RPG Chosen Eight [M-LVS]

[konske]

Chase looked up and saw the stars brightly. He smiled and wondered to himself, What could be wrong? If it is as important as we have been told, then there is something dark, and its going to be bad if it gets out. He looked over and saw Ashara looking at the fire, watching it with wonder.

"You are darkness, yet you love the flame, is that right?" Chase turned to her with a smile on his face. He raised his hand as the flame shrank and then formed into a ball. He held it out to Ashara, who just watched the flames flicker. He then moved his hand as it went back to its noral size and engulfed the wood once more.

"Its, just well, don't you think its strange that we of all people were given these powers. I am sure that here are hundreds of people in the world more suited for this task, whatever it is." She turned back to the fire and sighed.

"Well, we were chosen for a reason, and well, I think it was a good choice, even though we all might not get along very well yet, I am sure that it will change." He smiled and then looked at the flame.

"This is rackin my damn head. Why the hell is this happening?" She turned to Chase with a little bit of anger, confusion, and fear in her eyes. He looked at her, then looked away.

"Trust me, I want to know just as badly as you do, but as it stands right now, I don't know why. I am hoping, that when we finish this, whatever it is, all the answers that we want will be there. Until then, all I can really do is hope and try to make it there, to the end." He stood up and walked over to the edge of the mountain. He looked down and saw a flash. He watched, waiting to see if it happened agian.

[Funny Girl]

[COLOR=Magenta]After the guy had left her, she decided to go back to rest before morning. She closed her hand and the ball of light disappeared. She was never the type to persue someone nor to keep nagging at them either. So she just turned around and went back to the mountian.

When she had gotten to the top she noticed that they were already for bed and even some were asleep. Riiko saw that Chase was looking at something and wanted to ask, but she didn't. She sat down by the fire and watched it move.

Riiko had always loved the way it looked and the unpredictableness of it too. She sat there looking and then thought about what would happen to her friends if they didn't know where she was.

She was getting tired and them looked up at the stars. Riiko could see how pretty teh stars twinkled in the night. She remembered that where she went to school and lived that there weren't many stars that you could see. This was the first time in a while that Riiko's been out in the middle of nowhere for a long time.

Riiko was always very lonely but she made the best of her life. She still wished that her parents didn't take things out on her all the time. But ever since she moved away from them and her old life, things started getting better. She made new friends that didn't pick on her and she was able to get away from her parents before something worse would happen.

[I]Man, how I wish that my didn't fight and that they would be here to this day. But I guess everyone has their time when they feel like the world has turned against them and that only killing yourself would be the right thing to to even if it meant going to hell for it. I still wanted to know what it was like to have actual parents that didn't fight or yell at their kid all the time.[/I]

Riiko thought a long time on the subject and then went to sleep.[/COLOR]

[Xerxes]

[COLOR=Purple]Ashara looked at the fire with amazement. She loved the fire even though she wasn't the type to like too many things expecially when it came to anything that came to light. She looked up at the stars and wondered what it would have been like if she lived an actural life instead of the one she had now.

[CENTER]Her thought[/CENTER]

[I]She remembered the day she arrived at the orphanage. All the staff asked her where she had come from and what was her backstory. She told them that she didn't remember. Then one of the staff memebers asked for her name. She told them that is was Ashara. It was a start and soon she was fostered at one house. She was innocent so she didn't know what to do. Her foster parents were cruel and mean to her. They had their own little girl who was the same age as she was. They always spoiled their daughter while she go nothing. She did everything that she was asked to do while the other girl did nothing.

One day, she was asked to do something and when she did it, she somehow did something wrong and the parents beated her. They burned her back and cut her and hit her with rocks. She was forced to sleep outside in the little penthouse that they had. She decided that she would run away and go back to the orphanage. That night, she crept out and ran away. She arrived at the orphanage in the morning begging that she wouldn't have to go back. When she was 16, she was able to move out of the orphanage and live on her own.[/I]

This is what she thought as she sat on the ground looking at the sky.[/COLOR]

[P.J. McKrafty]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Garrett Jumped back as Marks blades slashed where Garrett was standing. Mark made fast slices at Garrett's torso. Garrett did he best to dodge the blades but he could feel them graze his skin and hit his leather arm bands as he tried to block his blades. Garrett tried to move the earth under his feet to make him fall but it never effected his footing. He kept swiping and swiping and Garrett lead him farther and farther.

They made their way to a small forest. This is where Garrett put some distance in between himself and Mark. He stopped and rested against a tree. Both blades came spinning out of the darkness. One slammed into his cloak and the other sliced into his arm slightly. This was one of the first instances that Garrett felt an emotion that he had never felt towards any other person other than himself. Pure blind hatred. He pulled the axe out of his arm and the one out of the tree. He threw both at Mark. Mark caught one and tried to catch the other. It bounced off of his hand. Making him lose attention for a slight moment but that was all Garrett needed, when he turned around he felt Garrett's fist slam into his face making him stumble. Garrett the punched him in the chest, but Garrett didn't pull this punch. It sent Mark flying a couple yards before he made contact with the ground. He had lost consciousness.

Garrett then snapped out of his pain induced rage. he saw Mark lying there unconscious. He gathered up both his axes and placed them in his pack. He then check Mark to make sure he was alive. he had a pulse, other than some pretty bad bruises he would be fine. Garrett picked him up and made his way back to the camp, there was nothing else he could do at the moment.

He traveled for a couple hours and made his way back up the summit. Most were asleep but others where still awake. He had lost a lot of blood from being sliced. He just barely made it to the top before he collapsed and went unconscious.[/COLOR]

[Cicatrice Du Adieu]

Oko sat and awaited Garret's much desired return. She sighed and stood. Oko had decided to go for a short walk. She soon looked in the direction Garret had left and saw A man one the ground. Two acually. One being Garret.

Oko gasped and grew scared that He might be hurt. He reached them and saw the cuts on his arm. She first dragged Mark to a bed roll and inspected him for injuries. Besides a couple bruises He wasn't hurt. She then ran to Garret and dragged him to another bed roll. She looked at every wound.Oko observed that Each was caused by the same weopen; an axe. The wounds were minor but deep. She quickly got some fabric from a bag she carried with her.

Garret started to wake as Oko finished bandaging him. He sat up and looked at her a bit dazed. Oko looked up at him witha distant lookin her eyes and tied the fabric around his last wound.

"Thank you," Garret said with sincere gratitude.

Oko nodded her thanks."It was nothing really."

"Did you drag us here?" He questioned.

"Yes." She looked at him. " It wasn't easy but I managed."

"You didn't strain yourself too much, did you?"

"No" She answered simply.

They stared at each other in a slightly awkward silence. She couldn't think of any words to say. All she knew is that she liked looking at him.

[P.J. McKrafty]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Garrett stared in her eyes for a while just absorbing her gaze. She started to smirk a little.

"You thirsty at all?" she asked.

"A little, I've got a water skin in my pack," he said pointing at his bag.

"No need," she swirled her hand in the air creating a small orb of water. "here," she lowered her hand and the orb by his mouth. He leaned up and drank it. "Don't get used to me babying you," she said now developing a bigger smile.

A grunt came from mark as he started to wake up. Garrett instantly grabbed his sword and jumped to his feet. His left arm fell limp. He raised the sword with his right arm to Mark's throat making him freeze.

"Do you mind telling me why you attacked me?" Garrett asked in a perturbed voice. Mark looked up at him with a very calm look about him.[/COLOR]

[Cicatrice Du Adieu]

"Garret!! Stop!!" She yelled grabbing his his left arm."The poor man juxst woke up."

Garret withdrew his sword. Mark looked at Oko. Her words. she defended him. He quickly rose and turned to the girl. He grabbed her hand gently and kissed it, smiling.

"Thank you for my defense, miss. Your name is Oko I beleive?" He said staring her up and down.

"Yes." Oko shifted uncomfortably.

Mark completely ignored Garret. He Didn't want to make himself look bad in front of the girl he desired. Garret felt something wash over him. A sense of jealousy. He was [I]Jealous[/I]! Garet was growing jealous of Mark. He saw it now. Mark lusted for Oko! But this feeling? This jealousy? Why was he feeling this.

Garret watched Mark closley. He was staring at her. Not in her eyes but elsewhere, Asking her questions, flirting. He looked at Oko who seemed a little uncomfortable. She watched his eyes closely and crossed her arms over her chest. Garret decided now would be a good time to swoop in and save Oko from Mark's curious eyes.

[P.J. McKrafty]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Garrett watched, this new found emotion didn't suit him, an idea formed in his mind. He stepped in front of Mark.

"Excuse me but I think you have the wrong idea," He said grabbing Oko and pulled her close to him, and just as he started thinking it was a bad idea he kissed her. They sat like that for a moment. then Garrett was surprised by something he noticed her kissing back. He pulled away. "This must be a big misunderstanding," Mark glared at both of them for a long time.

"Where are my axes?" he finally asked.

"My pack over there, but if you make another move like that you will receive the same consequences," mark scowled and walked away, he retrieved his axes and sat down on the edge of the cliff. Garrett gaze shifted to Oko.

"What?" she asked.

"You kissed back, either you are a good actor or you enjoyed that a little too much," she blushed and walked off. Garrett made his bed and decided that he needed some sleep, he gazed at the fire until he drifted into dream.[/COLOR]

[Cicatrice Du Adieu]

Oko walked off. What did he kiss her for? Then afteword? He [I]didn't[/I] like it? His words wrang in his head 'You kissed back, either your a good actor or you enjoyed that a little too much.' It hit her like a stone. Her eyes began to water.

She continued to walk. Oko didn't realize how far she had gotten untill she snapped back into reality. She was far from camp. But conviniently located about 10 meters from where she stood was a hot spring. She stepped to the edge and stripped. Oko stepped into the hot spring.

She sighed letting her muscles relax in the warm water. She still couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. The feeling, it was stuck to her lips. She couldn't shake the feeling of his lips pressing against her's. But she also couldn't stop replaying his words. They no longer depressed her. She only wanted to here his voice.

[P.J. McKrafty]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Garrett rolled over as perusal he only slept an hour or two, as was his daily regiment. He laid next to the fire for a while just waiting for the sun to rise an the others to do the same. He sit up and decided to take a short walk, it seemed to be the only thing to do at this hour.

He got to his feet and wandered off down the hill to see if he could find a faster easier path for the others to trek on. He wandered off of the path and found a fruit tree, it was a strange fruit that grew but he picked off a piece and placed it in his bag, it might be poisonous so he thought he would ask one of the others later. He continued noticing the odd animal her and there.

He wandered more and more and then he heard some splashing and even though his gut told him not to but he still wandered around the corner and there stood Oko, stark naked in the water. Out of impulse let out a rather loud "OH" loud enough for her to hear, she turned and saw hims eh immediately shrieked. A jet of water like a reverse waterfall formed in front of her.

Garrett wasted no time making his way back up the hill red faced and somewhat ashamed of himself. He sat in front of the fire dreading what she might say to him upon her return.[/COLOR]

[Cicatrice Du Adieu]

Oko let the water disperse when she was sure Garret had gone. She immediatly got out and dressed. She was just as emmbaressed as Garret had been and walked slowly back to the camp. Her eyes were wide, still startled and her arms were crossed over her chest.

Oko saw Garret when she arrived back at camp. He was sitting by the fire. She went to sit by him. He looked away from her with red cheecks, fidgeting with his hands.

"Thenkyou for the flower, again." Oko said blushing. She had pulled out the water lily he had given her.

"Yeah. no problem." He replied shakely.

She looked down, unsure, once again of what to say. She looked at him with her calm lugubrious eyes. He was still red in the face.Garret caught a the sight of her stareing witch made Garret feel uncomfortable and he shifted in his seat. She saw his discomfort and looked away blushing.

"I'm sorry..." She said.

[The Enemy]

Mark was infuriated! He could barely stand the build up of his own anger, as he wondered away from the group again. He walked for a long while before stopping to actually think. "I cannot hold back." He decided silently. "I must not hide my powers when facing such a foe, next time, he will be defeated." Mark wasted no time in finding his way back to Garrett and Oko. As he looked over them by the fire he desired to find out why they were suddenly so shy to each other. He closed his eyes and focused on the electric currents in the air, reading them, feeling them. He read that there had been a large movement of water and that they had separated for a short time, but that was all. Delving into the past threw the reading of where electric paths had been was a very hard art and Mark was barely a novice.

He walked over to Garrett and said sternly "I must speak with you." Then he walked away. Garrett looked to Oko for minor advice and she nodded in approval. After following Mark, Garrett stopped curiously. Mark turned to him and asked "What's wrong?" Garrett simply stood still and asked "What's wrong?! What's wrong with you?! You could have killed me when you put on our little sparring match."
Garrett said angrily. Mark grew cold and silent. In an instant he had spun ducked and tried to hit Garrett in the stomach with a hard blow. Garrett dodged barely and drew his sword. Mark then said "No weapons, this is a fist fight." then he threw his axes into a semi-far tree and reached towards Garrett?s sword as if to take it. Garrett pulled back the blade, but electrical sparks simply jumped form Marks hand then Garrett's sword. The sword flew back into a tree behind Garrett and Mark smiled.

Seconds later Mark was attacking again. He went to punch Garrett in the jaw but Garrett ducked and punched the ground forcing a stone in front of Mark's punch.
Mark recoiled in pain as he hit the rock, and Garrett took his chance, he went for a straight hard punch to Marks gut. "hate to do this to yah" said Garrett, but Mark replied with "I don't" Then Mark twisted to the left and grabbed Garrett?s arm. A surge of pain shot from Garrett?s wrist threw the rest of his body and electric sparks were clearly visible around Marks grip. Garrett stomped and a stone burst forth from the ground knocking Mark a ways a way into a tree and dazing him slightly. Then he rubbed his wrist sympathetically and Oko appeared next to him. Mark was angrier than ever and dashed forward with lightning speed, literally. He caught Garrett with a kick to his upper right leg and Garrett fell to the ground in pain as the muscle cramped violently. Oko stood in front of Garrett protecting him. And Mark glared at her with a curtain [I]how could you?[/I] attitude. He didn't want to hurt her but he knew he could get passed her.

Oko stood protectively in front of Garrett as his leg felt better and he began to stand. Then Mark tried to run around her but was caught by a wall of water, with an extremely strong current. Saddened by what he had to do, Mark reached and touched Oko's arm gently by the shoulder, after a moment she flinched and revolted from his touch in pain. Garrett stood up straight once more and struck Mark in the stomach with anger and strength alike. Mark fell back hard but jumped to his feet quickly. He was content to defeat Garrett, thundering sparks of electricity now crawling over him like snakes. Garrett was likewise determined, fearing if he let mark live he would only hurt Oko again. Oko just stood on the side lines, wanting to join but fearing for her safety as well as Garrett?s if she interrupted.

[P.J. McKrafty]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Garrett and mark watched each other for the slightest sign in movement. They each were on edge wondering the next ones move. Then Garrett realized something thee was one way he could end the fight fast and that was to compromise Marks footing, there was one of two ways of doing this. he could pull the earth from under Mark like it was a rug, or Garrett could raise rock to consume his feet, but then there still was the trouble of his hands, they could deliver a lot of damage even from a distance.

Garrett couldn't think of his next step. So mark thought of it for him. He raised his and an a bolt of electricity jumped from it straight into Garrett's chest before he had any time to respond. He winced and fell to his knees.

Oko started to run towards him but Garrett raised his hand to tell her to stop. Mark slowly started to approach the prone Garrett when the idea hit him. He placed his hand on the ground and slowly started to twist it. He was changing the earth around him. Mark didn't notice before it was too late. He sank neck deep in sand almost as if it was water. Garrett then Twisted he hand fast and as quick as the earth was turned to sand it became rock. He then collapsed on the ground. There Garrett waited for his body to stop locking up from the shock.[/COLOR]

[Cicatrice Du Adieu]

Oko ran the rest of the way to Garret. She placed a hand on his back and kneeled down next to him. She feared he may be hurt. She waited patiently and he seemed to get better. Garret stood and regained a bit more strength before Oko slipped into his arms, wrapping hers around his nck.

"I was worried" She said, shaking with fear.

((Ooc:I have writer's block now.))

[The Enemy]

Mark went into shock at a combination of being engulfed by rock and seeing himself lose, again. He closed his eyes and charged his energy. Several waves of force shot from him blowing away dust and debris as he focussed. Soon he was ready, he opened his eyes wide and clenched his teeth. Releasing a massive amount of electrical energy. The stone around him blew into pieces almost instantly but drained him of energy harshly. He barely stood himself up to limp away after climbing out of the new hole and retrieving his axes.

He walked slowly and with a limp for the most of two hours before stopping. He leaned on a tree then slid down it, sitting with something to support him. Then quietly fell asleep. He woke up several hours later with more energy but the same amount of shame and sadness. He heaved himself up and walked slowly threw the forest near by. Coming across some animals every once in a while. Eventually he found some sort of royal family mansion hidden in the woods. He didn't care about anything but Oko and how bad he felt for hurting her so he kept walking.

Guards surrounded him and exclaimed "Stop there peasant, or defend yourself! These are sacred grounds and you must go or be slain." said the lead guard. Mark simply shrugged and kept walking the way he was. He was then stopped by a spear head against his neck. Mark had gotten perturbed by this point and wanted nothing to do with whatever they were guarding anyways. He groaned and drew his axes into a defensive stance. The guard leader attacked first with a lunge from his spear. Mark blocked it with the face of his axe. The next guard attacked with a short sword, harder to block by far, but Mark easily parried the blow.

He countered with the statement "Kill or be killed." Then he threw an axe, it arched threw the air and landed imbedding itself into a man's skull. The other guards stared at Mark in horror as he also dashed to the lead guard and decapitated him with a swift slash. The third guard of five, now charged Mark, spear held high. Mark kicked the spear just below the blade, leaving lighting lines behind each movement, and shattered that part of the spear. Seemingly leaving it to fall on the ground, Mark grabbed the blunt end of the spear and sent a charge up the pole, electrocuting the man to death in seconds.

The two final guards looked in astonishment at the grisly act. Then one was cut down as well, Mark grabbed the spear head from the air and hurled it into the poor guard's throat. The final guard, now scared for his life above all else, tried to run.. Mark effortlessly ran in front of him and gave a high round-house, hitting the guard's neck abruptly stopping him. The guard's neck muscles contorted and tightened viciously, twisting around his spinal cord and soon enough, snapping it. The man fell dead. And Mark kept walking silently.

He stepped in a puddle of blood, while pulling his axe from a man's head, on his way off the fight scene. The ripples reminded him of Oko and her water controlling powers, then a single tear rolled off his cheek, ironically this also reminded him of Oko. And so he walked, giving up and accepting he can't ignore he missed her- even just the sight of her, or the sound of her voice- dearly.

[Akieen Cloud]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][SIZE=2][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Amelia stood and streched, noticeing that it was just almost down, a voice thick with sleep reached her ears.
"Don't you sleep in?"
She chuckled as Tray looked at her from under his blanket.
"Hardly."
She bent down and picked up her Swallow, clipping it to her back, the baldes covered by thick leather she looked down at him and knelt down brushing a thick piece of hair from his eyes.
"Your hair's a mess."
She smiled as he blinked up at her.
"I'm gonna go for a run and some practice. I'll be back soon."
She gave him a winka nd then was off in a dahs of dirt as she lept up intot he trees and before she knew it she landed in a clear opening. She sighed and looked up at the sky.
"Two minutes, not bad. I'm getting better."
She built a small fire and was about to get busy when she cringed, a strong copper smell overwhelming her. she looked around and then slipped, looking down she held back the vomit as a man lay in the bushes, his head split by what looked like an axe. She looked for a moment beofre she remembered the young man with the axes that had joined them on the moutian. she continued on till she heard a twig snap and had just enough time to throw her self on the ground before an axe hit the tree behind her.
"Watch it jackass!"
"Have you followed me? Are in line with Garret?"
"Who? Oh you mean the earth dude? No! I just came out here for a run and some practice!"
"What makes you think I can trust you?"
"Nothing, you don't even know me."
She noticed he paused for a moment, she was being honest afterall.
"Look I'll just go."
"My anger still wants to be reconsiled."
"That's nice, I just wanna go practice."
She watched as Mark came from the shadows.
"Hey there Sparky."
She smiled as he frowned, reaching for his other axe she spun the Swallow from her back making the coves fly off as well.
"I may be younger then you, but I should not be underestamated."
She gave him a hard look and saw that he backed off alittle. It was the same look that Oko had given him as she had stood infront of Garret.
"I'll face you another day."
She straightend and stuck a blade of the weapon in the dirt.
"Have it your way."
As he walked away he could hear her wail of dismay as she sat down quickly and began to polish the blade that had been in the dirt with obsession to a point of insanity.

She sat there watching him go and shrugged, she felt bad for the guy and realized for a moment that he had left his other axe stuck in the tree behind her. She stood and put the covers back on her Swallow and clipped it to her back and looked at the blade, it was knicked and dull, poorly sharpened.
"This poor thing, it's so sad..."
She sat downa dn pulled a small pouch from her pocket and began to work on the blade carefully, making it shine like new and making the balde as sharp as a razor. Running her finger over the blade she hissed as it sliced her finger open and smiled in satisfaction. Catching up with him was no problem, she dropped down in front of him and blocked his other axe with his own makng him look at her shocked.
"You left this."
He looked at it and then her.
"What did you do to it?"
"It's called fixing it, you should learn it, it helps the blade, not only that, makes you trust your weapon better."
She put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a quick hug, whispering in his ear as she went.
"Not everyone is out to get you ya know. Maybe you should make a friend, it might make things easier."
As he threw his arm around to swipe at her she was gone, a dust trail left as she put her feet to the wind and was on her way back to camp. Getting there she saw that Tray was getting up and trying to his hair back into the loose pony tail it was in the day before. She threw him a brush smileing.
"Use this."
She stood and walked back to the river from the night before and sighed.
"I'm not expecting love out of this journey, I guess that makes me sad. I have been alone almost all my life...but I suppose a few friends are better then nothing."
she gave a quick sigh, got a drinkand refilled her water skin and headed back to camp.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[The Enemy]

Mark looked over the shining blade of his newly polished axe and let out a small smile. No one had ever, ever, helped him or did him a favour. He admired the sharpening job and deduced he could not match it without allot of practice. But at the same time, he didn't want his axes off key and unmatched. So he knew he should go back to her to get them evened out and maybe teach him how to do it for himself.

"This is fantastic!" he though exuberantly, smiling and grinning for the first time in ages. "I get a fine job on my axes, I might get a sparring partner, and above all, I can use all those reasons and more to talk to that nice girl again!" She definitely had wind powers, being able to move as she did. And her spear was as beautiful as she was. He happily raced back after her, using his electrical speed boost to divide the time it took him by more than ten.

Once he had reached camp he looked around, careful to avoid Garrett and Oko, but still hoping to find the new girl. Eventually he saw her, she was by the guy with blue hair. Mark took a step back and thought "Oh come on! that's just not fair!" then he realized Tray didn't really seem to be interested in her as more than a friend. Mark still had a chance, small as it may be. He watched her leave the camp to a river near by and followed her.

He walked up behind her as quietly as possible and then jumped out, making sure to leave some sparks in the air, next to her. "What the?!" she exclaimed as Mark appeared. "I love the job you did with my axe." he replied. She smiled and winked "Oh it's just you, well I'm glad you like it." He smiled back, a rare sight to be sure, and said "I...uhh..I was wondering if you could do that to the other axe...or even each me how to." Mark was also blushing a bit, embarrassed and nervous.

[Funny Girl]

[COLOR=Magenta]Riiko started to get up and saw that Chase was up as well. Riiko's hair was a mess so she decided to go to the river and wash up. She hated how her hair was oily.

She walked down to the river and then started to wash her hair. She then grabbed the towel she brought with her and wrapped her hair up in the towel. Riiko walked back to see that Chase was up and ready to go.

Riiko sat back down and dry her hair off more. It was still damp so she put it up in a messy bun and got ready to leave.

She could see that many of the others were getting ready also. She saw Tray having a bit of a hard time so Riiko went over to help him out.

"Need any help?" she asked.

"No, not really. I'm fine," he said.

"Oh, I see. Hey I don't think we've had a chance to meet. My name's Riiko. What's your's?"

"Name's Tray."

"That's a really cool name, Tray. So what power do you have?"

"Ice."

"Wow! Could you show me something that you can do with your ice?"

Riiko liked to make people feel comfortable. So she thought that if she could make Tray more comfortable with being friends with her, then he could be friends with everyone else.[/COLOR]

[Deadpool]

[color=darkred][size=2][font=book antiqua]Tray smiled as he used the brush to get the knots and tangles. He didn't care if other guys thought it was weird. Some girls liked his hair and he was quite attached to it. This Amelia girl had seemed to take a small interest in him as well. It was all perfectly fine by him as she had kept his attention all night. He was somewhat tiredf as he had found it hard to sleep.

He watched Amelia fight with her Swallow with Mark. [b]Pretty impressive"[/b] He went to work packing when Riko offered her assistance. [b]"No I am fine"[/b] Not that he minded at all.

[B]"Oh, I see. Hey I don't think we've had a chance to meet. My name's Riiko. What's your's?"[/B]

[B]"Name's Tray."

"That's a really cool name, Tray. So what power do you have?"

"Ice."

"Wow! Could you show me something that you can do with your ice?"[/B]

Tray smiled. [b]"I guess I can"[/b] He held out his hand. [b]"Set your hand palm up on mine."[/b] She did so a little hesistantly. Tray took a small leather cord and gripped it in his other hand and set it in her palm. His hand suddenly got cold as she let out a sudden gasp at the decrease in temperature. He let go of the cord and on it was a small ice cross attached to it. [b]"This won't melt unless I start losing power. I attached it to my life flow. Necklace for the lady"[/b] He let out a small bow

[b]"You should travel with me, we can show each other different tricks. Talk to me in a little bit after you think"[/b] He then walked over to where Mark was talking with Amelia. Tray felt a sudden pang of jealousy bnut made it passed. He did not want to start fights with anyone of the group. He came right up next to Amelia and looked at Mark's sword. [b]"That work looks kind of like my uncle's handiwork"[/b]

He held out his hand[b]"Name's Tray"[/b] The other guy hesistantly shook his hand and when he did Tray felt a small shock go through his hand. [b]"Mark"[/b] Tray couldn't help but smile when that happened. Even though he liked Amelia he would let Mark do what he wanted. He would not interfere in the matter since it concerned him not, as long as she was happy.

[b]"Well I will be seeing you. Amelia. you mind having a sparing match with me later. I want to see just what that Swallow is capable of. If so meet me over by the feild before we head out"[/b] He turned around and walked off. He may like Amelia but then again Riko was hot as hell and sweet as a kitten as well. Plus she was great to talk to. He looked around then spotted Riko off in the distance and set out to talk to her. [b]"I gotta talk to Chase sometime today[/font][/size][/color]

[The Enemy]

Mark watched as Tray walked away. He was a little put off by his actions to Amelia, but he liked him much more than Garrett. He ran a few steps after him, and after saying goodbye to Amelia. Once he caught up to Tray Mark said "Hello, Tray was it? I'm not sure if your offer was directed at me at all, but if it means anything I would surely enjoy a healthy sparring match , I want my body and mind as sharp as my blades you know. Not to mention how sloppy my powers get without practice every once in a while."

Tray looked Mark up and down and smiled "Sure buddy, uhh Mark right? We I'm sure we can have a decent training session between the two of us." Mark replied "I'll be sure to keep my axes sharp for our fights." Drawing his axes to show off to Tray. Tray looked at one then the other, then raised an eyebrow "they're not evenly treated, one is in much worse condition than the other." Mark looked at them himself and kicked himself mentally. "Oh yes! that reminds me, I have to be going, I'll see you later to train." Mark then left Tray to his own businesses and went back to Amelia for her sharpening and shining skills.

[konske]

Chase watched as everyone went their own way. He sighed and then sat down. The fire was still burning and it was getting any smaller. Even the wood itself seemed as though it had not been touched throughout the night. He smiled.

"Seems as though I am able to keep it up while I sleep and have my mind focused on something else. Good." He let the smile go as Trey walked up to him.

"Hey, Chase, when are we going? We talked about going last night and well, we stayed here. If we stay any longer, I don't think that we will ever make it there." Chase nodded at this then looked down a little.

"We need to leave within the hour. No matter what, we have to get there today, so we will all be trying to get there as fast as possible. If not, then we may be letting something bad happen faster than it should. We have to leave." He looked up at Trey and frowned. He then looked over and saw everyone but Mark and Amelia around, waiting.

"Go get them. Tell them that we are leaving soon." Chase stood up and watched Trey walk back to the river. "Alright, is everyone ready? Good, lets wait until Mark and Amelia get back and we will be on our way. If we go and only stop a few times, we will make it there by nightfall and then we can do a little sneaking around and try and get some information." He wathed them nod then waved his hand over the fire as it went out. He was begining to hate this feeling in his gut more every second. It felt like something was coming, and he only hoped that it wasn't something bad.

[P.J. McKrafty]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Garrett wasn't' too thrilled that Mark was coming along. He was a threat to everyone in their group. He looked at Oko who was getting fidgety. She wanted to leave already. Then they saw Tray and Amelia come up the hill, with Mark slowly trudging along behind them. Mark was spinning his axes which seemed shinier and sharpened. Mark made eye contact with Garrett and sheathed his axes. He glared at Garrett and gathered his gear. Garrett was just happy that Mark didn't underestimate him. Maybe he would leave him and Oko alone. Oko wrapped both of her arms around Garrett's arm and smiled at him.

"We are all here now? Good, lets get moving," Chase declared for them. They started down the mountain. It was a good hour before they made it to the bottom, they made their way west towards the temple. Garrett knew something was at this temple, something he thought would test their skills. They traversed the plains surrounding Mount. Sot. The entire way Oko didn't lose grip on Garrett's arm. Growing bored Garrett started to mess around with the earth like make a small staircase going up a couple feet to mess with Oko, but she still maintained her grip.

They were a couple miles into the trek before they decided to stop and rest. The rested on top of a large hill. You cold see a village in the distance from the top of the hill. Garrett sat down giving his legs a rest. He wasn't tired but he didn't want to over exert himself just in case his feelings about the temple was right. Oko sat herself right beside him. He looked at her and moved her bangs away from her eyes, they were beautiful to him, some f the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. She giggled and turned away from him.[/COLOR]

[Cicatrice Du Adieu]

Oko looked back at Garret who was smiling at her. She blushed and let her head rest on his shoulder. Garret blushed and put his arm around her. He looked up at the sky. It was a bit grey and cloudy. the air was moist. Garret thought that Oko would be enjoying the weather today.

Garret withdrew his arm and went into his bag. He pulled out another teal stone and looked at Oko for about ten minutes. She stared at him the wjole time he was staring at Her. He turned back to the stone and worked with it for a bit. After about three minutes he handed to her. It was a Koi, a japanese fish and one she liked alot. She smiled and kissed his cheek.

Mean while Mark watched the whole thing. He hated sitting and watching this but couldn't get his eyes off her.

[Akieen Cloud]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][SIZE=2][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Amelia prance from one foor to the next as Chase calculated how much more time it was going to take.
"Could you stop that? I can't concentrate."
"I can't stand still for to long unless I'm eatting batheing, useing the bathroom, alseep or dead."
"And which of those do you want to be?"
she blinked and chuckled.
"I suppose I'll go for a run then."
"Don't to far."
"Please, even if I do, I'll catch up soon."
With that she jogged over to where her stuff sat between Mark's and Tray's and picked up her swallow and the samll pouch that held her equipment. Looking over at Mark she smiled and held out her hand to him.
"Wann join?"
He looked up at her oddly and nodded slowly."
"Awsome, bring your axes, I'll show you what I can. Just try to keep up."
With that she was gone leaveing behind a small trail to follow. He found her at a small stream that ran between a few big oak trees, she had her legs crossed and her Swallow in her lap, a clothe moving over the baldes with gelntle stroke, almost as if she were handleing a child. She held up one finger as he walked up and looked up at him smileing.
"Shh, just listen to everything around you. It's peaceful."
"Why did you befriend me when no one else has?"
"Everyone needs a friend, I mean everyone else around here seems to have picked who they're like the most, you and me got left out, that should tell you something."
"You chose me as a last resort?"
"No, we were meant to travel together, meant to be friends. My brother died, so I've been alone alot of my life, except for the time I spent in the orphanage, and you look like you've been alone for a while too. Seems only right we should get along."
she handed him a clothe and patted the ground next to her, he sat down hesatantly and she nodded to his axes.
"Polish them, to keep a blade in good shape you have to take good care of it."
she looked down at him and gasped.
"Not that hard, you see, weapons have lives just as we do, you have to trust them and they have to know that they can trust you."
"A waepon is a weapon."
"Will you just trust me here?"
She placed her hand over his and giggled as some static went through her.
"My what a shocking personality you have."
She smiled as he jsut shook his head.
"Now you have to be easy, polishing them to rough like that will make the blade dull, you have to just lightly run the clothe over it, like this."
She leaned in and moved his hand with the clothe under it oer the balde of one of his axes.
"See, it looks better already."
She looked up as he agreed with her, but saw he was looking at her and not the blade. Blushign she went back to polishing her own blade, graoning in dismay as she found a small spoy on the blade she was looking at.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[P.J. McKrafty]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Garrett gleamed at this. She just wrapped her arms around his torso and they just sat like that for what felt like the longest time. Then the sky darkened, rain started slow but started to come down hard. Garrett pulled the hood of his cloak over his head. Oko jumped up and started running in it, she span and danced in it. Garrett laughed at this spectacle. she turned and picked him up off of the ground. He took his cloak off and threw it over his gear.

He joined her in twirling and dancing. Orbs of water started to float around her, creating a sort of water ballet. Garret stopped and watched as she lead them through the air creating beautiful creatures and objects with it. He was amazed at her skill, it was like watching a child's dream unfold.

She stopped and turned to Garrett beaming. She ran to him and slipped on the grass. She tumbled into him and they both rolled down the hill. They finally stopped now both of them completely drenched and there they sat Garrett still holding her starring into her eyes that just mesmerized him.[/COLOR]