RPG Laeth E'Thae [PG-VL]

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=sienna][b]Suddenly he didn't feel quite as tired as he had when he first left the performance. Maia was a character, to say the least. That blushing awkward girl thing was strangely appealing and if nothing else, her company would prove to be quite entertaining. He hadn?t had a good laugh in awhile, anyway. With that decided, he stepped back and looked her up and down, his tail swishing from side to side.

Maia?s scowl turned into an uneasy frown and sounding slightly perturbed, she asked, ?What are you doing??

Grinning, he picked at her oversized jacket, dancing around her as she tried to swat at his hand. ?Aren?t you a little hot in this? You certainly don?t need it in this weather,? he informed her, standing just next to her. ?I think you should take it off. Take it [i]all[/i] off.? As he said this, he lifted the back part of the jacket gently with his tail, and leaned back to get a good view of her backside. ?Nice,? he commented idly, still grinning.

?You!? She jumped to the side, swinging her arm out wildly as if to hit him or push him away. ?I can?t believe? Oh, I?m going to hurt you.? Despite her apparent rage at his behavior, she was once again blushing wildly under that cap, cursing the Tal?Iiren silently. [I]Jerk! This is war.[/I]

?Oh Maia, I?m just playing. Don?t be mad at me,? he pouted, clasping his hands politely in front of him. ?Why can?t we all just get along, hm? Tell you what,? he began, taking a step towards her, ?To show that I mean no harm, I?ll get you a drink. There?s a great bar near here; I work there, actually, which means discounts and free stuff, but that?s besides the point.? By now he had managed to put his hands on her shoulder, his tail twitching happily as he began to guide her along the road towards the said bar. ?This is my token of friendship to you, darling Maia.?

Being rather uncooperative with him for the moment, she twisted around to glare at him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. ?And why should I trust you, pretty boy??

He just grinned boyishly. ?Oh, do trust me. I?m a saint.?[/b]

(Sorry for the shoddy quality, guys. Need... sleep... well, eventually. >.< ) [/color][/size]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]"Alright.." Ensis said, his eyebrow arched upwards a tad.

He didn't want to start up a conversation, she seemed to be within too many of her thoughts- and the privacy of one's inner sanctum was too precious to give up.

"[i]Maybe she will cheer up.. I hope so, that sad, distant look should never be on anyone's face.[/i]"

They finally left the market area and approached one of the city gates. It was called "Market's Gate" for the obvious proximity to the bazaar- and it wasn't much less busy. Guards watched every person that came in carefully- trying to read their character. Carts rolled back and forth, to and fro constantly.

Slideing out of the gate quietly, they made their way across several hills and across a river. As they came over the next hilltop, there laid a splendid, beautiful lake- glittering like heaven in the sunlight. Elda stepped foreward as Ensis tuned into the nature around him, listening to what it is saying. It was pure here, perfectly pure.

"It is telling me it's history- this place has been practically untouched, hmm. I have to admit, I have never been able to visit here- too many things piling ontop of too many other things.." He said quietly.[/color]

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]Elda gazed longingly at the water before turning and looking at Ensis.

"I come here quite often...it's a nice place to be alone," she said. She smiled at him and began walking towards the water's edge. He smiled back and followed her.

Gentle ripples made their way to the sandy bank. Elda took off her shoes and walked barefoot towards the water. She bent over and touched it gently before standing back up, letting her feet go in ankle deep. She turned and looked back at Ensis who was standing just off the bank to the side, beside a small drop-off, next to an old oak tree.

"I used to jump from that tree into the water when I was younger," Elda told him. "Now I'm too afraid to climb it."

He looked up into the branches and he could see why. It was old, very old, and it didn't look like it could withstand it's own weight, much less that of a grown girl.

"Does anyone know that you come here?" Ensis asked.

"No, I don't think so..." Elda said quietly. "I used to come here alot after my mother died. It's how I discovered the place. My father would always ask why I was soaking wet, but he never could figure it out..."

She smiled gently, the breeze blowing her soft curls behind her. She wrapped a strand around her fingers, looking up into the sky.

"It's getting close to sunset," Ensis said, walking towards her finally.

"I know...it's the best time to be here. It's so beautiful...you can watch the sun drift below the horizon and it seems as though it just descends into the water itself. The ripples sparkle like diamonds and sometimes you forget that you even exist..."

He saw that her eyes had that far-away look once again, something that he noticed was a common thing with her. She dreamed of things and places far away, not being stuck in the town she was in.

"I've never shared this spot with anyone else, you know..." she said to him quietly.[/color][/size]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She turned in a perfect spiral, landing on the stage in the complete splits. Then the music stopped just as suddenly as it had begun. Then the movement of the glass chimes, and she was able to move again. She rose up slowly, sleeves fluttering with the music and the breeze from the open doors. Then she whipped her body around in a complete additude turn, right arm held up smoothly over her head, left curving around the back of her body. The two women moved expertly, then split into different movements.

While her partner settled for a series of blinding Chaines and Pique turns, she flipped over backwards and contented herself to do a whole aray of gymnastics moves. Her garments were moving so swiftly, if they were tugged by her hands or feet, she was moving too quickly to notice. And that saved her perhaps.... From falling over her face during the spread eagle.[/i]

"I have returned to that part of the country,
That I knew as a child."

[i]Their movements synchronized once more, and they moved without thinking anymore. Simply padabere, chaine, illusion, turn, jump, stag leap, pause.[/i]

"Now the season of waiting is over.
Now the season of fasting is done.
Now the season of prayer is finished.
My journey has begun."

[i]The singer, formed her words with such clarity, bringing a sophistication unheard of, to this place.[/i][/COLOR]

[Wondershot]

Kaze rocked from his position on the ship's deck, and was nearly thrown from the side as an incredible explosion issued from the other side of the ship. Huge black plumes of smoke rose from the sides, and he noticed some of the crew and Kan running around madly trying to restore order. Kaze tried to get up but another explosion threw him to the ground, and this time a giant fan dislodged from it's post, and landed on top of Kaze. He struggled, but it was caught between a railing and stuck into the floor, Kaze was trapped.
"Abandon ship!" Kan called from the other side of the deck. Kaze tried to yell but a cloud of smoke flew right into his face, and he coughed, unable to yell. There was another thundering crash, and Kaze looked over the side in horror, seeing water. He watched helplessly as Kan was the last one to get back on the shore, but Kaze was being dragged down into the water with the smoking wreckage. He coughed again, and with a horrifying feeling, swallowed a lungful of water. Unable to resist, he sank under, and saw the last rays of sunlight permeate the surface of the water before he passed out...

Kaze opened his eyes slowly, expecting to be faced with death, but instead found himself in a dark limbo, with nothing but a moist feeling a the bottom of his shoes. He looked down and saw his reflection, he was standing in an ankle-deep pool of water. He looked around, as though expecting something, but saw nothing. Without thinking, he fell backwards and noticed that the pool seemed much deeper now, as he floated on the surface. He wondered where he was, but then felt a strange pressure on his stomach and face, as well as his toes. He reached a hand forward, and although there was nothing in front of him, his hand hit something like a solid wall. Immersed in the tank of water, Kaze bubbled helplessly for a moment before the water enveloped his face, choking him again. With a deafening noise, the ceiling above him shattered, and he broke the surface of the water, albeit finding himself in a completely differet place...

Elda and Ensis looked in mute shock at this boy who had just emerged from their lake, he seemed deadened, and had a deep, vacant look in his eyes that was closer to death than anything. Elda took a step back, and Kaze, not realizing what he was doing, as though he were simply looking through another person's eyes, walked up to the shoreline, and began to recite in a deep, throaty rasp.
"You call me a monster...you brand me a demon..." He said, swaying on the spot, as a dark aura rushed over him.
"You...I...I am not a part of life...or death..." He looked down at his hand, which had now gripped itself into a fist.
"I...am...beyond...death..." Kaze began to choke and cough and sway from side to side, spluttering in an incoherent language. Elda screamed as he coughed again, spurting dark blood onto the ground, and collapsing onto the soft ground...

"The world dies...the world dies..." Kaze jumped up and found himself in a bed. Several bandages had been wrapped around his head, and there was someone standing over him just as he did so. The two people collided heads painfully, and Kaze looked at the man standing up, rubbing his head furiously.
"The boy is fine! I told you!" He said before running out of the room. Kaze looked around and saw another man standing there, arms folded. There were two others, a young man and woman, who looked horrified, and Kaze looked out the window and saw the sun.
"...Tal'Ebot?"

[terra]

OOC: Geez, Wondershot, way to ruin a romantic evening. :p just kidding, I love it, it's genius.
[color=green]
"I have nothing against a [i]simple street magician[/i]," Aissa said, throwing the words mockingly into his face as she took the tiniest of steps backward. It wasn't that she was intimidated, of course. He was just way too close. "But calling you that wouldn't exactly be appropriate, now would it?"

Anubis chuckled, and it seemed almost that a shimmer ran down his body. "I've no idea what you mean," he said mildly.

It seemed a little odd for someone like Anubis to be playing dumb.

Aissa was debating just how to respond to this when Leile solved the problem for her. "Just what's your [i]deal[/i]??" she said, and Aissa nearly laughed. Leile was so ... spunky. From what Aissa had seen so far, Leile was living on her own, in a trade that involved convincing strangers to spend money every day, with no fear of speaking her mind to anybody. ... Nothing like her.

Anubis seemed mildly amused as well. "What's my deal?" he repeated. "As I said to your friend, I'm just a harmless street magician." As if to prove his words, he flicked his staff gently. Before Aissa had a chance to flinch as was her impulse, a ridiculously cute bunch of bright flowers had grown at the end of the staff, and she had to laugh instead. Anubis waved the staff again, and they disappeared. He pretended to be puzzled for a moment as to where they'd gone, scratching his head, then -- of course -- pulled them out from behind his ear. He passed the bouquet from hand to hand, and suddenly it duplicated, and he offered one to each of the girls.

As idiotic and inappropriate as the typical street act seemed, Aissa couldn't help but smile as she accepted the flowers, rolling her eyes. Leile took her flowers as well, but still seemed more than a little wary.

"This doesn't mean I trust you yet," Aissa said.

"Good," Anubis replied. "That would be unwise, after all."[/color]

OOC: Er ... so ... where to?

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=sienna][b]The struggle to figure this one out was going to be something else, Leile decided, as she took the flowers from the 'simple street magician.' He was not at all what he seemed: every bone in her body told her not to trust him (how could he not be evil with those ever-changing tattoos?), and yet here he was, performing harmless magic for them. Picking at the petals in thought, a grim smile forming on her lips as she expected a snake to pop out of them at her, she glanced back up at Anubis and raised her eyebrows. "You seem to know a bit about Ma'Uriith," she finally said, crossing her arms, her flowers now dangling from her finger tips.

He returned the expression, but it was innately different - there was something in his eyes that was dark, and though he was quick to mask whatever it was, sometimes she caught it flickering across those plain brown eyes. "I merely made a suggestion."

The raven-haired girl pulled on a thin braid, averting her eyes then. "Oh." That's not what she wanted to hear. What was happening to her old home? What about her father? Her [i]brother?[/i] Muis-ka had always been a spirited man, but not even he could keep up with her brother... was he also suffering in the same strange way? She wanted desperately to believe that her family had somehow managed to escape the eerie plague, but something inside her just wouldn't let her. She blinked, clearing her mind of those dark thoughts - they would do nothing to help her now.

Instead, she went back to questioning Anubis; she figured she might as well learn all that she could, though he didn't seem too eager to share his life story. "You're not from here," she stated a-matter-of-factly, raising her eyes to his again. "I don't remember ever seeing anyone like you, and I definitely would have remembered [i]those[/i]." She pointed to his arms, where the tattoos were moving again, changing.

He gave her a mild shrug. "Your point is?"

Now she was the one scowling. Doing her best to fight the urge to beat him with her flowers, she asked pointedly, "How do you know about the sickness then? How to cure it?"[/b]

OOC: Arrgh. Exams suck. Sometimes I think education is overrated.[/color][/size]

[Dagger]

OOC: Good question, Terra. I was thinking that the King of Maurii could ask the peoples? help? or, alternatively, something really big and disastrous could happen, so that our characters can?t avoid getting involved. Maybe we ought to start heading toward Ma?Uriith?. or toward Feurith, to get more information about the curse and such. I?ll leave it up to you guys. ^__^

***********

Anubis eyed her for a few moments before extending his hand. Leile resisted the urge to step back, and waited to see what he would do. The mage smiled?though his eyes remained guarded?and watched her reaction as several [i]very[/i] valuable coins appeared in his upturned palm. He tossed them lightly, seeming almost not to notice that they were multiplying midair, spilling onto the ground in a glittering rain of gold.

?Every human being has his price,? he said quietly. ?What is yours??

?That has nothing to do with anything,? Leile snapped. ?Just answer the question.? She knew what she was seeing was nigh impossible, and it unnerved her. Some people were frightened of magic, but she?d always been comfortable around it. She?d thought that Aissa?s singing was really marvelous. And yet?.

Anubis snapped his fingers, and the coins vanished. ?Hmm.... very good. You?ve passed the first two tests.?

Aissa rubbed her temples, sighing heavily. This was turning out to be quite an unusual day. ?Tests??

?You?ll see,? he replied. The mage turned away from them, and began sketching something in the air with his index finger. The digit left a softly glowing white trail. Leile tilted her head to the side, squinting so as to see it better. He appeared to be drawing a rough map of Laeth E?Thae.

?It all comes down to magic,? Anubis told them. ?Why do some people have it, while others do not?? He glanced at Aissa. ?Why can you draw power from the earth? And why now, when magic is beginning to fade from this world, has a new power begun to descend upon the city of Ma?Uriith?

?Here.? He pointed to the capital: a bright white dot, like some kind of daytime star. As he touched it, it turned first gray, then black. ?Here. And here. And even?. here.? Anubis tapped Uthmae, then Feurith, and finally Tal?Ebot. All grew slowly dark.

Aissa shivered, in spite of herself. [i]What could this possibly mean.....?[/i]

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=sienna]OOC: OR, how about both? ^_^

[b]As the city of Fenwyr drew closer and closer to being finished with the preparations for the spring celebrations, the Queen of Ii'Kaer grew impatient. Though her advisors continually told her that all was well and going according to schedule, the Queen felt as though something was amiss. Part of that, of course, would be Maurii and the strange spell that had fallen over the capital city. Weeks ago, she'd recieved word from her connections there that the King had left Ma'Uriith and was presumably headed towards Feurith. That in itself was enough to unnerve her; the Maurii King was a very stable-headed man, and was never prone to make rash decisions. The fact that he was leaving his capital city was one that put a great anxiety in her heart. But sure enough, just days after she'd recieved that letter from her people, a royal messenger bearing the seal of Maurii provided her the same information, and then some:

[quote][i]"The King of Maurii sends his regards, your majesty, and a letter. His highness does not doubt that you have heard of Ma'Uriith's troubles, and now sends you this to explain them fully." The messenger bowed again, before passing the letter to one of the Queen's handmaidens, who then gave it to her.

As calmly as she could, the Queen broke the seal of the letter and read it's secrets. Her skin paled and gasped quietly out of instinct, but the fear that had come into her eyes quickly vanished again and her mask was back on.

"I thank you, sir, and invite you to rest in our castle before you make the journey back to Maurii. In the meantime, I will reply." She rose then, clutching the letter tightly in her fingers, before moving towards her study. "You are dismissed."[/i][/quote]

She had indeed sent a letter back, expressing her own suspicions and fears (though not blindly), and her wish that a cure would be found. She did not mention the King's own illness; though she knew he himself suffered from something, he had not mentioned it and thus, neither would she.

She stood in her drawing room then, gazing out over her city. She looked tired, and she was, for good reason. Dreams of a ruined city and bloody massacre had plagued her sleep and had kept her quite awake for most of the night. Her eyes skimmed the horizon, wishing that those beautiful mountains could bring her peace as they always did. It was lovely in Kaer, and she hoped that it would continue to be. Her eyes trailed back along her room in thought, stopping at the crystal vace set up by her bed. The flowers had been fresh this morning, but as she looked at them now, they seemed... dead.

A loud knock at her door made her jump slightly, and she sighed, rubbing her forehead before turning towards the sound. "Come in!"

A messenger quickly stumbled in, falling straight to his knees, his breathing ragged. "Majesty, word from Maurii... the ca..capital... has... has... [i]fallen![/i]"

Her blood ran cold and she froze to the spot, tense all over. "[i]Fallen?[/i]" She repeated, a note of disbelief sounding in her voice. "Ma'Uriith.. has fallen? Is it possible?"

The messenger looked up at her briefly, and it was then that she saw the sweat on his brow, his own pale skin and his shaking hands. That alone made her throat constrict. "Yes, Majesty. Our people there.. have sent this, and word of the total destruction of the capital..." He produced a letter then, his head bowed once again. The Queen was thankful for that; she was not sure if she could stand that horrible look of fear in his eyes. Slowly, she approached him and gently took the letter from his hand. Her eyes skimmed the contents, moving across the page, before she covered her mouth with her hand.

*

The small, private library in which the King sat was dimly lit, and very warm. It was comfortable in here, and he preferred to spend most of his time in this room, surrounded by so many ancient texts that spoke of such wisdom. He only wished that he had found something - in all his weeks of searching, he had not one clue. Only ancient tales of greed and war that spoke nothing of the darkness that threatened his mind and his country.

His thoughts were always on Ma'Uriith - his beautiful city. What had happened to it? What of the people he left there? Had they too perished with it? His heart was heavy as he thought, and his grief and guilt were nearly unbearable. But even more so was his determination that [i]something[/i] had to be done. From his desk drawer he drew out a clean piece of parchment, and then inked his quill, preparing to write. The black tip of the feather hovered above the paper for an instant, unsure, before a surge of words overcame the King's mind and he hurried just to get them all down. When the thing was nearly complete, he rang a bell on his desk.

A guard hurried in not a second later, going down on one knee as he said quietly, "Your Majesty?"

"Fetch my advisors," he said, his voice hoarse from disuse. His eyes dull and his cheeks sunken, but there was a fierce look about them now that almost brought the old King back. "We have much planning to do, and little time to do it in."

The advisors came running, hoping desperately that their King had somehow found a cure, or even a [i]hint[/i] towards a cure; just [i]something[/i] that would help them fix this horrible darkness, and bring back the beauty that had once been Ma'Uriith.

But instead as they rushed in, the King presented them with a royal decree, his signature already on it. "It is time for us to expand our energies," he declared, suddenly sounding stronger than ever, despite his sickly appearance. "We cannot let our cities fall, one by one. The people must know, and they will help."

His top advisor read the announcement quickly, nodding imperceptably. "Yes. Yes, the talents of your Majesty's people are boundless. Perhaps this will lead us into the light," his voice trailed off, and though he did not say it, they all thought it - the people would be their last hope.

"Send this to every city, and even to Ii'Kaer. Our dire news will surely put a damper on the festivities, but it is imperative that word gets out," the King said gruffly, not bothering to point out the obvious irony in the celebrations at this point. After all, what was the point of celebrating life when everything was slowly dying?[/b][/color][/size]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]OOC: Romantic moments being destroyed = X.x

The last part of your post is a bit vague, but I will try to make this one make sense and flow with yours, Wondershot. =)
----


Ensis himself was somewhat confused, from an intellectual standpoint. He had heard a noise moments before this stranger crawled out of the sea, a noise that made his skin crawl. Elda had, apparently, heard nothing- further discussion as he carried the young man into town had confirmed this.

As a Shaman he tapped into the spirits voices continueally. Divination was second nature to him, but that noise was no spirit. He had to speak with this young boy whenever he woke.

"Man, Elda and I were really getting to know each other too." Ensis sighed, before leaping off the Galgaroth Oak.

The young man had been in pain throughout his 'sleep', so Ensis ran off to get some leaves from this tree to calm him down a bit. Ironically, if he had not taken this day off, he would have probably been gathering the same herb- it had many good uses in mixtures, but just by itself was a great relaxer/pain killer.

Nonetheless, he had to hurry. So, with skill and agility, he began a sprint back twards his house, the mysterious patient resting in his guest room- amongst the several concerned people that were around there.

---

On his way, a large spiritual and natural force slammed through his soul. He gasped and stumbled- bad move when sprinting at a high speed. Flying forewards, he slammed into the ground and skidded a small ways, over rocks and rough terrain.

He layed there for a few moments, before finally gathering the mental strength to stand up. His head had a dull reverberation of pain in it- reaching up, he felt a small amount of blood streaming slowly down his forehead. Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes to set his train of thought back on track.

"Damn it, what was [i]that[/i]? I have no time. With something that distressful I am sure someone will have some random news for me later."

Opening his eyes, he gathered the various herbs that were strone about the area and started up again, approaching his home..

----

One there, Ensis slid inside and immediately went into the guest room, a few sporadic people around him. Setting the herbs on a table, Ensis walked over to the boy. He leaned down, looking over the man's bandaged head quietly- examineing it. None of the wounds were still bleeding howeve-

*pow*

Pain rushed over his already damaged forehead, causeing him to curse loudly and frequently. Rubbing it, he glanced to the people around him, becoming increasingly annoyed at all the chaos around him at once.

"The boy is fine! I told you."

"[i]I guess he still might need these herbs. I best prepare them.[/i]"

He glanced breifly at the young couple who had witnessed the strangers emergance from the lake- they looked scared, horrified even at his reawakening. Highly irritated at all of the people that were randomly visiting this strange arrival, and their lack of respect, he rushed out as quickly as possible- before a few more people got wounded, and not by accident.[/color]

[Wondershot]

OOC: Aha! I knew everyone would get mad at me for posting that!

Kaze looked at the young girl next to him, she seemed scared, and the healer who had rushed out must have been the man next to her on the beach. He turned away, wondering what had just happened...
He vaguely remembered Kan and his crew escaping the ship, and that last glimpse of sunlight underwater before water rushed into his lungs...and that lake...
Kaze rubbed his head...so this is what it was like having a connection to the spirit world...the talents that made him an exorcist and saved him from death. He looked at a mirror across the room and saw that his eyes had a more deadened appearance then usual. He stared at his hand, which seemed even more bony and weak then before. Come to think of it, Kaze had survived many fatal illnesses before, but [i]had[/i] he really survived them all?
Kaze closed his eyes and thought to himself. Maybe he was just being torn apart, piece by piece, and eventually he would die, but something was definetely keeping him attached to this world, albeit stripping him of his strength more and more each day...

"Are you alright?" The woman next to him asked fearfully. Kaze didn't reply, he seemed to be thinking about when this would stop..When he could die in peace...
"Are you..."
"I'm fine." Kaze interrupted, throwing off the covers on the bed. He was still slightly bound by bandages, but he got up, took two steps toward the door, and fell down. The young woman screamed and Kaze pressed his hand against the floor, trying to get up. the noise seemed to be attracting a crowd, as some other people began streaming into the room to see what was going on. He pushed himself up with great effort, and reached over to a chair from which his clothes were hanging. He began to get dressed, but the other people there still seemed terrified, as though they were looking at a ghost. Kaze glared at them.
"Well?" He said through clenched teeth, no one moved, and he recognized one woman.

[i]Back! Stay back![/i]

Kaze reached into his holster and pulled out his phantasmal arm, pointing one of them at the elderly woman who had called him a demon. She gasped and retreated to the wall.
"So I'm a demon, eh?" He said quickly, and the rest of the crowd retreated.
"So...maybe you're right...I've cheated death far too often to be human...right?"
"You abomination! You will be cursed to the depths of Hell for this!" The woman shrieked, moving into a corner, but still cowering from Kaze. Overcome with rage, he put away his gun and conjured his blade instead, pointing it at her.
"Well then, I'll just have to meet you there, won't I?" The group gasped as Kaze lifted the blade...

[i]It's not your turn...wait for the time...[/i]

Kaze released the blade and his hand began to twitch uncontrollably. The group around him immediately ran out the door, but the young woman from the beach ran out to get her friend, the healer.
Kaze looked at the mirror across the room again, and then, without warning, smashed his body full force into it, shattering it and sending him to the ground, whereupon he picked up a shard of glass.
"Time to see if this is true..." He said, and slit his throat with the shard. He felt blood pour over his hands just before he passed out.

"Not yet...the time...not yet..."
[i]I know it's not yet, so you will have to wait.[/i]
"What...what...you want?"
[i]You shouldn't throw your life away like that...somewhere...theres a place that needs your help.[/i]
"Place?..."
[i]You know what the place is...[/i]
"...Ma'Urii..."

Kaze jumped up and collided heads with the healer once again. The man rubbed his head and began cursing again, but then stopped and stared at Kaze in bewilderment. Kaze looked down and saw that he was lying in a pool of his own blood. He had survived a fatal experience [i]again.[/i]
So that was it, then. Some force was definetely at work around him, and although it kept him from dying, it left him without any signs or emotions that indicated he was still alive.
"How did you..." The healer began, but Kaze got to his feet and began to walk towards the door.
"Who are you?" Kaze stopped at the door, and moved his lips to speak, but only an incomprehensible rasp came out.
"What?" The healer asked again. Kaze appeared to have lost the ability to talk, but then he emitted a more understandable tone that caused his throat to ache.
"I'm just an exorcist, and I have no life."
"You didn't answer my question." Kaze stared at him.
"Why do you want to know my name so badly?"
"Well...I just...Wait a minute! I just saved your life!" The healer exploded, Kaze stared at him.
"Well...I I wanted my life to be saved, I'd be able to die." The healer looked bewildered at this statement, but then Kaze began to feel weak, so he walked back in and sat on the bed.
"My birth name is Kaze, but that doesn't really matter anymore." He said quietly, The healer looked at him.
"My name is Ensis, and please don't do that again." He said coldly, poining to the now bloodstained shard of glass on the floor. Kaze shrugged.
"I want to die." He said quietly.
"What?" Ensis asked, dumbstruck.
"I want to die, but I can't, it's very odd being an exorcist."
"Why do you want to die?"
"I can't rest anymore, I have no use with life." Kaze looked out the window and saw the street below. He was definetely in Tal'Ebot, but now he had to go back, he had fought, died twice, and now he had to go back...
Life and death work in strange ways sometimes...

[terra]

As Aissa stared silently at the darkened map, she was distracted by a townsperson stumbling into her. "What the --" she said, turning around to yell about inconsiderate people and manners, but the words died on her lips. The Shii'Saiit looked ... dazed.

"The announcement," he whispered.

"What?" Aissa said.

"The announcement," the man repeated, then with sudden, awkward violence, he grabbed her arms, squeezing them with rough fingers. His hot breath in her face as she pulled away in fear, he cried, "Mage! You must know something. [i]You[/i] must be aware, able to --"

He was cut off as a staff fell across the back of the head with a loud clunk, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Aissa and Leile both looked over to Anubis, who was standing calmly, ignoring their incredulous expressions. "We should see this ... announcement," was all he said, and walked away towards the center of town.

A mass of people were clustered around one wall of a building, and as the three of them neared they saw soft yellow parchment tacked on its wall. Aissa began reading as soon as proximity would allow it ...

OOC: I don't particularly want to write this letter, but I'm going to. Arcadia, if you don't like it, just let me know.

[quote][i]To the people of Laeth E'Thae:
A dark shadow has fallen over that noble city of Ma'Uriith. Though many of the townspeople left in time, several have succumbed to its black clutches. And now, I inform you with unspeakable grief, the city has fallen. It lies in ruins, occupied only by shades and spirits of a caliginosity that can only be imagined, never described.

It is again with the saddest of passions that I inform you that Ma'Uriith is not the only city in danger. Tal'Ebot, Feurith, Shaar, Kaer ... we are all in danger, my friends. We have as yet no idea of what curse we may have fallen under, and accordingly, we know not the means to stop it.

But I do not write to a people whom I expect to fall into despair. I do not write to a weakened people, to a country full of those who might abandon hope. I know that you are strong, each in your own way, and I know that in a time of need, a country's people are its most valuable asset. It is with your own strength of character in mind that I call upon you, citizens. To use your courage, your fortitude, your sorcery and charms -- whatever skills you might have, friends, to fight this demon alongside of me. Indeed, to fight it in ways I cannot even think of; I am only one man, and I have not the ingenuity of you thousands of citizens. Please, I urge you, for our country and for yourselves: please offer your assistance in finding the cause of this curse, as well as its cure. To those who, by a mixture of happy chance and their own skills, may be able to aid this land, you will assuredly have the eternal gratitude of our country, and abundant compensations as well.

My last words are this: do not give up hope. Whatever burden we face, we all face this together, as one country, one land, one people. And I have confidence that together, we will find a way. We will survive.
--The King of Maurii[/i][/quote]

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]Elda had never seen so much blood in her life. She felt traumatized, as it reminded her of things she had locked away from memory. How her mother died...it was something she never wanted to discuss and never wanted to think about ever again.

The lake was her safeplace, her hideaway, her escape from the rest of the world. Now someone had corrupted its beauty. Now when she went to the lake, all she would remember was the stranger who couldn't die, Kaze, and his pool of blood on the floor of that room. Her beautiful lake...her escape...

She sighed deeply and looked over at Ensis. He was sitting beside the bed of Kaze, who had finally went to sleep after much eating. The room was cleaned up by some of the chambermaids and she herself was feeling a bit on the exhausted side. They had been up all night and half of the next time. She leaned her head forwards, trying not to fall asleep where she stood.

Ensis looked over at her and saw her apparent tiredness. He stood up, taking her gently by the arm.

"Let me escort you home, Elda...you look exhausted..."

Elda looked at Ensis and smiled weakly.

"I can take it, I'm a bit girl." she laughed a bit.

He smiled back and insisted on walking her home. Leaving Kaze alone to sleep, the two made their way towards Elda's home on the outskirts of Fenwyr.[/color][/size]

[Dagger]

OOC: Terra, you did a wonderful job with the letter.

*****

The color drained from Aissa's face. "Oh, gods..."

Leile continued to stare at the piece of parchment, lips moving silently as she re-read each paragraph. She was trembling, her eyes bright with distress, but Aissa had frozen in place, feet rooted to the ground. Anubis watched her, his expression implacable. "You felt it coming," he said softly. "Just as surely as I did. Not consciously, perhaps, but I'm certain that you sensed something."

"Leave her alone!" Leile snapped. Her voice wavered dangerously, and she bit her lip. "Who could have expected [i]this[/i]?"

The mage produced a hankerchief out of thin air and pressed it into her hands. She stared at him incredulously, uncertain whether to be grateful, offended, or both. "If you're going to cry, do it now," he told her matter-of-factly. "Later on, there will be little time for grief."

"We.... we have to do something," Aissa whispered, catching Leile's arm. "We've got to--"

"Help. I know," Anubis cut in. "I can take you to the ruins of Ma'Uriith, if that is your wish. I am probably the only man alive who could pass through there unscathed." He saw that Leile was peering at the scrap of fabric with no small amount of distrust, and he offered her a brief smile. "Real enough for you?"

[b]Meanwhile....[/b]

Maia had to remind herself that she was irritated. Very irritated. She seemed to be having a little trouble remembering that, what with Luthian's hands on her shoulders and his disarming--but irritating!--grin. She grimaced, and let the Tal'Iiren continue to steer her down the road. His tail was quite the distraction; she found herself watching its cheerful swishing out of the corner of her eye. [i]Gah,[/i] she thought grumpily. [i]Tails be damned. He's too attractive for his own good, anyway.[/i]

The redhead stopped suddenly, her mouth open in a small "o" of surprise. This, of course, caused a minor and rather messy collision when Luthian walked directly into her back. He recovered his balance with his usual easy grace, but Maia nearly went flying. Luthian grabbed for her coat, hoping to save her from what would be an unpleasant tumble (as opposed to the more pleasant kind, which usually took place in Caedwyn's haystacks).

A second later, she yelped in pain, and he realized he'd been hanging onto her braid. The girl's face dangled merely two or three inches away from the sidewalk, held up only by her hair. Maia put her hands on the ground, propping herself up, and very slowly and deliberately climbed to her feet. It was only when she turned to face him, hands on her hips and eyes blazing with indignation, that Luthian remembered to let go. [i]Uh oh....[/i]

"First, the pebble," she hissed. He'd never imagined that a girl half his size could sound so terrifying. Perhaps now wasn't the best time to remind her that he'd just saved her from.... well, not certain death, but all the same....

"Then, you try to rip out all my hair!?" Maia grabbed the front of his shirt, and he prepared himself for a thorough tongue-lashing--when her cap slipped down over her eyes, effectively covering most of the redhead's face. She let go of him, confused, before discovering what had happened. Apparently forgetting her aggravation with Luthian, she whipped the offending accessory off her head, threw it to the ground, and seemed quite ready to attack the poor thing.

He scratched the back of his head, grinning. [i]She's nothing if not unpredictable.[/i] "So, what were you looking at?"

"Huh?" Maia straightened up, swiftly stuffing a number of objects back into her hat. "Oh... The crowd outside the bar. They're all looking at something. See?"

Luthian squinted into the darkness. She was right--there was a startlingly large group gathered around one of the exterior walls. Maia was probably too short to have glimpsed it, but it looked as though they were trying to read a piece of parchment.

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=sienna]OOC: Yes yes, I agree. It's quite [i]perfect[/i]; thank you for doing such a wonderful job. ^_^ Also, Queen Asuka, I'm so sorry I keep forgetting to reply to your earlier question - yes, I go to FSU. Whoo for Tallahassee. Who saw us get our asses handed to us on a silver platter by Miami? Yes, good times.

[b]Luthian paused, peering more at the group of people, rather than the piece of parchment, reading their expressions. They seemed shocked; it almost looked as though some were upset, or angry. Whatever was on that little piece of paper must have been important. Without so much as a second thought, he grabbed Maia's hand and quickly dragged her over to the large group. It took a moment but Luth forced his way through the crowd, his grip on Maia's hand tight so that he wouldn't lose the small woman, and finally came to a point where he could read the piece of parchment.

Maia yelped as she was on the move again, glaring at his swishing tail and wondering if she could somehow bind it up in something, maybe cut it off, before he began pushing past people. And then it became increasingly hard to focus on those thoughts of destruction as she caugh a glimpse of the expressions on those they passed. [i]What on earth...?[/i]

"Can you read it?" Luthian asked, his eyes focused on something that she couldn't see - there were too many tall people in front of her, Luth being one of them.

"Read what?" She asked, and recieved a raised eyebrow from the Tal'Iiren. "No, obviously not, what is it?"

He shook his head, before gesturing her up. "Here, just get on my back."

Indignant, the redhead crossed her arms in a huff, though blushing slightly. "Excuse me? How many ways are you trying to mortify me? Are you going for some sort of record or something?"

"Dearest, remember, free drinks later. Come on," he bent his knees, holding his arms out in preparation, wrapping his tail around to the front so it wasn't in the way so much, and so she didn't hurt it. He did love his tail.

Sighing in aggravation, she just pulled her cap down in determination before climbing up, and then peered over his shoulder at the piece of parchment pinned up before them. Her eyes skimmed the first few sentences before her throat dried up and her arms tightened around Luth's neck.

He grunted in annoyance, and she relented, but the shock was still apparent on her face. Luthian's own face was grim, a frown in the place of his normal, cheerful smile. "...Damn..." he muttered, and he looked as though he wanted to say more, but could produce another "Damn!"

Maia just nodded mutely, beginning to think that a drink didn't sound half bad now.

[i]Back in Tal'Ebot...[/i]

As Leile stared at the hankerchief, vaguely hearing Anubis, she just shook her head, slowly at first, but then forcefully. "No... It's... It's not real... It [i]can't[/i] be!" But even as she said this, her knuckles turning white around the piece of cloth she clutched at so desperately, Leile knew that it was the truth.

She abruptly turned away from the parchment, her hand clasped to her mouth as she tried to stop the sobs that soon came pouring out. Quickly walking away from the throng of people, Leile was sure now that she never felt any pain quite like this. She only got a few steps away before her footing slipped and she fell to her knees, tears running down her cheeks. [i]Why why why?![/i]

Aissa hurriedly followed her, casting a brief inquiring look in Anubis' direction as she kneeled down next to Leile. She rubbed the girl's back reassuringly and didn't stop, even after Leile flinched at the gesture. Aissa didn't know what else to do, or to say - what could she say at a moment like this?

[i]Stop crying, stop crying, please, just stop...[/i] Leile thought desperately, clutching at her hair. She hated crying, no matter how appropriate it could be; how healthy it could be. She just hated it. And so she willed herself to stop. After a moment, she did, and she sat up, her cheeks streaked with tears and her eyes red-rimmed, though angry. She remembered the scrap of cloth Anubis had given her and wiped her face.

Though she sounded quite hesitant, Aissa asked quietly, "Are you okay?"

Leile nodded, glancing at her. "Yes, thank you. [i]Both[/i] of you." She said that last bit louder so Anubis would hear it as well, holding up the used hankerchief as though it were proof. Fixing her face into some sort of mask, she added then, "Now how do we get to Ma'Uriith?"[/b][/color][/size]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue]Someone help me. Pick me up after the concert. My mind isn't engaged.[/COLOR]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]OOC: How long would it take the letter to reach places?
---
Before leaving, Ken stepped inside to get his staff. He had all the witnesses to the mirror incident gathered there, just to set the record straight. Looking at them with the coldest, meanest glare that he had, he began to speak.

"If any of you ever dare to come in here to insult a patient of mine just because of his profession, I guarantee that you will be exiting out of my window instead of the front door. Do I make myself bluntly clear?"

Most of them were shocked- clearly, actually. They had never heard of anyone tolerating someone like that- especially with the blood and the mirror and the ughh. Thinking about that, several of them got disgusted again.

"Aside from that, if I hear gossip about what occured here tonight remember that I actually DO know where each of you lives and that I am quite good at blunting people with my staff. Now, do we have a final understanding?"

They all nodded, getting a nod back from the suddenly hostile healer- a side that was rarely seen at all. Ensis grabbed his staff and began to head for the door, the outside becoming a direly needed sanctum from everything that was now neatly crammed into his house.

He took another glance back, most of the people prepareing for another wave of harsh words. But, a large smirk appeared on his face, one that was growing eeriely larger by the second. Stepping back inside, he handed each of them a small vial filled with a green liquid.

"Drink this. This should calm your nerves substantally."

Each of them looked at the vial and shrugged, sipping it. They all found it to be sweet, very delicious. A sudden haze formed over their minds- all they could recall was what they had done in the early morning. After that it was just.. fuzz.

"Thank you all for helping me out today. I really appreciate your participation in the.."

Ensis drew a slight blank, before spurting out "Nature Hike."

"Nature hike?" One of them asked, puzzled.

"Yes, yes. Nature hike. It was exciting! I apologize for how long it took to get back- I guess that you are all very tired."

"Why yes.. I feel unreasonablely shaken up, as well." The elderly woman stated, tilting her head a bit.

"Yes, yes. You had a scare with that wild animal. Good thing you had me escorting you all. I hope you all participate in.. next years Nature Hike. It is guarnteed to be as good as this one was. Please leave the house as you see it, I bid you all a fond farewell."

Ensis stepped outside, walking along in time with his staff. Elda glanced at him and smiled, both of them walking side by side chatting idlely again- it seemed remotely normal, somehow.

"Mmm. The prospect of having him in my house tonight is a bit unsettling."

"Yes, I can see why." She said, still understandably uncomfortable remembering the bloody scene that had occured.

"And aside from that, I need a new mirror. I liked that mirror, too."

They chuckled a bit at that, and Ensis thought for a long time, remembering something that had occured well before the more 'exciting' bits of the whole thing. Kaze had asked something as he left, something he had not quite heard as he rushed out to deal with his bleeding, acheing forehead.

"What did he say as I was leaving?"

"I believe he thought this was Tal'Ebot and was trying to confirm that."

"Did anyone correct him?"

"No, most everyone was quite shaken still. He probably still thinks this is Tal'Ebot."

Ensis stopped momentarily. The soft lights from the buildings around them showed a stern, concerned look fall over his face. Tal'Ebot? That was on a whole different continent. Now this was indeed becoming interesting.

"I see. Elda, I want to thank you for coming with me today. Sorry it turned out a bit.. strange."[/color]

[Wondershot]

Kaze rolled back onto the bed, head pounding. He had wondered what was going to happen next, now that he had arrived. For a bleak moment, he wondered about the safety of his friend, Kan, who had also been in that accident. He looked out the window and saw that it was beginning to darken outside, but at a second glance, he noticed that someone was closing the window.
"Thank you..." He said with a raspy voice. The man there spun around, and nodded his head before leaving.
"I hope you feel better, and enjoy your stay in Fenwyr." He was about to close the door when Kaze shouted.
"Wait!" The man opened the door again.
"Did you say...Fenwyr?" The man nodded slowly.
"I'm not in..." Kaze sank back into the bed, wondering how he had ended up on a completely different continent in the first place. Summoning up all the energy he could, he shouted.
"ENSIS!" The mage rounded the corner, looking quite mad, but not as mad as Kaze.
"What's the idea screaming like that?!" Ensis yelled, but Kaze yelled right back.
"Why didn't you tell me this was Fenwyr?!" The mage looked at him, almost amused.
"You didn't ask." Kaze flopped back onto the bed.
"Kan...that..."
"Who?" Ensis asked suddenly.
"He's the guy who let me on his ship when I was going to Tal'Ebot, and instead I wind up here!"
"So...what did you say his name was?"
"Kan Tsu'Kei, he had a strange ship, it moved on land..." Ensis wasn't listening, though, he was trying to remember where he had heard that name before.
"Why did he take me here?"
"If he did take you here, then how come you came out of the lake like that?"
"The ship crashed, it exploded, threw me into the water..."
"Exploded? Ships don't explode."
"This one did." Ensis looked at Kaze as though fearful for his sanity.
"You're sure about this?"
"Yes, and Kan..."
"You were saying that you came from the road to Tal'Ebot when Kan picked you up."
"Yeah."
"When was this?"
"Maybe yesterday, I fell asleep on board."
"That can't be right, how in the world did you get here so fast?"
"What?"
"The searoute from here to Tal'Ebot takes much longer than a day, and even if this ship could move on land, it would still take a long time to get from here to there." Kaze leaned back on the bed, thinking about what had happened on the journey.

[i]"We're just taking this to Tal'Ebot, so that we can test and see if it's safe to use the..."[/i]

"Flight..." Kaze said just as Ensis walked to the door.
"What did you say?"
"What if we didn't get here by land or sea?"
"What in the world are you talking about?"
"Kan's ship, he said that he was going to test something, maybe it was a ship that could fly?" Ensis paused, then laughed aloud.
"You dream too much, boy. Here, take this." He said with a slight grin, handing Kaze a vial. Kaze knew what it was, but took it anyway. He began to feel drowsy, then fell asleep listening to Ensis laugh.
"Flying ship..."

EDIT: oops, major misunderstanding here, have corrected.

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]"'A bit strange' is a bit of an understatement, Ensis..." Elda said, smiling a bit. Then she frowned. "But I am worried about you..."

"Why for?"

"Well, that man is staying in your home tonight. I don't think he poses a danger to you, but...sometimes you never really know. He seems a bit strange and he could lash out at any time. I don't know..."

She got quiet as they continued walking, the houses around them become more sparse. Her father wanted to live away from the main part of the city. He was constantly surrounded by the loudness and the crudeness of his bar, and his wife had figured it healthier for him to be able to live in the peaceful countryside. He had built a beautiful home on the outskirts of town and raised his daughter there. Elda's mother was buried out there in a small grove of trees.

Chills ran down Elda's spine, thinking about her mother's death. She never discussed it with anyone. Was it good for her to keep it pent up? But she didn't want to think about it now...she was so tired...she needed sleep...everything was getting so hazy...

The next thing Elda remembered was waking up to the bright morning sunshine. She sat up quickly, finding herself in her bed, looking around nervously. She saw through her open bedroom door that her father was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. She slipped out from under her blankets and made her way towards him.

He looked up at her and smiled, tension suddenly washing from his face. "Elda! Good morning to you! I'm so glad to see you up and lively."

Elda was puzzled. "Why aren't you at the bar, father?"

"Oh, someone else is taking care of things for me right now. I was worried about you..." he frowned a bit.

"Worried about me...?" Elda asked, her voice trailing off.

"After Ensis brought you home last night unconscious I thought I...I was just so worried....that you had blacked out..."

Elda sat there, realization dawning on her.

"I blacked out? And Ensis brought me home?"

"Yes, and he stayed for a bit, too, before retreating to his own place." her father smiled at her.

Elda looked at the floor, her thoughts racing. She really didn't remember arriving home last night. She decided that after breakfast she would head to Ensis's home to thank him personally for seeing her home. If she had traveled alone, she wouldn't have made it...

The morning sunshine was bright as ever and the flowers were opening in all their glory. Elda walked towards town with her father, the two chatting happily. She hadn't seen her father so happy in a while, so it was nice to be in his company. The two loved one another dearly since they were all each other had, and even though he had been aggrivating her lately about finding a husband, she was happy to be with him.

They arrived in town to the bar. Her father took over his duties from one of the young men who helped out on occassion. The young man was one who was known to be so enamoured with Elda and she tried to avoid him at all costs. As soon as she saw him, she began making her way towards the door so she could go and see Ensis.

"Hello Miss Elda," he said, catching up with her.

"Good morning, Beau..." she said, sighing and turning towards him.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" he said, moving closer towards her.

"Yes it is, and I must be on my way..." she said, moving closer towards the door.

"Wait Elda, let me walk with you, please! I'm finished with my duties today and I thought maybe you'd want some company..."

"No..." she said quickly.

"But why?" he asked firmly.

She looked at him hard. "I'm going to see the healer and I don't need you coming along and butting into my business."

"The healer? Is something wrong? I know that you had blacked out last night..."

"NO!" she said, scaring herself with her sharpness. She had never used that tone of voice before.

He looked at her, surprised. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

"Yes, Beau, I'm fine. Just let me be..." she said. And with that she walked out of the bar and made her way towards Ensis's home, Beau following her a little ways behind, without her knowledge.[/color][/size]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]OOC: Aren't we in Fenwyr? o.o
---

Resting his staff idlely on his shoulders, Ensis began to slowly walk home. Elda's sudden fainting left him worried, but he felt that it was just an overt amount of emotional and physical exhaustion.

The night was in full swing, the sun soundly asleep as most everyone was. Ensis felt like the only soul wandering the streets, except for the town guard. But he knew he was not alone- many spirits were wandering the town, agitated beyond the norm. His eyes abnormal glow seemed to increase as he glanced around, watching the happier spirits dance in the sky, others just sitting and thinking, some doing mischeif in the town.

"But they all are nervous about something. Heh. I should prolly be nervous about things, too.."

He approached his house and glanced quietly back in the direction he had come. Ensis knew that what he had felt that afternoon was something drastic- something that would make him leave this town.

"Something has happened, something that the world beyond mortals already knows. I guess one is never meant to settle for long when you are a Venefiscus'."

He stepped inside his house and immediately heard Kaze yell for him. Ensis sighed and tosses his staff to the side, not bothering to watch it land perfectly like he knew it would. He rushed into the room, and thus began a discussion with Kaze...

----

"Flying ship..."

Ensis glanced back to confirm that Kaze had drifted into a sleep. His face took a very, very serious shape and he walked back into his kitchen. He removed a small rug from the floor, revealing a small door. Opening it, he walked down a set of stairs into his hidden basement- a small sitting room that he used for special guests and a good place to think- off to himself, with no distractions.

He took a seat and closed his eyes. The fatigue he had been avoiding all day instantly seized his bones and mind- almost shocking him with its fericeness. Not wanting to leave his special place open for all to see, he wearily got up and went back up the stairs, covering the door again.

He walked to his room and laid down on his bed, falling into a sleep that was anything but calm.

The spirits had decided to visit the Shaman, and in his dreams they did..[/color]

[Dagger]

Her thoughts were racing--this changed everything.... her assignment, the syndicate's plans.... hell, the entire goddamn world. She had to speak to Shirai'i, but it would take a good few minutes to reach her. For one of the first times in her life, Maia didn't want to be alone.

"Hey, Luthian," she whispered. The redhead leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of his face. "Will you come with me?"

He let her slide to the ground before turning around. "Where?"

Maia picked nervously at the sleeves of her coat. "Well.... I should probably tell you that I don't live here. I just came from Ii'Kaer.... some work-related business. Y'know how it goes. Do you remember the woman who was with me at the bar? She's my partner."

Luthian nodded, startled. "You dance?"

"No need to look so surprised. Although I guess I'd probably be a disaster onstage." She offered him an odd, sad sort of smile. "We've got to go tell her about the letter. I can't believe this is happening..... the world was already a pretty screwed-up place."

Not much to say to that. He took her arm, trying to ignore the strange tightening in his chest. Maybe it was simple superstition, but he had a feeling that the worst was yet to come. "Lead the way, then."

Maia threaded her way through the fearful, whispering crowds. She had to be careful not to lose him--she was smaller, and used to this sort of manuvering. Moments later, a thought suddenly occurred to her. She stopped, braid whipping around as she glanced back, amber eyes scanning his face. "It doesn't matter what I do, does it?"

"Hm?"

"For a living," she clarified.

Luthian blinked. "What's your line of work?"

"Oh, you'll probably find out," Maia muttered, her gaze falling to her feet. "Er--nevermind that for now. I had a job tonight, but I doubt I'll have to go through with it. Anyway, let's find Shirai'i. I think we'll all be needing a few drinks."

OOC: Bleagh. Stupid brain, making me write crappy posts.

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=maroon]OOC: I feel ya, Dagger. Studying is seriously depleting me of all my brain cells. The things I do for a higher education...

Also, as for the time differences and all that.. yeah, just go with it. So my lovely people in Ii'Kaer, you can find the King's memo whenever. You might also start to note that some - not all - of the flowers are beginning to wilt and die (check back to the Ma'Uriith destruction post thing, where the Queen notices her flowers).


[b]He followed after her, a torrent of thoughts pouring through his head. The letter had been disturbing, to say the least, and definitely put quite a damper on the evening. Just when it seemed as though he might have some fun after all. But just as the feisty redhead said, drinks were now definitely in order, and by god, he would deliver.

And then, of course, there was Maia's sudden inquiry concerning what she did for a living... [i]Why would that matter,[/i] he thought, perplexed. [i]And what exactly does she mean, anyway?[/i] But even after a few moments of trying to puzzle it out, Luth could only shrug half-heartedly - the mysteries of women were far beyond his mortal comprehension.

"So where do we find your friend? Shirai'i, right?" He questioned, playing gently with one of his earrings. He did remember the dancer - quite well, actually. The woman with the honey wine. Especially after that performance; he would be hard-pressed to forget her graceful, fluid movements. She and her partner on stage had been the epitome of what dancing should be. He only wished for a fraction of that talent as he trained for the winter celebration. It would be quite some time before he and his fellow students "danced" the [i]Lith'Rii Urii[/i] (it was strange to call it a dance when it was really more of a kata) - if they made it that far, that is. The piece of parchment clouded his thoughts again and he cursed quietly, now looking forward to getting stupidly drunk. It was all he could offer Ma'Uriith, for now.

Ruffling his hair some, he just grinned and flicked his tail around some, closing his eyes for a moment. Between trying to figure out the redheaded minx, getting smashed, and worrying about this new, strange threat, Luth realized that he was never going to go to bed. "So much for getting a good night's rest."[/b][/color][/size]

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]OCC: This is probably going to be short, stupid, sweet, and to the point...Bah, it's too early, you guys.

-----------

Elda made it to Ensis's home, and looked around nervously before knocking on his door. She wondered if the stranger who had washed up on shore was still here? He was curious to her and she was sure there was something different about him that they didn't know. Or maybe Ensis did...

Ensis was not what she expected him to be. She thought he would be someone who was just like all the other idiots in town...but he was different. He had this glow about him that made him stand out. He was just....Ensis. She couldn't put her finger on it and she couldn't believe she was already trying to figure him out when they had only met and actually talked a few days ago.

He didn't know much about her anyway. She would never reveal to anyone what had happened to her mother...

She pushed that thought out of her mind quickly and finally decided to knock on the door. If he didn't answer quickly, she would just leave. She couldn't sit around and wait all day, she had work to do. At least, that's what she told herself. But something had drawn her here.

She reluctantly raised her hand to his door and knocked firmly and stood waiting to see if he would answer.[/color][/size]

[Wondershot]

Kaze rolled over and opened his eyes to the insistent knocking. He slipped to his feet almost soundlessly, and walked to the door. He paused for a moment, wondering if Ensis would mind, when the person knocked again, and Kaze opened the door, and Elda jumped slightly, not having expected him to answer.
"Oh!" She gasped in surprise, forgetting herself slightly. Kaze looked at her, before answering.
"Did you want to see Ensis?"
"Oh, ye.."
"He's not down here, I think he's asleep somewhere upstairs."
"Oh, I'm sorry." She said hastily, and began to walk off, when Kaze gave her a small stare.
"I'm..very sorry." Elda paused and looked at Kaze.
"I caused a lot of trouble here, I'm really sorry." He was looking at the ground, a dead stare as usual. Elda looked at him for a moment, when he stepped out of the way and began to close the door.
"Wait!" Kaze paused, and looked at her for a moment.
"Did you want to come in?" He asked with an almost bored tone, Elda took a step forward, as though she afraid she would hit an invisible barrier, then walked inside tentatively, Kaze closed the door behind her and walked back to his bed. Elda looked at him for a moment, he seemed very depressed, and acted very solemnly about everything, as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Kaze began to speak, not even looking at her.
"I don't know if he'll be around soon, you might end up waiting for a bit." He said slowly, fixing up the sheets on his bed. Elda looked over into the hall. No other signs of life were around, she looked back at him.
"um...do you have any idea when he might be up?"
"Strange really," Kaze replied, almost dreamily. "You go to sleep, and then you might wake up, and sometimes you might not. Very odd..." He paused for a moment, then got up and stared out the window.
"The moon..." He said, continuing in his dreamy voice, as though reminiscing.
"I'm sorry?"
"You rarely see it in Ma'Uriith. I never knew it could be so close." Elda recoiled slightly, shocked.
"Did you say...Ma'Uriith?" Kaze wheeled and looked at her for the first time. He seemed equally surprised.
"Um, yes I did..." The two stared at each other for a few moments, when they became aware of a faint noise in the background, a small groaning, it sounded almost human...
"What?" Kaze said, as though trying to break the uneasy silence between them. He walked slowly, as though stalking someone, into the adjacent kitchen. The groaning grew louder, but there was nothing in the room. It definetely sounded like a person, though.
"What is that?" Elda asked, not knowing Ensis was just under her feet, deep in a trance-like dream...

OOC: Queen Asuka, I noticed that you sometimes refer to Kaze as a "young man". He's only a kid, check my signup.

[terra]

OOC: On the letter -- thanks, guys. This only points to one conclusion: I should be the king of a country. :D

[color=green]"Now how do we get to Ma'Uriith?"

Anubis was the first to respond. It was a sort of chuckle, perhaps some half-commendation of Leile's bravery. "Well, it's fairly easy," he began.

"Yes, I can transport us there," Aissa cut in.

Anubis turned to her, slightly raised eyebrows the only indication of any surprise on his part. "You can transport us there?" he said, his voice no indication of the slight incredulousness Aissa was sure it hid.

"Yes," she replied with more confidence than she felt, "I can. I need to pick up some supplies from my house, though; let's go."

And she turned and walked briskly down the street, not looking back.

They reached her house rather quickly, and Aissa ushered them in without the usual ceremonies she might have gone through. Arland was sitting in the living room, studying an ancient tome that had belonged to her father. "Hey, what's all this, Aissa?" he said, looking up.

"You've heard the news?" Aissa said.

Arland's face fell from its habitual cheeriness. "Yes."

"We're going to Ma'Uriith," she said, having decided on the way there that it would be best to get this out in the open as quickly as possible.

Her brother's face was indescribable, and his reaction loud. "WHAT?!"

Aissa turned to Leile and Anubis and politely but firmly ushered them out the door. "Excuse us," she said, "I believe we need to have a family meeting."

Once they were outside, she turned back to her younger brother. "Arland, don't even start," she said, pushing past him to pick over the assortment of herbs they stored in the kitchen. "I'm going, and that's that."

"Our parents --"

"We moved out for more independence, remember?" she tsked him, stuffing colorful assortments into her pouch. She reached under the kitchen counter for her supply of arrows as well.

"I don't think that exactly meant careening off to a [i]cursed[/i] city --"

"Didn't you read the king's letter, Arland?" Aissa said, turning back to face him at last. "He asked us, the citizens of Laeth E'Thae, to help. And I took that to mean me."

"But Aissa --" Arland said helplessly, and they held each other's gaze for a long moment.
"Then take me with you."

"Out of the question," Aissa said, having decided this long before as well.

"[i]What[/i]!? But you just said, you took that to mean you, what if I take that to mean me too--"

"Well, one of us has got to stay here," Aissa said, and it was followed by a rather uncomfortable silence as the implication came silently: [i]so that our parents will be sure they still have at least one child[/i]. Breaking the silence, Aissa continued, "And since I'm older, I get to go. You can cover for me for a few days, can't you? Oh, and get in contact with the rest of my appointments and let them know I won't be around. Heck, you could probably heal them yourself."

Arland paused, wishing for something more to say. "Er ... well ... have you thought this through? How are you going to get there?"

"Obviously I have [i]not[/i] thought this through," Aissa said frankly, "and ... I'm going to teleport us there."

"You can't do that!"

"It's well within the law --"

"You know what I mean. You physically cannot do that. You haven't mastered that yet." Arland looked at her reproachfully.

"Well, there is no way in hell I'm letting that guy out there do it," Aissa said, letting out some of her anger at last. "One snap of his street performer fingers and we'd probably be there. But I've had enough of him being the big shot magician in town."

Arland shook his head as Aissa opened the door to go back outside. "Maybe it's a good thing I'm not going along, after all ..."

Aissa ignored him as she crushed a large plant between her hands, walking so that its dust fell in a circle. "Get into the circle," she instructed Leile and Anubis, who hadn't spoken much since she'd finally decided to take charge.

"You'd better sing, sis," Arland said. Another implication passed between them, a rather teasing [i]It's your only hope.[/i] But Arland didn't say it out loud, knowing that she wouldn't want to be embarrassed in front of the other two.

He was a good brother and, suddenly realizing what she was doing, Aissa stepped out of the circle and gave him a fierce hug. "Arland ..."

He acquiesced for a few moments before pushing her back into the circle. "Get out of here ..."

Aissa looked back at him for a moment, then outstretched her hands and chanted, her words blending and blurring into a low, soft melody. Their own figures blurred, it seemed, to Arland, slowly and without any hurry, then shimmered and faded. Aissa was the last to transport, and her eyes were full as she looked back at him, then disappeared.[/color]

Sorry ... it got all ... LONG.