Ravenstorture

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Elairith sat back contentedly, still breathing heavily from the rigourous exercise she had succumbed to for the last five minutes. So this was it then... her first time. Turning and picking up a stone, she carved her name and the date into the soft, mossy stone she leant against. The strong smell of winter cooking drifted from the building behind her. Damien, she vaugely remembered his name, still lay on the icy stone, his eyes foggy, his breath clouds of steam drifting into the air. He groaned and turned to Elairith.[/i] Damien: I know what we just did. Elairith: You knew what we were going to do before you did it. Damien: Well, I know. But... I can at least pretend I'm innocent. You won't even bother. You'll be in that west wing chapel, chalk stains on your arms, until your teeth fall out. Elairith: I know, and you'll be right there, behind me, staring at my bottom. [i]At this point she chose to part her legs a little, allowing him a glimpse of what he'd done to her. He gasped.[/i] Damien: Blood? Elairith: Yes. And it hurt, too. But I hear that's natural. Damien: How do you know all of this? How did you even know what to do? Elairith: Not like it's hard to figure out. As for the technical stuff, well, you can learn a lot from heathen texts. Damien: Ah... "And from her unholy void the Devil coaxed an inner elixir." Elairith: Yeah, it makes sense now, doesn't it. They're rather graphic. Damien: I'm going to go to hell for this, you know. Elairith: No, my dear, purgatory. And wasn't it worth it? Damien: Oh god yes... Elairith: Eleven years in purgatory? Anything up to twenty? Damien: ... Elairith: With no guarentee of heaven afterwards? Damien: Can we do it again?[/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Elairish breathed out loudly when she heard the sixth knell of the monastary bell. Sliding her hands under her body, she stood carefully, avoiding the chalk line her father drew around her prostrate from the night before. Yawning, stretching, looking around, she saw a young monk... a novice... a boy novice... near the door. He looked scared. He should... She'd not moved for at least twelve hours and was up to some more exercise. Stalking over to him, a sly look on her face, she was just about to open her mouth when her adopted father, known to her as Father, stepped out from behind the doorway. She stopped, sighed, flounced back to the statue of the virgin and kissed it's feet. Then, turning on a heel, she marched back across the room and kissed her father on the cheek, smiling, as she slipped a note in the novice's robes. "Morning, daddy!" She sang, before skipping out into the corridor and away into the depths of the complex. A few minutes later, the novice shut the door to his room after him and pulled out the note, carefully scrawled on a corner of parchment. It read, "I like your face. Meet me behind the kitchens after evening prayer."[/i][/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Raeven awoke to sof candlelight, and the sound of the ocean. She lay on a soft pallet on the floor of a wooden hut, thatched roof and split bamboo blinks over the doors. Vyrim must have carried her to the village... Vryim was asleep next to her. She sighed and rolled over, holding onto him tightly and drifting back into sleep. Then she realised they were not alone in the room...[/i] Unknown Person: Your love will not wake up for you. He is in a very deep sleep. [i]Raeven gasped and sat up, finding a black swathed Master sitting in the corner, his eyes glinting. Suddenly scared, she stood and moved to the doorway.[/i] Master: You shouldn't do that, I've many more outside, and I've ordered to kill anyone who comes out who isn't me. You're palace property, still, by the way, and although I'm in [i]yukosen[/i] you still must hold your place. [i]Raeven shuddered with rage. The last thing she wanted to do was pay respects to the Master, but she had no choice. He would kill her. She had a feeling that the palace didn't really need her alive anyway... and he was going to toy with her. Bowing low, she placed her hands on the floor and slid her toes back until she lay prostrate on the ground, her arms outstretched. The Master stomped, hard, on her left hand. She didn't flinch, dissapointing him. He stomped harder, shattering the fingers in her hand. When her breathing quickened slightly, he smiled and motioned for her to stand. [/i] Master: It's a pity your man there is asleep, I'd rather enjoy forcing you while he watched. Nevermind, there will be plenty more opportunities for that kind of thing. You're coming home with me. [i]The master whistled and more men slid silently into the room. Two picked up Vyrim, and the Master attatched a thick leather collar around her neck, chained to his belt. The procession silently made it's way out to the beach, where a craft waited bobbing on the water. [/i] EDIT: Well, it's obvious this RPG is going to die, probably because Raiha is much more of an interesting writer than I am. So i'll just keep writing in this post until I finish the RPG myself. [i]Raeven wasn't looking forward to the journey... she'd never been on a boat before, and had heard the experience was not a pleasant one. The Master relieved her of this torment, however, by hitting her in the back of the head with something hard, just as she reached the gangplank. Raeven crumpled to her knees, head back, her last sight of the sky glittered with stars. The next thing she saw was the familiar red-brick wall of the Palace. She was in a room unfamiliar to her, a cell of a few paces each side, and a straw-woven floor. She was alone in the room, and chained tightly to the wall, arms outstretched, so that she was unable to move her upper half. She was dressed in the grey cloth of a warrior in training. A noise after a while... the sound of the door being opened. She could not see it as it was to her immediate left, opening outwards. Her training master stepped in, and greeted her by kicking her hard between the legs, and three times more as she winced.[/i] Kelahin: You've become soft, I see. Raeven: I assume you've brought me back to rectify that? Kelahin: In a way. We don't like our property running around before we're done with it. Raeven: How come? Kelahin: Because our country needs it's warriors. Raeven: I was hardly in your country anymore. It seems like an awfully long way to go to bring me back, jsut to complete my training, when you know once I'm finished I'll leave anyway. Kelahin: Perhaps. [i]A pause. He was inspecting her legs, and wasn't pleased with what he saw.[/i] Kelahin: I thought I'd taught you better than to let yourself become soft? If you had continued your exercises, we may not have caught you as easily. Raeven: Why would I want to do that? I hate this place, and I hate the training. I don't want it anymore, that's why I ran away. I don't want to do any of it anymore. Exercising will defeat the purpose. Kelahin: No matter, you are back now. And you have brought someone with you... interesting. I will like to see how he turns out after some training of his own. He is a mage, no? Raeven: An elementalist. A dangerous one. He'll burn the place down before he has anything to do with you. Kelahin: Perhaps, but we've dealt with his sort before. [i]He turned to leave, but paused, as if remembering why he had come.[/i] Kelahin: You will be released in one hour. I will expect you to be back at your previous level by next week. Raeven: Before you go... Kelahin: Be quick. Raeven: Why did you bring me back? Honestly? [i]Kelahin sighed, rubbing his temples and smiling.[/i] Kelahin: Don't fish for compliments, Raeven. They won't help you here. [i]He slammed the door as he left, leaving her in silence and in dark. She smiled slowly, glad she had a friend on the inside. [/i][/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Raeven looks around, annoyed, that she has yet again been left to find out how to continue to plot. First a boat, now a horse... what next? She grumbled something about contributative writing and kept walking. It was getting dark, and there were lights a fair way along the beach, at the peninsula in the distance. The sunset was fantastic, and the night was very warm. Vyrim and Raeven walked along the waterline hand in hand, slowly, the perfect picture of a fantasy in some other, unknown land. All of a sudden, a dark flew whistling out of the dark treeline and hit Raeven in the neck. She frowned, touched the dart with her fingers, causing the wound to spurt. Vyrim grasped her around the middle as she fell, lowering her to the ground and weaving a protective sheild around them with the salty air. No more darts came... a very bad sign. If there was only one, it probably was meant to kill, as there would be no other reason to target her if she could not be retrieved. Twitching, Raeven went limp and closed her eyes.[/i][/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][b]Note: Raven's entry into this RPG, although as yet not accepted, may be retracted. She is looking for further evidence of friction between the creator of the RPG and the afformentioned "insecure water dragon".[/b][/font][/color]

[font=gothic][color=darkgreen]Name: Elairith Race: Nephilim/human Class: monk Bio: Father Morecrott, a respected preist in a human town, had an affair with a Nephil Woman who was passing through with a merchant troupe. When the woman returned a year later, holding a child, Morecrott had a heartattack. When he returned from the monastary healers, the woman had left the half Nephil girl and was nowhere to be seen. Morecrott accepted the child as an an orphan, and didn't tell her any other story as she grew. Elairith into a beautiful, pale skinned young woman with deep, purple red hair that cascades down her back in loose waves. She has a distinctly cat-like face, and is very thin and lithe. Raised in the monastary her father works at, Elairith has just celebrated her seventeenth birthday with three hours of penance and a particularly satisfying loss of her virginty behind the kitchens to a young monk who now would cut himself open had he thought she would like it. She tended to have that effect on people, though. Description: Hair as mentioned, small build. Likes wearing monks robes, black, hooded, as many layers as possible. Her father often locks her up after finding concealed weaponry. Her sixteenth birthday present from her father was being allowed to keep the silver ring she pushed through the centre of her lip and kept there. It earned her strange looks from the monks, and three nights prostration in the east chapel. Dusk till dawn, a chalk line drawn around her clothing so she could not move, lest chalk be found on her clothing, earning her another night. Other: A good strength in the legs, can jump up high distances and land effectively. Will never tire of flirting, with any one or anything thing that has a voice. [/color][/font]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][b]Dead Heart[/b] In the beginning, there was nothing. In the beginning, the beginning of the end... it was nothing. Just a little darkness around the edges of the sky. Thick, roiling, black clouds threatening with loud voices Casting shadows on the city, causing people to bring in their washing And close their car windows. For weeks, though, nothing became of it. Plants died from lack of sunlight, tans faded But not a drop of rain fell. In the beginning of the end there was slight darkness, Followed by confusion. Newscasters openly admitting they knew not what was happening... The street folk were the first to catch on - "Behold the sky!" Their signs read. "Behold the coming of the lord!" Are you ready? Churches began to ask the fatal question. Suicide rates increased slightly. In the middle of the beginning of the end there was a slight panic. American bunkers were occupied once again. The thunder didn?t stop. Household pets disappeared. The horses went nuts. Television programs held interviews with people who were convinced... No one had a clue. "Come on, Mary..." they'd whisper in the supermarket aisles. "You didn't really think it would happen, did you?" In the middle of the end we all were convinced. The four horsemen were coming. Suddenly, people were giving to the poor - to charities. The cure for AIDS was developed. People smiled in the street, and greeted strangers. In the beginning, these random acts of kindness were accompanied by nervous glances upwards. A sort of "Are you watching this, God?" Homeless people were accepted into homes. People helped each other with dropped shopping bags. Road accidents were followed with cries of, "Are you alright?!" Instead of, "You'll be hearing from my lawyer, Mr WNI-22948." Crime reached an all time low - criminals scared that police were on a high alert. Scared that god was watching. In the end of the middle of the end, babies began to cry. The heavens opened, and the rain began to fall. People walked instead of driving, and made friends with whoever they sat next to on the train. Lightning felled trees, and sparked even more desperate acts of affability. Like electric pulses to a dead heart, a nudge to start it again... Everyone was scared. Right things for the wrong reason... Nothing to lose. Still... In the beginning, there was nothing. In the end, there was nothing. A shame really... Such a beautiful flower blossoms in the light of panic. [/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Vryim stands, staring out onto the ocean. Five or so minutes pass by. Suddenly, Raeven grabbed Vyrims hand and pulled him into a rapid embrace and quick kiss, then running off across the beach, with him in tow. [/i] Vryim: What are you doing? Raeven: I didn't think you knew what to do. I thought it would be easier to walk around. Vyrim: What?!?! Raeven: Come on! I've never had time to waste before. I love you, and it will be an adventure! [i]Vyrim stopped to talk sense into her, but she was already running with ease over the waterline, kicking up sprays of water and laughing. Grumbling, Vyrim followed.[/i][/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic]Mmm, surface piercings.... When I was talking about getting my back done, this is what I was talking about. One thing you need to worry about for non-cartilage and especially surface piercings is GROWING OUT. This means that the peircing almost moves through the skin, leaving a trail of scar tissue. Ultra-smart body mechanism that forces foriegn objects to leave the body. It happens quite a bit with surface peircings. Navel piercings do it too. If that sounds scary, though, look up the dental after effects of labret peircings. Basically they wear away the gums and eventually teeth. Slow process, however. I do far too much kissing to get any oral piercings. Anyway, here is the back pic.[/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic]Everyone frowns on faking it, saying it could ruin your sex life and all that, but not if your honest. If they know your doing it, it can be enjoyable too. I know it sounds odd, but isn't that half of what phone sex is? I am physically unable to orgasm, so pretending I can makes it better for the other person. If it's not a surprise at the end, you know, "oh, and by the way..." sort of thing. Somtimes sound effects can be utilised, that is all. In fact, not being able to come has it's up sides as well, because sex for me is still intensely enjoyable. We've learnt a quite impressive range of activities guaranteed to keep you occupied on a rainy afternoon (don't worry, I'm not going to write a list of them), and I also now focus entirely on what my partner is feeling. Well, not really. I'm rather selfish in that regard, actually. But I've learnt that sex isn't just about orgasm. I knew it anyway, but I prefer it this way. [/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][b]Raven's Things To Do list of the last couple of years:[/b] Previous to August, 2001: Deny existence of love. Uphold the notion that all the musical industry, all the valentine card companies, are illusioned and out to make money off people who will believe anything. August 25, 2001: Find true love shoved rudely under your nose. August 26, 2001: Swallow it whole and develop an immediate addiction. December 31, 2001: Beg boyfriend for sex. Lose virginity. Regret nothing. August 25, 2002: Finish the most amazing year of your life by proving all your friends wrong. August to June 22nd and afterwards: Continue routine of premarital sex three to five times a week while finishing highschool. Continue to regret nothing. Remember not to break your record of no unconsented sexual acts, no contraceptively unsafe sexual acts, and no sex with anyone (or thing) other than your true love of nearly two years. June 22nd, 2003: Tell the whole world about it on an internet bulletin board... We're getting married in about three and a half years, by the way. [/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Raeven stared out at the ocean, glistening in the afternoon light. They had lain together for a whole day and a half, and finally decided it was time to keep moving. [/i] Raeven: This isn't right. Vyrim: What isn't? Raeven: This isn't the ocean I crossed. The ocean I crossed was clear. You could see right through to the bottom - this you can't. This one is blue. Vyrim: All the oceans I've seen are blue. Raeven: Well, I've seen green ones, blue ones, clear ones and one red one. But that was after a whale harvest. Vyrim: Hmmm... so, what are we going to do? Raeven: Go across it anyway. I would like to see where it takes us. Vyrim: This is an ocean we are talking about here, it could take weeks, even months to cross it. I've got things to go back to, you know. Raeven: So do I! Vyrim: Oh yeah? Like what? Raeven: Your house. [i]Vyrim raised an eyebrow artfully and cocked his head at her.[/i] Raeven: What? You really think that after all this, I'm just going to say, "Well, nice falling madly in love with you, but I'm going to go off in another direction now, and probably die of unhappiness and mad animal attacks." Vyrim: I'd not throught that far ahead, actually. Raeven: OH! Oh dear! You'd not thought that far ahead! Oh no! Spirits save me! The sky will fall and crush us all! What shall we do if our masters do not think of the future?!??! [i]Raeven danced a crazy dance around a bemused Vyrim, kicking up sand and laughing insanely. Vyrim put an end to it after a moment by pulling her into an embrace, and whispering into her ear. [/i] Vryim: What was all that about? Raeven: My love, even if it never occured to you, even if we came to parting our ways and you were on the cusp of saying goodbye, and even if along the way you casually mentioned you had a wife somewhere, out on a duty or whatever, I would still follow you home and never stray from your side. Vryim: I need my privacy, you know. Raeven: It's a big house, and I need more sleep than you do. [i]She kissed him on his collarbones, the place directly in front of her lips. Vryim spun her around so he could hold her and stare out at the ocean.[/i] Vyrim: Who are you? Where did you come from, and why me? [i]Raeven didn't hear the whisper through his heartbeat and the sounds of the waves.[/i][/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic]From what I know, a lip on the top sides is called a madonna, and on the bottom sides it's a medusa. Centre lip is just a lip piercing, and centre lower (more like chin) is called a labret. That's only my district terminology though. I've got my nose done, navel done, and earlobes once (but they closed over a while ago because I didn't like the look of it on me). My next piercing will probably be tragus, or something, and the long term one I'm planning for is six spine barbells. And for those who want to know if it hurts - of [i]course[/i] it hurts. they shove needles into your body and then hold the wounds open with bits of metal. But considering this, it doesn't hurt nearly as much as you think it would. For me, that is. When I went in to get my nose done, I was pretty scared. It was my fourth piercing, and the one closest to my face. One I could see. I saw the needle come out of my nose infront of my eye, and watched the whole thing. it only hurt for a second, though, and I bled a bit, but then it was a dull ache for the next hour or so and the next day it only hurt when you touched it. Pretty good. Navel is a different story - there's a fat ratio requirement (you get turned away if you're too skinny), and they use a metal spike instead of a syringe. At least, they did for mine. Basically, the pain is something you can definately endure. It's worth it. So as long as you research your piercing well before you get it, and the place you're getting it done at is safe, and I mean really safe, then go for it. I love piercings. [/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic] I've been drawing flash (tattoo designs) for a while now, and I've finally been able to scan a couple... not my favorite, i'm afraid. Tell me what you think, anyway. There's another flash drawer on here, Arbalester, a friend of mine who doesn't say much. I'll have to get some of his up too... [/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Raeven gasped and clutched at his wrists, his hands firmly on her hips as he moved her over him. Closing her eyes, she used a slight whisp of magic to enhance the feel of their skin together. Throwing back her head, she moved with him and drank the feelings he gave her, moaning with him. Feeling him move, she looked down and opened her eyes. He had sat up, and raised his knees, bringing his feet closer in. She now sat nesled in his lap and, to bring him closer, she laced her legs under his arms and crossed them behind his back. Vyrim stared up at her face, his expression one of pure amazement. She put her arms around his back and pulled his head in towards her breasts. Running his tongue over her skin lightly, she laughed. In this position, all they had to do was breathe, and he moved within her. The act lasted for hours, sometimes furious with passion, then slowing to a slow rocking motion, Raeven cradling her love's head in her arms, tears of bliss running down her face into his hair. Sometimes they sat completely still, silent, for minutes on end - Raeven resting back against his thighs and letting her head fall back, watching the stars, as Vyrim let his eyes roam over her exposed form. It was the happiest Raeven had ever been in her life, and she made silent promises to never run away again. But by the way he was looking at her, and the grip he held on her waist, she didn't think she'd have a choice... not that she was complaining.[/i][/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Raeven kissed Vyrim back, passionately, a silent thank you for his saving her life. When Vyrim broke the kiss and collapsed beside her, curling up and sobbing, she curled her arms around him and kissed his forehead, realising the damage she had inflicted. The salt water dried on her back, facing the fire, and made her clothes stiff and salt-ridden. She didn't care, she wasn't moving again for a long time... ... ten minutes later, Raeven got up, swearing at the uncomfort of her clothing. Thinking of nothing better to do, she took it off and watched the firelight dance over her pale, damp legs for a while, as they dried in the firelight. Soon enough, she felt soft, tearstained kisses across her back, begging forgiveness and attention. Laughing, she turned back her her love and returned his kisses.[/i][/color][/font]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Raeven stared back at the direction in which she had come. A light flared in the distance, and died. She turned back to the ocean and waded into the water up to her calfs, weeping uncontrollably against the wind. He hated her, they all did... this was why she was alone. Wading out deeper, she threw herself in the water and closed her eyes to oblivion. If the tide was going out, she may reach the other side. If it was going in, she might have a chance to see her love again. It was a fifty fifty chance, and a decision she was too scared to make on her own.[/i][/color][/font]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic] Five minutes ago, a conversation between Harlequin and myself: Harlequin: Have you heard the way that lead singer from Placebo speaks? It's bizarre. Me: Do you like Placedo any worse now? Harlequins: What the ****? Me:.... I mean, do you like Placebo any less now. Harlequin: Could that sentence be any more ****ed? Me: Should I pate it in that typo thread? Harlequin: Say that again. Me: Should I put it in that type thread. Harlequin: It's not a typo. Me: I think it makes a nose equivalent. Harlequin: Be quiet now, you've made too big a fool of yourself. [/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Raeven awoke next to the fire, again. Again, Vyrim was nowhere to be seen. Feeling incredibly confused, Raeven stood dizzily and looked around. She was sure she had run away... Vyrim was there all along. He sat behind her, his back against a tree. He would have been mere centimetres away from where she awoke.[/i] Raeven: Why am I here again? Vyrim: Why did you run away? Raeven: Why do you care? Vryim: Why can't you tell? Raeven: Are you keeping me here on purpose? Vyrim: Have you gone completely insane? Raeven: What do you think? Vyrim: Why can't you tell me? Don't you know? [i]Raeven stalled, thinking. She didn't. But she was very scared. Very, very scared. And she had forgotten what that felt like. Turning, she screamed at the fire, making it flare. As Vyrim sheilded his eyes from the white blaze, Raeven ran off yet again. Three hours later, she reached the ocean, and collapsed against the white sand. She suddenly wished she hadn't run, or that he would find her. She loved him. But thinking back to the thick rainforest she had run through for the last hour, she wondered if getting back would be at all possible. Too exhausted to cry, to sad to move, she lay there, watching the black ocean and burning up inside.[/i][/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic]NO! It would be an Island. Pristine beaches, grassy knolls, haunted forests, burnt out cities and hundreds of sparring fields. Everyone would live as thier favorite RPG charecter, and disputes would either be solved by spars, writing competitions or James, walking over, putting a warm hand on each shoulder and saying, "Now guys, come on. That's just not sporting." And then the opponents would smile, embrace, and skip around in circles before going off thier own ways and finding crystals, making potions or falling in love. Newbies would be adopted by the more learned members of the community - age would be posts. Age would only mean experience, not wrinkles and liverspots. All would be trained in the arts of love, combat, discussion, and literature. Anime would be a subject in the schools! EVERYONE WOULD TRAVEL EVERYWHERE ON HORSEBACK! People using slang in the street, and not enunciating their vowels, would be gently reminded of the social code. The women would be able to walk around at night, perfectly safe. There would be no internet fees. Castles, apartments, caves, huts, cottages, beach shanties would be aplenty. The island would house thousands who all spoke up at regular intervals, and you could still walk everwhere in less than half an hour. Month-long adventures would not be hard to come by, and there would be no lack of large, viscious creatures to slay. When girls screamed, their mouths would encompass half their face. When they smiled, their eyes would dissapear. When guys went to hit someone, their whole surroundings would dissapear - and be replaced by large flashes of light and weird emphasis lines. If people intervened in other people's conversations and made no sense when they spoke in public, they would disappear. The first time someone showed their face in public without makeup, people would compliment them to the point of death while they fanned themselves and muttered, "Oh no! Call the firebrigade! I'm so ugly I'm on fire!" When people tripped over in the street, the person walking by would help them up, introduce themselves and then pay for the eggs broken from the fall. No one would go hungry, as no one seems to eat very often. There would be no homeless, as those who didn't have a home slept in the wild as it was. There would be no crime as whatever someone wanted, they would have. The constricts of that reality would only be bound by the collective imagination of a community of true geniuses. [/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic]I think the interesting point of debate isn't whether or not someone out there is 'for you' - but whether or not you will find them. Allow me to refer to the german myth of the Doppelganger - a creature that is exactly like you in every way, shape and form. If you meet your doppelganger, come across it in the street or whatever, and it touches you, you die. So I've heard. The myth, although a strange one, survived because of the possibility that such a thing existing without you ever knowing about it. There will always be a large percentage of people in the world at the same time as you, who you will never see, meet or know anything about. This percentage is decreasing rapidly due to the increased ability of communications, but the point remains the same. Even if there was one, or a thousand people, out there just for you, or if you were a one in a pack of people just for someone else - you'd probably never know, because the chance of coming across that person is very, very slim. This is where fate and or destiny steps in. A classic example - my lord Harlequin and I attend the same school which is where we met and fell madly in love nearly straight away. But, prior to attending the school, we had different agendas. I was going to go to an all girls catholic school on the other side of town, and he was going to go to a private school more in his vicinity. At the last minute, he suddenly decided to enrol at Downlands instead, and so did I. The school had not appealed to me before, and I had no reason to go there - it was too expensive and too far away. But I went there anyway... ... and I am now very glad that I did. My point is that perhaps there are people out there for everyone, but it's unlikely two will come in contact. If two are relatively close, however, coincidence and fate may twich occurances and push the couple together. It's a nice thought....[/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic] Once upon a time, long long ago, in a far off land, a land of Magic and Danger, was a garden. It was not a place of public access, and it was not a place of happy memories. The garden was nearly borderless, and overgrown with blackberries and nightshade. The only side people had ever seen of it was edged in a high, wrought iron fence, twisted with age and strong vines. There was no gate. No one ever ventured into this place, which none of the townsfolk of Maiyville would hesitate to call evil. Unbeknownst to those very townspeople, this was a great misfortune. For in the middle of that wild, unchartered place, there was a stone well. In that very hole, tens of feet below, lived a princess. Not too far away from the garden was the aforementioned town of Maiyville, which housed many people, things and interesting bits of pastry. It was also in the kingdom of the House of Maule, a kingdom renowned for it's merciless and harsh Queen. The king, as the stories always tell, was a soft, quiet man who never got to know the feel of the Family Pair of Trousers, if the meaning is grasped. Queen Saiel. She was beautiful, and made excellent pastry, but did not do well for her country. The Kingdom of Maule remained beautiful and prosperous under the burden of harsh taxes and strange laws, such as no blond women under the age of thirty being allowed outside after dark, and all women after their first moon cycle being required to cover their hair at all times. People stopped complaining after the first few years. Another thing in Maiyville was Jed Firdinan. He was a handsome man, who worked hard at his vegetable patch all day, and took his hat off to every lady who happened by. A small character, but no doubt as significant as every other in Maiyville. It was a Tuesday morning when this ritual was taking place in the same manner as it had for the past five years. Darrin was walking quickly along the cobbled pathway when a bronze flash caught her eye to her left. Glancing over, she saw the sweat slicked back of Jed as he hoed another ridge in the black soil at his feet. Darrin felt her stomach drop a metre or two, and blushed, smiling inwardly and continuing on. The slowing of footsteps had not gone unnoticed by Jed, however, and soon enough Darrin heard her name being called. "Morning, Mrs Garsbury!" sang out a deep, wonderfully silky voice from behind the woman. Blushing again, she turned to see Jed standing at full, glorious height, his straw hat hovering above his black curls. "Now, Jed? what're you bin up to then young man?" Mrs Garsbury crowed, very pleased to stop and have a chat. She leaned close to the white picket gate and smiled benevolently. Jed dropped his hat and leaned on his hoe. "Same, Ma'am, same. Got some nice beets out of this here patch last autumn, hoping to do the same this year." His patience with the woman was lapped up eagerly. "Well, now. I won't be keeping you?" She called back, secretly wishing she could. Didn't want to appear too eager. Darrin turned and pranced off to the butcher, a new light on her day. Jed returned to his gardening. The House of Maule was at the edge of the village, and was the only place in town that had a view of the Garden. The garden was a few minutes walk from the town, but downhill, and from the west tower the dark green, gnarled smudge was well within view. Only the front, mind. No one could tell how big it was on the other side. The section closest from the town lay in a hollow of sorts, a large bowl. It stretched back over the hill and into countryside on the other side of which lay nothing of particular interest, and therefore no desire to pass the hill had been filled. This west tower was where the Queen now resided. She stared at the garden with a blank face, and any who would look at her then would say she looked at naught but the glass in the window. Until, of course, she smiled. By the evening, a strong wind had picked up, evaporating the sweat on Jed's back and giving him a chill. The last of his plants sowed, he stretched and placed the hoe against his house, pulling on a shirt hanging on a peg near the door and venturing into town. On the way, he passed a house of whitewashed brick and pink roses. A white face stared out of the window at the front, bearing a smile of pure excitement and joy. Jed smiled and paused, leaning on the front gate and staring across the road. A minute or two later a young girl appeared, skipping out the front door and running up the front path to meet her visitor. She was elated. "Hello, Jessi." Jed cooed, sounding relieved to see her. She sighed and rocked back and forth on her heels. "Hi, Jed. You're late. I was worried you wouldn't come. It's getting dark? I shouldn't be out. I would have been earlier, but I couldn't find my scarf." She twiddled the corner of her floral-patterned scarf to emphasise this. Jessi's eyes darted nervously up and down the road, as if to see someone coming. Jed sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, to console her. "Jessi, you're a wonderful girl. It's not going to happen to you." Jed consoled her. Jessi, instead of calming down, jumped away. "What's not going to happen to me? Are you saying? oh my lord!" She exclaimed, tugging on the hem of her dress. Jed glanced down the road, wanting to get away. "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't see you earlier, but I was busy. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" He made to leave and smiled again, wishing this was goodbye. It wasn't. "No! Jed, please! Tell me what is going to happen! Please? I need to know!" "If you don't get inside before the sun touches the earth, you will be prosecuted. You know that. Get inside. It's getting late." He pleaded, trying not to scorn. Jessi was obviously scared out of her wits and very stupid. "Bye, Jessi. Go inside and I will see you again tomorrow." Jed turned and began walking. He only got three or four metres when he heard a scream, and turned again to see Jessi being dragged out of her garden by one of the Queen's men, dressed in black leather and silver armour. Jed strode towards the twisting and shrieking blond and soldier. "Excuse me, Sir, but it's not yet dark. Unhand her." Jed commanded. The soldier simply sneered. "Yeah, whatever. Your word against mine, and I've had my eye on this one for a while?" the soldier laughed. Pulling Jessi close to him, he clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her into the street. People watched from their houses, horrified and silent. Jed swore and strode into town. The House was guarded, but not closed to the public. Jed bashed his fist on the wooden doors several times before they opened. Walking in, he demanded an audience with the Queen and was smirked at by the officers. So he punched one of them in the face, and was promptly arrested. The queen had been alerted by the time Jed had been sufficiently apprehended, and twenty minutes later he sat in front of her. "What on earth are you doing, boy." She cursed, pacing around the carpeted room and looking noble. Jed struggled against his ties. "You're bloody henchmen decided to nick a girl for being out before the sun struck earth!" He yelled. She stopped pacing at looked at a guard standing near the door. He shook his head. "No, he didn't. You are mistaken." She exclaimed, smiling slightly. Jed nearly exploded with rage. "Well, in that case, Your Majesty, what did happen?" He whispered, controlling the rabid beast of his rage with thin twine. The Queen thought for a moment. "Well, you see? the guard in question saw her without her scarf on. That is unacceptable." "CODSWALLOP!" Jed yelled, veins threatening to leave the constraints of his forehead. The Queen blanched under her face paint. "DO NOT EVER RAISE YOUR VOICE TO A LADY!" She screeched, gathering up her skirts and pacing grooves into the floor. She neglected to make reference to the foul curse word he had uttered, opting to pretend it didn't happen. "Come on, Saiel, I know what this is about. She's no reason to put a death curse on the whole realm." Jed lowered his voice for this, but it didn't stop him from being slapped in the face. "Take this animal down to the dungeon. He is to be executed as soon as Rahl returns from his honeymoon." She whispered to the guards. They leapt to attention. Jed wasn't executed - Rahl never intended to return from his honeymoon. A court executioner who finds true love will never kill again, as the saying goes. The guards knew this and quietly dumped an unconscious and severely beaten Jed into the Garden. Jessi was never seen again. Four mornings later, Jed awoke under a layer of frost. He shuddered violently, sending waterfalls of ice crystals to the grass. Once he saw where he was, he stood immediately, and leant against the freezing iron fence as his head swam with injury. Staring up to the pinnacles of the House, he vowed never to return to the town, nor admit he was a man of the Kingdom. Instead, he turned and ventured into the Garden. Jogging at first to warm himself, the day eventually grew warmer and Jed was once again able to walk at a steady pace. He had been walking for a few hours, and passed a great number of horrid looking plants he'd not seen before. The hill was approaching, and soon Jed had passed it without noticing. The other side was darker, and thicker, but pathways of grass were not hard to find. Here, the greenery grew over head height and made visibility low. The shade was cool. Continuing to walk, Jed came across a stream. It seemed clean, so he drank from it, and decided this place wasn't so bad after all. After all, it was to be his home from now on. Jed walked for most of the day, and when the sun dropped low behind him, the place was illuminated with gold sunset light. A beautiful light to bask in, thought Jed, and he turned around and walked backwards a pace or two. Feeling something press against his ankle, he turned, and saw a well. Strange, as the only thing he had seen from the hand of man was the fence, and that was miles away. Kneeling down, he stared into the well but couldn't see far because of the angle of the light. Picking up a pebble from the edge, he dropped it in, listening to hear the depth of water. Instead of the splash of water, however, he heard a gasp and a scrabbling noise. Jed froze, and was about to back away from the well when he heard a voice. Too muffled to hear what it said. It seemed urgent though, and without thinking, he ran back into the scrub to find a vine he had spotted earlier. It took him longer to find it that he thought, and when he did find it, it wasn't long enough. Soon enough he had found one to his liking, and he untangled it from the trees. It was thick, and heavy, but it would work. Jed quickly relocated the well and dropped it down, hoping it would reach. He was about to call out again, but then pressure began to build on the rope and he wound the end of it around himself a few times before sitting at the rim of the well. A second or so later the pressure ceased, and there was quiet. "Hold on!" he yelled, and when he felt the pressure again, began to pull slowly. It seemed like hours, but a short period of time later the was an incredibly emaciated, pale girl lying in Jed's arms. She could hardly move with malnourishment. Not knowing what to do, too overwhelmed with the events to speak, he sat there and held her tightly. She was freezing, he had no blankets. She was dieing of hunger, and he had nothing to eat. A while later however, she seemed to wake up open her eyes. She looked at him and tried to say something. "Remember?" she whispered. "Yes, I remember you." Jed whispered, tears streaming down his face. It was the Queens daughter Iolanthe, and Jed's childhood love. Iolanthe had disappeared once the Queen found out her daughter was secretly seeing a peasant. Now he had found her again. Worried about her state of health, Jed decided he needed to find food and water fast. Placing her on the ground once more, Jed stood, pushing through the bushes and walking out the other side. On the other side, he froze, unable to move, breath, or blink. The well had been at the peak of that height - on the other side of the wall of shrubbery, the land dropped away in a steep slide of lush grassland. The grass extended for miles beyond, and was covered in garden - but this garden, illuminated by the failing light, was brimming with summer wildflowers and millions of different flowering plants and trees. Fruit trees, shrubs of berries, a pack of deer drifting at the base of the slope startled by the movement of Jed's arrival. A crystal stream sliced beautiful curves through the vista. Birdcalls complimented the bright flashes of colour flitting through the green foliage. It was nature's paradise. Jed, stunned speechless, looked out on the valley as a new prospect of life. He turned, stumbled though the bushes once more, picked up his long lost love Iolanthe, and walked into a new beginning. I don't need to add that they lived happily ever after. [/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Raeven stared at his outstetched hands, and his tense expression. This was her God, her Divinity, her Protector. He could not be afraid. Scared out of her wits at the evidence that the end of the world was nigh, Raeven turned and ran screaming into the forest, wildly sending flares of magic into the air, igniting trees and conjuring strange, scaled birds that flew for a second and fell burning to the ground. Vyrim's convective died in his hands as he watched the bright flares fade in the distance.[/i][/font][/color]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Raeven awoke to a lone clearing. Vyrim was nowhere to be seen or heard, and the fire was untended. She was afraid, for a second, but then assumed he had gone off to perform primal male duties of hunting. She stood and stretched, looking around. Their environment had changed quite considerably, and papery barked trees dominated the landscape. The tall grasses were already damp with dew, and the pungent scent of leaf oil hung in the air. It was warm. No sound, nowhere. Nothing. It were as if she were deaf. Raeven slowly began to walk forwards, away from the light of the fire, with no clear intent on her mind, but to get away. She didn't know what she was moving away from, but a minute or so later, she heard animal sounds at the place of the fire. Sitting at the base of the tree, in a state of near mental collapse, Raeven cast a camouflage charm over herself and blended herself perfectly in with the base of the tree and the grasses she sat on. There, she huddled, shivering despite the heat of the night. She had no idea where she was, who she was, or what she was meant to do.[/i][/color][/font]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]They had been walking for three days. Raeven's legs were beginning to tingle, but she ignored it. Vyrim seemed in a good mood, so she tripped him and 'accidentally' landed on top of him.[/i] Raeven: Oh! Fancy seeing you here. Vyrim: I take it you want a rest. Raeven: Sleep. You forget that I need sleep. Vyrim: How are you nest building skills? Raeven: Pathetic. [i]Vyrim sat up and began sprinkling light kisses all over Raeven's neck. She felt the pull of sleep drag her under and the last thing she saw was the ground rushing in from the side...[/i][/font][/color]