public well.</s>	<\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia The silence between them felt unbearable. She has embarrassed herself quite badly already in front of Louis, and this is adding on to the awkwardness. Silence was never a big issue for Elisha, but the current situation's silence isn't exactly pleasant. Just as she was about to lift her head, Louis breaks the silence as well as handing her a sandwich. "A-are you sure I can have this?" Her left hand let go of her stomach, before slowly trying to reach the piece of food that Louis was offering her. Elisha hesitates however, feeling guilty that she's about to take someone else's food for free. His follow up however, Elisha found to be quite amusing, and a tad funny. She tried to keep it in, but she couldn't stop giggling a little bit. "He's not so bad either." She couldn't help but smile at his reaction to himself offering her the food. Somehow, she felt more at ease that he wouldn't mind. "Thank you, Louis." She takes the sandwich from his hands and slowly peels away the cloth that it had been wrapped in. The sandwich itself wasn't very thick, but it had enough meat and vegetables in between that could make it very good breakfast food. Elisha takes a nibble at one of the exposed corners, and the food's flavor quickly resonated through her taste buds. "This... This is very good!" The softness of the meat, the juiciness of the vegetables, as well as the sweetness of the mayonnaise spread in between made for a delicious sandwich.</s>
<\|description\|>Elisha Marluxia Nicknames / Aliases: Eli / Elle Gender: Female Birthday: June 30th Age: 17 Class: White Mage Occupation: Student Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: Personality: Gentle, kind, shy, and meek, Elisha's personality was molded through her harsh upbringing. A girl with a heart of gold, she's always willing to help someone if it meant their happiness. Never one to hold a grudge, her kindness knows no bounds. She has always put others ahead of herself, where her martyrical nature has bit her in the rear more than once before. Despite this, she grit her teeth and forced herself to move on. Underneath all of this however, is a girl whose self-esteem is always at a dangerously low point. Someone who frequently questions her purpose and goal in life. Her outward demeanor hiding a frail and weak person. She frequently has considered committing suicide, but she has always barely shot the idea down by telling herself that she just needs a little more time to change. As a result of her family's long outdated look on left-handed people being "servants" of a greater evil, she has developed a complex about her dexterity. While she is naturally a southpaw, she has forced herself to deal with the world with her right hand as well. Elisha only ever reverts to her dominant hand in private or during dire situations, while keeping her right in public. Hometown: Otonoki - A fairly average-sized town just about two hours to the South of Maplestead by horse. The town is best known for developing some of the most successful mages in history. Featuring some of the top ranking universities in the country, Otonoki's quality in teaching is well-known and respected. If one wants to learn how to be a very good mage, then Otonoki is one of the best places to learn at. Otonoki has a medieval theme attached to it. The town is abundant with nature and filled with green pastures and surrounded by forests. Aside from that, the town is covered by several mountains to its West side which compliment its old-fashioned look, as well as serve as the training grounds for up and coming mages. Likes: Children, left-handed tools, music, reading Dislikes: Loud and crowded areas, romance, large bodies of water, her family, being referred by her last name Past / History: Born into the wealthy and prestigious but old-fashioned magi family of Marluxia, her upbringing was meant to be one of high class. At first, this was the case. An accident during her child years nearly took her life, as well as leaving her heart in a very frail state. Elisha was no longer able to be physically fit. Every time she tried to run, her heart would be strained easily and she'd be out of breath. Anything that shocks or surprises her can give her a heart attack. Anything that hits the area around her heart can give her a heart attack. Her family was supportive despite this. Her siblings were there to help, and her parents spent their precious work time to be with her. Somehow though, Elisha felt they were only doing all of this out of pity. A thought that quickly turned into fact. Her life slowly turned for the worse when her parents discovered her preference for her left hand. Her family was quick to change their demeanor around her. "A sign of the devil's servant", they say. Elisha's family beat her. They locked her in her room for years. Only letting her out for food and trips to the bathroom. The servants who tried to comfort or sympathize with her were quickly fired and replaced, eventually leaving her with no one to connect with. No one was allowed to be associated with the "devil's servant". She grew to resent her family, all the while never once losing her kindness to others despite the abuse. She greeted and spoke to them all the same, with a smile and polite mannerism. Over the years, she forced herself into relearning the world by using her right hand. Once her parents deemed that she has "cleansed" herself enough, they allowed her to "live" normally again. Given that she was tutored at home to avoid other people finding out about her dexterity on top of the abuse she went through, she had poor social skills. They eventually allowed her to study at a high school near their mansion. With her first year being the point of when she was taken advantage of several times due to her kind and awkward nature. She took all of this in stride. She never considered anyone her friend and treated everyone the same, despite a few of them showing legitimate signs of wanting to be friends with her.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia was about to say something to the voice about needing money when a small girl ran, then changed into a huge rabbit. The fight scene stunned Cecelia for a while. After getting over the shock, she called to the others. Using her illusion magic, she sent an intangible duplicate to distract the bird-thing. She ran to the rabbit-shaped girl, put a smokescreen around the two, and whispered in the girl's ear "keep a low profile while aiming for the scarecrows. Stay human until you're within attacking distance from them. When the scarers are gone, the birds will calm down. No need to kill such expensi- such otherwise harmless birds." Rephrasing her description of the voraptus at last-second, remembering the girl's earlier words about 'illegal' and 'wrong'. "Also, what's wrong with wanting to possibly make a few thousand coin in a day. For a bird," Cecelia added before using her 5-second invisibility spell to rush behind a scarecrow and dismember the farthest-back one from behind, leaving the rest unaware of their fallen companion. Brennen Garron Brennen was silent for a few seconds after Adrial's comment to him. Wow, I've really underthought this battle. I've been hired by too many experienced sellswords to realize that there's probably three of us that have battle experience... After breaking from his thoughts, Brennen addressed Adrial. "It's alright. I didn't mean to risk lives, I'm just used to sellswords and the like who have some battle experience. I haven't seen a screecher in person or read up on many creatures, but I'd bet it needs those hands to rend flesh, so if we can dismember it or tie up the hands, it should be pretty easy. I know the spellsword and I have ranged magic we can use to grab its attention, but if you have any ranged attacks, that would help. We just need to keep shifting its attention around and slowly close in on it when you don't have its attention." Brennen found a nearby stick and set it aflame with his in-hand fireball. Addressing the crowd, he adds "you can use this and some oil if anyone has some to light your weapons. Or jsut get more sticks and light them. Make sure to have some sort of defense. A shield, or if you're using a torch, your sword can act as a shield as in deflection. Swing in the oposite direction your opponent is swining at you to deflect."</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière If Louis had to be honest, he would have admitted that this wasn't going quite as he expected it to. He had naively assumed that he was going to be taking part in something far more grand and epic. Only to find out it was more or less an extermination job. As such, Louis found himself in an odd predicament in which his pride both demanded that he just leave since such work was beneath him, and demanded that he fulfill his obligation. Something else he found strange was the Underwood girl a few years older then him. He knew of the family, but he was sure that they were human, not beastkin. That would be something to check on later At the west gate, he soon discovered just how ill-prepared for this he really was, having not really thought about the fact that he had never so much as touched a weapon until a few days ago. However, he did have something to fall back to; his memories of his brother training. While Crow wasn't a Rapier user per-say, he was very proficient with every kind of sword that Louis could think of. So he had seen his brother handle one of these before. As much as he loathed having to copy his brother, it was his best bet. Falling into what he could remember of the proper stance, he readied himself for combat... Only for one of the bird monster things to charge at him. His body moved without any input from his brain, and he thrusted his weapon into it's chest, badly wounding it. The bird crumpled to the ground, to hurt to do anything else. Once his brain caught up, Louis took his weapon and shoved it into the bird's head, finishing it off without anymore pain. Feeling awfully proud of himself (and looking like he knew what he was doing), he decided to reply to that Cecelia girl "If you're so willing to risk your life and name for coin thief, then be my guest. However, don't expect any of us to aid you is such a foolish endeavor"</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia Elisha heard her name as one of the members of the first group. Part of her was relieved that she knew two of her three teammates right off the bat. At the same time however, this means she'll have to deal with Cecelia's proposal later on. Before long, the group had already been pushed outside to deal with the monsters lurking around. "Will the four of us be alright?" Taking on this quest suddenly became a bad idea for her. Although it was her parents' wishes to give her experience, her physical condition will most likely just get in the way of her more experienced teammates. Before she could do anything however, one of her teammates had already rushed forward to deal with the monsters. The sight of a beastkin transforming into their beast forms and back was an amazing sight to behold. Part of her wanted to cuddle with Lenna's beast form, but that thought can wait as Lenna was being attacked by another voraptus. Luckily, Cecelia was quick to action and had saved the rabbit girl. Elisha shifts her thoughts onto the oncoming danger. Following Cecelia's lead, she proceeds to use her fire magic to attack the other scarecrows. Elisha had meant to use a spell strong enough to obliterate the remaining ones, but the last remaining voraptus interrupts her channeling and sends her flying several feet away. Having been caught off guard, the girl was unable to catch herself and crashed onto the ground.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna was thankful for Cecilia's smoke cover for a moment, until she heard the voraptus that had been keeping pressure on her flap away. That meant that it had chosen a smaller, easier target. Thinking of the young nobles in their group, Lenna burst from the smoke. She briefly considered engaging the scarecrows, but then realized where the final voraptus had gone. Lenna let out a bestial warcry before racing for her white mage ally. As the voraptus knocked Elisha over, Lenna dived on it. It couldn't fly away with her weight pressing on it, and Lenna began wrestling with the bird on the ground. Lenna pinned the bird, making it a clear target for one of her companions.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia heard commotion from the other bird, looking in time to see Elisha getting knocked back. A protective urge moved Cecelia's feet in that direction. Cecelia passes the bird and checks on Elisha. Out of breath, she asks "are you... Alright?" and pulls out a small bandaging kit she originally brought to bandage herself. "Need any... Help?" still trying to catch her breath, she continues asking questions. She looks over at the well-dressed lad with the rapier "can you take out the bird?"</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière "Yes" Louis answered, although that was really unlikely. Getting into the stance once more, he readied himself to attack the bird. All at once, he moved forward towards his target, hand ready to end it's life. Once he was in range, he lashed out with his weapon, striking the prone beast in the torso. Badly wounded, it quivered under Lenna, no longer able to muster up any strength to escape. With it unable to fight back and slowly dying, Louis walked over and shoved his weapon in it's skull, ending it just like the last one. The creature didn't even know what hit him... ...Mostly because he didn't even notice Louis, and it was already trapped under a large bunnykin...but still "Is she badly hurt?" He asked Cecelia, regarding Elisha. As of right now, Louis was feeling pretty good about himself 'This is far easier then Crow made it out to be...perhaps I simply have a knack for it.' It's too bad that he didn't consider dumb luck a possibility</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana Miercoles managed to get signed up at the last minute and yet he managed to get into a group. Still he was late as by the time he rushed to the northernmost gate one of the group members was already in combat with some bizarre looking creations. Definitely not animal, vegetable, or miner but scarecrows? While he didn't want to say they were going to be easy, it could be a lot more worse. Even if enchanted it was enchanted wood, straw, and cloth is no match for a keen blade and an even more keen hand. A small group of the possessed scarecrows fell apart in the time it took for him to re-sheathe his blade as it cleaved through them with the ease of gust of wind kicks dust up. Dramatic entrance now complete he spoke to the armored man with a tip of the hat, "We can exchange names after this. For now let us focus on destroying these pests quickly." He then set down his box as it would be a bit of a nuisance in this fight as well out of a desire to minimize any possible damage that could be inflicted on it.</s>	<\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia "Man, I am really out of shape." Elisha thinks to herself as she desperately catches her breath. The impact she made blew all of the wind out of her. Before long, she could hear Cecelia and Louis coming to check up on her. "I-I'll be OK... Cecelia... I just need... to calm down for a few." Elisha slowly forces herself to stand back up. "Get a hold of yourself, Eli. You told yourself you won't be a burden anymore." As she says that to herself, she closes her eyes and begins channeling the spell she was going to use moments earlier once more. "The three scarecrows are... there... there... and there..." Envisioning where her targets are, Elisha envelops the three remaining demons in a cloak of flame. Being made out of straw, they were quick to catch on fire and were shortly burned into a crisp, but not before loudly wailing out into the skies one last time.</s>
<\|description\|>Elisha Marluxia Nicknames / Aliases: Eli / Elle Gender: Female Birthday: June 30th Age: 17 Class: White Mage Occupation: Student Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: Personality: Gentle, kind, shy, and meek, Elisha's personality was molded through her harsh upbringing. A girl with a heart of gold, she's always willing to help someone if it meant their happiness. Never one to hold a grudge, her kindness knows no bounds. She has always put others ahead of herself, where her martyrical nature has bit her in the rear more than once before. Despite this, she grit her teeth and forced herself to move on. Underneath all of this however, is a girl whose self-esteem is always at a dangerously low point. Someone who frequently questions her purpose and goal in life. Her outward demeanor hiding a frail and weak person. She frequently has considered committing suicide, but she has always barely shot the idea down by telling herself that she just needs a little more time to change. As a result of her family's long outdated look on left-handed people being "servants" of a greater evil, she has developed a complex about her dexterity. While she is naturally a southpaw, she has forced herself to deal with the world with her right hand as well. Elisha only ever reverts to her dominant hand in private or during dire situations, while keeping her right in public. Hometown: Otonoki - A fairly average-sized town just about two hours to the South of Maplestead by horse. The town is best known for developing some of the most successful mages in history. Featuring some of the top ranking universities in the country, Otonoki's quality in teaching is well-known and respected. If one wants to learn how to be a very good mage, then Otonoki is one of the best places to learn at. Otonoki has a medieval theme attached to it. The town is abundant with nature and filled with green pastures and surrounded by forests. Aside from that, the town is covered by several mountains to its West side which compliment its old-fashioned look, as well as serve as the training grounds for up and coming mages. Likes: Children, left-handed tools, music, reading Dislikes: Loud and crowded areas, romance, large bodies of water, her family, being referred by her last name Past / History: Born into the wealthy and prestigious but old-fashioned magi family of Marluxia, her upbringing was meant to be one of high class. At first, this was the case. An accident during her child years nearly took her life, as well as leaving her heart in a very frail state. Elisha was no longer able to be physically fit. Every time she tried to run, her heart would be strained easily and she'd be out of breath. Anything that shocks or surprises her can give her a heart attack. Anything that hits the area around her heart can give her a heart attack. Her family was supportive despite this. Her siblings were there to help, and her parents spent their precious work time to be with her. Somehow though, Elisha felt they were only doing all of this out of pity. A thought that quickly turned into fact. Her life slowly turned for the worse when her parents discovered her preference for her left hand. Her family was quick to change their demeanor around her. "A sign of the devil's servant", they say. Elisha's family beat her. They locked her in her room for years. Only letting her out for food and trips to the bathroom. The servants who tried to comfort or sympathize with her were quickly fired and replaced, eventually leaving her with no one to connect with. No one was allowed to be associated with the "devil's servant". She grew to resent her family, all the while never once losing her kindness to others despite the abuse. She greeted and spoke to them all the same, with a smile and polite mannerism. Over the years, she forced herself into relearning the world by using her right hand. Once her parents deemed that she has "cleansed" herself enough, they allowed her to "live" normally again. Given that she was tutored at home to avoid other people finding out about her dexterity on top of the abuse she went through, she had poor social skills. They eventually allowed her to study at a high school near their mansion. With her first year being the point of when she was taken advantage of several times due to her kind and awkward nature. She took all of this in stride. She never considered anyone her friend and treated everyone the same, despite a few of them showing legitimate signs of wanting to be friends with her.</s> <\|message\|>Vance Meridian Inside the safety of the clinic, Vance was lying in bed. His armor and clothes were propped against the wall, next to the bed, and Eve was sitting on the edge of the bed near his shoulder. He tossed and turned a bit, dreaming as the painkillers that were administered started to take effect. He saw a man in black garb, and a mule, then a knife drawn, and put to his throat. One quick slice and the deed was done. As the man drew the knife across his skin in the dream, he awoke. His eyes were wide and he gasped, quickly sitting up in bed. The motion, and sound, had scared Eve to the point that she nearly fell off. His hand reached up to feel his neck, to make sure that it was just a dream. "Who was that?" he thought. He could have sworn that what he saw in his dream actually happened, but he wasn't far from gone when it did, so he couldn't be sure. When Eve recovered from her surprise, she quickly flew to him, hugging his neck as tightly as she could. "Oh gods, I thought you were gone! Don't you ever do that again!" She said with tears in her eyes, still clinging to him. Vance shrugged a bit, wincing at the pain in his newly readjusted shoulder. "It was either that, or die" he said with a 'matter of fact' tone. She gave him a look that said. "You better not die!" She still had tears running down her cheeks as she looked at him. "Were there any other survivors?" he said, looking from his shoulder to her. "Not many" she said, shaking her head. Vance was still too weak to fully heal his shoulder, so he would let the painkillers do their work. Eve explained to him where they were, and that when he was feeling better, he should go out to the tavern to meet the remaining heroes who survived their battles, and, of course get paid. As a priest walked through the clinic, blessing the survivors, he stopped at Vance, reaching into a small pouch and bringing out a small, silver cross on a chain, which he handed to Vance. The Templar looked at it for a minute before Eve snatched it away, unfolding the chain and putting it over his head. The metal was cold against his skin, but it looked good sitting against his bare chest. He needed a little while longer to recover before he could meet the other heroes, and collect his payment.</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana The following period of time the man spent was wandering the city and surveying the aftermath from the events that just recently happened. Truth be told he found himself quickly becoming bored as he continued prowling through the city. The city despite any damage to its citizens was still standing and in working condition although there was probably a large focus on manpower in tending to the wounded and dead as well as possibly tallying any damages incurred. These things which are all very important and not in his hands at all. His thought would be to relegate himself to the currents of his whim in much the same way a leaf gently travels through a breeze. He thought about the others people who had signed up and were along for the ride. And that most of them would be at some bar socializing and resting while awaiting the next set of orders. However for him it was still too early to hit the bar as to maximize the most of his profit he'd want it to be filled tighter and with the audience just liquored up enough to be properly lubricated. Tangentially to the subject of the others his mind quickly turn to his assigned group. He recalled that there are three people per group and that furthermore only one he saw. Speculating about the woman he did not see would be a waste of time; a thing he did not like to indulge in. It would be far more easier to seek the other man who'd he for the sake optimism was wounded and not dead and inquire about the whereabouts. Having made his way to the clinic where he heard the man was being held at. He slinked his way from out of the corner with his target in sight. There were many other beds each filled with different people. But only one of them had that same armor set he saw. There was a scent of some herbal concoction in the air as he spoke to the man, "We meet again. I'm just here to get some information, so tell me of the other person assigned to tour group. You happen to know her or something about her?" This conversation terse thought it maybe served two purposes: one being the obvious practical aspect and the other just sating his curiosity and giving him something to do.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood The door to the tavern of heroes slammed open, and a short woman with bunny ears wearing a beautiful dress stood on the other side. She lowered her foot, having kicked the door open. In each shoulder she held a youth, her companions Elisha and Louis. Both were blasted as all hell, as was her companion Cecilia, stumbling after her. Lenna looked around the tavern for a moment, and smiled. "My, what a lovely establishment," she remarked, "Don't you think so, lady Elisha? Sir Louis?" Without waiting for a response, Lenna quickly strided over to a table, depisiting the drunken youths each in a chair. "Beat that you guys not drink anything more," she suggested, "Lady Elisha, perhaps, but, sir Louis, I'm afraid if we let you sniff another drop of weak fruity drink, you may die of alcohol poisoning." She paused, "Are either of you hungry? I know bread neutralizes alcohol to an extent. Perhaps a bit of food could help." She smiled. Her team was crazy, but she liked it. Louis was especially odd, the little dork. She certainly wasn't going to tease the boy when he was drunk anymore though. She still blushed a bit, remembering his lips on her. My, that had been embarrassing. The tsundere little dork had even rubbed her bunny ears. He had no idea how intimate that was! The only people that had rubbed her ears were her father, her mother, her lovers, and Greg that one time that some boy had made fun of her for being beastkin. And that had been a special occasion, and Greg was basically dad#2 to her anyways! She briefly wondered if there was a local version of the Pugilist club. "Cecilia, you know about illegal stuff, right?" Lenna said, "is there a Pugilist Club in town?"</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia entered the tavern after Lenna, swaying lightly in her steps. Damn, it's been a long time since I've drank that much. Cecelia's armor was loosely resting on her, not strapped, laced, or anything, just resting on her torso as the dark shirt she wore under it loosely draped over her frame. Cecelia decided before either of her drunken teammates responded to Lenna's question about food to get some bread anyways. "I don't know about them, but I know that I'm hungry. I'll get us some bread." And with that, Cecelia ordered and paid for some bread. She noticed a few people in the tavern, including a man with wings in a back corner, but couldn't think of anything but Damn, I wish I had wings. Cecelia ever so gracefully staggered back to her teammates at the table. "Are you two alright after the ride on Lenna's shoulders? Not too sick?" She looked from Louis to Elisha with concern on her face. Even though she was relatively hammered, she's usually able to focus through the drunken haze and be rational. Til she passes out. Then it's wildcard time, where anything could happen from absolutely nothing to forcefully trying to hook up with men. Hearing Lenna's question about illegal activities, Cecelia thinks for a little bit and tells Lenna "well, I don't know this place very well. I might have spent one night here at most within the past fortnight. I can, however, find someone who does know the information. Tomorrow, we'll set out for whatever area of town is the poorest. That's where the most illegal activity lies." With that, Cecelia let her loosely hanging armor fall to the ground with a soft thud, allowing her loose-fitting shirt with a handful of holes in it to be fully revealed. "Aah, much better."</s>	<\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia Elisha didn't think she was drunk enough to not be able to stand up and walk all the way to the Tavern, and was about to decline Lenna's offer. However, once Lenna did stand her up, she felt the strength in her legs slightly give out and her head was light as a feather. She silently thanks her rabbit friend and goes along for the ride. It didn't take long for them to reach the Tavern, and she was then shortly placed onto a chair by Lenna. "Thank you, Miss Lenna." The alcohol's effects were still lingering in her system, and she takes her head into her hands in an attempt to balance and regain her composure... which wasn't helping too much. "And yes, I'll take some of the bread, thank you." She reaches for one of the loaves that was in the basket that Cecelia had ordered for them, and proceeds to take small bites out of it. "I-I think I'll be alright." She had a migraine going, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "...Miss Lenna kicking open the door was enough to shock me awake and splash me with heavy dose of a headache though," she adds before groaning a little as she rubbed her forehead. Elisha wasn't drunk, or at least she didn't think she was relative to how Louis and Cecelia acted when they were. She was desperately trying to keep her composure and not pass out or go all weird like Louis did earlier. It's a scary thought that she could turn into someone like that if she ever gets drunk like him.</s>
<\|description\|>Elisha Marluxia Nicknames / Aliases: Eli / Elle Gender: Female Birthday: June 30th Age: 17 Class: White Mage Occupation: Student Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: Personality: Gentle, kind, shy, and meek, Elisha's personality was molded through her harsh upbringing. A girl with a heart of gold, she's always willing to help someone if it meant their happiness. Never one to hold a grudge, her kindness knows no bounds. She has always put others ahead of herself, where her martyrical nature has bit her in the rear more than once before. Despite this, she grit her teeth and forced herself to move on. Underneath all of this however, is a girl whose self-esteem is always at a dangerously low point. Someone who frequently questions her purpose and goal in life. Her outward demeanor hiding a frail and weak person. She frequently has considered committing suicide, but she has always barely shot the idea down by telling herself that she just needs a little more time to change. As a result of her family's long outdated look on left-handed people being "servants" of a greater evil, she has developed a complex about her dexterity. While she is naturally a southpaw, she has forced herself to deal with the world with her right hand as well. Elisha only ever reverts to her dominant hand in private or during dire situations, while keeping her right in public. Hometown: Otonoki - A fairly average-sized town just about two hours to the South of Maplestead by horse. The town is best known for developing some of the most successful mages in history. Featuring some of the top ranking universities in the country, Otonoki's quality in teaching is well-known and respected. If one wants to learn how to be a very good mage, then Otonoki is one of the best places to learn at. Otonoki has a medieval theme attached to it. The town is abundant with nature and filled with green pastures and surrounded by forests. Aside from that, the town is covered by several mountains to its West side which compliment its old-fashioned look, as well as serve as the training grounds for up and coming mages. Likes: Children, left-handed tools, music, reading Dislikes: Loud and crowded areas, romance, large bodies of water, her family, being referred by her last name Past / History: Born into the wealthy and prestigious but old-fashioned magi family of Marluxia, her upbringing was meant to be one of high class. At first, this was the case. An accident during her child years nearly took her life, as well as leaving her heart in a very frail state. Elisha was no longer able to be physically fit. Every time she tried to run, her heart would be strained easily and she'd be out of breath. Anything that shocks or surprises her can give her a heart attack. Anything that hits the area around her heart can give her a heart attack. Her family was supportive despite this. Her siblings were there to help, and her parents spent their precious work time to be with her. Somehow though, Elisha felt they were only doing all of this out of pity. A thought that quickly turned into fact. Her life slowly turned for the worse when her parents discovered her preference for her left hand. Her family was quick to change their demeanor around her. "A sign of the devil's servant", they say. Elisha's family beat her. They locked her in her room for years. Only letting her out for food and trips to the bathroom. The servants who tried to comfort or sympathize with her were quickly fired and replaced, eventually leaving her with no one to connect with. No one was allowed to be associated with the "devil's servant". She grew to resent her family, all the while never once losing her kindness to others despite the abuse. She greeted and spoke to them all the same, with a smile and polite mannerism. Over the years, she forced herself into relearning the world by using her right hand. Once her parents deemed that she has "cleansed" herself enough, they allowed her to "live" normally again. Given that she was tutored at home to avoid other people finding out about her dexterity on top of the abuse she went through, she had poor social skills. They eventually allowed her to study at a high school near their mansion. With her first year being the point of when she was taken advantage of several times due to her kind and awkward nature. She took all of this in stride. She never considered anyone her friend and treated everyone the same, despite a few of them showing legitimate signs of wanting to be friends with her.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Brennen Garron Brennen sat shocked for a minute or so. Adrial had just told him off and walked away. Brennen had thought of some retorts, but the cleric left before he could speak anything. He carefully got up, thinking I really should sober up. Need my wits about me... I guess I do have really high standards for myself. Why is that rabbit-lady holding a boy like a sack of potatoes? I guess I really need sleep. With that, he followed where the winged cleric had gone and finally found the room. Having nothing of value, save his weapons, he undid his hilts and scabbard, placing them next to his bed and laid in it, staring up at the ceiling. Digging into his jacket's inner pocket, he pulls out a piece of paper that has been folded very neatly, rips it up, and throws it away. It merely had a total of ten tick marks on it. I shouldn't be keeping score like it's some game. It's fighting. It's dying. It's tragedy. I need to keep up my skills to do the best I can, not perfectly. With his thoughts ending on that note, Brennen's exhaustion and alcohol finally caught up with him, causing him to pass out for the night.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia World Finny had just told the bar area it was last call, and was starting to close up shop. It had been a long grand re-opening for the Tavern of Heroes to be used as intended. The three workers looked at each other and smiled at what they had accomplished. A tavern reserved for the bravest of heroes. And the place they stay after their escapades on the battlefield. With Finny closing down the bar, Lucia wiping down tables and shooing off guests to their rooms, setting up their rooms if they hadn't already bought one, pairing them off if they were with someone they knew. Even though the woman with long ears, though carrying another patron, requested a single room. Lucia figured don't ask, don't tell. Another lady who had armor dangling from her long, worn shirt asked for a double room and led a younger girl who seemed to be keeping most of her focus on not acting drunk or passing out. Lucia thought they were either siblings, mother and daughter, or a cute couple. She noticed a couple others pairing off, including the odd angel-elf and the human-ish boy with three swords who was crying for an ungodly amount of time. Lucia looked over at her dad to see him fidgeting with some nuts and bolts. "Dad, it's fine. You built this place better than anyone could. Admire your work for a little while. Let it get some wear 'n' tear on it before fixing it up. You need down time. Your back won't last forever, and we don't know what number the timer's on, so don't push yourself." Lucia admired her dad's passion for his tavern, but he'd been to the doctors before, and they warned him about his back. He's going to need to hire some help soon.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna saw another adventurer approach whom the templar with the fairy knew, and figured she'd allow them to have their moment. She smiled as she ordered a room and walked away. Shipping iiiiiiit. She went up to her room and tucked Louis in on one side of the bed. It was smaller than she expected, so she basically ended up being the big spoon, since she couldn't have any room to herself anyways. She briefly considered switching to a double room, but decided, hell with it. As she slept, she wondered what tomorrow would hold for her and her allies. She hoped they'd be okay. She mentally swore to herself she'd defend the dorks as best she could. She slept, then, dreaming of home.</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana Miercoles left the man to rest and headed to the tavern which was designed to contain all these mercenaries. Sure they were being called heroes but as he approached the tavern which under the moonlight had its wooden sign swaying in the breeze with "Tavern of Heroes" engraved and painted into it he rolled his eyes. They were just hired muscle plain as that. Any "heroism" would be byproduct of their orders save for maybe a rare few with noble intentions which he figured would be rare. Stepping through the door he made his way through the crowd who were many and seemed more than ready for a little bit of entertainment. However he stopped cold the moment he saw and heard Vance. He appeared behind him with hand with a vice like grip clawed onto that injured shoulder making his displeasure clearly made. A most evil of presence made itself known as his voice flowed coldly yet with venom, "Let it be known I hate having my time wasted like with that stunt you pulled off after having acted like you had been greatly injured. Now you're either well or injured, and I prefer the latter since if we fail the next assignment it will be solely your fault for not fully recovering. Now excuse me I have some real money to make." With shoulder free from that terrible grip he walked away temporarily blending into the crowd of people. Pure instinct guided him to the stage of sorts it had as he dropped the box and readied some instruments. He strummed the guitar to ensure it was properly tuned and finding it satisfactory began to play something that was neither to slow to bore and annoy them or put them to sleep nor too fast that would incite even more rowdiness leave him ignored and without pay.</s>	<\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia "There she goes again with her awkwardness..." Elisha couldn't help but smile a bit. "Hopefully she won't need to rely on alcohol so that we can speak more properly in the future." "I'd like some of that fix up, thank you." Anything that'll help lower the hangover Cecelia mentioned is a good thing for her... perhaps. All she was hoping is that it won't be icky or disgusting to take in. "I don't mind." Might be the remnants of the alcohol speaking, but she replied to Cecelia's offer with a straight face. Perhaps also missing the possible implications it might raise. Or she was just tired and just wanted to sleep. Shortly afterwards, Cecelia led her to one of the double rooms. Once inside, Elisha was too tired to take note of the details in the room and just crashed onto the nearest bed she saw, looking rather clumsy in the process. It didn't take more than a few moments for her to start sleeping.</s>
<\|description\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière Nicknames/Aliases: None Gender: Male Birthday: August 3 Age: 17 Class: Princes Occupation: None Species: Human Appearance: Clothing Style: Seen in Appearance Personality: Louis has a self esteem problem. Having grown up second in everything, he often finds himself struggling to be important, or better in something. It's a fight that sometimes consumes him, as he's been known to push himself to unreasonable levels to be good enough for anything. He puts a lot of work into being as aloof and distant as he can be, but it's a behavior that runs counter to his nature. Louis is a very passionate person, often guided by his heart, with his brain relegated to working out the logistics. So despite how hard he tries to keep his emotions buried away, they always manage to free themselves easily. Also, as a side effect of being raised in a castle with little to no interaction with the world outside, he is rather ignorant of said world Hometown: Tristania Likes: Being recognized for his accomplishments, feeling like he matters Dislikes: Being compared to his brother, feeling redundant, being useless Past/History: As the second son of the Vallière family, not much was expected of Louis. In fact, for most of his life, he was treated as his older brother Crow's backup, something that vexed him to no end. That said, he didn't hate his brother. In fact, his brother was the only person to treat him like he even mattered. Growing up, the two of them were very close. Having to live in his brother's shadow was very hard to do. Not only was his brother an extremely charismatic person, but he was also quite brilliant, as well as an accomplished swordsman. Young Louis couldn't find a single field where he could surpass his brother. His relatively quiet life came to an end when his family's castle came under attack one day. To his bewilderment, it wasn't an army, but a single person according to what he heard while making his way to his parent's room, with dead guards scattered throughout the building. When he got there, he found both of his parents dead. The killer was never found, and to make matters worse; Crow was missing. With Louis to young to take charge, his family's adviser was placed in charge until he was old enough. In the meantime, Louis was secretly sent to a remote village for his own protection, out of the public view. Unable to just sit around waiting, Louis came up with an idea that only worked in his perpetually second mind set; go out on his own and find his brother and his parent's murderer.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Brennen Garron Brennen was disappointed by how many casualties on his side. I should have micromanaged them. If we'd had more help, I could have more directly commanded the villagers while the Cleric and other help took out the Screecher. Feeling frustration, Brennen launches an angry fireball off in the distance, away from town, shouting a long string of curses. It's my fault they're dead... With that, Brennen heads to this Tavern of Heroes that's been set up for the convenience of the Heroes and pays for a strong ale. Being asked how strong, Brennen's only response was "strong enough to make me forget today even happened." Once served his drink, he took to a small booth along the wall, just hoping to black out. Brennen has only had any alcohol once before this drink, and it was because he was testing his skills while impaired. He still beat his opponent in... whatever game it was, but by a much smaller margin than when he was sober. By the time he finished his glass, he was barely conscious, crying heavily yet quietly, head buried in his arms on the table. We won. We achieved the objective. Why don't I feel like it was a victory, though? It feels like I lost the battle. Twenty-fucking-four volunteers died because I was too involved with that parent-fukcing, ass-faced screecher. I should have focused on the people, not the enemy... Dammit. "Dammit, dammit, dammit." His last thought slipped through his mouth, but it wasn't more than a drunken, slurred mumble.</s> <\|message\|>Vance Meridian Inside the safety of the clinic, Vance was lying in bed. His armor and clothes were propped against the wall, next to the bed, and Eve was sitting on the edge of the bed near his shoulder. He tossed and turned a bit, dreaming as the painkillers that were administered started to take effect. He saw a man in black garb, and a mule, then a knife drawn, and put to his throat. One quick slice and the deed was done. As the man drew the knife across his skin in the dream, he awoke. His eyes were wide and he gasped, quickly sitting up in bed. The motion, and sound, had scared Eve to the point that she nearly fell off. His hand reached up to feel his neck, to make sure that it was just a dream. "Who was that?" he thought. He could have sworn that what he saw in his dream actually happened, but he wasn't far from gone when it did, so he couldn't be sure. When Eve recovered from her surprise, she quickly flew to him, hugging his neck as tightly as she could. "Oh gods, I thought you were gone! Don't you ever do that again!" She said with tears in her eyes, still clinging to him. Vance shrugged a bit, wincing at the pain in his newly readjusted shoulder. "It was either that, or die" he said with a 'matter of fact' tone. She gave him a look that said. "You better not die!" She still had tears running down her cheeks as she looked at him. "Were there any other survivors?" he said, looking from his shoulder to her. "Not many" she said, shaking her head. Vance was still too weak to fully heal his shoulder, so he would let the painkillers do their work. Eve explained to him where they were, and that when he was feeling better, he should go out to the tavern to meet the remaining heroes who survived their battles, and, of course get paid. As a priest walked through the clinic, blessing the survivors, he stopped at Vance, reaching into a small pouch and bringing out a small, silver cross on a chain, which he handed to Vance. The Templar looked at it for a minute before Eve snatched it away, unfolding the chain and putting it over his head. The metal was cold against his skin, but it looked good sitting against his bare chest. He needed a little while longer to recover before he could meet the other heroes, and collect his payment.</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana The following period of time the man spent was wandering the city and surveying the aftermath from the events that just recently happened. Truth be told he found himself quickly becoming bored as he continued prowling through the city. The city despite any damage to its citizens was still standing and in working condition although there was probably a large focus on manpower in tending to the wounded and dead as well as possibly tallying any damages incurred. These things which are all very important and not in his hands at all. His thought would be to relegate himself to the currents of his whim in much the same way a leaf gently travels through a breeze. He thought about the others people who had signed up and were along for the ride. And that most of them would be at some bar socializing and resting while awaiting the next set of orders. However for him it was still too early to hit the bar as to maximize the most of his profit he'd want it to be filled tighter and with the audience just liquored up enough to be properly lubricated. Tangentially to the subject of the others his mind quickly turn to his assigned group. He recalled that there are three people per group and that furthermore only one he saw. Speculating about the woman he did not see would be a waste of time; a thing he did not like to indulge in. It would be far more easier to seek the other man who'd he for the sake optimism was wounded and not dead and inquire about the whereabouts. Having made his way to the clinic where he heard the man was being held at. He slinked his way from out of the corner with his target in sight. There were many other beds each filled with different people. But only one of them had that same armor set he saw. There was a scent of some herbal concoction in the air as he spoke to the man, "We meet again. I'm just here to get some information, so tell me of the other person assigned to tour group. You happen to know her or something about her?" This conversation terse thought it maybe served two purposes: one being the obvious practical aspect and the other just sating his curiosity and giving him something to do.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood The door to the tavern of heroes slammed open, and a short woman with bunny ears wearing a beautiful dress stood on the other side. She lowered her foot, having kicked the door open. In each shoulder she held a youth, her companions Elisha and Louis. Both were blasted as all hell, as was her companion Cecilia, stumbling after her. Lenna looked around the tavern for a moment, and smiled. "My, what a lovely establishment," she remarked, "Don't you think so, lady Elisha? Sir Louis?" Without waiting for a response, Lenna quickly strided over to a table, depisiting the drunken youths each in a chair. "Beat that you guys not drink anything more," she suggested, "Lady Elisha, perhaps, but, sir Louis, I'm afraid if we let you sniff another drop of weak fruity drink, you may die of alcohol poisoning." She paused, "Are either of you hungry? I know bread neutralizes alcohol to an extent. Perhaps a bit of food could help." She smiled. Her team was crazy, but she liked it. Louis was especially odd, the little dork. She certainly wasn't going to tease the boy when he was drunk anymore though. She still blushed a bit, remembering his lips on her. My, that had been embarrassing. The tsundere little dork had even rubbed her bunny ears. He had no idea how intimate that was! The only people that had rubbed her ears were her father, her mother, her lovers, and Greg that one time that some boy had made fun of her for being beastkin. And that had been a special occasion, and Greg was basically dad#2 to her anyways! She briefly wondered if there was a local version of the Pugilist club. "Cecilia, you know about illegal stuff, right?" Lenna said, "is there a Pugilist Club in town?"</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia entered the tavern after Lenna, swaying lightly in her steps. Damn, it's been a long time since I've drank that much. Cecelia's armor was loosely resting on her, not strapped, laced, or anything, just resting on her torso as the dark shirt she wore under it loosely draped over her frame. Cecelia decided before either of her drunken teammates responded to Lenna's question about food to get some bread anyways. "I don't know about them, but I know that I'm hungry. I'll get us some bread." And with that, Cecelia ordered and paid for some bread. She noticed a few people in the tavern, including a man with wings in a back corner, but couldn't think of anything but Damn, I wish I had wings. Cecelia ever so gracefully staggered back to her teammates at the table. "Are you two alright after the ride on Lenna's shoulders? Not too sick?" She looked from Louis to Elisha with concern on her face. Even though she was relatively hammered, she's usually able to focus through the drunken haze and be rational. Til she passes out. Then it's wildcard time, where anything could happen from absolutely nothing to forcefully trying to hook up with men. Hearing Lenna's question about illegal activities, Cecelia thinks for a little bit and tells Lenna "well, I don't know this place very well. I might have spent one night here at most within the past fortnight. I can, however, find someone who does know the information. Tomorrow, we'll set out for whatever area of town is the poorest. That's where the most illegal activity lies." With that, Cecelia let her loosely hanging armor fall to the ground with a soft thud, allowing her loose-fitting shirt with a handful of holes in it to be fully revealed. "Aah, much better."</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia Elisha didn't think she was drunk enough to not be able to stand up and walk all the way to the Tavern, and was about to decline Lenna's offer. However, once Lenna did stand her up, she felt the strength in her legs slightly give out and her head was light as a feather. She silently thanks her rabbit friend and goes along for the ride. It didn't take long for them to reach the Tavern, and she was then shortly placed onto a chair by Lenna. "Thank you, Miss Lenna." The alcohol's effects were still lingering in her system, and she takes her head into her hands in an attempt to balance and regain her composure... which wasn't helping too much. "And yes, I'll take some of the bread, thank you." She reaches for one of the loaves that was in the basket that Cecelia had ordered for them, and proceeds to take small bites out of it. "I-I think I'll be alright." She had a migraine going, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "...Miss Lenna kicking open the door was enough to shock me awake and splash me with heavy dose of a headache though," she adds before groaning a little as she rubbed her forehead. Elisha wasn't drunk, or at least she didn't think she was relative to how Louis and Cecelia acted when they were. She was desperately trying to keep her composure and not pass out or go all weird like Louis did earlier. It's a scary thought that she could turn into someone like that if she ever gets drunk like him.</s>	<\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière Louis had no problem being carried by Lenna. "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" He cried out as she entered the Tavern of Hero's "riding on a sexy bunny lady" Louis sang because why the hell not. He slid off of Lenna's shoulder and plopped down to the ground, his face meeting the floor directly. After 4 seconds of just lying there, Louis picked himself. Once back on his feet, he stumbled over to Elisha and slung and arm around her shoulder "Elisha" he began "has...has anyone ever told you that you're a very pretty lady?" Despite hanging on to Elisha, he was swaying back and forth "be-because you are fucking gorgeous, an I don't think you hear that enough. Whoever gt's married to you, is going to be one lucky son, or daughter, I won't judge, of a bitch. Hell, if those asshat parents of mine were both alive, and remembered I existed long enough to stick me in an arranged marriage, then I'd want that girl to be you, because you are fucking gorgeous. It...it's also cute how shy you get sometimes......it just makes you so much more appealing. You know what I think you need; a hug. Hugs are nice" with that said, Louis transitioned to a full body hug with Elisha "ahh...so nice. I like hugs. You want to know something fucking sad; I can count all the hugs I've ever gotten with both my hands. So I for one...am happy to have a new supply of hugs"</s>
<\|description\|>Lenna Underwood Nicknames/Aliases: "That Horrifying Yet Slightly Adorable Mass Of Unending Fury" "The Queen of the Ring" Gender: Female Birthday: December 5th Age: 20 Class: Beast mothafucking Kin Occupation: Adventurer/Pugilist Species: Bunny Beastkin Appearance: Has a scar on her tummy that she sees as a mark of pride. Clothing Style: wears custom made formal clothing, suits usually intended for men. The suits are specially made not to restrict movement, and are enchanted to meld into her when she becomes a beast. When out on an adventure, wears green ranger's gear, with a leather breastplate, elbow caps and knee caps for minor protection. This outfit is also enchanted. In the ring, she wears shorts and a tank top. She has many beautiful dresses that she wears when she gets the chance. These are unenchanted. All of her clothes are tailored to let her tail poke through. She usually is wearing some gem or another. In particular, her beast stone is always on her,modified into a necklace. Personality: Lenna is very odd for a beastkin. For one, she has not an ounce of her culture. She is very polite, due to her noble upbringing. She is at the same time quite friendly, and sees it as her duty to make people feel welcomed. She is a very calm person, too. It is difficult to get her to show anger. That said, her temper control is more careful control of her anger than a lack of anger. She's careful to pick her battles, and then berserk rage dominate them. She tends to be irresponsible with money, and will spend it as fast as she makes it. She also highly enjoys pretty things. When she wears a beautiful dress, she often will outright refuse to become a beast, because of the simple fact that transforming would destroy the dress. She has an over arching sense of right and wrong, and always tries her best to do the right thing. She does not lie, steal, slander, or otherwise do harm. However, she is happy to inflict justice on ne'er dowells. Combine that with a ridiculous stubborness and refusal to ever give up, and you have an adventurer who is, at her best, a defender of the weak, and, at her worst, a bit of a zealot. Likes: Carrots Fighting Dresses Jewelry Doing the right thing Badass weapons (even though she can't wield them) Hiking Dislikes: Thieves Anti-beast weapons Bigotry Complacency Past/History: The Underwood family is well known for its charitable efforts. The Underwoods have been doing their best to help people in need, using their copious amounts of cash. It's more or less family tradition to care for the poor. So, it came as little surprise when Kyran Underwood married a commoner named Lee Cooper. What did come as a surprise was when it turned out Kyran was barren. The Underwood heiress was heartbroken, but ultimately decided that she was okay with it. If her husband would be a commoner, then by the gods, did it matter if her child was too? Thus, Lenna was adopted at the age of 2. Only later did her family learn about the whole "beastkin" thing. Lenna considers herself to be culturally human. As she's grown older, she has started resembling other beastkin of her variety, having to shave pretty damn often to maintain a normal human standard of beauty, and her nails turning to small claws and teeth becoming fangs. She has also sprouted a small bunny tail, which really gets in the way of her dresses, and two bunny ears that make her the most obvious person alive at masquerade balls. Lenna was a firecracker of a child. As she grew up, she constantly asserted her independence. She mellowed out with time, but still asserts herself as her own person. She works for a living, unlike most of her family, and truly goes among the poor to understand what they need. She also at one point joined what is basically fight club. The Pugilist Gang, as it was named, was Lenna's first taste of fighting. She excelled as a fistfighter once she learned how to balance her impressive speed and strength with actual technique. Eventually, she decided she wanted a taste of adventure. She attempted to find a beast stone in the market, but found her efforts frustrated. She was good at fistfighting, but she couldn't hold a candle to the adventurers that dedicated themselves to it. She was terrible with weapons to, and the only magic she could understand at all was blue magic. And even then, the only spell she ever successfully cast was "Bunny Blast", a weak, ticklish blast of energy from a small, magical rabbit creature. She did show minor talent with a rapier, but it...just didn't feel right. Evwntually, her salvation arrived. A group of beastkin adventurers contacted her, and allowed her the chance to prove herself on an adventure, an escort mission to protect a nature priestess. She was green as grass and made mistakes, but she showed an obvious talent. They didn't give her a beast stone for a while, so she had to subdue threats with her fists. She could handle bandits, who were usually poorly trained and just desperate for cash(which made subduing them an unpleasant business for her), but when trained assassins showed up, she almost died against one. He had attempted to shoot the priestess with an arrow, but Lenna managed to sneak up on and ambush him. They struggled for a while, and he stabbed her with a Beastbane dagger. Lenna fell to the ground, and the assassin thought she was dead. The moment her turned his back, she pounced, then slammed his face into the ground until he stopped struggling. After that, the beastkin thought she'd earned her beast stone. She bears the scar from the dagger as a mark of pride, and rather enjoys her life as a dual adventurer/aristocrat. She is currently a freelancer, though is looking for a permanent guild to join. Random Notes: Lenna is still very fast and strong in human form. So she's not as helpless as other Beast Kin might be without it. That said, she still can't face significant threats without it. Lenna's fistfighting is self taught. She focuses on barrages of punches and deadly grapples. Lenna is an incredible acrobat, unsurprisingly. Lenna has considered purchasing a pet bunny. For irony's sake.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia The silence between them felt unbearable. She has embarrassed herself quite badly already in front of Louis, and this is adding on to the awkwardness. Silence was never a big issue for Elisha, but the current situation's silence isn't exactly pleasant. Just as she was about to lift her head, Louis breaks the silence as well as handing her a sandwich. "A-are you sure I can have this?" Her left hand let go of her stomach, before slowly trying to reach the piece of food that Louis was offering her. Elisha hesitates however, feeling guilty that she's about to take someone else's food for free. His follow up however, Elisha found to be quite amusing, and a tad funny. She tried to keep it in, but she couldn't stop giggling a little bit. "He's not so bad either." She couldn't help but smile at his reaction to himself offering her the food. Somehow, she felt more at ease that he wouldn't mind. "Thank you, Louis." She takes the sandwich from his hands and slowly peels away the cloth that it had been wrapped in. The sandwich itself wasn't very thick, but it had enough meat and vegetables in between that could make it very good breakfast food. Elisha takes a nibble at one of the exposed corners, and the food's flavor quickly resonated through her taste buds. "This... This is very good!" The softness of the meat, the juiciness of the vegetables, as well as the sweetness of the mayonnaise spread in between made for a delicious sandwich.</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière "Of course it is. As if a noble like me would waste my energy carrying around sub par food" Louis claimed feeling far more proud then he really should have been. It was only a few seconds later however that he realized that she had been laughing (well, giggling) at him, him of all people. "D-don't laugh!" he tried to command her with his cheeks burning red, but was unable to use his normal fire when doing so, leaving his command sounding more like an indignant demand of s child...which let's be honest, it kind of was.</s>	<\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna breathed deeply. Today would be the day. This was her moment. After all this time, she would finally do it. She would do it. She had been trying to beat Greg in a fist fight at the Pugilist Gang for a long time. Greg defeated even monks in unarmed combat, and, though he was officially a gladiator, certainly fought like a monk. He was the best fist fighter in the city. But no more. This was Lenna's moment. Now. GO! It took only minutes for Greg to literally knock Lenna out of the ring finishing the fight with a painful uppercut when she attemped to do a jumping two-legged kick. She spun in the air, before slamming to the ground with a thud. After a few moments, she heard footsteps approaching. Her vision swam before her. A beautiful blonde woman in a dress loomed above her. "Lenna?" Lenna blinked. "Mom?" "Did he just uppercut you five feet into the air?" Lenna smiled, remembering the fight. "Little bit." "Huh." "That was the best I ever did against him. Even better than when I used my beast stone that one time." "You did what?" "I mean I would never abuse my powers like that." Greg pipes up from the ring, "She's lying. She totally abuses it. All the time." Lenna glared vaguely in his blurry direction. Smug, bald, ridiculously competent bastard. "Well... I have news and... do you need a moment, dear?" Lenna's mom asked. "Gods yes I do." One healing later via the cleric that frequented the place, Lenna addressed her mother. "So...you know how you started that whole adventuring thingy?" Her mom asked. "Yeeesss?" Lenna's mother handed her a newsletter. Lenna read it carefully. "...seriously?" "Yes dear. We've arranged transport already." "You mean I'm not gonna have to sneak off?" "Just don't disguise your identity this time dear. Wear your name with pride." Lenna then proceeded to hug her mother. It was adorable. **** Lenna had signed her papers with all requisite information, and was now waiting. She stood in her adventuring gear, her other clothes sitting in her travel bag on her back. She was always prepared. She cast a glance about the room, taking in her first impressions of everyone. She'd overheard tidbits, such as the elvinian's callousness towards the loves of others and the Whisperer's revulsion at that. She'd also noticed the clumsy healer and the awkward woman who was trying to befriend her. There was some noble brat getting overly emotional about giving someone a sandwich over there, and there was a woman with... By the Gods, that sword was big. Lenna wondered if she herself could even carry it for long before getting tired, and she was in remarkable condition. She found the Templar with his fairy friend to be quite amusing to watch, and giggled a bit at her antics. By the gods she hoped they stuck together. It was a divine comedy written by the gods. She wasn't sure exactly what to think of the archer. If his flamboyant attitude was an act, then he could be dangerous. If he was simply being himself, he was probably just quirky and amusing, and, considering just how useful a good archer is, a valuable comrade. There were others, but Lenna had not really taken in the details for every single possible comrade in the room. Over all, she just hoped she had the elvinian cleric in her team. The Underwood family was priveledged, and at the same time very charitable. Lenna had learned from a early age that she had unfair advantages in life. Just mentioning her last name would make things happen for her. The clink of gold could handle most other things. But damned if she would keep that privilege to herself. Her mother had always told her to give of herself to those who needed it more. And her father had always told her to defend the defenseless. So the idea of a cleric letting a charge die when he could save them...infuriated her. Oh yeah, by the gods she hoped she got the chance to work with him.</s>
<\|description\|>Lenna Underwood Nicknames/Aliases: "That Horrifying Yet Slightly Adorable Mass Of Unending Fury" "The Queen of the Ring" Gender: Female Birthday: December 5th Age: 20 Class: Beast mothafucking Kin Occupation: Adventurer/Pugilist Species: Bunny Beastkin Appearance: Has a scar on her tummy that she sees as a mark of pride. Clothing Style: wears custom made formal clothing, suits usually intended for men. The suits are specially made not to restrict movement, and are enchanted to meld into her when she becomes a beast. When out on an adventure, wears green ranger's gear, with a leather breastplate, elbow caps and knee caps for minor protection. This outfit is also enchanted. In the ring, she wears shorts and a tank top. She has many beautiful dresses that she wears when she gets the chance. These are unenchanted. All of her clothes are tailored to let her tail poke through. She usually is wearing some gem or another. In particular, her beast stone is always on her,modified into a necklace. Personality: Lenna is very odd for a beastkin. For one, she has not an ounce of her culture. She is very polite, due to her noble upbringing. She is at the same time quite friendly, and sees it as her duty to make people feel welcomed. She is a very calm person, too. It is difficult to get her to show anger. That said, her temper control is more careful control of her anger than a lack of anger. She's careful to pick her battles, and then berserk rage dominate them. She tends to be irresponsible with money, and will spend it as fast as she makes it. She also highly enjoys pretty things. When she wears a beautiful dress, she often will outright refuse to become a beast, because of the simple fact that transforming would destroy the dress. She has an over arching sense of right and wrong, and always tries her best to do the right thing. She does not lie, steal, slander, or otherwise do harm. However, she is happy to inflict justice on ne'er dowells. Combine that with a ridiculous stubborness and refusal to ever give up, and you have an adventurer who is, at her best, a defender of the weak, and, at her worst, a bit of a zealot. Likes: Carrots Fighting Dresses Jewelry Doing the right thing Badass weapons (even though she can't wield them) Hiking Dislikes: Thieves Anti-beast weapons Bigotry Complacency Past/History: The Underwood family is well known for its charitable efforts. The Underwoods have been doing their best to help people in need, using their copious amounts of cash. It's more or less family tradition to care for the poor. So, it came as little surprise when Kyran Underwood married a commoner named Lee Cooper. What did come as a surprise was when it turned out Kyran was barren. The Underwood heiress was heartbroken, but ultimately decided that she was okay with it. If her husband would be a commoner, then by the gods, did it matter if her child was too? Thus, Lenna was adopted at the age of 2. Only later did her family learn about the whole "beastkin" thing. Lenna considers herself to be culturally human. As she's grown older, she has started resembling other beastkin of her variety, having to shave pretty damn often to maintain a normal human standard of beauty, and her nails turning to small claws and teeth becoming fangs. She has also sprouted a small bunny tail, which really gets in the way of her dresses, and two bunny ears that make her the most obvious person alive at masquerade balls. Lenna was a firecracker of a child. As she grew up, she constantly asserted her independence. She mellowed out with time, but still asserts herself as her own person. She works for a living, unlike most of her family, and truly goes among the poor to understand what they need. She also at one point joined what is basically fight club. The Pugilist Gang, as it was named, was Lenna's first taste of fighting. She excelled as a fistfighter once she learned how to balance her impressive speed and strength with actual technique. Eventually, she decided she wanted a taste of adventure. She attempted to find a beast stone in the market, but found her efforts frustrated. She was good at fistfighting, but she couldn't hold a candle to the adventurers that dedicated themselves to it. She was terrible with weapons to, and the only magic she could understand at all was blue magic. And even then, the only spell she ever successfully cast was "Bunny Blast", a weak, ticklish blast of energy from a small, magical rabbit creature. She did show minor talent with a rapier, but it...just didn't feel right. Evwntually, her salvation arrived. A group of beastkin adventurers contacted her, and allowed her the chance to prove herself on an adventure, an escort mission to protect a nature priestess. She was green as grass and made mistakes, but she showed an obvious talent. They didn't give her a beast stone for a while, so she had to subdue threats with her fists. She could handle bandits, who were usually poorly trained and just desperate for cash(which made subduing them an unpleasant business for her), but when trained assassins showed up, she almost died against one. He had attempted to shoot the priestess with an arrow, but Lenna managed to sneak up on and ambush him. They struggled for a while, and he stabbed her with a Beastbane dagger. Lenna fell to the ground, and the assassin thought she was dead. The moment her turned his back, she pounced, then slammed his face into the ground until he stopped struggling. After that, the beastkin thought she'd earned her beast stone. She bears the scar from the dagger as a mark of pride, and rather enjoys her life as a dual adventurer/aristocrat. She is currently a freelancer, though is looking for a permanent guild to join. Random Notes: Lenna is still very fast and strong in human form. So she's not as helpless as other Beast Kin might be without it. That said, she still can't face significant threats without it. Lenna's fistfighting is self taught. She focuses on barrages of punches and deadly grapples. Lenna is an incredible acrobat, unsurprisingly. Lenna has considered purchasing a pet bunny. For irony's sake.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia Elisha heard her name as one of the members of the first group. Part of her was relieved that she knew two of her three teammates right off the bat. At the same time however, this means she'll have to deal with Cecelia's proposal later on. Before long, the group had already been pushed outside to deal with the monsters lurking around. "Will the four of us be alright?" Taking on this quest suddenly became a bad idea for her. Although it was her parents' wishes to give her experience, her physical condition will most likely just get in the way of her more experienced teammates. Before she could do anything however, one of her teammates had already rushed forward to deal with the monsters. The sight of a beastkin transforming into their beast forms and back was an amazing sight to behold. Part of her wanted to cuddle with Lenna's beast form, but that thought can wait as Lenna was being attacked by another voraptus. Luckily, Cecelia was quick to action and had saved the rabbit girl. Elisha shifts her thoughts onto the oncoming danger. Following Cecelia's lead, she proceeds to use her fire magic to attack the other scarecrows. Elisha had meant to use a spell strong enough to obliterate the remaining ones, but the last remaining voraptus interrupts her channeling and sends her flying several feet away. Having been caught off guard, the girl was unable to catch herself and crashed onto the ground.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna was thankful for Cecilia's smoke cover for a moment, until she heard the voraptus that had been keeping pressure on her flap away. That meant that it had chosen a smaller, easier target. Thinking of the young nobles in their group, Lenna burst from the smoke. She briefly considered engaging the scarecrows, but then realized where the final voraptus had gone. Lenna let out a bestial warcry before racing for her white mage ally. As the voraptus knocked Elisha over, Lenna dived on it. It couldn't fly away with her weight pressing on it, and Lenna began wrestling with the bird on the ground. Lenna pinned the bird, making it a clear target for one of her companions.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia heard commotion from the other bird, looking in time to see Elisha getting knocked back. A protective urge moved Cecelia's feet in that direction. Cecelia passes the bird and checks on Elisha. Out of breath, she asks "are you... Alright?" and pulls out a small bandaging kit she originally brought to bandage herself. "Need any... Help?" still trying to catch her breath, she continues asking questions. She looks over at the well-dressed lad with the rapier "can you take out the bird?"</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière "Yes" Louis answered, although that was really unlikely. Getting into the stance once more, he readied himself to attack the bird. All at once, he moved forward towards his target, hand ready to end it's life. Once he was in range, he lashed out with his weapon, striking the prone beast in the torso. Badly wounded, it quivered under Lenna, no longer able to muster up any strength to escape. With it unable to fight back and slowly dying, Louis walked over and shoved his weapon in it's skull, ending it just like the last one. The creature didn't even know what hit him... ...Mostly because he didn't even notice Louis, and it was already trapped under a large bunnykin...but still "Is she badly hurt?" He asked Cecelia, regarding Elisha. As of right now, Louis was feeling pretty good about himself 'This is far easier then Crow made it out to be...perhaps I simply have a knack for it.' It's too bad that he didn't consider dumb luck a possibility</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana Miercoles managed to get signed up at the last minute and yet he managed to get into a group. Still he was late as by the time he rushed to the northernmost gate one of the group members was already in combat with some bizarre looking creations. Definitely not animal, vegetable, or miner but scarecrows? While he didn't want to say they were going to be easy, it could be a lot more worse. Even if enchanted it was enchanted wood, straw, and cloth is no match for a keen blade and an even more keen hand. A small group of the possessed scarecrows fell apart in the time it took for him to re-sheathe his blade as it cleaved through them with the ease of gust of wind kicks dust up. Dramatic entrance now complete he spoke to the armored man with a tip of the hat, "We can exchange names after this. For now let us focus on destroying these pests quickly." He then set down his box as it would be a bit of a nuisance in this fight as well out of a desire to minimize any possible damage that could be inflicted on it.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia "Man, I am really out of shape." Elisha thinks to herself as she desperately catches her breath. The impact she made blew all of the wind out of her. Before long, she could hear Cecelia and Louis coming to check up on her. "I-I'll be OK... Cecelia... I just need... to calm down for a few." Elisha slowly forces herself to stand back up. "Get a hold of yourself, Eli. You told yourself you won't be a burden anymore." As she says that to herself, she closes her eyes and begins channeling the spell she was going to use moments earlier once more. "The three scarecrows are... there... there... and there..." Envisioning where her targets are, Elisha envelops the three remaining demons in a cloak of flame. Being made out of straw, they were quick to catch on fire and were shortly burned into a crisp, but not before loudly wailing out into the skies one last time.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia stands in silence for a few seconds. She- she just burnt them to a crisp. Seeing how much force Elisha put into standing back up, Cecelia stands about a foot in front of her, asking "are you sure you're alright. You look pretty drained. Especially after that spell. Do you need to sit down or something? Please don't overdo yourself." Cecelia notices that all of the enemies are dead. Well, at least we got rid of them, along with the possible coin. She realizes how different her thoughts were before, during, and after the fight. She smiles at Elisha, adding "you did a great job. Thanks for taking care of those last few scarecrows, Elisha. Was that your first time fighting?" She turns to the rapier-boy, continuing her gratitude "and thank you for taking care of that last bird. I'm Cecelia, known in some parts as 'The Shadow'" adding her alias in a tone that somewhat mocks the name itself, to keep from sounding too serious about the fact that she's the one people send out for to steal others' things and all sorts of random stuff at night. Cecelia turned towards the gates, where the mass of volunteer villagers stood just outside of, not having done any work. "Well, that was easy enough" Cecelia thought aloud as she surveyed the battlefield. I didn't even bloody my blade. Yet.</s>	<\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna shifted back into her human state, then appraised her allies with a smile. "Good job, guys. Especially you, miss," she noted Elisha, "That magic work was great. Those demons didn't stand a chance." She then looked at the dead birds. "It's a shame we couldn't take care of the demons first. The raptors would have likely calmed down." She shook her head, then listened to what Cecila said. "Good to meet you, miss Cecilia. I am Lenna Underwood, of the family and town that share that name." She smiled, "Thanks for the covering smoke, by the way." She glanced at Louis, "And decent rapier work by you, sir. Keep practicing, you'll make a fantastic swordsman."</s>
<\|description\|>Lenna Underwood Nicknames/Aliases: "That Horrifying Yet Slightly Adorable Mass Of Unending Fury" "The Queen of the Ring" Gender: Female Birthday: December 5th Age: 20 Class: Beast mothafucking Kin Occupation: Adventurer/Pugilist Species: Bunny Beastkin Appearance: Has a scar on her tummy that she sees as a mark of pride. Clothing Style: wears custom made formal clothing, suits usually intended for men. The suits are specially made not to restrict movement, and are enchanted to meld into her when she becomes a beast. When out on an adventure, wears green ranger's gear, with a leather breastplate, elbow caps and knee caps for minor protection. This outfit is also enchanted. In the ring, she wears shorts and a tank top. She has many beautiful dresses that she wears when she gets the chance. These are unenchanted. All of her clothes are tailored to let her tail poke through. She usually is wearing some gem or another. In particular, her beast stone is always on her,modified into a necklace. Personality: Lenna is very odd for a beastkin. For one, she has not an ounce of her culture. She is very polite, due to her noble upbringing. She is at the same time quite friendly, and sees it as her duty to make people feel welcomed. She is a very calm person, too. It is difficult to get her to show anger. That said, her temper control is more careful control of her anger than a lack of anger. She's careful to pick her battles, and then berserk rage dominate them. She tends to be irresponsible with money, and will spend it as fast as she makes it. She also highly enjoys pretty things. When she wears a beautiful dress, she often will outright refuse to become a beast, because of the simple fact that transforming would destroy the dress. She has an over arching sense of right and wrong, and always tries her best to do the right thing. She does not lie, steal, slander, or otherwise do harm. However, she is happy to inflict justice on ne'er dowells. Combine that with a ridiculous stubborness and refusal to ever give up, and you have an adventurer who is, at her best, a defender of the weak, and, at her worst, a bit of a zealot. Likes: Carrots Fighting Dresses Jewelry Doing the right thing Badass weapons (even though she can't wield them) Hiking Dislikes: Thieves Anti-beast weapons Bigotry Complacency Past/History: The Underwood family is well known for its charitable efforts. The Underwoods have been doing their best to help people in need, using their copious amounts of cash. It's more or less family tradition to care for the poor. So, it came as little surprise when Kyran Underwood married a commoner named Lee Cooper. What did come as a surprise was when it turned out Kyran was barren. The Underwood heiress was heartbroken, but ultimately decided that she was okay with it. If her husband would be a commoner, then by the gods, did it matter if her child was too? Thus, Lenna was adopted at the age of 2. Only later did her family learn about the whole "beastkin" thing. Lenna considers herself to be culturally human. As she's grown older, she has started resembling other beastkin of her variety, having to shave pretty damn often to maintain a normal human standard of beauty, and her nails turning to small claws and teeth becoming fangs. She has also sprouted a small bunny tail, which really gets in the way of her dresses, and two bunny ears that make her the most obvious person alive at masquerade balls. Lenna was a firecracker of a child. As she grew up, she constantly asserted her independence. She mellowed out with time, but still asserts herself as her own person. She works for a living, unlike most of her family, and truly goes among the poor to understand what they need. She also at one point joined what is basically fight club. The Pugilist Gang, as it was named, was Lenna's first taste of fighting. She excelled as a fistfighter once she learned how to balance her impressive speed and strength with actual technique. Eventually, she decided she wanted a taste of adventure. She attempted to find a beast stone in the market, but found her efforts frustrated. She was good at fistfighting, but she couldn't hold a candle to the adventurers that dedicated themselves to it. She was terrible with weapons to, and the only magic she could understand at all was blue magic. And even then, the only spell she ever successfully cast was "Bunny Blast", a weak, ticklish blast of energy from a small, magical rabbit creature. She did show minor talent with a rapier, but it...just didn't feel right. Evwntually, her salvation arrived. A group of beastkin adventurers contacted her, and allowed her the chance to prove herself on an adventure, an escort mission to protect a nature priestess. She was green as grass and made mistakes, but she showed an obvious talent. They didn't give her a beast stone for a while, so she had to subdue threats with her fists. She could handle bandits, who were usually poorly trained and just desperate for cash(which made subduing them an unpleasant business for her), but when trained assassins showed up, she almost died against one. He had attempted to shoot the priestess with an arrow, but Lenna managed to sneak up on and ambush him. They struggled for a while, and he stabbed her with a Beastbane dagger. Lenna fell to the ground, and the assassin thought she was dead. The moment her turned his back, she pounced, then slammed his face into the ground until he stopped struggling. After that, the beastkin thought she'd earned her beast stone. She bears the scar from the dagger as a mark of pride, and rather enjoys her life as a dual adventurer/aristocrat. She is currently a freelancer, though is looking for a permanent guild to join. Random Notes: Lenna is still very fast and strong in human form. So she's not as helpless as other Beast Kin might be without it. That said, she still can't face significant threats without it. Lenna's fistfighting is self taught. She focuses on barrages of punches and deadly grapples. Lenna is an incredible acrobat, unsurprisingly. Lenna has considered purchasing a pet bunny. For irony's sake.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Brennen Garron Brennen was disappointed by how many casualties on his side. I should have micromanaged them. If we'd had more help, I could have more directly commanded the villagers while the Cleric and other help took out the Screecher. Feeling frustration, Brennen launches an angry fireball off in the distance, away from town, shouting a long string of curses. It's my fault they're dead... With that, Brennen heads to this Tavern of Heroes that's been set up for the convenience of the Heroes and pays for a strong ale. Being asked how strong, Brennen's only response was "strong enough to make me forget today even happened." Once served his drink, he took to a small booth along the wall, just hoping to black out. Brennen has only had any alcohol once before this drink, and it was because he was testing his skills while impaired. He still beat his opponent in... whatever game it was, but by a much smaller margin than when he was sober. By the time he finished his glass, he was barely conscious, crying heavily yet quietly, head buried in his arms on the table. We won. We achieved the objective. Why don't I feel like it was a victory, though? It feels like I lost the battle. Twenty-fucking-four volunteers died because I was too involved with that parent-fukcing, ass-faced screecher. I should have focused on the people, not the enemy... Dammit. "Dammit, dammit, dammit." His last thought slipped through his mouth, but it wasn't more than a drunken, slurred mumble.</s> <\|message\|>Vance Meridian Inside the safety of the clinic, Vance was lying in bed. His armor and clothes were propped against the wall, next to the bed, and Eve was sitting on the edge of the bed near his shoulder. He tossed and turned a bit, dreaming as the painkillers that were administered started to take effect. He saw a man in black garb, and a mule, then a knife drawn, and put to his throat. One quick slice and the deed was done. As the man drew the knife across his skin in the dream, he awoke. His eyes were wide and he gasped, quickly sitting up in bed. The motion, and sound, had scared Eve to the point that she nearly fell off. His hand reached up to feel his neck, to make sure that it was just a dream. "Who was that?" he thought. He could have sworn that what he saw in his dream actually happened, but he wasn't far from gone when it did, so he couldn't be sure. When Eve recovered from her surprise, she quickly flew to him, hugging his neck as tightly as she could. "Oh gods, I thought you were gone! Don't you ever do that again!" She said with tears in her eyes, still clinging to him. Vance shrugged a bit, wincing at the pain in his newly readjusted shoulder. "It was either that, or die" he said with a 'matter of fact' tone. She gave him a look that said. "You better not die!" She still had tears running down her cheeks as she looked at him. "Were there any other survivors?" he said, looking from his shoulder to her. "Not many" she said, shaking her head. Vance was still too weak to fully heal his shoulder, so he would let the painkillers do their work. Eve explained to him where they were, and that when he was feeling better, he should go out to the tavern to meet the remaining heroes who survived their battles, and, of course get paid. As a priest walked through the clinic, blessing the survivors, he stopped at Vance, reaching into a small pouch and bringing out a small, silver cross on a chain, which he handed to Vance. The Templar looked at it for a minute before Eve snatched it away, unfolding the chain and putting it over his head. The metal was cold against his skin, but it looked good sitting against his bare chest. He needed a little while longer to recover before he could meet the other heroes, and collect his payment.</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana The following period of time the man spent was wandering the city and surveying the aftermath from the events that just recently happened. Truth be told he found himself quickly becoming bored as he continued prowling through the city. The city despite any damage to its citizens was still standing and in working condition although there was probably a large focus on manpower in tending to the wounded and dead as well as possibly tallying any damages incurred. These things which are all very important and not in his hands at all. His thought would be to relegate himself to the currents of his whim in much the same way a leaf gently travels through a breeze. He thought about the others people who had signed up and were along for the ride. And that most of them would be at some bar socializing and resting while awaiting the next set of orders. However for him it was still too early to hit the bar as to maximize the most of his profit he'd want it to be filled tighter and with the audience just liquored up enough to be properly lubricated. Tangentially to the subject of the others his mind quickly turn to his assigned group. He recalled that there are three people per group and that furthermore only one he saw. Speculating about the woman he did not see would be a waste of time; a thing he did not like to indulge in. It would be far more easier to seek the other man who'd he for the sake optimism was wounded and not dead and inquire about the whereabouts. Having made his way to the clinic where he heard the man was being held at. He slinked his way from out of the corner with his target in sight. There were many other beds each filled with different people. But only one of them had that same armor set he saw. There was a scent of some herbal concoction in the air as he spoke to the man, "We meet again. I'm just here to get some information, so tell me of the other person assigned to tour group. You happen to know her or something about her?" This conversation terse thought it maybe served two purposes: one being the obvious practical aspect and the other just sating his curiosity and giving him something to do.</s>	<\|message\|>Lenna Underwood The door to the tavern of heroes slammed open, and a short woman with bunny ears wearing a beautiful dress stood on the other side. She lowered her foot, having kicked the door open. In each shoulder she held a youth, her companions Elisha and Louis. Both were blasted as all hell, as was her companion Cecilia, stumbling after her. Lenna looked around the tavern for a moment, and smiled. "My, what a lovely establishment," she remarked, "Don't you think so, lady Elisha? Sir Louis?" Without waiting for a response, Lenna quickly strided over to a table, depisiting the drunken youths each in a chair. "Beat that you guys not drink anything more," she suggested, "Lady Elisha, perhaps, but, sir Louis, I'm afraid if we let you sniff another drop of weak fruity drink, you may die of alcohol poisoning." She paused, "Are either of you hungry? I know bread neutralizes alcohol to an extent. Perhaps a bit of food could help." She smiled. Her team was crazy, but she liked it. Louis was especially odd, the little dork. She certainly wasn't going to tease the boy when he was drunk anymore though. She still blushed a bit, remembering his lips on her. My, that had been embarrassing. The tsundere little dork had even rubbed her bunny ears. He had no idea how intimate that was! The only people that had rubbed her ears were her father, her mother, her lovers, and Greg that one time that some boy had made fun of her for being beastkin. And that had been a special occasion, and Greg was basically dad#2 to her anyways! She briefly wondered if there was a local version of the Pugilist club. "Cecilia, you know about illegal stuff, right?" Lenna said, "is there a Pugilist Club in town?"</s>
<\|description\|>Lenna Underwood Nicknames/Aliases: "That Horrifying Yet Slightly Adorable Mass Of Unending Fury" "The Queen of the Ring" Gender: Female Birthday: December 5th Age: 20 Class: Beast mothafucking Kin Occupation: Adventurer/Pugilist Species: Bunny Beastkin Appearance: Has a scar on her tummy that she sees as a mark of pride. Clothing Style: wears custom made formal clothing, suits usually intended for men. The suits are specially made not to restrict movement, and are enchanted to meld into her when she becomes a beast. When out on an adventure, wears green ranger's gear, with a leather breastplate, elbow caps and knee caps for minor protection. This outfit is also enchanted. In the ring, she wears shorts and a tank top. She has many beautiful dresses that she wears when she gets the chance. These are unenchanted. All of her clothes are tailored to let her tail poke through. She usually is wearing some gem or another. In particular, her beast stone is always on her,modified into a necklace. Personality: Lenna is very odd for a beastkin. For one, she has not an ounce of her culture. She is very polite, due to her noble upbringing. She is at the same time quite friendly, and sees it as her duty to make people feel welcomed. She is a very calm person, too. It is difficult to get her to show anger. That said, her temper control is more careful control of her anger than a lack of anger. She's careful to pick her battles, and then berserk rage dominate them. She tends to be irresponsible with money, and will spend it as fast as she makes it. She also highly enjoys pretty things. When she wears a beautiful dress, she often will outright refuse to become a beast, because of the simple fact that transforming would destroy the dress. She has an over arching sense of right and wrong, and always tries her best to do the right thing. She does not lie, steal, slander, or otherwise do harm. However, she is happy to inflict justice on ne'er dowells. Combine that with a ridiculous stubborness and refusal to ever give up, and you have an adventurer who is, at her best, a defender of the weak, and, at her worst, a bit of a zealot. Likes: Carrots Fighting Dresses Jewelry Doing the right thing Badass weapons (even though she can't wield them) Hiking Dislikes: Thieves Anti-beast weapons Bigotry Complacency Past/History: The Underwood family is well known for its charitable efforts. The Underwoods have been doing their best to help people in need, using their copious amounts of cash. It's more or less family tradition to care for the poor. So, it came as little surprise when Kyran Underwood married a commoner named Lee Cooper. What did come as a surprise was when it turned out Kyran was barren. The Underwood heiress was heartbroken, but ultimately decided that she was okay with it. If her husband would be a commoner, then by the gods, did it matter if her child was too? Thus, Lenna was adopted at the age of 2. Only later did her family learn about the whole "beastkin" thing. Lenna considers herself to be culturally human. As she's grown older, she has started resembling other beastkin of her variety, having to shave pretty damn often to maintain a normal human standard of beauty, and her nails turning to small claws and teeth becoming fangs. She has also sprouted a small bunny tail, which really gets in the way of her dresses, and two bunny ears that make her the most obvious person alive at masquerade balls. Lenna was a firecracker of a child. As she grew up, she constantly asserted her independence. She mellowed out with time, but still asserts herself as her own person. She works for a living, unlike most of her family, and truly goes among the poor to understand what they need. She also at one point joined what is basically fight club. The Pugilist Gang, as it was named, was Lenna's first taste of fighting. She excelled as a fistfighter once she learned how to balance her impressive speed and strength with actual technique. Eventually, she decided she wanted a taste of adventure. She attempted to find a beast stone in the market, but found her efforts frustrated. She was good at fistfighting, but she couldn't hold a candle to the adventurers that dedicated themselves to it. She was terrible with weapons to, and the only magic she could understand at all was blue magic. And even then, the only spell she ever successfully cast was "Bunny Blast", a weak, ticklish blast of energy from a small, magical rabbit creature. She did show minor talent with a rapier, but it...just didn't feel right. Evwntually, her salvation arrived. A group of beastkin adventurers contacted her, and allowed her the chance to prove herself on an adventure, an escort mission to protect a nature priestess. She was green as grass and made mistakes, but she showed an obvious talent. They didn't give her a beast stone for a while, so she had to subdue threats with her fists. She could handle bandits, who were usually poorly trained and just desperate for cash(which made subduing them an unpleasant business for her), but when trained assassins showed up, she almost died against one. He had attempted to shoot the priestess with an arrow, but Lenna managed to sneak up on and ambush him. They struggled for a while, and he stabbed her with a Beastbane dagger. Lenna fell to the ground, and the assassin thought she was dead. The moment her turned his back, she pounced, then slammed his face into the ground until he stopped struggling. After that, the beastkin thought she'd earned her beast stone. She bears the scar from the dagger as a mark of pride, and rather enjoys her life as a dual adventurer/aristocrat. She is currently a freelancer, though is looking for a permanent guild to join. Random Notes: Lenna is still very fast and strong in human form. So she's not as helpless as other Beast Kin might be without it. That said, she still can't face significant threats without it. Lenna's fistfighting is self taught. She focuses on barrages of punches and deadly grapples. Lenna is an incredible acrobat, unsurprisingly. Lenna has considered purchasing a pet bunny. For irony's sake.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Hearing the crier's information, Cecelia rolled her eyes. "Great. Typical nobles." Realizing who all was in her team, she immediately regretted her words. Looking around at her team, she babbles "I- I mean, I've had bad experiences with high nobles and loyalty stuff. Sorry..." Her embarrassment was cut short by someone short: the owner. Hearing the name 'Finny', Cecelia giggled and couldn't stop. Once he was done, she noticed Elisha's face as she got up and rushed to the bathroom. Not seeing that as a good sign, Cecelia attempted to pursue, getting up ever so gracefully as her drunken body allowed. About halfway to the door Elisha had gone through, Cecelia tripped over... Well, she's pretty drunk, so she just tripped and got a face full of floor. Elisha emerged as Cecelia was finally able to pick herself up, and went over to her, but before she could get close enough, a boy hit the door like it hit him first, monologuing. Cecelia was frozen during his speech, until a cat that was presumably his, interrupted him, pissed him off, and spat a hairball in the boy's face. Cecelia couldn't help but giggle madly at the sight. Once she was able to dial her giggling fit down, she turned back to Elisha "Hey, you alright, sweetie?" Still using family-esque names due to her drunken mind not filtering her mouth, she continued after placing her hand on Elisha's shoulder "Did you have too much to drink? Was it your heart condition? Or was Louis' gesutre that bad?" Adding the last question with a smile, she rubbed Elisha's shoulder with her thumb in an attempt to comfort the younger girl. "I just saw you running and got worried. I would've been there sooner, but the floor wanted to have a chat with me." Brennen Garron Brennen heard the crier's announcement about them having to help again and, just over a mumble, commented, ever so delicately "Fuuuuuuuuuuhuhuhuuuck" just before letting his head drop back onto one of the few non-dampened spots on his scarlet robe's sleeve. Most of it looked like he had been using it to play tic-tac-toe, with his snot in place of ink. With the owner having introduced himself and his staff, he now at least knew a name to call the bar man who would serve him his final two ales before he passed out at the table. He tried to think positively I'm a good tactician. Great even! I can use any number of trained men to protect a villag- and that's where the positivity stopped. Brennen's brain resumed its grief for those he had lost. This time, he didn't cry as badly. Just silent tears as he stared through his darkened scarlet jacket sleeve into the distance. That's when some... kid barged in. He was yammering about himself and how great he is, and at the exact moment Brennen thought about throwing a bottle at the kid's head, the young 'un was interrupted by a cat he referred to as shin. After the human had given his rebuttal to the cat's interruption, it promptly spat a hairball in his face. Laughing, Brennen said "good job, shin."</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière "Elishaaaaaaaaaa..." Louis moaned "don't...don't try to escape the hugz. You can't run from them; they will find you" he cried out to the fleeing girl, unable to muster up the motor function to pursue her "is doesn't matter...sheeee can't run for long...the hugz shall catch her." He said to himself "oh well...I still feel like hugz. Oh Lenna" he sang her name as he hobbled over to the beastkin and, for lack of a better word, 'fell' into hug with her "u like hugs right? Ha, what'm I saying, of course you do! You're a sexy bunny lady, and bunnies are cute little balls of fuzzy that love cuddlez. Therefor! you must love cuddlez too. Is science" he then passed out while still managing to keep a hold of Lenna</s> <\|message\|>Vance Meridian "Tell ya what, this one's on me. I also got the reward gold over in the back. It's available in full upon request, but I'm also agreein' to keep hold of it if ya don't need it now. No need to pay bar tabs whilst there's gold in yer pouch in the back. I take tabs out of the pouch if it's not paid up front" Vance nodded to finny as he took the bottle of ale, taking a big swig of it after raising it towards the bartender. "Thanks" he said. He turned his back to the counter, looking at the other patrons. His expression was that of worry, and it got worse as he looked at each of the heroes that was left after the first mission. There was a drunk girl, who raced into the bathroom, with a female friend helping her. A Rabbit-girl who had carried her already-drunk companions in. A man who looked to be depressed from the battle. A seemingly horny drunk that was eying the girl who ran into the bathroom. After hearing the banter between the newcomer, and his cat, the last thing he heard was the cat hacking up a hairball onto it's companion's cheek. "Great.." Both Eve, and Vance thought in unison. "This is our fighting force? We're putting our lives in the hands of.... them?" Vance said to Eve, as the hairball slid off of Bartholomew's cheek, and onto the counter with a squishy "thud". With a heavy sigh, he took another swig of ale. "Cheers" he said in a less than subtle tone to the room.</s>	<\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna held Louis, and giggled. "I wonder if he's being serious or not about the bunny stuff. I wonder if he even knows I'm mostly just telling rabbit jokes at my own expense," Lenna said with a fond smile, "Ah, well. Either way, you are a riot, my drunk and unconscious companion. I just hope you stay safe on the battlefield." Lenna trusted Cecilia to take care of Elisha, and so stood up to carry Louis to a room. Lenna didn't know where his room was, so she figured she'd share a bed with him. The beds were supposed to be decently large, so she didn't see a problem with that. Then she heard Vance speak, and smiled as she walked over. "Now, sir, have some confidence in your allies. I mean, true, this guy," Lenna gestured to the unconscious dork in her arms, "is a bit of a dork, and...I don't even know what's going on with Catman over there." Lenna gestured with her ears at Bart. "But people will surprise you," she said to Vance. She then glanced at Eve, "By the way, you are very pretty, miss. Would you guys tell me your names? I'm Lenna Underwood."</s>
<\|description\|>Serena Nuias Nicknames/Aliases: None Gender: Female Birthday: September 5th Age: She appears to be in her mid 20's Class: Templar Occupation: Exorcist for Hire Species: Human/Beastkin Raven Hybrid Appearance: Serena is a lithe, tall woman with a very toned, semi-muscular figure. Her eyes are a dark shade of blue and she has jet black hair that she keeps in a loose ponytail. She usually keeps them concealed but she also has a pair of raven wings that stretch out 8 feet from tip to tip. There are also jet black feathers on her arms, legs, and chest. She used to have smaller feathers growing on her cheeks, but she has torn the feathers out so many times that they don't grow back anymore. In the place of those feathers are two long scars that run down from just below her cheekbones to her chin on each side of her face. She also has a long scar that runs down her shoulder and one on her leg from an accident she had when she was still a child. Clothing Style: She doesn't wear the helmet unless she's in battle. She also wears a tan cloak that covers up her armor and conceals her wings. Personality: Serena is a hardened fighter on and off the battlefield. Discriminated against by humans for her wings and feathers she has a disdain for most people and will not open up and become friendly to others unless she really knows them. When she does make friends though, she becomes extremely loyal to them and will give her life to protect those she cares about. She has a strong faith in the Gods that was instilled in her by the monks that raised her, and she still prays to them on her journeys. She has a bit of a sharp tongue and will almost always say what she thinks about a person. Likes: The Summer time, sweet and savory food, people with open minds, praying, flying Dislikes: Bitter food, large dogs (she was attacked by one when she was younger), ignorant people, Red Hand Past/History: Serena was raised on the Filicarius Monastery in the Mountains of Shoria after stumbling upon them as a little girl. She was abandoned by her mother and was left as a street urchin, unwanted by anyone. Not even the orphanages would let her in because of her wings and feathers. She was chased out of the city by a mob and wandered into the mountains where she survived on her own for several weeks. When she finally came upon the Monastery, she was starving to death. The monks treated her with compassion and didn't care about the fact she wasn't fully human. They taught her how to read and write and about the Gods, and eventually their own style of demon hunting. At first she was rebellious and tried escaping by flying away, but the attempt went horribly wrong and crashed in the middle of nowhere during the winter. The monks spent 3 days looking for her in below freezing temperatures, trekking a dangerous and steep mountain. When they did finally find her, she was near death. After nursing her back to full health, she began to realize that the monks did truly care about her and took her studies seriously. She was a prodigy in exorcism, and soon after she reached maturity she left to go out into the world and help others by fighting demons wherever they may be. Years later, the Red Hand took an interest in the Monastery where she grew up and in one night wiped them all out. When Serena learned of this, she swore to destroy them all. Her mission is now to kill all demons and all Red Hand.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna was thankful for Cecilia's smoke cover for a moment, until she heard the voraptus that had been keeping pressure on her flap away. That meant that it had chosen a smaller, easier target. Thinking of the young nobles in their group, Lenna burst from the smoke. She briefly considered engaging the scarecrows, but then realized where the final voraptus had gone. Lenna let out a bestial warcry before racing for her white mage ally. As the voraptus knocked Elisha over, Lenna dived on it. It couldn't fly away with her weight pressing on it, and Lenna began wrestling with the bird on the ground. Lenna pinned the bird, making it a clear target for one of her companions.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia heard commotion from the other bird, looking in time to see Elisha getting knocked back. A protective urge moved Cecelia's feet in that direction. Cecelia passes the bird and checks on Elisha. Out of breath, she asks "are you... Alright?" and pulls out a small bandaging kit she originally brought to bandage herself. "Need any... Help?" still trying to catch her breath, she continues asking questions. She looks over at the well-dressed lad with the rapier "can you take out the bird?"</s> <\|message\|>Louis Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière "Yes" Louis answered, although that was really unlikely. Getting into the stance once more, he readied himself to attack the bird. All at once, he moved forward towards his target, hand ready to end it's life. Once he was in range, he lashed out with his weapon, striking the prone beast in the torso. Badly wounded, it quivered under Lenna, no longer able to muster up any strength to escape. With it unable to fight back and slowly dying, Louis walked over and shoved his weapon in it's skull, ending it just like the last one. The creature didn't even know what hit him... ...Mostly because he didn't even notice Louis, and it was already trapped under a large bunnykin...but still "Is she badly hurt?" He asked Cecelia, regarding Elisha. As of right now, Louis was feeling pretty good about himself 'This is far easier then Crow made it out to be...perhaps I simply have a knack for it.' It's too bad that he didn't consider dumb luck a possibility</s> <\|message\|>Miercoles Guanabana Miercoles managed to get signed up at the last minute and yet he managed to get into a group. Still he was late as by the time he rushed to the northernmost gate one of the group members was already in combat with some bizarre looking creations. Definitely not animal, vegetable, or miner but scarecrows? While he didn't want to say they were going to be easy, it could be a lot more worse. Even if enchanted it was enchanted wood, straw, and cloth is no match for a keen blade and an even more keen hand. A small group of the possessed scarecrows fell apart in the time it took for him to re-sheathe his blade as it cleaved through them with the ease of gust of wind kicks dust up. Dramatic entrance now complete he spoke to the armored man with a tip of the hat, "We can exchange names after this. For now let us focus on destroying these pests quickly." He then set down his box as it would be a bit of a nuisance in this fight as well out of a desire to minimize any possible damage that could be inflicted on it.</s> <\|message\|>Elisha Marluxia "Man, I am really out of shape." Elisha thinks to herself as she desperately catches her breath. The impact she made blew all of the wind out of her. Before long, she could hear Cecelia and Louis coming to check up on her. "I-I'll be OK... Cecelia... I just need... to calm down for a few." Elisha slowly forces herself to stand back up. "Get a hold of yourself, Eli. You told yourself you won't be a burden anymore." As she says that to herself, she closes her eyes and begins channeling the spell she was going to use moments earlier once more. "The three scarecrows are... there... there... and there..." Envisioning where her targets are, Elisha envelops the three remaining demons in a cloak of flame. Being made out of straw, they were quick to catch on fire and were shortly burned into a crisp, but not before loudly wailing out into the skies one last time.</s> <\|message\|>Cecelia Cecelia Cecelia stands in silence for a few seconds. She- she just burnt them to a crisp. Seeing how much force Elisha put into standing back up, Cecelia stands about a foot in front of her, asking "are you sure you're alright. You look pretty drained. Especially after that spell. Do you need to sit down or something? Please don't overdo yourself." Cecelia notices that all of the enemies are dead. Well, at least we got rid of them, along with the possible coin. She realizes how different her thoughts were before, during, and after the fight. She smiles at Elisha, adding "you did a great job. Thanks for taking care of those last few scarecrows, Elisha. Was that your first time fighting?" She turns to the rapier-boy, continuing her gratitude "and thank you for taking care of that last bird. I'm Cecelia, known in some parts as 'The Shadow'" adding her alias in a tone that somewhat mocks the name itself, to keep from sounding too serious about the fact that she's the one people send out for to steal others' things and all sorts of random stuff at night. Cecelia turned towards the gates, where the mass of volunteer villagers stood just outside of, not having done any work. "Well, that was easy enough" Cecelia thought aloud as she surveyed the battlefield. I didn't even bloody my blade. Yet.</s> <\|message\|>Lenna Underwood Lenna shifted back into her human state, then appraised her allies with a smile. "Good job, guys. Especially you, miss," she noted Elisha, "That magic work was great. Those demons didn't stand a chance." She then looked at the dead birds. "It's a shame we couldn't take care of the demons first. The raptors would have likely calmed down." She shook her head, then listened to what Cecila said. "Good to meet you, miss Cecilia. I am Lenna Underwood, of the family and town that share that name." She smiled, "Thanks for the covering smoke, by the way." She glanced at Louis, "And decent rapier work by you, sir. Keep practicing, you'll make a fantastic swordsman."</s>	<\|message\|>Serena Nuias Serena Nuias had been in the city of Maplestead after hearing that there was an unusual amount of demonic activity affecting its surrounding regions. She had wandered the city for a few days trying to glean information from the inhabitants, but in the end she didn't have to pry too far. Maplestead wasn't just suffering from a small demon outbreak. It was under siege. It wasn't just demons either, there were other beasts running rampant in unusual ways. Even she was aware that she couldn't face this level of demonic activity alone. Then came the crier with his announcement of rewards going to those who could kill the creatures attacking Maplestead. She immediately realized that this was a suicide mission for most, and knew that she had to assist. One of the oaths she had taken when she became a Templar was to protect the weak. Even if the individuals themselves were ignorant, greedy, and detestable; it was her duty. She cared nothing for the gold. When she arrived at the town square to sign up, she had noticed that more than a few intriguing characters were abreast. Some seemed experienced and cautious, like the tactician and cleric who obviously had several years of experience under their belt each. She had heard what the cleric Aldrial had to say about the pains of healing another, and she shared some of his sentiments but also felt that it was the duty of a healer to bear that pain and anguish. Of course, she didn't think that fools who rushed into the heat of battle should be rewarded for their stupidity, but leaving them to die was like turning one's back on their own calling. She had also seen several with far less experience but the potential for greatness, and many who simply should not have been risking their lives as it would be fruitless and wasteful. She steeled herself for the horror that would come soon. Earlier in the day she had watched a young girl collapse after running for just a short while and was shocked when she realized that that same girl was going to be facing the horror of battle alongside her. She was almost dead set on protecting that girl, as her kind spirit shone brightly even though her body was weak. In the end she left protection of the girl to the thief who had helped her up in the first place. It seemed apparent that the thief known as Cecilia was attempting to propose to the other girl, as strange as that was. In any case, she was not Serena's responsibility. She stayed out of sight, and silent for almost the entire morning. When the town crier finally appeared to announce the various teams that would engage the monsters, she was placed with three absolute imbeciles who had no combat experience. She decided it was better to just fight on her own. She paid them off with the bit of gold that she carried on her for emergencies, and they happily obliged after hearing how soon the battle would begin. They were smarter than most, but still cowards. She did not judge them for this though. ~~~~~ The time came for the battle to begin. Serena watched the various teams make their way to the various gates that protected the city, and chose to follow the group heading for the Eastern gate as she felt the presence of a creature that was far more deadly than what any of these peasants were capable of handling even on a good day with the correct equipment and a plan. It had taken several minutes to convince those farmers to return to their homes, and by that time the crowd had scattered and gone to the gates. She rushed as fast as she could to the East Gate, hoping that not too much damage had been done and that the villagers had at least some of their wits about them, but her hope was soon to be crushed. On the other side of the gate, dozens of the lightly armed villagers ran screaming as a Basilisk tore through the crowd, crushing all in its wake. Several other villagers were being lit on fire by the Lava Demons and the stench and cries of pain that emanated from them lit an anger in Serena's soul at the nobles who sent these villagers to die like dogs. She watched the Beast Whisperer Jere bravely try to save a villager from being trampled, and then noticed the elegant Archer Veltis set up his greatbow to lay siege to the Basilisk. In utter amazement, she saw him loose arrow after arrow into the demon's many eyes, and it finally collapsed to the ground. She stood there stupefied by the sheer skill of the man, but the cries of the maimed and dying villagers brought her back to her senses. She needed to help in whatever way she could. She ran to Veltis who was now on his knees from the exhaustion of firing that greatbow so many times and helped him to his feet. She then hastily introduced herself so she would not seem rude. "Hello good Sir, I am Serena Nuias. I would like to further introduce myself, but I feel that now is not a good time. Excellent work with the Basilisk," She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "That is quite a feat you just pulled off." She then gripped his shoulder tightly and muttered unintelligible words in another language under her breath. A white glow came off of her hand and spread to the tuckered out archer. "That spell should revitalize you just enough so that we may deal with these Lava demons together. The villagers need our help." With that, she drew her sword from its sheath on her waist and mounted her shield and ran forward towards Jere and his Wolf.</s>
<\|description\|>Alexandra Hertz Age: 18 Gender: Female Appearance: Personality: Calm, not easily angered, Alexandra believes in stability and order above all else. She finds warfare and violence distasteful, though she will still engage it in necessary. To those who have earned a friendship with her, she will stand with them to the end when they are in need. To those who aren't she is a position of stability, to be respected and feared for her position. Resolute once she has made her mind up, she doesn't mind the scheming of her underlings, so long as it doesn't result in open fighting. She likes her peace, and she will keep it. Bio: Alexandra has lived in Aurora her whole life. Originally only an average girl, she grew up as a single child in a moderately well off family, one that had made itself useful as part of the government. There was resentment as a result, but that never seemed to be an issue, and Alexandra enjoyed a relatively peaceful childhood. The concerns of Witches and magical girls were none of hers, beyond how it impacted her life. That all changed with an attempted assassination and a crackdown, purges running through the government as supposed traitors were eliminated. Her father was caught up in them, and the purges themselves only served to further opposition. Alexandra's peaceful life was shattered, and she found herself increasingly isolated. And with that hardship, when Kyubey approached her, she took the deal, and became a magical girl. Her life restored itself, her father returned, but things wouldn't be the same for her. She worked her way through the ranks from the bottom up, proving herself as a fighter, and as someone competent, as she rose in the process. It was during this time that she met Caroline, and they established a firm friendship that would last to the present. She also met Kolya, though he would not join until later. Eventually, she made her move. Drawing on a coalition of nobles and lower ranking magical girls, she staged a coup and overthrew the cities old leadership, placing herself in power. Land and positions were doled out to supporters, and she went about restoring stability to the city, cracking down on organized crime, as well as open conflict. Since then she has enforced peace, preventing encroachment by her neighbors and keeping things under control. The Shadow Compact has been pushed back, and she is very much satisfied with the way things have been maintained. It is a state of affairs she plans to have endure for some time. Allegiance: Aurora City Authority Skills: Diplomacy, Administration, Singing, Proficiency with her magical girl abilities Weapons: None Other: Nothing Magical Girl Section: Magical Girl Appearance: Wish: "I wish things would just go back to the way they were." Weapons: She wields a magical Great Sword, that can also shift into a kite shield. Powers: Gravitic manipulation. She can alter the affect of gravity on any object she touches, making her able to effectively render any object weightless if she so desires it, or as heavy as a neutron star (Though that would take an incredible amount of power, and it would atop the second she let go.) She can also use this power on herself.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Eponine certainly had set herself up for a difficult task, with no leads to go on besides those she had already reported to Maria. There were methods she could follow if she wanted, such as staking out Witches Barriers and waiting for a magical girl to arrive, but that would be time consuming, and there was no guarantee that the person she was looking for would ever show up at all. But that would have to wait for a moment as her phone rang, caller id revealing who it was. It would be Adrian, one of the higher ranking people in the militia she had created to help her fight Witches. It was a group that undeniably took losses, but he had been one of the better ones at surviving it all, and if he was calling, then it had to be important. That was revealed soon enough to her, once she had answered the phone. "Hey boss, remember that effigy thing with the grief seed people've been talking about? Well, some rogue magical girl decided to bust through one of the checkpoints into the city a little while ago. Thought you might want to know." --- The Shadow Compact were not the easiest group to find, as Chloe would be able to attest to as she made her way through Aurora. They worked underground, were deeply suspicious of magical girls or collaborators, and took precautions accordingly. Then again, as someone who had managed to work herself into a partnership with that organization, she would know as much, and have planned accordingly to deal with it, especially when moving on to a new area. Her knowledge would guide her along in her search for Compact assistance, directing her away from downtown and towards the rougher areas, the places that had missed out on the economic development present, and were home to crime, poverty, and dirty dealings. The places that one would usually find the Mafia, and where government control was weakest. That wasn't to say that they Compact didn't operate in nicer parts of Aurora, because they did, but it would be easier to find a safe house in one of the less important (from the perspective of the government) neighborhoods. But for someone like her, ferreting out a safehouse shouldn't be that hard.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe Maria changed once again into something darker and brooding as she started to speak. "Indeed. We become nothing but screams of despair in the air, to be violently taken and then thrown away by those with purpose, scattered to the winds and consumed by strangers. To live without hope is to accept all the pain you have endured as having been for naught, to throw away any semblance of human will and to welcome complete oblivion." Maria realized what she was saying and reverted back to her 15-year-old self. "Oh, I was starting to talk silly stuff. Never mind that, Fantine. I'll be at the study now, so don't disturb unless it's something important." She turned her wheelchair around and headed for the study. It was a room with shelves packed to the brim with books of all sorts of topics and genres. However, she rarely read them; her main use for the room was in the green laptop she had sitting on a small table at the center of the room. Once she closed the room, she began to work on the various sheets and profiles she had already open on it, from small things such as grief seed farming charts to bigger files like intelligence she has collected on the city and the areas outside it. With nothing else to do, she continued working on it, managing and scheming with no set difference.</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane "Track her, but keep a safe distance," Eponine ordered, "We want this one...alive. And unharmed, as much as possible." Eponine hopped in the jeep that had taken her here and ordered the soldier to drive her to the checkpoint. Speaking to the survivors, Eponine was able to glean a general idea of what this rogue looked like, as well as her magical weapon. What was troubling, but nonetheless expected due to the need to conserve magic, was the fact that the rogue seemed not to have revealed what her magical ability was. Apparently the rogue had also been shot in the leg, if she didn't use magic to heal the wound, she should be hobbling at a slower pace, but if she did use magic, she might be more desperate to find a grief seed. Eponine asked if the trail was still hot. She wiped blood from her mouth with her forearm, noticing that, once again, she had bitten the inside of her mouth without noticing. "Understood, Lady Maria," Fantine replied, letting Maria head off to her library. However, Maria's words made Fantine worry more about Eponine, so she quickly dried the tears that had started welling up at the corners of her eyes. Certain that she was no longer visibly sad, she headed down to the kitchen to help out with chores.</s> <\|message\|>Chloe Hartmann Chloe had spent as little time as possible patching up her leg. Without any convenient cloth on hand, and lacking the desire to tear up a good shirt or skirt for something like this, she had needed to take a quick 'peek' inside some stranger's home, where she managed to find a few bandages. Hopefully the delay wouldn't cost her much time, but at least she wouldn't be bleeding out everywhere. The tradeoff for her magical powers was a body that was close to being indestructable, but the body couldn't move without blood, and if she bled all over the streets and rooftops she might as well be leaving a trail of bread crumbs. After taking care of herself and dodging through the streets of the inner city, she found what she was looking for. One of the few safehouses of the Shadow Compact that she had been in contact with before. She was no stranger to the poverty-stricken areas of Aurora, having grown up in such areas since birth, and hiding herself away in dirty rat-holes like this since forming her contract. Not only were they good places to hide away from the prying eyes of the government, but the despair here was strong, which made it a great place to hunt for witches. Few people here were happy to see her, but she was able to get the medical attention she needed from a street doctor who had been hiding away here. Nothing else was particularly important to her, and she was a long shot from caring about the opinions of any other urchins here. "Haah, what a pain in the ass. You think you guys would be a little more grateful. I might just be taking the heat off your doorstep so you can do your own little things, whatever they are. I keep telling you, we both have the same goal, don't we?"</s>	<\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz By the time Eponine arrived at the checkpoint in question, she would find most of the affair over, medics taking care of the injured men while a clean up crew dealt with the property damage. Of that there was very little this time, though that was not always the case in these sorts of things. Given what the apparent intent was, it wasn't unreasonable though. She'd find Adrian there already, a tall man with black hair and more than his share of battle scars, a former mercenary that had joined up with her. He was of a particular breed, but that made him very good at what he did. "Hey Boss," he said with a nod, glancing over to the men getting treated currently, pitying them just a bit for what they had suffered. "Everything was all settled by the time I got here. You can talk to them if you want, but at this point we don't have any leads. They're looking, but given that it was a magical girl, there isn't much hope for picking up her trail." He shrugged, a hand resting on the pistol strapped to his waist. "Still, none of the other checkpoints have reported seeing her, so odds are that she's still in this section of the city, unless she happens to have some kind of illusion magic." It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. --- There were currently two men present in the safehouse that Chloe had found herself at, one the doctor who had patched hr up, and the other one of the men who worked with the Compact, and someone decently important, in terms of this local cell. Luckily, the doctor had had it easy given the nature of his patient, and it hadn't taken much work to deal with the wounds she had received. Now she could spend the time to heal up, if she so wanted. The safehouse was a bit small, more cozy than anything, and it was certainly well stocked with food, weapons, medical supplies, and the like. From the outside it would look like a place to be avoided, but inside it wasn't too bad. Then again, given its purpose that probably wasn't a surprise. The contact, Oscar, a pretty average fellow who preferred to look that way, with close cropped brown hair and casual garb to match, sighed as he watched Chloe from his position, leaning against a counter top. "Yeah yeah, so you say. And you had the code words, and the name drops to get in here. But we didn't survive this long simply on blind faith." He watched her with thinly veiled distrust, not that he'd have much of a chance if she actually tried to do anything. It was a reminder that not even her nominal allies trusted her all that much. "SO what's your plan now that you're here? They're going to be looking for you." --- The knowledge of all the plans Maria had was generally well confined, as was to be expected from someone like her. While there might have been rumors, there was no solid proof to accompany them, and as long as that remained the case it seemed that she would be allowed to make her plots in peace and security. Certainly rumors were not enough to act on, at least under the current ruler of Aurora. In the past that might have been another matter, but that was not the present moment. For some time she would be undisturbed, until a voice spoke to her in her head, a familiar tone that she may have viewed with some disdain, yet that also served a valuable purpose, here and elsewhere. Hello Maria Goethe, Kyubey said as he emerged from around a corner as if by magic itself, which it was in all likelihood. You appear to be well.</s>
<\|description\|>Alexandra Hertz Age: 18 Gender: Female Appearance: Personality: Calm, not easily angered, Alexandra believes in stability and order above all else. She finds warfare and violence distasteful, though she will still engage it in necessary. To those who have earned a friendship with her, she will stand with them to the end when they are in need. To those who aren't she is a position of stability, to be respected and feared for her position. Resolute once she has made her mind up, she doesn't mind the scheming of her underlings, so long as it doesn't result in open fighting. She likes her peace, and she will keep it. Bio: Alexandra has lived in Aurora her whole life. Originally only an average girl, she grew up as a single child in a moderately well off family, one that had made itself useful as part of the government. There was resentment as a result, but that never seemed to be an issue, and Alexandra enjoyed a relatively peaceful childhood. The concerns of Witches and magical girls were none of hers, beyond how it impacted her life. That all changed with an attempted assassination and a crackdown, purges running through the government as supposed traitors were eliminated. Her father was caught up in them, and the purges themselves only served to further opposition. Alexandra's peaceful life was shattered, and she found herself increasingly isolated. And with that hardship, when Kyubey approached her, she took the deal, and became a magical girl. Her life restored itself, her father returned, but things wouldn't be the same for her. She worked her way through the ranks from the bottom up, proving herself as a fighter, and as someone competent, as she rose in the process. It was during this time that she met Caroline, and they established a firm friendship that would last to the present. She also met Kolya, though he would not join until later. Eventually, she made her move. Drawing on a coalition of nobles and lower ranking magical girls, she staged a coup and overthrew the cities old leadership, placing herself in power. Land and positions were doled out to supporters, and she went about restoring stability to the city, cracking down on organized crime, as well as open conflict. Since then she has enforced peace, preventing encroachment by her neighbors and keeping things under control. The Shadow Compact has been pushed back, and she is very much satisfied with the way things have been maintained. It is a state of affairs she plans to have endure for some time. Allegiance: Aurora City Authority Skills: Diplomacy, Administration, Singing, Proficiency with her magical girl abilities Weapons: None Other: Nothing Magical Girl Section: Magical Girl Appearance: Wish: "I wish things would just go back to the way they were." Weapons: She wields a magical Great Sword, that can also shift into a kite shield. Powers: Gravitic manipulation. She can alter the affect of gravity on any object she touches, making her able to effectively render any object weightless if she so desires it, or as heavy as a neutron star (Though that would take an incredible amount of power, and it would atop the second she let go.) She can also use this power on herself.</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane "Have this area placed on lock-down, no one leaves or enters without my permission, and have her physical description circulated to each checkpoint. And if anyone sees her, they are to attempt to inform her that I wish to parley with her." While Adrian went about fulfilling her orders, Eponine gathered three more of her best. When Adrian returned, Eponine said, "Adrian, we're going on a manhunt."</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Kyubey, how nice to see you," Maria responded as she turned around to greet the white creature with her trademark cuteness. "Why yes, I am most fine as you can see. Now, what brings you to my humble abode?" In truth, Maria didn't actually care about the creature's purpose behind his visit, but decided to enjoy a bit of small talk while she had the chance, since Kyubey tends to leave magical girls alone after the contract, only appearing to dispose of grief seeds. While she does appreciate the gifts that his kind have given to her, she also knows their true nature, and, given her mood, would have no qualms with making his small head explode with her magic, since she is also aware of their apparent immortality.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz "Got it," Adrian confirmed with a nod. It wasn't exactly a surprise, though the fact that she apparently wanted to parley with this girl was. But he wasn't going to question a decision of hers. On tactical matters he would, but he didn't get paid enough to interject in the higher affairs of magical girls. If she said she wanted to talk, that was what he would do. She was left to collect others for the hunt as Adrian went to fulfill her orders, those being two women and another man, with a varying assortment of weaponry Most of it was oriented around fighting Witches, but it would serve well enough against humans and magical girls as well. And they had been trained well in that regard to boot. When he returned, he nodded in approval of her orders. "Alright boss," he replied, falling into line as they moved away. He had his own weapon ready, an assault rifle, and he glanced over at her as they walked. "So what's the plan?" --- Kyubey padded over with her greeting, taking up a position on one of her bookshelves as he watched her, tail flicking all the while. What sorts of plots and schemes the Incubator might be hatching were hard to say, for while the group helped those magical girls who ruled, it was also well known that they had their own agenda, and would work for their self interest at the same time. Nothing incredibly urgent by your standards, Kyubey responded in a happy tone. I merely wished to check on your status and see how you were doing. After all, each magical girl is important. Important to the grand scheme of saving the universe from entropy, a goal so far off that no one here could care about it when faced with the realities and necessities of power. And even moreso when one knew the truth of the system. He tilted his head as he dropped the other shoe. I'm also curious to see how you plan to ride out the oncoming storm. Of course Kyubey would have one than more motive to his visit, a tantalizing bit of information that she could pursue at her leisure.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Oh, isn't that sweet of you," Maria said as she opened a jar of cookies she kept in a shelf. She then offered a cookie to the creature in an endearing manner. "Would you like one?" Disgusting rat, Maria thought. Thinks he can barge in any time he wants and spout nonsense like that? Fine, I'll tolerate his presence for a bit more, before I'll have to call Fantine to clean his remains off the walls. Oh, you sly bastard. Trying to pique my interest so you can catch me in a trap of yours? Alright then, let's partake of this game. Feigning ignorance, Maria responded by mimicking Kyubey's head tilt and saying: "A storm, huh? I didn't see anything like that in the weather reports. Sure sounds scary."</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane Eponine sighed silently to herself. It wasn't a very elegant plan, but then again, she wasn't a very elegant person as she was given to tackling obstacles straight on, like a bulldozer. "We start at where our soldiers last sighted her, we scan for blood. We ask the locals if they saw anyone suspicious running by that matches the physical description we have, or if they know of a place where such a person could hide." She wanted to just get a megaphone and make an attempt to call out the magical girl, hoping that if she made it clear that she had no intention of harming her, she might come quietly, but she was already making this way more open than she felt Maria wanted; after all, if Maria wanted to speak with a magical girl from outside the city, the other nobles would probably view such an act with suspicion.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Kyubey shook his head, ringed ears somehow defying gravity and momentum to move without swaying. I have no need of material sustenance, unlike your species, he replied from his bookshelf. Doubtlessly she had expected such an answer though so it didn't really matter in the end. If he seemed annoyed by her mimicry, Kyubey didn't show it as he provided a following answer. You would consider it as such.He paused, padding over to the end of the bookshelf before. Someone is toying with powers they don't understand, putting the entire system as it stands in jeopardy. Naturally, allowing it to proceed would not be in your best interest. If it was a concern for Kyubey, then it would probably be an issue for her as well. Assuming that he was being completely frank anyway.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Okay then, I'll just have these for myself then," Maria said cheerfully as she threw one up in the air and caught it with her mouth. It would have actually been amusing if he accepted. Oh, now this is what I wanted to hear: ominous portents from a white rodent, probably trying to lead me on a goose chase. Still, coming from him, it does sound serious. Maybe I shouldn't outright dismiss it. Let's test the waters. "Oh my!" Maria placed her hands over her cheeks in a dramatic manner. "Is Aurora City in danger? What could I possibly do, Kyubey?"</s> <\|message\|>Chloe Hartmann Chloe shrugged noncommitally. "Don't worry about things you can't control, man. Stress is a good way to cut your lifespan short. Nowadays more than ever. Well, for humans anyway." She didn't miss the looks she had been given. Rather, she had been expecting (and had, in the past, received) far worse. Oscar's distrust wasn't totally unfounded either. "As for my plans? You've gotta be kidding me. It's real simple. If they follow me here, I'll beat them until they never come back. I don't care if the whole damned city falls down around this building. If I'm here, these walls will stay standing... But I won't stay here for long. Hiding's never done me any good." Thinking about it for a moment, she decided on a course of action. Which is to say, she picked a whim from the ether. "In fact... You can go ahead and talk to the higher ups. If ever you fellas had any plans of world domination, any buns in the oven just waiting for the bread to rise, now might just be your time. I think I'm done waiting around. You lot can join me, take advantage of me, use me, or just sit there and watch me die for all I care. Like you said, you didn't survive this long on blind faith. I've got faith that the Compact will do whatever's best for the Compact. So I hope great things will come of this. But I think the time for a good hearty offensive is coming real soon. We'll just have to see." Her little speech concluded, Chloe stepped down on her wounded leg a few times, testing different weights, before nodding, satisfied. "It's not perfect, but it'll do. Thanks Doc. Here's to seeing you alive on the other side. I'm out!" Tossing her headphones on again, she peered out a crack in the door to make sure she wasn't being followed, gave a thumbs-up to the people behind her, and darted out the door, closing it softly behind her. They would prefer she left no trace, probably, so she did her best to hide her presence until she was a little further away. After reaching a safe enough distance, Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. She was back on the streets, and away from the judgmental stares. For now, that would have to be good enough. And if she ran into anybody else, well, hopefully nobody wanted to shoot her.</s>	<\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Indeed, it was not the most amazing plan, but given what they were trying to do it would most likely suffice. It might take some time, but if the girl they were looking for couldn't escape, then it would eventually succeed. Excluding, again, illusion magic. "Got it," Adrian replied as they moved away from the checkpoint. Sure, he knew that they wanted to talk, but nonetheless he was still on alert. More in case said girl wasn't willing to talk when they asked. He much enjoyed being in one piece, and wanted to keep doing so for as long as he could. And on they went. The trail of blood was scattered, but it provided the beginnings of a lead and a general direction. It became harder to track once she had dropped off the roof and into the inner city streets, but then it was easier to find people who had seen her. It was a promising start, when they had the time to spend, and Eponine could be grateful that so many people were willing to help out based on her status. --- While emotions were beyond him, Kyubey was cognizant enough to recognize the melodramatic overacting directed his way, though it wasn't unsurprising. With the prevalence of magical girls, it was a reaction he got often from them, when it wasn't disdain or happiness. Honestly, humans could be so unpredictable. At the very least, they still needed him to deal with Grief Seeds, which ensured he would always be around. One could say that, he replied. If it is replicated, it will most likely be a threat to the world in general. It would make more sense to prevent it before it can happen in the first place. You merely need to find those responsible and stop what they are planning before they can finish what they are trying to do --- "Alright," Oscar replied, tone laced with a healthy bit of skepticism. She might have all the bravado in the world, but he was a bit less confident that she could stand up to every other magical girl in the city if they came after her. Ideally she wouldn't attract that much attention anyway, but given the way she was talking it wasn't impossible, at least form his point of view. "Good luck," he said as she departed, before muttering under his breath. "And good riddance." She might have heard as she left, but it didn't seem to make a difference. Chloe was able to make it away from the safehouse without drawing notice, before she emerged onto the city streets, to wander and do as she wished. It only remained to be seen whether she would slip past the patrol searching for her, or if there would be a confrontation. Indeed, she and the group would be drawing nearer even now, though it would be hard for her to not notice the approach of another magical girl, and avoid her if she so wished.</s>
<\|description\|>Alexandra Hertz Age: 18 Gender: Female Appearance: Personality: Calm, not easily angered, Alexandra believes in stability and order above all else. She finds warfare and violence distasteful, though she will still engage it in necessary. To those who have earned a friendship with her, she will stand with them to the end when they are in need. To those who aren't she is a position of stability, to be respected and feared for her position. Resolute once she has made her mind up, she doesn't mind the scheming of her underlings, so long as it doesn't result in open fighting. She likes her peace, and she will keep it. Bio: Alexandra has lived in Aurora her whole life. Originally only an average girl, she grew up as a single child in a moderately well off family, one that had made itself useful as part of the government. There was resentment as a result, but that never seemed to be an issue, and Alexandra enjoyed a relatively peaceful childhood. The concerns of Witches and magical girls were none of hers, beyond how it impacted her life. That all changed with an attempted assassination and a crackdown, purges running through the government as supposed traitors were eliminated. Her father was caught up in them, and the purges themselves only served to further opposition. Alexandra's peaceful life was shattered, and she found herself increasingly isolated. And with that hardship, when Kyubey approached her, she took the deal, and became a magical girl. Her life restored itself, her father returned, but things wouldn't be the same for her. She worked her way through the ranks from the bottom up, proving herself as a fighter, and as someone competent, as she rose in the process. It was during this time that she met Caroline, and they established a firm friendship that would last to the present. She also met Kolya, though he would not join until later. Eventually, she made her move. Drawing on a coalition of nobles and lower ranking magical girls, she staged a coup and overthrew the cities old leadership, placing herself in power. Land and positions were doled out to supporters, and she went about restoring stability to the city, cracking down on organized crime, as well as open conflict. Since then she has enforced peace, preventing encroachment by her neighbors and keeping things under control. The Shadow Compact has been pushed back, and she is very much satisfied with the way things have been maintained. It is a state of affairs she plans to have endure for some time. Allegiance: Aurora City Authority Skills: Diplomacy, Administration, Singing, Proficiency with her magical girl abilities Weapons: None Other: Nothing Magical Girl Section: Magical Girl Appearance: Wish: "I wish things would just go back to the way they were." Weapons: She wields a magical Great Sword, that can also shift into a kite shield. Powers: Gravitic manipulation. She can alter the affect of gravity on any object she touches, making her able to effectively render any object weightless if she so desires it, or as heavy as a neutron star (Though that would take an incredible amount of power, and it would atop the second she let go.) She can also use this power on herself.</s> <\|message\|>Kolya Lukoshenko Far away from the glamour of the inner city, a disobedient lordling was being punished. Despite being one of the few normal humans to be granted his own land, Mayor Geier's estates were in arrears on their rent; without a magical girl to harvest Grief Seeds, the town instead produced smelted iron for the city's reconstruction work and was therefore vital to the continued viability of the Aurora City Authority. Unfortunately for the good Mayor, this meant that any late deliveries would not be looked upon kindly. '... and so by the decree of Her Ladyship Alexandra Hertz, Lord of Aurora and associated territories, I hereby sentence you to ten years hard labour.' The poor man begged for clemency as a pair of burly militiamen dragged him away, eliciting a tired sigh from his judge. Chasing up taxes wasn't his usual area of expertise and it dragged him down. 'The next mayor will be chosen by the City Authority; in the meantime, a magical girl will be dispatched to the area to oversee production. Obey her. Dismissed.' He left his speech short as he stared out over the massed population of the town, finding the glum mood somewhat to his satisfaction. These people were little more than serfs, tied to the land and foundries; a low ranked magi would have little trouble keeping them in line and might even snag herself the odd Witch. For him though, the morning's work was done. Calling up his handful of troops, the officer began the long journey back to the city. --- It always amazed Kolya how varied the city was. One could walk for half an hour in either direction and pass though modern parks, into rotting slums and then elegant high-rise flats. Aurora was a true metropolis, if a small one. Leaving his guards outside, he entered Hertz' private building, a particularly massive skyscraper in the centre of the city. If nothing else, she had a good eye for décor. Kolya ignored the stylish architecture and such, preferring instead to see to building for what it was; a statement of power, proof of exactly who ruled this city. In days past, the former administration had preferred a more subtle centre of operations, but he appreciated the need to grandstand in the face of constant encroachment from rival magi, not to mention the ever-present threat posed by traditional nation-states. Before long he arrived at his mistresses' door and gave a sharp rap on the woodwork. 'My Lady, Lukoshenko with the taxation and border reports.' He wasn't sure if she was aware of the change in management at the former Mayor's estates, but he also had other issues that required her attention.</s> <\|message\|>Violetta FitzCarraldo. (Veee oh-let-ter, not Vayyy-oh-let-ter. She gets annoyed if you mispronounce it.) The girl in the blue dress clutched at the egg in her hands, feeling it's cold weight in her numb fingers. She felt empty, drained of something far more important then just her soul. Kyuubey was nowhere to be found, having slipped somewhere down a alleyway or up a chute or anywhere that wasn't here. Michelle could feel something on her back. Something cold, and they kept twisting, making singing noises against the gentle breeze. Ice crystals, she was sure of it. She could see them in the corner of her eyes, always moving away when she turned to look at them, and she could see their weird shadows right next to hers, and every time they bumped into a wall they screamed at her in a language no one else seemed to hear. She'd curled into a ball and tried to freeze herself to death, somewhere quiet where nobody else would intervene. Which is why she blanched when she heard the footsteps. First a loud SLAM, like jackboots hitting concrete. Then a rhythm, regular thumps as someone or something walked towards her. They stopped. Michelle turned her neck, trying to ignore the coat of ice coating her cheek. The other girl was tall, almost menacingly so. In the evening light, the harsh shadows and glare got in the way of everything, and all she could make out was shadows and flashes of red and black, and a mouth somewhere high up and fleshing out words. "Who're you?" Michelle opened her mouth, trying to sound out words through a cold and aching jaw. "C-c-cirn-" She began, then stopped. That wasn't her, was it? She'd wished for it, but she hated herself, now. Hated the fever, hated the dress, hated the bow tie, hated having made the stupid pact with the bunnycat, hated hated hated it. Something touched her cheek, and it took a few seconds of burning for her to realize it was a pilot light. "Y'know" the girl said, casually. "If it was anyone else, they probably would've killed you by now. Or have they already?" "I'm Michelle." "Ah, so you can speak." "Mmm." "I assume you contracted pretty recently? Yeah? The wish wasn't everything you wanted it to be?" Michelle just nodded, and a thousand little ice shards over her neck cracked at once, making a Clink-clink sound. "I won't ask you what you wished for. Breach of contract. But I will tell you this is an awful place to die in. there's a turf war going to happen in a few minutes. Girls with guns, and back alley tactics. They'll probably just shoot you and ask questions later. Not that it matters much, since you're already dead." The strange girl crouched down, on her haunches. Her breath fogged up when it passed over Michelle's shoulder. "That's stuff you don't see in the fine print, see? That pretty little egg of yours, it's more then just a trinket. It's the bit of you that's alive and makes you laugh, or cry, and they take it out and give yous some pretty little wings and they think it's fair. But it really doesn't matter, does it, since a dead bird won't fly. You've made your mistake, Michelle. But I think you don't have to make another one. Come with me, and i'll show you something worth living for." Michelle turned, glaring into the sun. And in it, a figure in a pompous hat almost all in shadow, and she nodded. ---- The witch roared, and bit down. It tore open Michelle's chest, tearing up the blue dress and several important-looking sinewy bits. She weakly flailed at a familiar, but the pick found nothing but air. The noise and the fury of the witch's lair swam in and out of focus, The witch, a serpentine draconic woodcut, snarled at something out of her sight, but recoiled in a flash of blinding blue steam as something fought back at it. The figure turned away from the dragon as more women --her comrades-- went at the beast with lightning and mirrors and staves. The girl crouched down, and her face swam into view. From her expression alone, Michelle could gather that she wasn't going to make it. Even as the pain was a mild buzzing sensation in the back of her head, her limbs weren't responding as they should. All she could move was her head. She gasped out something, and let an arm flop at her chest. The girl, in between the tears, grabbed at the red bow and grasped at the knot, pulling at the ice-white gemstone. She took it, and turned away. And for Michelle, everything went dark. --- "Role call, ladies. Did everyone make it out okay? Elaine, that's a nasty gash on your arm, you might want to have that checked out back at base. Catherine, get to Elaine and work your stuff. We're moving out of here as soon as we confirm the seeds, we don't wanna spend any more time then we need to." The voice of command rang out as soon as the witch's lair had spat them back out. Antsy soldiers, Violetta thought, were inefficient soldiers. People needed order in their lives, and she was all too happy to provide that, in the form of a shouty young lady with a massive hat and and even larger ego. "Wait. Where's Chell?" One glance at her squadron, and her heart dropped. The company was one short. And it didn't take a genius to work out what had happened. Even then, amidst the quiet realization, she still had to play the shouty Sargent card. "Well, come on then, it's almost morning. I'm sure you all have comfortable beds in which to mope in, so get a damn move on, already!" They picked up two grief seeds that night. One with a tiny motif of snowflakes dancing around its edge. Violetta grabbed at the tray of fast food and deposited it gently on the table. Then she picked up her phone, and spoke, disinterestedly into the mobile phone. "Hey? Valkyrie squad? This is Violetta." She said, balancing the talk with a small soda. Once upon a time,they'd used codenames and secrets to hide their gang of magical girls. It led to so much confusion and doublechecking they simply dropped the codes and talked normally to confirm they had got it right the first time, and it wasn't like anybody cared about the Valks. She sneaked a fry into her mouth, chewed and swallowed with all the signs of enjoyment, and half-yawned into the receiver "Be on your guard, ladies. It's a good night for something fishy." She cut the communication, and glanced at the screen. Somebody wanted her to go patrol some dark and dirty corner of the city to find a rogue magical girl. Didn't sound like her cup of yerba mate. She and her battalion had already met their quota for today. But she threw aside the unopened burger and stood up to leave, anyway. Whenever there were magical girls fighting, there were impressionable kids ready to contract at a moment's notice and a suspicious plague of disappearing Ferretweasels. And her squad was still one down. She left the shop, and transformed into her fighting clothes. No sense in going unprepared.</s>	<\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz It was obvious that Kyubey would have grinned had he been able to do so, or had he felt the sort of emotion that prompted that sort of action. He had chosen her for a reason after all, just like there was a reason behind everything that the Incubators did. Maria would just have to figure out what it was along the way. Kyubey hopped down off the bookshelf, sitting in front of the wheelchair as he watched her with unblinking eyes. It seems to be a magical girl, he said at last, providing some information. Normal humans would find it incredibly difficult to do what they appear to be trying to do. If a Noble is involved though, it is only indirectly, given that you yourself have no knowledge of any illicit magical research. Another seeming mental shrug then. I would provide more help, but they have done quite a bit to hide their activities from our attention. They had just been fortune that the impact of the ongoing experiments, whatever they were trying to do, had been easier to pick up. But it still left no clue as to who was doing it, much less what they were trying to do. --- Lukoshenko's arrival wasn't entirely a surprise beyond the exact time of his arrival, when he did show up. Alexandra had been expecting him, since she insisted on receiving general reports so she could keep up to date on the state of her nation. She would not let herself be overthrown like she had done before, and she would not allow her nation to fall in dire straits. Aurora would be maintained as it had been, if she had any say in it. "Enter," she called, and Lukoshenko would find the door unlocked. that would permit him entrance into the tastefully decorated penthouse, not ostentatious in its display of wealth but rather subtle about it. It exuded power and an aura of strength that was made to either intimidate, or to console, depending on the intentions of the person who entered, and Alexandra was glad that she had found that particular decorator. Kolya would find Alexandra in the living room, relaxing on the couch with a glass resting nearby. Caroline stood in the corner watching him, though there was less suspicion than had he been someone who hadn't proven his loyalty. She was not a permanent fixture at these meetings by far, but it appeared she had nothing else to do at the moment. "So, how fairs our border today," she asked once he came to a rest, having earned her full attention. Relaxed though she might be, she was all business nonetheless.</s>
<\|description\|>Alexandra Hertz Age: 18 Gender: Female Appearance: Personality: Calm, not easily angered, Alexandra believes in stability and order above all else. She finds warfare and violence distasteful, though she will still engage it in necessary. To those who have earned a friendship with her, she will stand with them to the end when they are in need. To those who aren't she is a position of stability, to be respected and feared for her position. Resolute once she has made her mind up, she doesn't mind the scheming of her underlings, so long as it doesn't result in open fighting. She likes her peace, and she will keep it. Bio: Alexandra has lived in Aurora her whole life. Originally only an average girl, she grew up as a single child in a moderately well off family, one that had made itself useful as part of the government. There was resentment as a result, but that never seemed to be an issue, and Alexandra enjoyed a relatively peaceful childhood. The concerns of Witches and magical girls were none of hers, beyond how it impacted her life. That all changed with an attempted assassination and a crackdown, purges running through the government as supposed traitors were eliminated. Her father was caught up in them, and the purges themselves only served to further opposition. Alexandra's peaceful life was shattered, and she found herself increasingly isolated. And with that hardship, when Kyubey approached her, she took the deal, and became a magical girl. Her life restored itself, her father returned, but things wouldn't be the same for her. She worked her way through the ranks from the bottom up, proving herself as a fighter, and as someone competent, as she rose in the process. It was during this time that she met Caroline, and they established a firm friendship that would last to the present. She also met Kolya, though he would not join until later. Eventually, she made her move. Drawing on a coalition of nobles and lower ranking magical girls, she staged a coup and overthrew the cities old leadership, placing herself in power. Land and positions were doled out to supporters, and she went about restoring stability to the city, cracking down on organized crime, as well as open conflict. Since then she has enforced peace, preventing encroachment by her neighbors and keeping things under control. The Shadow Compact has been pushed back, and she is very much satisfied with the way things have been maintained. It is a state of affairs she plans to have endure for some time. Allegiance: Aurora City Authority Skills: Diplomacy, Administration, Singing, Proficiency with her magical girl abilities Weapons: None Other: Nothing Magical Girl Section: Magical Girl Appearance: Wish: "I wish things would just go back to the way they were." Weapons: She wields a magical Great Sword, that can also shift into a kite shield. Powers: Gravitic manipulation. She can alter the affect of gravity on any object she touches, making her able to effectively render any object weightless if she so desires it, or as heavy as a neutron star (Though that would take an incredible amount of power, and it would atop the second she let go.) She can also use this power on herself.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe Though Maria didn't show it on the outside, she was furious. She was outraged at the insolence of the rogue for completely defying her threats on Shadow Compact and her life and talking back to her with reckless abandon, but more than that, she was angry at herself for making a mistake like she said. It never occurred to me that a Shadow Compact agent wouldn't have any loyalty to them. Or a sense of justice for that matter. How could I have been so blind? Maria's rage started to take the forms of fantasies: they were about dragging her to the basement and torturing her, making her slowly bleed until the floor pooled with her blood. However, she managed to take a hold of herself once she remembered that she was actually willing to co-operate in a certain fashion, and Maria had a policy of not turning down the help of useful people, as loathsome as they could be. There was also the fact that Maria finally had a means of communication with Shadow Compact that was unknown to the rest of the Authority, which meant she now had as good chance as ever of actually achieving her objectives. Still, she couldn't believe how little value the rogue placed on her own life or the life of anyone else, and wondered for a moment if she was actually a witch in human form, so alien did her thinking seem to her. After a moment of sitting silent and staring at the rogue like an overweight man would look at a plate of salad, she finally spoke, in a low voice: "Take these." She called Fantine over and had her deliver two items to Chloe: a flash drive and a cellphone. She explained the items: "The cellphone is in case I need to contact you or Shadow Compact. It only has my number listed, but you can call other numbers with it too. The second item is a flash drive: it contains important data on all the territories and personnel of Aurora City with the exception of mine or my people. It also has a list of weak points: buildings, locations and the like. Attacking these weak points is sure to destabilize the government and loosen Alexandra's grip over the city. Shadow Compact would sacrifice several magical girls to get their hands on that, so treat it with care." She paused for a moment, and then said: "In return, I only ask for one thing: the name of the one who would stand up to me without fear."</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane When Chloe stood up, Eponine did the same, wordlessly grabbing her hammer in preparation for a surprise attack from Chloe. All this talk of rebellion confused Eponine, and not only was tension rising between Chloe and Maria while they negotiated, Eponine felt an increased tension between herself and Maria. But when Chloe told Maria to 'discuss her plans with her restless subordinates', Eponine retorted, falling back to her default thinking, "How dare you question my loyalty to Lady Maria?!" For Eponine, it was more of an emotional release; it was so much simpler to not have to think, to fall back on habit, on programmed behavior. Of course, Eponine would have to ask Maria about it later, but for now, Eponine took comfort in her zealotry, solidarity, loyalty, ignorance, and blindness. Fantine did as commanded, while Eponine shifted from foot to foot nervously until Fantine was a good distance from Chloe. Eponine worried now more than before since Maria was actually sharing vital information with an unstable deviant, but resolved to hold her tongue until after Chloe had left. When Maria asked Chloe for her name, Eponine stared at Chloe with a look of judgment, mixed in with a slight smugness. Of course, Eponine already knew Chloe's name since she ahd told her, but Eponine wanted Chloe to say it herself as Maria had ordered. For Chloe to tell Maria to ask Eponine to tell her her name would be an act of incredible insolence that Eponine was not going to tolerate. She gripped her hammer tightly, waiting for Chloe to make that mistake and give Eponine a justifiable reason to smear her bloody corpse-paste along the estate grounds.</s> <\|message\|>Yume Fubuki At the Incubator's response, Yume felt her anger be snuffed out by shame. "You are correct. Forgive my childish temper." She now spoke quietly, shifting back into her normal form. Betraying her lingering feelings, she let out a small sigh and tucked her platinum hair up under a baseball cap. This coupled with a regular shirt and pants made her appear a young boy, something that freed her from any suspicions of being magical girl when it be dangerous to be one. That's just how she liked it. "Fly under the radar and no one will hassle you." was her continual motto. It could be dangerous for a rogue like herself in this world of nobles and their subordinates, and she had no intention of making her situation worse, what with the whole "despair" thing and all. "I'm honestly surprised to have gotten a response out of you, Kyubey." she said breezily. "Which makes me regret having wasted your time." As she started off, however, someone caught her eye. A man. Sneaking glances at her. She shuddered and turned toward him, maintaining a good distance so as not to appear threatening. "May I help you?" She asked politely.</s> <\|message\|>Chloe Hartmann Chloe took the items from the serving girl, listening to Maria's explanation, and seeming to completely ignore Eponine's outburst. In truth, she was now more interested in the mental state of the uptight girl than the political proceedings happening in front of her, but it wasn't the right time to shift topics. It seems like her terms had been accepted after all. It was a bit of a relief that she was even still alive. Maria wasn't happy. Eponine wasn't happy. Chloe was on the fence, as usual. She'd fight against Alexandra and her law enforcement. She'd give this info to Oscar back at the safehouse. As much as it made Chloe happy to knock down buildings by herself, there was too much work to do. Work better suited to humans and their bombs. "Cooperation really is something, huh?" Chloe remarked casually, as though she was coming across some kind of revelation. Ever terrible at reading a room, she was back to her usual casual demeanor. "My name... your knight's got the priveledge of that info already... but it's Chloe. Chloe Hartmann." She scratched her head lightly with a huge steel finger. "Dunno if maybe you're overstating my accomplishments there, but whatever floats your boat. Good to be working with you. I look forward to the day you try to bump me off. Might just be the best day of my life, heh." Just a little gallows humor as she stood staring past such a dangerous situation. "I hope we can get along until then. Though I guess maybe that's just in the definition."</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe There was a moment where Maria was starting to lose her cool and turn uneasy, feeling like she has lost control of the situation. However, the moment Eponine defended her Maria once again felt relaxed and reassured. She definitely needed to consult the recent turn of events with her once the rogue left, not only to secure her loyalty, but also to clear her own feelings on the matter. Though she had planned for this to happen, having it actually happen is a completely different thing, and something she also needed to cope with. Feeling like the situation was in her grasp again, Maria returned back to her cheery self, like her previous episode was just a dream. For a moment, she thought of rewarding Chloe with a chance to leave the city once she has become queen, but knew that it would be pointless, and there was nothing she could do to avert their eventual confrontation. She smiled. "Chloe Hartmann...let's do our best together." She then turned around on her wheelchair, not wanting to see her face for a moment longer. "You may now leave," she said, and made a call to confirm that order to the guards at the gate outside.</s> <\|message\|>Chloe Hartmann Chloe nodded. Their business was finally concluded. She didn't say another word, smart enough to realize that was probably the best course of action in the tense room. Her self-defense instinct told her than any wasted words might chip away at her life. Instead, she turned and left the room, leaving the other two magi alone to discuss what would surely be some sort of plot. But that, as she had told Maria, was not any of Chloe's business. She knew these political types enough to know they were never trustworthy, but Chloe herself was just as bad, if not worse. Chloe had never met a predictable magical girl. The guards at the gate had been told of her arrival, and she waved jovially to a few who were standing stiff, their fingers on the triggers of their guns. Now free and uncaring as she was of being followed, she reverted back to human form and grasped her soul gem tightly in her hands. She would need a grief seed, and soon. But for now, she had a delivery to make. Knocking on the door of the safehouse she had so recently left, she forced her way in the door after giving all the proper safe words and planted the items she had received on the table. "Brought you a gift, to solidify a new friendship. Up for a little sabotage?"</s>	<\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Kyubey didn't react as Yume calmed down from her anger, his purpose essentially accomplished by that. While he was busy, as were his brethren, the means and methods were still in place to harvest despair from this world. The Incubators shepherded along magical girls to their inevitable fate and they became Witches, as they had for so long. One might wonder why Yume had no inquired as to the exact reason for her friends fall to despair, but Kyubey would not complain. It is no problem, he replied calmly from where he was. I had nothing immediately pressing to deal with. Thus consoled, he would wander off as she turned to address the man watching her, vanishing back into the shadows from which he had come from. --- Oscar looked back up as Chloe returned, surprise evident on his face as she entered the safehouse. "Welcome back. I'll be honest, I didn't think you'd come back, much less in one piece." He'd known that there hadn't been a fight, since a full on battle between magical girls would have been a relatively hard thing to miss if not in the confines of a Witches Barrier, but there was no way for him to know of the deal she had struck. As far as he was concerned, she was either very lucky, or very crazy. Or both. He picked up the flash drive after giving the cell phone a look, examining it for a moment before moving over to a nearby laptop. "I'm just not going to ask where you got this," he said without looking back as he booted the thing up. If it was a trap, they would not be caught unawares and ratted out. But as Chloe knew, it was not a trap, which would be the better for them all. That would become apparent as he opened the first file and practically froze, simply stuck reading what was there before him. "Okay then, if this is legitimate then I'm definitely not going to ask where you got it from. But my apologies for doubting you. This is going to be very helpful. If it was legitimate. But only time would tell that.</s>
<\|description\|>Maria Goethe Age: 15 Gender: Female Appearance: Maria uses a wheelchair to feign the appearance of a paraplegic. She uses her magic to move the wheelchair around. Personality: Maria casts an outward appearance of a cheery, kind girl, always smiling while talking in a bubbly voice. However, beneath this social mask lies a mind broken by years of abuse into a dark and ruthless girl, her empathy withered away and her trust in other people hard to come by, devolving into paranoia when she is stressed. She has a fear of inferiority, and combats this by being driven by her lust for power, her ambition being her escape from the creeping despair that silently clutches her heart. While she keeps a sociable appearance about herself, in truth she doesn't have a lot of friends, and keeps her relationships with other people strictly as business. However, she has started to grow fond of her maid Fantine, and won't tolerate any cases of her mistreatment. Bio: Maria was thrown into an orphanage before she could even remember the faces of her parents, who died shortly after her birth. She was brutally beaten and abused at a regular pace by the personnel there. However, before she was driven to an abyss of despair, she met a boy by the name of Klaus there, who promised to protect her and get them out of the orphanage. In time, she developed feelings for the boy. One night they attempted an escape, but were about to be caught when Maria met an Incubator. Seeing that Klaus was caught, she made her wish and the two of them escaped successfully. Later, Klaus was caught by an anti-MG mob and tortured to death due to his connections to Magical Girls after following Maria. Maria found out about this, and became determined to rule the world and take revenge on the people who took Klaus away from him, by any means possible. Over the following years, Maria managed to worm her way to the position of a lieutenant in the Aurora City Authority through her persuasion skills, guile and political maneuvers, even resorting to underhanded tactics such as backstabbing and using torture to squeeze valuable secrets out of any hapless victim she managed to capture alive. Of course, she doesn't plan on stopping there, either... Her domain includes the territory of a magical girl named Eponine, who has requested her home to be placed under Maria's, and by extension, Aurora's protection and rule and that her sister is given a place of refuge in Maria's HQ. In return, Maria demanded Eponine to swear fealty to her, and that Fantine will serve as her personal maid. Allegiance: Aurora City Authority Theme: A Stranger I Remain Skills: Maria could be said to have a silver tongue, for she is very convincing and manipulative with her words, sprouting seeds of doubt and despair in any heart she can pierce with her angelic voice. She also has a profound knowledge of politics and tactics, and specializes in psychological warfare. Weapons: Maria keeps a small dagger under her dress as a paranoid measure, though due to her status as a Magical Girl, rarely uses it. Other: Maria loves sweet things such as cakes and cookies, and spends a lot of her free time snacking on them. Magical Girl Appearance: Maria keeps her eye-design and creepy demeanour while as a Magical Girl. Her costume also has more shades of dark-green and black. Wish: "I wish to move Klaus away from his fate." Weapons: A scythe with an intricate, flowery design going from the hilt all the way to the blade's end. Can be manipulated to change the position of the blade, making for a surprisingly adaptive weapon despite its unwieldiness. Powers: Telekinesis. Maria may use her magic to control the movement of any object or person in her line of sight, including herself. For example, she can fly through the air, throw and draw distant targets and even freeze people in place. However, she needs to have one of her hands unoccupied and spread open for her to cast the magic from her palm and her fingers for multitasking and subtle movements, making her unable to use this power if her hands are unusable or occupied. Breaking her focus also results in the spell's canceling. She may also perform a Force Choke-like spell on normal humans which Magical Girls are immune to.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Eponine certainly had set herself up for a difficult task, with no leads to go on besides those she had already reported to Maria. There were methods she could follow if she wanted, such as staking out Witches Barriers and waiting for a magical girl to arrive, but that would be time consuming, and there was no guarantee that the person she was looking for would ever show up at all. But that would have to wait for a moment as her phone rang, caller id revealing who it was. It would be Adrian, one of the higher ranking people in the militia she had created to help her fight Witches. It was a group that undeniably took losses, but he had been one of the better ones at surviving it all, and if he was calling, then it had to be important. That was revealed soon enough to her, once she had answered the phone. "Hey boss, remember that effigy thing with the grief seed people've been talking about? Well, some rogue magical girl decided to bust through one of the checkpoints into the city a little while ago. Thought you might want to know." --- The Shadow Compact were not the easiest group to find, as Chloe would be able to attest to as she made her way through Aurora. They worked underground, were deeply suspicious of magical girls or collaborators, and took precautions accordingly. Then again, as someone who had managed to work herself into a partnership with that organization, she would know as much, and have planned accordingly to deal with it, especially when moving on to a new area. Her knowledge would guide her along in her search for Compact assistance, directing her away from downtown and towards the rougher areas, the places that had missed out on the economic development present, and were home to crime, poverty, and dirty dealings. The places that one would usually find the Mafia, and where government control was weakest. That wasn't to say that they Compact didn't operate in nicer parts of Aurora, because they did, but it would be easier to find a safe house in one of the less important (from the perspective of the government) neighborhoods. But for someone like her, ferreting out a safehouse shouldn't be that hard.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe Maria changed once again into something darker and brooding as she started to speak. "Indeed. We become nothing but screams of despair in the air, to be violently taken and then thrown away by those with purpose, scattered to the winds and consumed by strangers. To live without hope is to accept all the pain you have endured as having been for naught, to throw away any semblance of human will and to welcome complete oblivion." Maria realized what she was saying and reverted back to her 15-year-old self. "Oh, I was starting to talk silly stuff. Never mind that, Fantine. I'll be at the study now, so don't disturb unless it's something important." She turned her wheelchair around and headed for the study. It was a room with shelves packed to the brim with books of all sorts of topics and genres. However, she rarely read them; her main use for the room was in the green laptop she had sitting on a small table at the center of the room. Once she closed the room, she began to work on the various sheets and profiles she had already open on it, from small things such as grief seed farming charts to bigger files like intelligence she has collected on the city and the areas outside it. With nothing else to do, she continued working on it, managing and scheming with no set difference.</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane "Track her, but keep a safe distance," Eponine ordered, "We want this one...alive. And unharmed, as much as possible." Eponine hopped in the jeep that had taken her here and ordered the soldier to drive her to the checkpoint. Speaking to the survivors, Eponine was able to glean a general idea of what this rogue looked like, as well as her magical weapon. What was troubling, but nonetheless expected due to the need to conserve magic, was the fact that the rogue seemed not to have revealed what her magical ability was. Apparently the rogue had also been shot in the leg, if she didn't use magic to heal the wound, she should be hobbling at a slower pace, but if she did use magic, she might be more desperate to find a grief seed. Eponine asked if the trail was still hot. She wiped blood from her mouth with her forearm, noticing that, once again, she had bitten the inside of her mouth without noticing. "Understood, Lady Maria," Fantine replied, letting Maria head off to her library. However, Maria's words made Fantine worry more about Eponine, so she quickly dried the tears that had started welling up at the corners of her eyes. Certain that she was no longer visibly sad, she headed down to the kitchen to help out with chores.</s> <\|message\|>Chloe Hartmann Chloe had spent as little time as possible patching up her leg. Without any convenient cloth on hand, and lacking the desire to tear up a good shirt or skirt for something like this, she had needed to take a quick 'peek' inside some stranger's home, where she managed to find a few bandages. Hopefully the delay wouldn't cost her much time, but at least she wouldn't be bleeding out everywhere. The tradeoff for her magical powers was a body that was close to being indestructable, but the body couldn't move without blood, and if she bled all over the streets and rooftops she might as well be leaving a trail of bread crumbs. After taking care of herself and dodging through the streets of the inner city, she found what she was looking for. One of the few safehouses of the Shadow Compact that she had been in contact with before. She was no stranger to the poverty-stricken areas of Aurora, having grown up in such areas since birth, and hiding herself away in dirty rat-holes like this since forming her contract. Not only were they good places to hide away from the prying eyes of the government, but the despair here was strong, which made it a great place to hunt for witches. Few people here were happy to see her, but she was able to get the medical attention she needed from a street doctor who had been hiding away here. Nothing else was particularly important to her, and she was a long shot from caring about the opinions of any other urchins here. "Haah, what a pain in the ass. You think you guys would be a little more grateful. I might just be taking the heat off your doorstep so you can do your own little things, whatever they are. I keep telling you, we both have the same goal, don't we?"</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz By the time Eponine arrived at the checkpoint in question, she would find most of the affair over, medics taking care of the injured men while a clean up crew dealt with the property damage. Of that there was very little this time, though that was not always the case in these sorts of things. Given what the apparent intent was, it wasn't unreasonable though. She'd find Adrian there already, a tall man with black hair and more than his share of battle scars, a former mercenary that had joined up with her. He was of a particular breed, but that made him very good at what he did. "Hey Boss," he said with a nod, glancing over to the men getting treated currently, pitying them just a bit for what they had suffered. "Everything was all settled by the time I got here. You can talk to them if you want, but at this point we don't have any leads. They're looking, but given that it was a magical girl, there isn't much hope for picking up her trail." He shrugged, a hand resting on the pistol strapped to his waist. "Still, none of the other checkpoints have reported seeing her, so odds are that she's still in this section of the city, unless she happens to have some kind of illusion magic." It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. --- There were currently two men present in the safehouse that Chloe had found herself at, one the doctor who had patched hr up, and the other one of the men who worked with the Compact, and someone decently important, in terms of this local cell. Luckily, the doctor had had it easy given the nature of his patient, and it hadn't taken much work to deal with the wounds she had received. Now she could spend the time to heal up, if she so wanted. The safehouse was a bit small, more cozy than anything, and it was certainly well stocked with food, weapons, medical supplies, and the like. From the outside it would look like a place to be avoided, but inside it wasn't too bad. Then again, given its purpose that probably wasn't a surprise. The contact, Oscar, a pretty average fellow who preferred to look that way, with close cropped brown hair and casual garb to match, sighed as he watched Chloe from his position, leaning against a counter top. "Yeah yeah, so you say. And you had the code words, and the name drops to get in here. But we didn't survive this long simply on blind faith." He watched her with thinly veiled distrust, not that he'd have much of a chance if she actually tried to do anything. It was a reminder that not even her nominal allies trusted her all that much. "SO what's your plan now that you're here? They're going to be looking for you." --- The knowledge of all the plans Maria had was generally well confined, as was to be expected from someone like her. While there might have been rumors, there was no solid proof to accompany them, and as long as that remained the case it seemed that she would be allowed to make her plots in peace and security. Certainly rumors were not enough to act on, at least under the current ruler of Aurora. In the past that might have been another matter, but that was not the present moment. For some time she would be undisturbed, until a voice spoke to her in her head, a familiar tone that she may have viewed with some disdain, yet that also served a valuable purpose, here and elsewhere. Hello Maria Goethe, Kyubey said as he emerged from around a corner as if by magic itself, which it was in all likelihood. You appear to be well.</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane "Have this area placed on lock-down, no one leaves or enters without my permission, and have her physical description circulated to each checkpoint. And if anyone sees her, they are to attempt to inform her that I wish to parley with her." While Adrian went about fulfilling her orders, Eponine gathered three more of her best. When Adrian returned, Eponine said, "Adrian, we're going on a manhunt."</s>	<\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Kyubey, how nice to see you," Maria responded as she turned around to greet the white creature with her trademark cuteness. "Why yes, I am most fine as you can see. Now, what brings you to my humble abode?" In truth, Maria didn't actually care about the creature's purpose behind his visit, but decided to enjoy a bit of small talk while she had the chance, since Kyubey tends to leave magical girls alone after the contract, only appearing to dispose of grief seeds. While she does appreciate the gifts that his kind have given to her, she also knows their true nature, and, given her mood, would have no qualms with making his small head explode with her magic, since she is also aware of their apparent immortality.</s>
<\|description\|>Maria Goethe Age: 15 Gender: Female Appearance: Maria uses a wheelchair to feign the appearance of a paraplegic. She uses her magic to move the wheelchair around. Personality: Maria casts an outward appearance of a cheery, kind girl, always smiling while talking in a bubbly voice. However, beneath this social mask lies a mind broken by years of abuse into a dark and ruthless girl, her empathy withered away and her trust in other people hard to come by, devolving into paranoia when she is stressed. She has a fear of inferiority, and combats this by being driven by her lust for power, her ambition being her escape from the creeping despair that silently clutches her heart. While she keeps a sociable appearance about herself, in truth she doesn't have a lot of friends, and keeps her relationships with other people strictly as business. However, she has started to grow fond of her maid Fantine, and won't tolerate any cases of her mistreatment. Bio: Maria was thrown into an orphanage before she could even remember the faces of her parents, who died shortly after her birth. She was brutally beaten and abused at a regular pace by the personnel there. However, before she was driven to an abyss of despair, she met a boy by the name of Klaus there, who promised to protect her and get them out of the orphanage. In time, she developed feelings for the boy. One night they attempted an escape, but were about to be caught when Maria met an Incubator. Seeing that Klaus was caught, she made her wish and the two of them escaped successfully. Later, Klaus was caught by an anti-MG mob and tortured to death due to his connections to Magical Girls after following Maria. Maria found out about this, and became determined to rule the world and take revenge on the people who took Klaus away from him, by any means possible. Over the following years, Maria managed to worm her way to the position of a lieutenant in the Aurora City Authority through her persuasion skills, guile and political maneuvers, even resorting to underhanded tactics such as backstabbing and using torture to squeeze valuable secrets out of any hapless victim she managed to capture alive. Of course, she doesn't plan on stopping there, either... Her domain includes the territory of a magical girl named Eponine, who has requested her home to be placed under Maria's, and by extension, Aurora's protection and rule and that her sister is given a place of refuge in Maria's HQ. In return, Maria demanded Eponine to swear fealty to her, and that Fantine will serve as her personal maid. Allegiance: Aurora City Authority Theme: A Stranger I Remain Skills: Maria could be said to have a silver tongue, for she is very convincing and manipulative with her words, sprouting seeds of doubt and despair in any heart she can pierce with her angelic voice. She also has a profound knowledge of politics and tactics, and specializes in psychological warfare. Weapons: Maria keeps a small dagger under her dress as a paranoid measure, though due to her status as a Magical Girl, rarely uses it. Other: Maria loves sweet things such as cakes and cookies, and spends a lot of her free time snacking on them. Magical Girl Appearance: Maria keeps her eye-design and creepy demeanour while as a Magical Girl. Her costume also has more shades of dark-green and black. Wish: "I wish to move Klaus away from his fate." Weapons: A scythe with an intricate, flowery design going from the hilt all the way to the blade's end. Can be manipulated to change the position of the blade, making for a surprisingly adaptive weapon despite its unwieldiness. Powers: Telekinesis. Maria may use her magic to control the movement of any object or person in her line of sight, including herself. For example, she can fly through the air, throw and draw distant targets and even freeze people in place. However, she needs to have one of her hands unoccupied and spread open for her to cast the magic from her palm and her fingers for multitasking and subtle movements, making her unable to use this power if her hands are unusable or occupied. Breaking her focus also results in the spell's canceling. She may also perform a Force Choke-like spell on normal humans which Magical Girls are immune to.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz "Got it," Adrian confirmed with a nod. It wasn't exactly a surprise, though the fact that she apparently wanted to parley with this girl was. But he wasn't going to question a decision of hers. On tactical matters he would, but he didn't get paid enough to interject in the higher affairs of magical girls. If she said she wanted to talk, that was what he would do. She was left to collect others for the hunt as Adrian went to fulfill her orders, those being two women and another man, with a varying assortment of weaponry Most of it was oriented around fighting Witches, but it would serve well enough against humans and magical girls as well. And they had been trained well in that regard to boot. When he returned, he nodded in approval of her orders. "Alright boss," he replied, falling into line as they moved away. He had his own weapon ready, an assault rifle, and he glanced over at her as they walked. "So what's the plan?" --- Kyubey padded over with her greeting, taking up a position on one of her bookshelves as he watched her, tail flicking all the while. What sorts of plots and schemes the Incubator might be hatching were hard to say, for while the group helped those magical girls who ruled, it was also well known that they had their own agenda, and would work for their self interest at the same time. Nothing incredibly urgent by your standards, Kyubey responded in a happy tone. I merely wished to check on your status and see how you were doing. After all, each magical girl is important. Important to the grand scheme of saving the universe from entropy, a goal so far off that no one here could care about it when faced with the realities and necessities of power. And even moreso when one knew the truth of the system. He tilted his head as he dropped the other shoe. I'm also curious to see how you plan to ride out the oncoming storm. Of course Kyubey would have one than more motive to his visit, a tantalizing bit of information that she could pursue at her leisure.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Oh, isn't that sweet of you," Maria said as she opened a jar of cookies she kept in a shelf. She then offered a cookie to the creature in an endearing manner. "Would you like one?" Disgusting rat, Maria thought. Thinks he can barge in any time he wants and spout nonsense like that? Fine, I'll tolerate his presence for a bit more, before I'll have to call Fantine to clean his remains off the walls. Oh, you sly bastard. Trying to pique my interest so you can catch me in a trap of yours? Alright then, let's partake of this game. Feigning ignorance, Maria responded by mimicking Kyubey's head tilt and saying: "A storm, huh? I didn't see anything like that in the weather reports. Sure sounds scary."</s> <\|message\|>Eponine Hassane Eponine sighed silently to herself. It wasn't a very elegant plan, but then again, she wasn't a very elegant person as she was given to tackling obstacles straight on, like a bulldozer. "We start at where our soldiers last sighted her, we scan for blood. We ask the locals if they saw anyone suspicious running by that matches the physical description we have, or if they know of a place where such a person could hide." She wanted to just get a megaphone and make an attempt to call out the magical girl, hoping that if she made it clear that she had no intention of harming her, she might come quietly, but she was already making this way more open than she felt Maria wanted; after all, if Maria wanted to speak with a magical girl from outside the city, the other nobles would probably view such an act with suspicion.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Kyubey shook his head, ringed ears somehow defying gravity and momentum to move without swaying. I have no need of material sustenance, unlike your species, he replied from his bookshelf. Doubtlessly she had expected such an answer though so it didn't really matter in the end. If he seemed annoyed by her mimicry, Kyubey didn't show it as he provided a following answer. You would consider it as such.He paused, padding over to the end of the bookshelf before. Someone is toying with powers they don't understand, putting the entire system as it stands in jeopardy. Naturally, allowing it to proceed would not be in your best interest. If it was a concern for Kyubey, then it would probably be an issue for her as well. Assuming that he was being completely frank anyway.</s> <\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Okay then, I'll just have these for myself then," Maria said cheerfully as she threw one up in the air and caught it with her mouth. It would have actually been amusing if he accepted. Oh, now this is what I wanted to hear: ominous portents from a white rodent, probably trying to lead me on a goose chase. Still, coming from him, it does sound serious. Maybe I shouldn't outright dismiss it. Let's test the waters. "Oh my!" Maria placed her hands over her cheeks in a dramatic manner. "Is Aurora City in danger? What could I possibly do, Kyubey?"</s> <\|message\|>Chloe Hartmann Chloe shrugged noncommitally. "Don't worry about things you can't control, man. Stress is a good way to cut your lifespan short. Nowadays more than ever. Well, for humans anyway." She didn't miss the looks she had been given. Rather, she had been expecting (and had, in the past, received) far worse. Oscar's distrust wasn't totally unfounded either. "As for my plans? You've gotta be kidding me. It's real simple. If they follow me here, I'll beat them until they never come back. I don't care if the whole damned city falls down around this building. If I'm here, these walls will stay standing... But I won't stay here for long. Hiding's never done me any good." Thinking about it for a moment, she decided on a course of action. Which is to say, she picked a whim from the ether. "In fact... You can go ahead and talk to the higher ups. If ever you fellas had any plans of world domination, any buns in the oven just waiting for the bread to rise, now might just be your time. I think I'm done waiting around. You lot can join me, take advantage of me, use me, or just sit there and watch me die for all I care. Like you said, you didn't survive this long on blind faith. I've got faith that the Compact will do whatever's best for the Compact. So I hope great things will come of this. But I think the time for a good hearty offensive is coming real soon. We'll just have to see." Her little speech concluded, Chloe stepped down on her wounded leg a few times, testing different weights, before nodding, satisfied. "It's not perfect, but it'll do. Thanks Doc. Here's to seeing you alive on the other side. I'm out!" Tossing her headphones on again, she peered out a crack in the door to make sure she wasn't being followed, gave a thumbs-up to the people behind her, and darted out the door, closing it softly behind her. They would prefer she left no trace, probably, so she did her best to hide her presence until she was a little further away. After reaching a safe enough distance, Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. She was back on the streets, and away from the judgmental stares. For now, that would have to be good enough. And if she ran into anybody else, well, hopefully nobody wanted to shoot her.</s> <\|message\|>Alexandra Hertz Indeed, it was not the most amazing plan, but given what they were trying to do it would most likely suffice. It might take some time, but if the girl they were looking for couldn't escape, then it would eventually succeed. Excluding, again, illusion magic. "Got it," Adrian replied as they moved away from the checkpoint. Sure, he knew that they wanted to talk, but nonetheless he was still on alert. More in case said girl wasn't willing to talk when they asked. He much enjoyed being in one piece, and wanted to keep doing so for as long as he could. And on they went. The trail of blood was scattered, but it provided the beginnings of a lead and a general direction. It became harder to track once she had dropped off the roof and into the inner city streets, but then it was easier to find people who had seen her. It was a promising start, when they had the time to spend, and Eponine could be grateful that so many people were willing to help out based on her status. --- While emotions were beyond him, Kyubey was cognizant enough to recognize the melodramatic overacting directed his way, though it wasn't unsurprising. With the prevalence of magical girls, it was a reaction he got often from them, when it wasn't disdain or happiness. Honestly, humans could be so unpredictable. At the very least, they still needed him to deal with Grief Seeds, which ensured he would always be around. One could say that, he replied. If it is replicated, it will most likely be a threat to the world in general. It would make more sense to prevent it before it can happen in the first place. You merely need to find those responsible and stop what they are planning before they can finish what they are trying to do --- "Alright," Oscar replied, tone laced with a healthy bit of skepticism. She might have all the bravado in the world, but he was a bit less confident that she could stand up to every other magical girl in the city if they came after her. Ideally she wouldn't attract that much attention anyway, but given the way she was talking it wasn't impossible, at least form his point of view. "Good luck," he said as she departed, before muttering under his breath. "And good riddance." She might have heard as she left, but it didn't seem to make a difference. Chloe was able to make it away from the safehouse without drawing notice, before she emerged onto the city streets, to wander and do as she wished. It only remained to be seen whether she would slip past the patrol searching for her, or if there would be a confrontation. Indeed, she and the group would be drawing nearer even now, though it would be hard for her to not notice the approach of another magical girl, and avoid her if she so wished.</s>	<\|message\|>Maria Goethe "Okay. But I don't know where to start looking," she said, and tightened her lips to make a goofy expression. "This is a big city, and I could get lost if I search everywhere." I figured that much on my own. If you're not going to cough up any more info on this 'impending doom' I'm going to stuff it in my 'Don't Care' folder, along with your gutted carcass.</s>