The Requiem: The Girl From the Sky

[Rakashua]

Jin was silent, he didn't look angry or uneasy, but he didn't speak further on the subject either way. At this point Cloud was involved and as such was the case his support would follow after whatever Cloud decided. It was how things should be since Cloud out ranked him, but it wasn't like Jin had followed such codes very well.. well... ever... but Cloud was one of the rare knights that Jin respected.

 

In private though, Jin did feel a bit uneasy about the whole seeing thing, but it sounded more like the woman was some sort of healer by how she spoke, on top of that she was apparently needed at the village... so that meant that they should help her get back right? Azure was on good terms with Mesria... considering they were so close... better terms than Greisha at this point, even though they worked for both in the past...

[Saphira-dragon]

"This is why I travel alone!"

 

Cloud thought as the rest seemed to trust Sora, so mabye she was telling the truth and all that but you could be too sure. But if he turned his back on her when she was in fact telling the truth then he would be a disgrace of a Knight to walk away from one that needed his help...so many rules and laws yet none that protected one's kingdom or oneself!

 

"Suit yourselves, looks like we are heading in that direction anyway" He said with narrowed pupils, his temper was shor today for whatever reason and he wasn't just about to go off arguing about this whole thing. Sora was blind anyway, whatever gift she had even if it did mean harm, he had his own and was unafriad of her because of that.

[Altiboris]

Lucifer watched as everyone debated over this new situation. She herself found this blind seer rather intriging. Thinking over the pros and cons, she sat down on Lorkin's back while stroking her fingers absentmindly through his silky fur. He laid down on the ground and curled up around her contently. She could be a spy. The girl wondered if it was worth investigating her... Probably not. She seems pretty harmless. For now. She got to her feet and tapped her pet gently. The panther reluctantly got up and yawned, sharp teeth glinting in his giant maw.

 

"So where do you live exactly?" Lucifer asked Jin, resting her arm on his shoulder. It was a strange habit of hers that she had picked up somewhere.

Edited May 6, 2011 by Altiboris

[Rakashua]

JinFelt Lucifer's hand before he heard what she said. He turned his head to look at her as she spoke. It was a welcome distraction, he didn't want to have to say how he felt about the whole matter, and was sure that perhaps at least Sei or Maro could have been waiting for his opinion.

 

Heat focused itself on his right shoulder under her arm, it had nothing to do with her apparent ability with fire, but it was a welcoming heat, not the oppressive burning type he had nearly unleashed earlier.

 

"That's an interesting question," Jin smiled back at her, absently, and seemingly accidentally dropping a scrap of venison out of his pouch and in front of Lorkin. He began his story, speaking softly to Lucifer, not so soft that no one else could hear, but making it obvious he was only talking to her.

 

"I lived in the heart of Azure, the main city, I grew up seeing my father now and then and living with all the other knights when they were back in a sort of barracks I suppose you could call it. He wasn't home much, always out on some assignment so I mostly raised myself. I lived with knights and trained with anyone who would take me, my father too when he was around, he always had me train." Jin's eyes took a distant look as he thought back to his childhood, "after I was older I joined the academy, and I lived there night and day spent training, resting, eating, learning, and more training. I guess it was probably a very hard life by the standards of most, but I had never known anything else so it suited me just fine."

 

Jin nodded at the memory, "Unforunately I developed a... condition, rare among students but not unheard of. I was forced to quit my training then at age fifteen after only seven years. I was sent away for a different sort of training, sent to live with some monks high up in the mountains. If I ever thought my training was hard... living with those bald old men was a nightmare. The air was thin up so high but the training was just as grueling, and at the time I hated meditation as well, I never did sit still very long, being forced to do so for hours was torture." Jin shrugged with a smile, "I think the only reason they didn't kick me out is because they had so much fun watching me continually fail their tests."

 

"But after a year of it I... adjusted, and they finally let me go when I was eighteen. So I lived there for three years, then I was released on my rite of passage, to be self banished from Azure and unable to return until I was prepared to pass the final test and become a knight. Since that day I've lived the last two years in the forests, away from people for the most part. Sometimes I'd stop in a town long enough to throw out bandits and trouble makers, work some type of manual labor for the exercise, then leave again without saying a word. I never was too good in social experiences. I never kissed a girl before..." Jin's voice grew very quiet for a moment, "well before you and you're hardly a girl anymore," but then it went back to it's faded self, "a few bartenders apparently thought that was hilarious and tried to set me up with someone but... well you know, I'm not good with people and I might have run out of town solely to avoid that... maybe." he grinned sheepishly.

 

"So yeah, that's me in a nutshell, and where I lived, I guess I gave you more than what you asked for, sorry, I'm getting better..." he ran a nervous hand through his hair, the heat on his shoulder increasing just a little.

 

 

[Saika]

"Suit yourselves, looks like we are heading in that direction anyway" Alazne sighed at the angry tone in Cloud's voice, but was glad that he decided not to argue about the girl joining them. Her hand moved to lay on his shoulder for a few seconds, and she smiled at him. "Thanks for going along with it." Her words were spoken silently, and she dropped her hand as soon as they were spoken. Hopefully he would calm down a little. In her experience, it was better to interact with others when one was calm, and able to think things through properly. Another sigh escaped her, and she turned her eyes to the girl.

 

Her name was Sora... At least that was what she said, but then again, there was no apparent reason for her to lie to them. She had rather long, green hair and green eyes, but her eyes didn't react to anything, and were rather dead. I cannot see. But there are things I see which others cannot, was what she had said, and for a brief moment Alazne wondered how it would be to be without one's most important sense. But she was sure the girl had something that made up for it, especially if she had been able to shake off several Gresia knights.

 

That was another concerning matter. What were Gresia thinking, sending in soldiers without conquering, but still chasing a girl out of her village? They were surely provoking a war, but without gaining any land. Alazne's eyes gained a sheen of curiosity over the concern as she looked at the girl. Just who was she? Some sort of seer, or maybe a healer... She said that many people could die in her absence, probably because of the epidemic they had talked about, so that implied the latter. But she had been passed out in the forest... As far as she knew, it wasn't common to lie down and sleep on a random place in the forest if you were being chased by knights.

 

"Are you sure you're alright?" If she had been passed out, then it could be because of fatigue, but it could also be something else. And if she was going to travel with them, it was partly their responsibility that she stayed safe and sound, at least that was how Alazne saw it. Then a thought struck her, and she blushed slightly in embarrassment. "I'm sorry for being rude. My name is Alazne Lilija de Clare, and I am a Viziel knight." How could she have forgotten to introduce herself?

[Altiboris]

Lucifer laughed lightly and looked up, staring into his eyes. His story wasn't too different from hers. Though hers was rather disturbing. She hid a slight shudder as the memories flashed across her mind. It would be better to leave that part behind. If only though.

 

"Well, least you knew your parents. I don't even know who mine are. I could look right at them and they would still be strangers to me. Because that's what they are now." She said thoughtfully. "But in a wierd way, I'm kind of glad I don't. I wouldn't want to meet the people who had abandoned me like that. See, I was actually raised by gypsies. According to them, they had found me in a forest. Apparently I had been living with a group of big cats. Which is a bit strange in itself as most cats are loners."

 

"But anyways, they decided to take me in. Not out of the kindness of their hearts though." Lucifer hissed the last bit out bitterly. "They thought I was a demon or something. That if I was with them, they would be under some kind of protection. From evil spirits or something." She laughed at the notion. "I was always an outcast even with them. Secound to their own kids. Shunned by the grandparents while they doted on their own grandchildren."

 

"After a while, they decided I was too much trouble to keep and gave me to another family. So it goes on like that, being tossed around. Finally, I was tired of being treated like an object. So I ran away. I was about 10. I lived off the land for a few years. It was during then that I found Lorkin here." Lucifer stroked the panther's head fondly. "And after that..." She stopped, suddenly cautious. "Well, I'm probably boring you. " Lucifer smiled and quickly changed the subject.

 

"I've never kissed a guy either really. Well, not for anything other than business." She laughed sheepishly, explaining. "See, since I'm basically a mercenary. And I've had a few cases where the target needed a bit of incentive to lower his guard. You know? Get him away somewhere alone before I can work." Lucifer ruffled Jin's hair slightly. "So techinically you'll be my first official kiss."

 

"So that's basically me." She said, smiling awkwardly. Perhaps one day she will tell him the full story. Or maybe not. Some stories were never mean't to be told.

[Rakashua]

Jin nodded in understanding, he could tell she was holding something back, but that didn't bother him. After all, he was bound by oath not to tell her most of what really went on in his life, what secrets the hidden village really held... no one outside it knew, and there were very important reasons for that...

 

"not boring at all," he replied, winking with a half smile to show that he understood she was holding back and wasn't going to press the matter further, "We've both had interesting lives... hopefully..." he paused for a moment, thinking something over, "hopefully I'll be able to tell you everything when we get to the hidden village. After all," he gave her a mischievous grin, "If you enter the hidden village you either learn everything or are never seen again, and often both.... Joking..." he added with a smile.

 

"Well mostly," he ruffled his own hair as he worked on a better explanation, "Azure isn't a kingdom with closed boarders, but the village is a closed area, we don't have tourists, just the occasional spies which need killing. No one ever comes in unless they're one of us... but... this requiem thing... I guess it's pretty important to everyone. I'm still looking forward to seeing how Cloud Sempai explains away the entrance of such a large group without getting us killed on sight." Jin was still smiling, but it was a more... worried smile than reassuring. He really was a bit on edge about how Cloud was going to... get them in alive, bringing back... guests... was unheard of, unless they wanted a short death or to stay locked up in the village until they died of old age. No one got in and out without permission, and it was impossible to fake your allegiance to Azure.... or ever get rid of it.

 

"But we have a while before then," Jin cheered up a little, nudging Lucifer in the shoulder, "so tell me, how did you and Lorkin get to be such good friends eh? I've always wanted an animal companion, so much easier than humans, but..." Jin scratched his head, "they just don't seem to want to stick around with me. Most animals won't attack me on sight, even wolves... we have an... understanding of sorts, but they won't follow me around either no matter how I try and coax them or reason with them." Jin bent to scratch at Lorkin's ears, "so... how did the pretty lady trick you into following her about hmmm?"

[Altiboris]

Lucifer laughed and swiped at Jin's face with Lorkin's tail. The panther snuffled and turned around to claw playfully at her. As if to say Paws off, Personal bubble please. She grinned and buried her face in his soft fur. She knew he didn't actually mind. He was just teasing. "Well, as I've told you, I lived alone in the forests for a few years. I usually travel around a lot. I stopped by town to get some news but well, you saw how people react to my presence. Not exactly the most cordial welcome." She smiled wryly before continuing.

 

"But before I left, due to several, " Lucifer coughed slightly, "unfortunate problems, I heard a rather strange news. That there was a group of 'monsters' in the nearby forest." She grinned slightly at the memory of the terrified looks on the villagers' faces as they spoke with such dread. "Those 'monsters' had been robbing the farms of their livestock. So naturally, I was curious and wanted to find out more about these creatures."

 

"I wandered about for a bit, not really seeing anything unusual. On first glance you see, it appeared to be quite normal. Squirrels chattering, birds singing. Tall trees towering all around. Then I noticed that there didn't seem to be any large animals around. You know? Like deer, bears, those creatures. And the ones I did see seemed very skittery and fearful." Lucifer bent down to toss Lorkin a piece of meat. Watching as he gobbled it up, she went on.

 

"So I went further in. But after sunset, I still hadn't seen anything. So I decided to stop for the night and take a quick nap. When I swung up into the trees, I noticed a strange light coming from the tops. And I almost crashed into a gigantic cat before narrowly stopping myself." Lucifer chuckled at the memory. The startled feline had looked so surprised. Like a naughty kid caught doing something wrong. "It tried to eat me I think. The whole time as I raced around the treetops, I was talking to myself in my head."

 

"And when I started thinking things like; Don't eat me. I'm no harm. Please don't eat me, it suddenly stopped. And a wierd voice said something back. I can't remember but it was something to do with helping them. So I followed it. Not like there was anything else to do. And it took me to a huge tree. It could've probably fitted a whole town in it's branches. It was like their camp or something." Lucifer thought for a better way to describe it. Finding none, she went on.

 

"Apparently one of their cats had gotten stabbed through the leg with a spear. By one of the villagers during a raid. So I took out the spear and bound up the wound. And for some reason, I could talk to them. So the whole time I was there, we had a rather wierd internal conversation. And after I finished up, I was about to leave. When Lorkin here decides he wants to go too. So I got intrusted with them by their elders or something. I don't really know. They just looked really old." Lucifer laughed. "I still remember that day. He looked so tiny but determined."

 

She ruffled his fur gently and wrapped her arms around his neck. "And we've been together ever since. It's a bit strange really though. I still don't know why I was able to talk to them. Or him." She looked down at the panther affectionately.

[Rakashua]

Jin nodded, amazed, "well I guess therein lies my problem, I can't speak cat... well or wolf... or dog... or... fish."

 

He carefully put a finger on one of Lorkin's fangs, looking at his great white teeth, "I always knew that certain animals were intelligent, talking to one another and such, but I never did understand their language. There was an incident with a wolf pack about a month after I came out here and decided to make a bit of the forest my own. Very nice," Jin moved his hand from Lorkin's face to his front paws, examining the claws, "very smart wolves too, actually I'm pretty sure they were laughing at me the first few months..."

 

Jin shook his head for a moment, focusing back on where he had left the conversation. "Chased me out of my new cave... well their cave that I had claimed apparently, right up a tree and sat there on the ground, hardly got any sleep that night, I swear they were laughing. I wasn't very experienced by then, only my second month out of Azure, but I got the idea that they weren't interested in killing me, or primarily in driving me off. You see," Jin rubbed his chin, trying to remember everything. " I decided that the best sort of training would be to out smart a wolf on their own territory. They'd obviously been here a while and knew the forest like the back of their... paws, thus began a very long game of cat and mouse, erm... but they weren't cats and well you get the idea, - Lorkin."

 

Jin smiled at the memory, "every day I'd wake up early and try to sneak into their camp, and every day I'd be spotted and chased off, running as fast and as far as I could before my body would give out and I'd be forced up another tree, I became a very good tree climber, a virtual monkey... a pack of angry wolves is great motivation. I got better and better at it, further and further into their camp before they'd detect me, and they'd have to chase me further and further away each time, and I'm pretty sure they started to lose their interest in my game because one night, after I swung up into a tree out of their reach... I woke up in the morning and they hadn't gone. Well most of them had, there were two rather large males still sitting patiently at the bottom of my tree. Apparently they had had enough and it was time to eat the interesting and annoying human."

 

Jin laughed slightly, "I tried to talk them out of it for a good hour but they ignored me, not that I think they could understand me but if they had any intelligence at all I'm sure they knew for the most part what I was saying." He grinned, "so I ended up dropping out of my tree and they gave me a fair fight, the younger one went first while the older watched and after I beat him it was the elder's turn. Lost a lot of blood that day, last time I ever decided to fight claws with fingernails. So, bleeding and exhausted, I half carried half drug the two of then unconscious back to their camp. They heard me and I'm sure smelt me a mile away, but none of them came to kill me. It was probably foolish of me as I think back on it, but I figured they had shown me a custom of theirs and now it was my turn, so I brought the two of them back alive, and unconscious, probably not nearly as in bad shape as I was at that point. I got pretty close to the center of their camp and apparently passed out because next thing I knew I was in a cave and my garments had teeth marks where I had been drug."

 

Jin shrugged, "the younger male I fought with first apparently was there to guard me and he followed me around even when I left, at least for a while. I stopped playing my game with the pack and instead only bothered this one wolf. Which lead to a lot of other close encounters but long story short I think we parted friends. I got a mate the next year and she had pups, I met one of them earlier when I ran into your group. That was his son, along with his mate and a few of the pack that had been awake to chase me all night long and into the morning when I ran into you lot. I guess that finally means I won, managing to take his pup out of the den and get away with it... well barely, and I'm sure he thinks that using the spice ball even though I didn't do it... was cheating but that's my experience with animals for the most part."

 

Jin seemed to remember something and took a step back from Lorkin, placing Lucifer between the cat and himself, "I did run into a panther once, and tried the same trick on it. But I don't understand cats, they don't just case you if you throw a pebble at them and run or sneak up on them and shout in their ear. It kind of opened one eye and glared at me, then I threw another... then a clod of dirt, and then it finally chased me. This was only a month ago, I figured I should try a cat for training next. Well apparently it was in a very bad mood, or maybe cats just have no sense of humor, or maybe they don't play those games, but he chased me until I was tired, then I climbed a tree... and forgot that cats climb trees too..." Jin trailed off, "let's just say I'm lucky there was a lake nearby. And maaaaaybe, you could ask Lorkin what I did wrong, because the cat was certainly not playful... maybe yanking the tail would have been a better start..."

[Juzz]

The group, finally agreed to continue their way through Silphe Village, Sei was quiet thhe whole time, glancing at Sora once in a while. She didn't seem to be blind, the way she followed everyone. Not even once did she trip, lost her way or asked for aid. He sighed feeling worried the whole time. The others were also quiet, though there were some who chatted happily along the way.

 

As they went on, the already scarce number of trees seemed to have even decreased. What's more was that most were like half dead and as dry as the cracked ground. There was barely any sign of life. The wind was warm, the sky was dark. Not that it seems like it will rain soon, but the clouds were so thick that they cover up the sun. This type of sudden change in the terrain is not so unusual though. Over the years, the weather have become so unstable, so did the ecosystems and lands. For one, you can be crossing though a forest, the next hour, you might find yourself in a desert.

 

"Hey! Looks like that's the village" Keith pointed excitedly. Not the most lovely looking place, the ground loked barren. Houses were made of huts, the people looked poor, all of them weraing tattered clothes. As soon as the group entered the village, some people bgan to draw close.

 

"S-soraYou're back! Thank goodness... Please look after my son...!"

"Sora! Where have you been! My sister's been affected by the epidemic... Please...!"

 

More people flocked in, saying almost the same words. Sora just kept promising, saying she'll look after them as soon as she sees the chief. "Sora!" a large man shouted. He was around his 30's, black hair, brown eyes and is covered by a thin layer of dark beard. He was wearing a white turban and an equally white shirt which was covered with dirt. As soon as Sora heard his voice, she came rushing to him, and he in turn hugged her tightly.

 

The man turned to the travellers and spoke. "Thank you very much fro bringing her back safely... Please, come with me so that you may rest and have your fill" he smiled gratefully. "Father... I have to look after the people who were infected while I was away" Sora suddenly told him, pulling his shirt. The mand frowned and looked at the people before he nodded. "...Ok... Just be careful" he answered with a worried tone in his voice. With that, the girl smiled and ran off, as she was guided by the people.

 

The group followed the man whom Sora called 'father' to a slightly larger hut. It was obviously bigger than all the other houses, but it was nothing grand. After an hour of waiting, there was a feast-like meal in front of the travelers. There were fruits and vegetables, soup, meat and even rice. "Eat up! It's not much, but it's all the village has. Thank you very much for bringing Sora back safely" he said yet again.

 

 

[Altiboris]

Lucifer grinned and swatted at him playfully. "Dun't even try. They'll just get really angry. Took me ages to get Lorkin to let me even touch his. Cats are really protective of their tails." She shook her hair out, letting it wave around in the wind. It was really windy around here. Probably cause there weren't many trees around. A strand of fiery red hair tickled the panther's nose and he sneezed, throwing her up into the air. Laughing, she bounced onto the current. Suddenly, she realized that she wasn't touching the ground.

 

"Not again..." Lucifer groaned, as Lorkin whined and pawed at her desperately. She kicked her feet about rapidly. It took a while but she finally got back on the hard soil. "Sorry bout that. I still haven't really gotten the hang of that yet." Tossing the wild tangle of hair from her face, she looked around. They had stopped, she just realized.

 

The people looked really poor and deprived. The ground was bare and covered with a thick layer of dust that mixed with the sweat of the travelers. Not exactly a great place to stop. Especially after the rich, verdant forests they had just been passing through.

 

She watched with interest as Sora interacted with the villagers. They all seemed very desperate for her help. Following the black-haired man, she beckoned to Lorkin. He padded after her, ears laid back. He didn't trust strangers. Especially not in the middle of nowhere. Which is where this seemed to be. Judging from the look of things that it.

 

After waiting for a bit, Lucifer looked down into her bowl. There didn't seem to be much and what there was, it didn't look too appealing. Everything seemed brown and lifeless, just like the village. It was a bit strange really. Why settle here when there were so many better places? Like that forest. Granted, there were robbers but with this many people, that could be easily taken care of.

 

Oh well. She thought, starting to eat. She's had worse. Chewing on a bit of a root or something, she looked down at Lorkin. He had his own bowl too. Although the guy placing it in front of him looked a bit scared. He quickly put it down and backed away cautiously. Lucifer stroked his head while he ate, not really paying attention. She looked at the boy. He looked to be about 12 or 13. But she knew that looks were decieving. Especially in a place like this. Where everyone seemed to be malnourished. "Hello, I'm Lucifer." She said, smiling.

 

He smiled hesitantly back, a look that didn't seem to reach his eyes.

[Rakashua]

Jin smiled as Lucifer floated for a moment before regaining her footing back on the ground.

 

"The monks did that, tried to teach me... then promptly told me I was hopeless. Which is good... I dislike the idea of... floating."

 

Jin's smile faded as he looked around at where they had ended up. With Cloud and the others around, he's focused all his attention on Lucifer and Lorkin, not really paying any mind to their surroundings. What he saw now was not to his liking.

 

The ground was cracked, barren, and unusable. The trees looked frail and weak, and they provided little shade. He remembered passing by this way before, but he had avoided the village as he did most groups of people.

 

He watched the people rush around them, and then leave with the girl. He wasn't concerned about getting sick, but the sight of the people made a knot in his gut. He could understand their hunger, if nothing else. He had been nearly starved twice in his life, both times under the supervision of training. He knew exactly how long he could keep fighting without food, but these people weren't concerned with that, it seemed they merely lacked enough to get by as most others did.

 

They entered the dwelling and food was set before them. Jin sat silently for a moment, watching as everyone began to eat. The idea of it made him sick and angry at the same time, and he could not bring himself to eat their food.

 

"Excuse me," he stood, pushing his chair back under the table, "I'm sorry, I don't feel well..." he claimed, and quickly left the building, ignoring the looks of the others... perhaps Cloud would understand, he knew him best.

 

Once outside, Jin moved a few yards away from the building, towards the outskirts of the village and sat on the ground. He watched some children playing with a ball they had made out of old rags, kicking it back and forth along the path that wove through the village.

 

When he glanced down at his hands he noticed they had become covered in the blackish purple armor that were his gauntlets.

 

"Yes.... that I can do... and only that..." He spoke to no one in particular, and began to trace the outline of his tatoos and scars with the claws from his gauntlets.

 

"that is all I can do..."

[Juzz]

It took about a minute before Sei had the guts to take at least one bite from the food. He looked pretty awkward, considering that the meal they have in front of them might be what remains of the village's food. Keith on the other hand just gobbled up everything in sight as if a hungry lion. "Hey. Why aincha' eatin'?" the boy asked turing to Sei who flinched at that moment. It seems that he still wasn't fully comfortable around the so-called 'Wind Assassin'.

 

"U-umm... D-don't you... Kinda find it bad that were eating what... Y'now... This village have?" he answered, his voice trembling quite a bit. With the tone of his voice it was quite obvious that he was intimidated of the trainee (who by the way, is a year younger than him). "I guess... But if we don't eat em', it's gonna be a waste. Plus, it's our pay for bringing Sora here right? Consider it a mission accomplished" he answered, sipping off the bowl of soup clean afterward. Sei sighed and took another tiny bite. ... But we can also give these to the villagers instead of having them to ourselves right...? Sei thought, staring sadly at the food. He took a quick glance at Jin's empty seat before sighing again.

 

"What's the matter? Don't like the food?" Sora's 'father' asked the boy with a frown. "N-no! It's not that... It's just... Well..."

"Hahaha... Don't think about us too much! You people desrve that for bringing my Sora back! I bet even the other villagers think the same"

"B-but... Is she that important to everyone?"

"Oh yes! Why... We can say she's a gift from the heavens to us"

 

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

Meanwhile, in the village...

 

The place was just as warm as when the travelers have arrived. The sun was still hidden behind the clouds giving the place a dark look. Despite the poverty of the village, children still find time to play and be happy even with their tattered and dirty clothes. Some adults were busy with work, some, tilling the hopeless soil, others tending the animals while some were taking care of the kids. Most people however, were inside their homes, taking care of those victims of the epideminc. At least that is how it usually is. But right now, they are concentrated in the not so lively central plaza of the village.

 

In the center of it was a large stone tablet with strange writings. It had a noticeable symbol on top of the writings, the emblem of Mesria. In front of it was a small wooden bed. There were a lot of people lined up in front of it. Most of them were aiding someone ill.

 

"I could just come to the people's houses... Really..." the girl with long green hair stated, looking rather worried. "No, no! If you do that, you might tire yourself out... After all... You have just returned. This is no trouble for us. Weare just grateful that you are here actually..." a pale, thin man answered the girl. She sighed frowning and bent down, turning toward the bed. A woman laid on it. She had a strange dark purple markings all over her body. She was also sweating a lot and it was evident that the woman was burning up.

 

Sora placed her hand on top of the woman. She closed her eyes and in between the woman and her hand, a faint green light started to glow. At that moment, a symbol appeared on the girl's head. In a matter of seconds, the markings on the woman's body disappeared as she shot up het feet, "Huh? It's gone... Tha pain's gone! I'm cured!? Sora! Thank you very much!" she said, tearing up. Sora just smiled back as she watched the man and woman go off. These 'sessions' continued to go on, as the line slowly moved...

Edited May 13, 2011 by Juzz

[LadyNatasha]

"Eat up! It's not much, but it's all the village has. Thank you very much for bringing Sora back safely."

 

Maro smiled, but it was only a half smile. She didn't feel comfortable with the whole situation. Sure, she liked Sora and was glad she was back, but this man...

oh, it was probably just her, but Maro still was a bit weirded out. First of all, how could he know they were coming in time to have the feast ready, or was it prepared for something else? Maro wondered if Sora had somehow informed him: she hadn't been paying much attention to group chatter and wondered if she had missed something. Still, no one else seemed suspicious and Sora had hugged him, so surely Maro decided she had missed something. Humans: she really needed to learn when they were just blabbing for the sake of impressing one another (or for the sake of talking) and when they were actually speaking legitimate words.

 

Maro also felt bad for eating "all the village has." She listened silently to Sei and Keith as they spoke, and the man as he answered. She had some of her own food in her pack which was under the table, and while she put a few things on her plate from the meal, she mostly slipped herself (and her wolf) food from the bag. She had a few questions but was too hungry to ask... oh, and leave it up to Cloud to ask the questions anyway.

 

"Excuse me," Jinjekkai was saying suddenly, "I'm sorry, I don't feel well..."

 

Maro frowned, for a moment wondering if he had caught the epidemic, but then she caught on, seeing his empty plate. She hadn't yet touched anything on her plate, but she had a better idea and picked up a piece of bread, ignoring Jin. She didn't eat the bread, but it seemed like she did... or at least fed it to her wolf...

 

She smiled: she wouldn't have ever thought of this if Jin hadn't gotten up to leave. Maybe there was some human part to a knight from Azure after all... oh, wait. Jin wasn't an official knight yet. She glanced at Cloud, wondering what he'd do. She suspected he'd most likely not eat, but not because of pity for the people, just because he wouldn't trust the situation. That was just her guess, though, and she was curious to find out. She also half-guessed, by the way they had acted on the way over, that Lucifer would get up and follow Jin. Were humans that predictable? She sat in silence, wondering random things that would make no sense for any normally socialized human to wonder...

Edited May 13, 2011 by LadyNatasha

[Saphira-dragon]

Cloud managed to silence Jin out as he began talking away to Luicfer, he foused his energy on riding forward checking for danger and all that sort of stuff. After a while he began to notice that slowly the tree's were becoming weaker, the grass not so green and the land becoming so much more....wasted would be the right word. Even the sky seemed to be in a foul mood as it hung dead in the sky the clouds, suddenly a village if that is what you would call it, appeared. They rode into it, the people were in serious need for some good meals and for some good clothes on their backs but it seemed the sight of Sora was all they needed.

 

While she did what she had to do for the village, her father brought them in who was a rather large man and set out a meal for them. Jin excused himself running out, Cloud looked after him worried but he knew what the lad was feeling inside. It wasn't right to eat their only food, he hadn't even moved himself since he had sat down and was glancing around curious. Something had to be amiss in this place! His stomach was pretty much telling him that if he ate that food he was going to pay for it dearly.

 

"I beg for you forgiveness, Sir. But my stomach douth not need food for you see, I had eaten but mere this morning and it would be wasted on one such as me this food. Pardon my rudeness for not giving my name sooner, for I am Cloud Hunt, Azure Knight." He said standing up to bow his head to Sora father in respect, the man carried no weapons that he could see but it would be simple to hide one under any item of clothes. Cloud straightened up to glance around at the table, seemed Keith was eating his share, reaching into his back he pulled out the remainder of the meat he had stored in it and laid it on the table in front of Sora's father.

 

"As a sign of thankfullness, I ask you please to take this meat as a gift for providing my friends and I a place and also food. Food seems to be lean around here and I mean no harm" Cloud said respecting the man as if he owned a massive Kingdom and was a possible person that would hire him.

 

"Forgive me for questioning, but, what news travel around 'ere?" He questioned the man, he was curious as to what the village hears for it was often the little people that hear the most.

[Juzz]

"Ahaha... My... So we have noble knights in out humble village" he exclaimed, laughing. "We couldn't possibly accept that... After what you have done for Sora" he answered, looking troubled if he should accept or not. "Had your brunch eh? I understand. Sometimes, it feels rather nice to skip lunch" he added with a chuckle as if reminiscing something from the past.

 

"Hey... *munch* Uh... Who're you anyway?" Keith suddenlt pointed out, as he munched on an apple. Sei looked quite surprised at Keith's remark, as if he wanted to stop the boy from speaking further. He looked back at the man, he didn't seem offended, in fact, he was smiling. "Hahaha... Sorry. How rude of me. I'm Adza Velsha, village chief" he answered rather energetically.

 

"Forgive me for questioning, but, what news travel around 'ere?"

At those words, the chief turned toward the knight and paused. "News...? Our village is quite barren so not much comes in... Or out. It used to be quite a big story though. Sora. She used to be a big news..." he frowned, again, pausing for a moment. "... The Sky Seer they called her... People everywhere used to come years back. Until it became too dangerous since Gresia came..." he sighed and sat down on a nearby chair. The man turned to Cloud and continued. "It's not much... Just a bit of news about the Mesria rebels. I heard they are hiding with our king. Under defense they are. Recently, they don't even dare launch any attack against Gresia. Especially with the Kevia tragedy..."

 

"Couldn't help but notice... Kinda random but... Ya don't look anything like Sor---" before Keith could finish, Sei suddenly jumped in and covered his mouth. Keith looked confused as to why Sei did that. Sei on the other hand was blushing of embarassment. Afterall, they are just staying in, and that question was rude at some level...

 

"Hahahaha... Young people of today are so lively" he laughed yet again, looking at the awkward scene between the two boys. Although the scene looked like a boy covering the mouth of a girl. "You're quite observant ain't ya? You're quite right with your remark... She's not really my daughter. As I've said before. She's heaven sent!"

[LadyNatasha]

Maro listened quietly, rather surprised at Cloud's temper change since they had set out. It had been a few hours, but still. She flinched as Sei tackled Keith's mouth, but stayed silent: she didn't have many manners herself, as she knew very little about manners.

 

She stared in surprise as Adza Velsha spoke:

"She's not really my daughter. As I've said before. She's heaven sent!"

 

"Heaven sent?" Maro couldn't help but ask. A million ideas of what the man could mean ran through her head. "Did she just fall from the sky?" The idea was silly, but Maro hadn't been around people for a while and was really open to anything. Anyways, she had heard stories (though mythical) of strange creatures (that didn't exist) such as dragons and griffons carrying special children and dropping them off... perhaps the stories had some truth? Her wolf sensed her confusion and peeked out from under the table, gazing steadily at the man who had spoken.

[Altiboris]

Lucifer tried at talking to the boy a few more times, to fail each one. Sighing, she turned back to picking at her food. Finding no appetite, she looked down at Lorkin. He had already finished his share and curled up in a furry ball, tail tucked beneath his chin. Pushing the bowl away, she noted that most of the others had done the same. Keith on the other hand, didn't seem to mind at all and was gobbling up the food like he was starving.

 

"Excuse me," Jin stood, pushing his chair back under the table, "I'm sorry, I don't feel well..." he claimed, and quickly left the building. Lucifer cast a look at him, eyebrow raised. He didn't look sick. Just a bit irritated and angry. She nodded to herself, knowing what was wrong. Everyone else seemed to have the same problem too. It wasn't right to come into this broken down village and eat their food. Especially when it seemed that they didn't have enough to feed themselves.

 

Lucifer frowned. Why was Sora so important that they would give up supplies that they seemed to so dearly need to a bunch of strangers? Just for bringing her back? None of this made sense. And the land. The question returned to her, nagging incessantly. Why would they settle down here? It was barren and dry. Not providing even close to what they needed to survive. And the sicknesses that everyone seemed to get. It was all too wierd.

 

She got up and started towards the door. Telling Lorkin through their connection to stay there. It would be better if she didn't have to worry about him too. He wasn't too comfortable in strange lands. Jin was sitting on the ground a bit away but she didn't feel like socializing right now. Lucifer walked toward one of the few spindly trees and stood under it. Stroking it gently, she felt around inside it's internal workings. To her surprise, there was a strange dead feeling to it. That was usually only found in rotted plants. So how was this thing still alive?

 

Suddenly, she collapsed on her side, writhing in pain. No... Not this... She gave a silent hiss of agony. Lucifer pulled down her right arm band. And to her shock, her suspicions were comfirmed. The tattoo burnt into her flesh was glowing a fiery red. The last time this had happened was during her captivity... She shook her head, trying to push that thought out of her head. She didn't want to think about that. Not now. Things had been fine for the last couple years after she had escaped. But now... this meant that the thing was near...

[Rakashua]

Jin had closed his eyes by the time Lucifer came out. He wasn't angry anymore, instead he found peace in knowing that at least they had helped the village in some way. Perhaps not eating the food was an insult more than he had meant. Still, he knew he couldn't eat it, couldn't bring himself to, but... he was never any good at meditation either.

 

He sighed, and turned to stand up. That's when he saw a few men hauling a mat out of a house with a boy on it. The boy was obviously sick, probably the epidemic, but where were they?...

 

It was then that he spotted Lucifer, curled up on the ground by a tree, but she didn't appear to be asleep... in fact she looked like she may be in pain. Lorkin was nowhere to be seen... when had she come outside?

 

He quickly stood and started in her direction... she seemed to be looking at something... she wasn't sick was she? the epidemic? Jin had no idea how fast disease could spread, never having been sick before... well not really, poison didn't count did it?

 

"Hey," he called out, only a dozen feet away. "are you alright?" He stopped short, not wanting to possibly intrude... but concerned nonetheless.

[Juzz]

"What? What do you...?" Sei exclaimed. Both he and Keith had a surprised looked in their faces. Though they looked more like confused than surprised. Keith even dropped the apple he was eating. "... And she's the so-called Sky Seer? D-does that mean Sora can...?" Sei added stuttering.

 

"Hahahahaha... Everyone had that expression when I told that" Adza laughed and stood up. He faced the window as if reminiscing the past. "We here live on our crops. Just so happens that this year is a dry season. That year was the same as this. I was out in the bottom of the canyons in the north, searching for herbs and rare stones. That's when it happened. Above the canyons, I saw a strange light... Then, I heard a woman's voice. She was sayin' something like... 'Bearer of the'... Something... Anyway, next thing I knew, there was a baby in my basket! I swear, I was so surprised I almost panicked" he said, laughing.

 

He seems cool about all that... Sei thought hearing the story. "Er... Hey, ya sure she just wasn't left by... Someone?" Keith asked, picking up the apple. "The area was narrow. No way I missed anyone. Plus, I only looked away for a moment" he answered with a serious tone. Sei sighed and took a bit from the crusty loaf of bread. He looked outside and then looked back at the vilage chief. "So... Why were... Gresia Knights..." he asked softly with an awkward tone. The boy fidgeted with his fingers as he waited for the answer.

 

"Oh that. Maybe it was because of the fame she has gained over the years. Being a miracle healer and all. We all know that everyone can use healing magic right?" at those words, Sei sighed, knowing everyone can, but him. Even little kids can do basic healing magic with proper training. It has its limits though, being able to only heal physical wounds. Even a well-trained healer cannot use magic to heal diseases and damages beyond repair, like an amputated leg. "Sora... She can heal anyone. No matter how bad the condition is. She can't revive the dead though" the chief continued, still sounding serious. "But that girl also have another thing..." he continued, silencing for a moment. "What?" Keith asked curiously, putting down a small apple core. "She can see... People's destinies"

[Saphira-dragon]

Smash, rackle and a clink

 

Cloud scrambled quickly to grab the cup he had knocked over in the shock when Adza had said Sora could see people's destiny, he knocked it back upright giving him a I'm sorry smile before answering him.

 

"But even the strongest of Seer's can't do that! Its unheard of! I know this world is strange and all....but see someone's destiny!" He exclaimed looking impressed.

 

"Wonder what lay's ahead of me then?" He muttered looking very thoughtfull at that moment.

[Juzz]

"Whoa ther youg fella... Easy!" the chief laughed, although there was a hint worry in his tone. "Perhaps I've said too much..." he added, scratching the back of his head. Sei and Keith still had their confused look, but this time, it has leveled up to disbelief. Sei was speechless, having no idea what words to use. Not that it's a big deal, but if he shows disbelief, it could be rude for the chief, Sora and the village people. On the other hand, if he questions further, it might be taken in as 'butting in too much'.

 

"Wait... Whaddaya mean... Destiny...?" Keith questioned, breaking the silence. "You know about the belief that everyone in the world has their destinies?" Adza answered qith a question. Keith shook his head, looking clueless. "Uhhh... I believe..." Sei paused, hesitating to speak. He looked at Keith who seemed to have glared at him as if saying 'GO ON'. Although, that could've been purely his imagination, since the trainee still had the clueless, innocent look.

 

"T-there's a belief... That all people have their own destinies to fulfill... It is what is meant to happen. It is certain. But... No one knows of it anyway... Since... The future cannot be seen after all..." Sei continued in a weak voice. He paused, to which the chief continued. "Yes. Yes. Your a smart you lad!" he smiled. "That belief came from the Kingdom of Arcaia. From the Temple of Destinies to be exact. Anyway, enough about that. If you lads wish to see your destinies, feel free to do so!" he continued, still smiling, and then, his expression switched to a serious on. "But I warn you, what you might hear from Sora... You might not like it. After all, you may hear good things... Or terrible things. That may be why people asking decreased a few years back. What she sees are very accurate... She even predicted that I'll be the chief! Now that was something I never expected"

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

 

Meanwhile, in the village central plaza... (again)

 

The line of people who wish to be treated didn't seem to have moved. It's not like there was no progress, but it was more like, there as much poeple coming as those going. Sora, who was in the very front, was doing her thing - miraculously healing the people.

 

"Should we really be asking for her help now... Because he just..." a pale woman at the back of the line whispered to the hazel brown haired woman beside her. "You're right.. I really feel we shouldn't... But she did see that it will happen to him eventually..." the hazel brown haired woman answered softly, sounding worried.

"And they were such good friends... If only she was here during that time... Then maybe... It could've been averted... She could have healed him..."

"I don't know about that... It was his 'destiny' after all..."

"May be you're right... But... There was this one time that---"

"Hey, it's almost our turn"

"Oh, right"

Edited May 14, 2011 by Juzz

[Saphira-dragon]

Cloud's eyes were staring at the wooden table, his face was blank as he listened to Adza explain away about what he meant and he listened to Sei's voice. He didn't need to look up to see what sort of expression was on his face, he stood up sharply all of a sudden. He should really check on Jin and see was he alright after all.

 

"Excuse me Adza, my young Knight in training needs to be checked on along with my horse"

 

He nodded his head at Adza before leaving the tent, he took a deep breath in as stood outside before setting off to search for Jin. Blazer neighed to his right drawing his attention, the stallion turned his head to look in the direction of a long line.

 

"Jin, not Sora Blazer" Cloud chuckled rubbing the stallions head, he closed his eyes enjoying the feeling before nudging Cloud over in the direction of the line, Cloud looked at him before striding over to the line where he stood up watching them. He was going to wait for the line to disappear before going into her to see how she was.

[Altiboris]

Lucifer twisted and turned on the ground, clenching her teeth to keep from screaming. It was better if she didn't draw attention to herself. "Hey!" a voice called from closeby. "Are you alright?"

 

Recognizing Jin's voice, she dug her fingers into the hard-packed soil and tried to sit up. After falling back down several times, she gave up and just nodded. Stifling a frustrated moan, she covered her head with her arms and curled up into a tiny mound. Suddenly, the girl noticed a red tinge through her pain-induced haze. Raising her hand in front of her face, she hissed as she realized what had happened.

 

Spontaneous Combustion. Lucifer twitched, the burning agony shooting through her. She whimpered softly to herself as fire covered her body. It would be over soon though. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Once the flames had consumed most of her energy, it would slowly die away. Leaving her exhausted. She didn't even bother trying to do anything, just lying there, shutting herself off to the world. That sometimes helped. Not this time though.

 

Lorkin pricked his ears up, shocks of bone-tingling pain shooting through him. He was a blur as he dashed out the door, anxious to reach his mistress. Ignoring the frightened shrieks of the children playing on the paths, the panther raced on. Suddenly, he stopped, as if he had hit a wall. Pacing back and forth a few yards away from his mistress, he fought an internal battle. All his animal instincts were screaming at him to flee; there was an evil air surrounding her. But his mind told him to go to her. To help.

 

He shook his head, trying to make up his mind.

 

Lucifer layed back on the ground, the fire slowly melting away. Finally, it disappeared, leaving nothing but a black mark on the ground. Sitting up weakly, she gasped for air. Lorkin curled up protectively around her, knowing how tired these attacks left her. She shuddered, despite the comforting warmth of his thick fur. The last time this had happened was during that dark period. Of which she had never wanted to think about again.

 

It had been the most horrible experience of her life. Lucifer buried her face into the black mound that was Lorkin. As if it would hide her from the prying eyes of the world. Now that it was over, she just wanted to burrow into the ground and disappear.

[roobot]

Nixa, to put it quite simply, did not trust Sora. Everyone else they'd met seemed to be just traveling along, even if they'd had personal goals too.

 

But then she comes along, sleeping right in the middle of the woods, and "asks" for their help. The first strangers she meets.

 

The Gresia knights (if they existed) were bad, and now that she thought of it, Sora would have no reason to lie. Unless she knew about how the Mark that had appeared on the group's foreheads because for some strange reason, Nixa marked that high on her "important events" list. Besides, she could have some magic she was concealing or something.

 

Nixa had known that she was blind when she sat up, the signs of that were obvious. And so through the introductions, she'd hung back. Blind people's senses, to make up for their lack of sight, sometimes sharped their other skills, like hearing... or the ability to sense another being nearby. Nixa would continue to keep out of her way, quiet, and hope she wasn't noticed. That would probably backfire in her face, but oh well. Free shelter sounded rather nice though.

 

The light suddenly shifted, she looked up and saw the trees were thinned out, to say the least. The ground slowly turned into a bare wasteland, hot and humid. The sky was dark, but unfortunately it didn't seem like it would begin raining. Right now Nixa was very thankful her cloak was desert fabric, even if it was a pain in winter putting of extra layers underneath. The fireproof part was a plus too.

 

---

 

In the distance the first huts appeared, and by the time they got there the village seemed like a life-saving oasis. The people swarmed about Sora, all shouting things along the lines of "save!" or "help!". Was she a healer or something? It seemed like it. Nixa was fairly certain Sora had, not seen her per say, but known she was there for a while now. At least it hadn't horribly backfired. That would have been embarrassing.

 

She watched as Sora embraced her father, and ran off to help. She's a healer, there's no other explanation at this point. Instantly Nixa's view changed. Open Mind, Never Assume Anything, I really should have used that about now. Being a healer didn't mean she was good however.

 

They were lead into a hut that was a small, but slightly bigger than the rest. A very long wait followed, she absent-mindedly got out another book, a fascinating tale of wizards who used magic too, although not like today. The title had been forgotten over the years, and re-printing had messed a few things up but it was still very good.

 

Food arrived in epic proportions, more than any of them would be able to eat. As Nixa noticed the rice though, she thought her previous statement was incorrect. She was starving, and as the rice wasn't the brown kind (the only thing that wasn't really brown) she knew a good part of it would not see the light of day, ever. Trying not to appear too eager she heaped her bowl, she began filling her stomach, taking care not to eat to fast. After all, in terms of food she'd take what she could get. And be grateful for it.

 

"Thank you, that was delicious.", she said to the people serving them. The rice really had been good, not as good as sticky rice, but good.

 

Nixa got up to leave, heading toward the door. Some of her companions had by this point ventured into the village too. Opening the door, she stepped out, wanting to explore. Nixa headed to the center of the village, and stopped, seeing a long line of people leading up to... Sora? She seemed to be healing them of strange purple marks, one after the other, while a mark glowed on her forehead. It was too far away to see clearly. Skirting around the line, she wanted to get a closer look until she was shoved out of the way by someone hurrying to get there first. So she stepped away, leaning against a tree, and decided to just look through The Book of Flames for any healing magic that was similar. After all, the Book had other magic too even if it focused mostly on fire.

 

Looking through, Nixa couldn't find anything even close. Everything was too weak or too different. She sighed and flipped out of the Healing section. A particular spell caught her eye. It was in the same bold font as all the others, but a strong red line ran through the word, not drawn, but printed there. It simply read; Starstorm.

 

Nixa immediately slammed the book shut, trying not to thing of horrible memories boiling up. Purple hair and one very vivid light blue eye. Glazed over...

 

Nixa began walking again, trying to think of happier things.