Trials and Travels (Semi-lit)

LadyNatasha · September 23, 2011

~Prince Jahanshah~

"Mommy... when I grow up, am I gonna rule a city like daddy does?" "No, my legend... when you grow up, you will rule the world."

Jahanshah found it interesting that Aamina always seemed to sit down when they arrived at the arena, but he said nothing about it. After all, she was an earth Elementian and probably felt better when she was touching earth, just as Jahan felt better with metal covering his face. He could already feel his skin reacting to the sun and he knew he would either be quite tanned or quite red in a week or so. Right now his skin was abnormally pale and smooth, and just a bit sensitive. Still, the sword Daedureth seemed to sense Jahan's dislike of the sunlight and almost covered his face in a slim layer of shadow.

"My Lord, Marcus and Skylar are coming. I can feel the beat of their horses' hooves." Jahan nodded, pleased with Aamina's skills. He remembered being in the city of Metallum and having to do no more than put his hand on a wall of his palace to know where his parents were. Unlike Aamina, however, he did not constantly do this and it was not a habit for him. Moments later, Marcus and Skylar came riding around the corner, looking quite joyous. Jahan knew Marcus and Skylar did a lot together, but he hadn't ever considered that they might be in love (partly due to the fact that they acted respectfully non-romantic in front of the young lord) and really had no idea what they were so happy about.

"My Lord." Jahan watched silently as Marcus bowed respectfully. He was still confused about Marcus' earlier joy, but he decided to put it aside. "I see we have everyone gathered? And may I ask who the two new people are Lord Jahan?" Jahanshah had to organize his thoughts a moment to register Marcus' question, and he quickly shifted his body so he could introduce the two by his side. Before he could speak, however, Marcus spoke again with a different tone.

"My... My Lord, your sword..."

Jahanshah stared for only a moment before looking down at the sword next to him. Then he found himself smiling. His voice was changed as it had been the day before, though now it seemed a bit scratchier as though his throat was strained from it (though this did not deter from the power it held, and in fact almost added to it). "Ah, so you've met Daedureth before? A gift from the Queen." He paused a moment, then realized why else Marcus might be confused. "Like all commoners, you have been told that my only element control lies with metal, yes? Well, that was a lie held since my early childhood to protect the inheritance of my father and the purity of my family. In truth I have the ability to wield both metal and shadow, though metal runs stronger through my veins. Daedureth--" the sword shot a shadow up Jahan's arm at the sound of its name--"will be aiding me in my manipulation of the shadows."

Not waiting for what Marcus might say (though he was curious as to whether Marcus knew more about Daedureth than he did), he turned to introduce his two allies. "This is Aamina, an Earth Elementian that will be assisting us." He chose to introduce Aamina first because he wanted the 'guide' to have a more lasting impression. He then turned to Betzalel, almost pleased to see the dragon fangs still present in the man's mouth. "And this is Betzalel, our guide. What he says goes, for he is directly under me in command." Jahan hoped that was all correct. He had been thinking of saying something along the lines of 'and this is Betzalel, dragon-beast from far away lands, a powerful creature of shadows,' but he really had no idea if that was true... that, and he didn't care to tell the whole world what Betzalel might be capable of. Who knows? Perhaps there were spies around, though Jahan highly doubted any spy could make it into the courtyard of the palace.

Jahan then turned to Celeste and nodded. "I will accept and appreciate your help," he said simply. "If you are prepared, we will set off. You are each allowed a horse if you wish, if only to carry your supplies. I believe we are going in the guise of travelers. If any of you have markings of your element in visible sight, you must cover them now." At that thought, Jahan was tempted to make the metal on his body cover his neck, but he was quickly training himself to make it disappear wherever cloth was not. He then turned slightly and glanced at Betzalel, at the same time pulling out a paper map of the Elementian continent. "Where do we begin?" He asked quietly, unrolling the map. Unlike Marcus' horse, Jahan barely noticed how shadowy Betzalel was. He was used to being with the shadows, and was especially numbed to them with Daedureth at his side. He assumed, however, that Betzalel would be able to hide any shadowy presence if need-be around creatures that weren't used to it.

~~~~~~~

~Yuaki~

--And Aketsu--

Yuaki tried to pretend she didn't see Isa when Isa gave her a look, but she couldn't help but grin. She forked her food while watching Isa out of the corner of her eye and smiled when Isa finally managed to look at Aketsu. Now it was Aketsu's turn to blush, and he tried clearing his throat to cover it. In reality, he was blushing because Isa had been blushing and he had... well, sort of read it, though he didn't believe it. Sort of. He was still confused over his own change of emotions, but his loyalty to Isa as a guard took its position as primary in his mind.

Yuaki stared eagerly at Isa as she thought over the question. "I don't see any way around that. And besides, just because I am the princess, or Rainbow Child, doesn't mean I'm the automatic leader. Who knows, it could be Aketsu and Kaimaru. It think that they would create the best balance out of all."

Aketsu smiled gratefully at the compliment, but had to deny it. "I believe those of the royal bloodline are naturally best suited to lead, and I have seen no sign of ill-leadership among your kingdom, Princess," he replied. Yuaki was wrinkling her nose at the thought of the cute monk Kaimaru leading. Sure, he was absolutely flaming and in tip-top shape, but he had a weird personality... that, and he had been walking with Noe... "But I think that my father's advice, would be to take our time getting there and learning how to fight together instead of against each other. But heading straight to the Shadow Alliance lands may be our best bet, because how else would we get there."

Yuaki nodded with a thoughtful look, but inside she could feel her stomach churning butterflies. This was both good for her and bad for her, she knew. She had to face the truth sometime, and she had no doubt Isa and the others would eventually find out her identity. Aketsu also nodded, but more of an affirmative way, agreeing with the princess' words. "If I may say so," he began, "I agree with Princess Isa; I do think it would be in our best interest to head in the general direction of the Shadow Alliance. However, I do not think we should rush ourselves. If they hate us enough, they will soon find out that we our headed in their direction and might possibly send a team after us."

Yuaki bit her lip; Aketsu had hit the nail on the head. I may not know Queenie Zillah personally, but I know that if she senses ANY Light Alliance Elementians coming her way, she'll send a team she believes is stronger to counter them. And Isa... she's the Rainbow Child. If the queen knows that there is a Rainbow Child, which she probably does, and if she knows that the Rainbow Child is graduating... I don't have any doubt she'll send anything less than the strongest Elementians. Now let's see... I don't remember them all, but who were some stronger ones? Bother, it's been a whole year! She wouldn't send... nah, he's way too young! He looked eleven when I last saw him... well, what I could see of him. Oh, I bet she'd send--

"Y-Yuaki?" Yuaki suddenly looked up from her food and blinked, realizing that Aketsu had been asking her something. "Oh! Um, what did you say?" She asked, grinning in embarrassment. Aketsu's golden eyes studied her for a moment, almost as if wondering about her. "I just asked if you knew of any places along the way from Triton that would be good for us to restock at on the way. Although we do not know the exact location of Whisper, rumors and records would indicate that it is somewhere near Triton or Cumulus and we may be heading in that direction."

Yuaki stared for a moment, then shrugged. "Uh, I can't name any specifically... I mean, it's been over a year since I came from there. But! I'm sure we'll find lots of mini-villages along the way." She sighed then and decided it best for her to fill her mouth with food instead of just stare at her plate. A servant had cleaned up the table and was cleaning up the one next to theirs, seemingly working but probably listening to the conversation. Aketsu nodded shortly, and turned to his own plate of food, unable to think of anything else to talk about. He found it strange that none of the others were eating breakfast, but then again not everyone used the dining area and others had probably eaten earlier.

akiraa · September 24, 2011

(If your curious Akilana believed what she believed BEFORE she went to the academy She was on the streets for at least 2 years I'd say on her own, so she had plenty of time to 'judge the world' from what she saw Ever since she tried to deny and kindness as nothing because she didn't want.... well this to happen )

Akilana shook her head and threw her hands on her ears and shook her head saying "No no no no... ever since th..they died... no one likes me, i am hated, looked down upon! That is what the world is... *whispered* They wouldn't even help me with food.... They left me to wallow in sadness and filth on the streets..." (shes talking about BEFORE the king took her to the academy ) She curled up in a ball. She didn't know what to think. Her world had been shattered by those few words. But deep in her mind she felt bad for Tractus, she wondered what happend, but right now that was tiny from her sorrow and emotions breaking through. Everything she ever knew was just destroyed, she didn't know what to do.

(she isn't making this easy at all is she... )

--

Akira blinked as she felt the other petal disappear. She sighed and said "I was just curious..." With that she headed for her room to get ready. She then noticed the odd space elementian boy crying in the window. Akira frowned and said "Are you alright? Whats wrong?" As she approached the boy.

akiraa · September 24, 2011

Akira frowned and said "Don't lie, why else were you crying? What's wrong?" She went and sat down beside him. She frowned and said "Come on, whats wrong?"

LoveLost · September 24, 2011

Leith Oran

Leith was rather surprised at the sudden childish nature that Akilana was showing but knew that it was because she really was a child. In some ways she had matured, but in others she was still a little girl. It was obvious that she needed help and that he wasn't skilled enough in psychological help to fully help her be healed in this area. "Akilana, I can tell you that people HERE aren't treating you like that. Look around you. Even the servants that you worked with for a time love you for who you are. The king and Isa know more about you than the rest of us, but I can tell you that if you let your guard down and if you stop acting like we are treating you like a servant or someone lower than us, you'll find that we are willing to take you in as a friend." he said finding himself a little irritated, but curious about what was going on in this girl's head.

Marcus Tiron

Marcus felt Skylar's hand in his for just a moment and he glanced at her as she pulled her hand away. he knew that she knew him better than anyone else, but he wasn't really, scared per say. It seemed that the young Lord was rather unperturbed at the sword which radiated shadow abilites and Marcus was rather surprised though to see another young being beside jahanshah who just looked at him cooly from underneath dark lashes. When he looked to Betzalel he couldn't help but grin. He had met the dragon man before. The Queen had had him work with Betzalel to try and wheedle out a few more fire elementians besides himself and Elizabeth, but none had really turned up for the most part.

After nodding to the dragon-man, he looked to the sword again. The sword's original owner, was the very Shadow Elementian who had taken down the strongest Light Elementian, King Aslano's father. He was actually the sibling to Queen Zillah and had died in battle after that when a mere squire shoved a spear through a chink in his armor when he was absorbed with gloating over his enemies death. He wore armor akin to the one in the battle room. The sword and armor had been linked together after years and years of Zillah and her brother fighting together against a common enemy, keeping them away from their borders. This can only mean that Zillah sees him as more than just the up and coming prince, but as family which also means that she sees him as a powerful being. he looked the young princeling in the eye and took a small breath. "Your sword was Queen Zillah's brother's sword. His shadow control and the good Queen's were unparalleled in any element. He died fighting King Aslano's (he spit at the name) father." he wondered if Jahanshah understood the meaning behind the gift.

Edited September 25, 2011 by LoveLost

BlueApollo · September 24, 2011

Luna

That had to have been one of the most awkward dinners Luna had ever attended. She paced the halls of her old school as she reflected on the previous night's events. Not only had she remained terribly quiet, she had managed to somehow bring in a guest that she didn't even know and keep him in the dark the entire time, too. If there ever was such a great example of impropriety it would probably have had to have been her that night. Dinners such as that one were supposed to be formal, happy, social events. Being dragged to the even by guards probably made her looks like a total moron, especially when she was paired with someone such as Tractus. She stopped her pacing and stared at the floor. Where was that guy? She hadn't seen him since last night and she felt she at least owed him an apology for her behavior. Maybe they could sort things out with a more civilized conversation. His appearance had been quite sudden and taking shocking information had never been one of Luna's strong suits.

She began to walk forward again, her cane making a clacking sound on the floor with each step. She gripped it tightly for fear that it might fly out of her grip again, but she felt more under control than usual. Somehow the whole Academy was giving off a sensation of calm. Was this how graduation day felt like a year ago for her? She could hardly remember it after she had been taken home by her father right after the ceremony. He never congratulated her on graduating. Instead, he spent the entire journey home berating her on being nearly last in her class. A Space Elementian was supposed to be smart and dignified, but obviously she hardly fit that description. Luna shook her head and forced the memory to the back of her mind. Maybe one day she would prove him wrong, but right now she had to learn to accept herself as she was and move on to other problems. The first thing was finding Tractus and sorting out this whole aura problem.

She turned a corner and halted mid-step. Well, she had managed to find Tractus...with someone else...She tilted her head to the side as she inspected the pair. Puffy eyes meant tears, and the frown on the girl's face only solidified the thought that there was more things wrong with Tractus than she had initially believed. She placed her dangling foot on the ground and opened her mind to the situation that was milling about the pairs' heads. All she got was muddled thoughts on hardship and sadness. It barely made any sense to her as the thoughts murmured with soft woes in the back of her head, sending echoes that instantly made her cut off the stream. She didn't like what was going on.

"What's wrong?" she asked in her softest voice. She didn't want to ruin the mood by being too overbearing, but even that was a tough feat for her. Her voice sounded like a whisper to her, and she knew that half of the sound had managed to float in through telekinesis. She wondered if she had managed to make the words clear this time as she sat down beside them.

SkySong278 · September 24, 2011

Skylar

Sky looked at the sword with interest as she heard what both Jahan and Marc said before turning her attention to Aamina. She wondered what element she was but then figured that she'd find out later. She also figured that the other girl would find out what her own ability was if she didn't know already. She then looked at the other companion that was with them, Betzalel, and wondered how kind he was or whatever. She didn't know him so she had no idea what type of person he was.

gistofeverything · September 25, 2011

Tractus

Tractus had been sitting in front of a huge glass window, crying silently so as to not attract attention. Nevertheless, Akira had walked up to him, and asked what was wrong, and sat beside him. He started to reply, but then Luna, as well, sat beside the both of them and asked, both physically and mentally, what was wrong. He wiped his eyes, and said, "I made Akilana cry. But I don't know what happened; I asked if she would be a person that I could confide in, and then it was like she became a totally different person, and ran off in the other direction. I just don't get it..." He stood up. "But I'm okay. Really." He turned around and smiled at the two of them. "Why don't we eat some breakfast? I'm starving!" He was trying to shrug the whole thing off, unsuccessfully. He was still feeling grief and confusion, though his face was perfectly innocent.

((Is this better LL?))

LoveLost · September 25, 2011

((Lovely!))

((Here's the last two ))

Isa

Isa looked at Aketsu as he spoke to Yuaki but what he had said to her was till rather irritating and her face showed it, at least it would to Yuaki who knew her all to well since she had been Isa’s personal servant for quite some time…at least when she asked for her. After waiting for a bit once Yuaki was done speaking she looked hard at Aketsu wondering what was going on in his mind and something that she never would have expected came out of her mouth.

“Ya know? Be a man Aketsu and accept a compliment when it’s given to you instead of deferring it to someone else. And here’s something, stop treating me like I’m higher than you. I’ve been going to this academy with you since you got here and I am tired of being treated like that. I may be royalty but that doesn’t mean that I am better than you. Get some balls Aketsu and for once tell ME what to do.” She said and angrily stood up nearly knocking her chair over.

Instead of letting a servant take her plate, she took it herself to the counter and walked as quickly as she could away from the other two as she ignored the looks from the regular students. She was sure that they were thinking that she was just throwing a tantrum as many called them instead of intentional outbursts of information as she called them. Her steps took her to her favorite place to go when she was upset, especially on a sunny day.

The Light Academy gardens were kept by the old Plant Elementian professor who was actually in the garden as Isa walked in and stopped a little bit ashamed for walking in on the older woman. The old lady merely walked over to Isa and kissed her lightly on her forehead and patted her cheek softly before walking by her, her long, green hair dragging behind her as she walked.

Isa loved all of the older Elementians since they had kept peace within themselves and struggled to keep a hold on their abilities. Any others that were their age had lost their abilities with the war and were shells of their former being. Isa looked around at all of the gorgeous plants and felt the sun warm on her face. With relish, she absorbed the sun and let herself feel its warmth all the way down to her toes. Looking at her now, one would see the woman that she could be if but the hurt that was in her was to go away. She let down her hair which was now shining in the sunlight and brushed through it with her fingers like she did when she was upset about something. Her hair reached down to her waist now and she enjoyed having it that long, although she wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep it this long.

Her vivid eyes took in everything around her in a way that most would never see. She could see the light that the plants absorbed and could actually watch them convert the light which was rather interesting to her. She was able to see the direction that light would take and the many different hues that it held. Most of the time she could control the way that she would see things, however today, she wanted to see the world in a wonderful rainbow of colors.

“What have I done?” she muttered to herself and sighed as she then thought of Yuaki. “Sorry Yuaki,” she muttered again knowing that Yuaki would either laugh at her, ask her what was wrong, or hate her. The girl was not predictable though as to which she would choose. But I’m not sorry to Aketsu. Came a bitter thought as she sat there in her beam of warm sunlight surrounded by flowers of varying colors and deep green foliage.

Aamina

Aamina watched with interest as Marcus took Skylar’s hand and walked closer to the map with her. However it was at this time that Aamina noticed something about Skylar that she hadn’t noticed the other day. A ring was around her wedding finger which meant to Aamina that Marcus and Skylar were now engaged. It made her wonder if Jahanshah recognized this as well, however she wasn’t entirely sure of that. She stood up seeming to be firm and unbendable in her movements as she looked at the map as well. To her, it made sense that they would go straight to the heart of the problem, but maybe Betzalel knew better.

Lore_Master · September 25, 2011

~Loren~

"Loren, your path wouldn't have been chosen for you. You would have chosen it" were the only words Loren had registered in his mind, mostly because of how he heard the opposite early on. "That's not how the councilors saw it." Thought Loren with a sigh as he felt Noe's hand on his. Just then, he felt the king's hand on his shoulder as he said "Loren, it seems to me that you have already chosen a path. And I will not move you from it. You are obviously old enough to make your own decisions...my only advice is to avoid Aeroians for a bit."

That bit made him smile at the least, since he had always avoid Aero since he left all those years ago. But he then realized what the king meant, which brought a sad smile to his face. "Your going to announce this news to Aero, aren't you?" He said with a bit of sadness in his voice, but chose to smile.

~Betzalel~

"Ah, so you've met Daedureth before? A gift from the Queen. Like all commoners, you have been told that my only element control lies with metal, yes? Well, that was a lie held since my early childhood to protect the inheritance of my father and the purity of my family. In truth I have the ability to wield both metal and shadow, though metal runs stronger through my veins. Daedureth will be aiding me in my manipulation of the shadows."

Betzalel remained silent as Jahan explained how he was able to use his shadow powers. This was his time to prove himself, to showcase how he deserved to be the leader of this group.

"And this is Betzalel, our guide. What he says goes, for he is directly under me in command."

When the Metal Child introduced himself to the group, he bowed slightly and said "it's a pleasure to meet you all...expect for Marcus, I believe we have met before" Said Betzalel, still showing his dragon-like smile. He would have to shape his teeth to a more human-like set, but only because secrecy was important. Eventually, the Metal Child whispered about the first stage of the plan. He closed his eyes and established a mental link with the boy, it was better to speak of the plan one on one.

"We should first head to Cumulus, its the closest elementian city. It also has ample resources, trade routes and soildiers. Plus..." He telepathically said, before giving another wicked grin. "It has that weather machine, and if we get our hands on that...we would be set for the next stage of the plan. Besides, last time I checked Cumulus was still neutral, so maybe they could be persuaded to lend us a hand... If they refuse, then I could..."Remove" them from office and place some puppet leaders." Explained Betzalel, even though he wanted to kill, he thought that a more stealthy approach to their first step would serve them well.

akiraa · September 26, 2011

Akira blinked as Luna sat down as well. She then thought and said "Wait, Akilana started crying? That's not normal at all... She's usually like an emotional rock, nothing showing. Like she has no care for the world... Hmm... anyways breakfast sounds good! lets go!" She was still thinking about Akilana in her head, but she was also hungry. She stood up and said "But I also think you should check on her again later I have a feeling something is up, and it isn't truly your fault..." With that she started heading for the dining room.

--

Akilana shook her head and said "it's not possible, why? Why would anyone love me? No one but my parents did... ever since... ever since they died... everyone has hated me.. left me on my own... shunned me... punished me... How could there be anything else? It's not possible!" She did something even more suprising then, she burried her face into Leith and said "I'm... I'm scared... what does it mean that people love, let alone like, me? I... don't know anything else other than... other than what I was sure the world was... everyone hated me... everyone ignored me... they shunned me... I... don't know what to think... I.. I don't know what to do now... L...Leith... I'm really scared..."

(Wow, that's better than I thought it would be huh... And believe me I am as surprised as you guys are at this turn of events...)

BlueApollo · September 26, 2011

Luna

Akilana was...who? The name seemed to ring a bell, but Luna couldn't quite put her finger on just where she had heard the name before. It seemed Tractus was making friends faster than she ever did....odd, considering the circumstances of Tractus's upbringing. He was more socially mobile than Luna had ever been. That, or Luna was completely misinterpreting the situation and Tractus had attempted to make friends a little too quickly. Either way Luna still owed him an apology for the night before. She couldn't just stand around acting blameless, and helping out with this would certainly make up for the night before. Who knew? Maybe she would actually sort things out before the end of the day.

"Breakfast sounds nice," Luna said as she stood up beside Akira. "And I agree with Akira. You should check on Akilana later, but first w-we need to sort things out, Tractus" Luna used her telepathy to let the words flow into Tractus's mind so that Akira wouldn't hear. Hopefully she didn't know too much about their encounter the night before. The could get everything cleared up before anyone realized any conflict had occurred between them. Space Elementians were dignified people, not hot-headed brutes. At least, that's what Luna's father had always told her and she had almost always obeyed that ideal.

LadyNatasha · September 26, 2011

~Aketsu~

~Yuaki~

~As Yuaki spoke, she got the edge feeling that something was wrong with Isa. Her speech slowed as she blabbered on in answering Aketsu's question, and suddenly she realized that either she or Aketsu had something that really irked Isa. Yuaki was quite right; the moment she stopped speaking, Isa spoke up.~

~Aketsu listened intently to Yuaki, having all but forgotten his natural response to Isa's compliment of him. It was so natural for him to simply return the compliment, he hadn't even thought of it. Now he was excited; discussing plans with the Princess and Yuaki, who seemed equally excited about it, was one thing Aketsu enjoyed. Sitting at the same table as Isa and perhaps even getting some of her input on the situation... Aketsu loved listening to the royal family of Sola talk, even if it was about nothing at all, but especially if it was about plans. War was in his blood, as his parents, grandparents, uncles and oldest cousins had all fought in the war. However, as Yuaki was finishing speaking, Aketsu saw a look in her eye... one that bothered him. What is it? Is something wr--

“Ya know? Be a man Aketsu and accept a compliment when it’s given to you instead of deferring it to someone else." Aketsu turned to look at Isa blankly, his mind quickly working to catch up to what she was talking about. As she kept talking and he caught on, he couldn't help but just stare at her. Yuaki was covering her mouth with both hands, and it was impossible to tell if she was trying to hide a smile or just gawking. Aketsu didn't notice anyway, for he was too busy staring at Isa like she had just exploded... which, in a way, she had. Even as she stood up and marched away, Aketsu automatically caught her chair as it was falling towards the ground: it was such a hard-driven habit, as had been his complimenting her. Yuaki still had her hands over her mouth and was looking after Isa.

There was a moment of silence, though it seemed like forever. Some of the other male students grinned at Aketsu, but most just ignored him and Yuaki; they were used to Isa throwing what they called 'temper tantrums' and they simply thought of Aketsu as the unfortunate receiver of those tantrums for the day. Yuaki was deep in though, her hands now crossed in front of her. Her brow was raised as she watched Isa quickly clear the room. Then she side-glanced at Aketsu. "Well, shy boy?" She asked in an almost mocking/blaming way. Aketsu closed his open mouth and looked at Yuaki. At first his look was neutral, but it quickly turned frustrated and agitated.

"She must be having a bad--" "No excuses!" Yuaki was rather loud cutting off Aketsu and looked about as agitated as he did. Aketsu's golden eyes glared at Yuaki's icy blue eyes, and they stared for a moment, both confused. Aketsu was extremely confused; his entire life at the palace, he had been treating Isa with utmost respect and reverence. He had never changed his behavior for better or for worse, consistently treating her and King Aslano like the world (which they were, to him). Sure, Isa had told him to cut it out before, but she had never been quite so angry. Yuaki's confusion was about why Isa really let go like that; she knew it couldn't have just been everything Aketsu had done that day, though surely that was some of it.

Yuaki sighed and stood, giving Aketsu a sarcastic smile. "Well, maybe you should take Isa's advice and stop acting like a dog." Aketsu stood suddenly as well, not to be told around by a servant. He was half a head higher than Yuaki. They glared at each other for a moment before Yuaki smiled again. "Isa would love to see you facing me like this, wouldn't she?" Aketsu's glare disappeared and he opened his mouth, but he couldn't think of any comeback. Yuaki frowned. "Well then, good! Maybe she'll see this and you can tell her that you can glare at whoever you want!"

Yuaki really didn't know why she was taking Isa's side, except that she was curious as to why Isa had exploded and wanted to ask the girl, and she really wasn't interested in Aketsu's side of the argument. She really hoped her comment would drive Aketsu to glare again, but instead he turned around, a dark shadow over his face. He turned and walked out, and Yuaki threw up her hands in frustration. "This is why I'm never getting married," she told a random servant. Some other students in the room giggled or grinned, seeing the whole thing as a cute drama; they had never taken the time to get to know Isa, Yuaki or Aketsu for who they really were and didn't know how much the whole 'drama' meant to each member.

~Split: Yuaki~

Yuaki didn't have to wildly guess to figure out where Isa would go when she was angry, and she quickly went that way. She wasn't mad at Aketsu at all; Yuaki really never felt much as far as emotions went, and for her most of it was a natural act. Her giggling and glee over certain things wasn't fake, but it wasn't really sincere; she liked setting up people like Isa and Aketsu for the sake of her own boredom, and to get her mind off her past and the near future. Of course, this didn't mean she didn't care about how they felt... which was why she was now walking into the garden with a frustrated sigh, swinging her arms at her sides.

"Why do you have to be such a spit, Isa?" She asked the air. "Now I have to clean up after you, silly Princess." Her voice held both frustration and its usual jabbing humor, though it was impossible to tell which Yuaki actually felt. She marched into the garden and looked around until she spotted Isa. Before approaching the princess, Yuaki took a deep breath. Then she walked up to Isa's left, hands behind her back, and looked around the garden curiously as though trying to see what Isa saw in it. After a moment's pause, she spoke: "I like your hair down." That was all she said, and kept looking around the luscious gardens.

Split: Aketsu

Aketsu stormed out of the room, and the wind automatically slammed the door behind him. He felt angry, somewhat at Yuaki but mostly at himself. He hated not knowing things, hated being confused, and he preferred to cover up his confusion with anger. He really wanted to start a fight, just run up to Leith or Neiro and punch them in the face... and yet he couldn't picture fighting. He had a fairly photographic mind, but he couldn't visualize himself hurting any of his allies, and the more he tried the more his head hurt. As he turned the corner he saw Leith and Akilana too; Akilana was sobbing into Leith like she had just lost a child or something, and Aketsu thought of grabbing Akilana's arm and throwing her to the ground, telling her to get over it and then continuing to walk. What would Leith do then?

Instead, Aketsu simply walked past them, trying not to let the anger show on his face. His headache was spreading from the front of his mind to the back, and was quite painful. Aketsu finally decided to just forget about it. It wasn't such a big deal anyway, was it? Isa was having a bad day and Yuaki... well, she was a girl. Girls did weird things like that, getting all emotional over one thing and blaming it on another. Unlike guys, they didn't just get up and punch the person they were mad at; they played verbal games and 'mind tricks'... usually. Aketsu had been punched by a girl before, but usually they just yelled at him or gossiped about him if they didn't like him, which was rarely. Distracted from the earlier situation, Aketsu suddenly wondered what weapons he would bring with on the upcoming adventure. His headache began to cease. he decided to see if he could find Kai and perhaps check on how the noble monk was doing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Jahanshah, the Metal Child~

As Jahan was turning towards Betzalel, Marcus caught his eye and he paused. "Your sword was Queen Zillah's brother's sword. His shadow control and the good Queen's were unparalleled in any element. He died fighting King Aslano's father." Jahan had never been so surprised, but he simply nodded and turned his back to Marcus to hide it. Now he was facing Betzalel, holding the map, but his mind was reeling. This is that sword? This is the sword of the Great Queen's brother? I... I can't believe she would... trust me with it. This is the sword that killed the last Light Elementian king. I wonder... if it actually has a name of its own. I won't let you down, Queen Zillah. I will live up to your expectations and exceed those of my mother.

Jahan blinked out of the thoughts as suddenly Betzalel's mind spoke to his. It was something Jahan wasn't used to and made him flinch, but he listened carefully. "We should first head to Cumulus, its the closest elementian city. It also has ample resources, trade routes and soildiers. Plus... it has that weather machine, and if we get our hands on that...we would be set for the next stage of the plan. Besides, last time I checked Cumulus was still neutral, so maybe they could be persuaded to lend us a hand... If they refuse, then I could..."Remove" them from office and place some puppet leaders." Jahan took a moment to think about this, and then sent his thoughts back to Betzalel, hoping he was sending them correctly.

"Yes, Cumulus indeed... but if we steal their weather machine, they would likely dislike us and be more favorable towards the Light Alliance. If there was some way we could make it look like the Light Alliance took it, that would be better... or if we could leave some sort of half-working duplicate in its place. As for lending us a hand, I'm sure something could be worked out without violence. From what I've seen, they are a very touchy people and it would be best if we came with a more casual look, not so driven, if you know what I mean."

Jahan paused, not sure how to describe what he meant but fairly certain that Betzalel knew that Weather Elementians generally did not like to be pushed around and were not a submissive people--hence staying neutral throughout the entire Elementian war. "As for lending us a hand... something can be arranged, I'm sure. I'm certain they wouldn't mind giving us some weapons and supplies."

Jahan's last thought had a sinister note to it as well and he smiled slightly. As soon as he had smiled, however, his smile faded to a rather puzzled look before he shrugged off the thought; he wasn't used to thinking in such a way, thinking of forcing anyone to do anything or threatening someone. But things have changed. I will avenge Daedureth's owner, for the sake of my Queen, he thought to himself.

Edited September 27, 2011 by LadyNatasha

LoveLost · September 28, 2011

Marcus

Marcus nodded at Betzalel. The group that they were with were rather intimidating people but Marcus wouldn't doubt that he could be taught a few things by Betzalel about his fire element. Maybe he would finally be able to reach mastery in his abilities. However, it didn't really matter right now, he just needed to know a game plan and wondered if that was what was going through Jahanshah's and Betzalel's minds at that moment. He cleared his throat slightly and looked at the two of them. "I'm sure we all would like to know what is going on that we won't feel as if we are walking blindly." he said aloud. When he had said the words, they were firm and not insubordinate, but it also showed that he wasn't one to just rollover and play "yes master" all day.

Leith Oran

Leith was rather shocked when Akilana started to spill her guts out to him. He wasn't sure what to do now that she was finally letting go and really wished that his brother was here to help him out. Usually Nerio was the best at this and would come in and save the day while Leith stayed in the background. "Y....you shouldn't be scared. It's a new world of kindness that you are going to have to learn about." he said which was all he could think of now since it seemed he had used plenty of words already today to him.

Noe and King Aslano

Noe looked at the king and wondered what he was going to say but was shocked to see him laugh instead. "My dear boy no! Oh how I would love to see them all be so shocked they would have to stop talking, but no. However, they will have representatives here today to see Aketsu. I suggest though that you stick to the bacakgrounds and once you are all out of the city, then I hope you will take your time to learn from Aketsu. He has mastered his ability quite well and you would do well to learn to defend yourself and others with yours." he said and then messed up Loren's hair much like an older brother would to a younger brother. "You'll do well." He turned to Kaimaru and clasped his hand momentarily. he held the other man's gaze for a moment since he didn't know what to say to him other than he was grateful to have them with the others. When it came to Noe he picked her up in a large hug which had the young girl smiling as she hugged him back as tightly as she could. "You will all do well." he said and then turned around and left them to themselves.

"i guess that's that."she said quietly and started to walk into the castle. It was almost time for graduation.

Princess Isa

Isa jumped when she heard Yuaki walk in and knew that the girl was going to pry and pry and pry until she had all the truth and nothing but the truth. "Thanks." she muttered before she scooched over a bit for Yuaki to sit down while she apologized. "Yuaki, I should be sorry to you...I didn't mean to act like that, well maybe a little bit...but at least not like that." she said and sighed as she continued to stroke her long hair. It was easy to see that there was some sort of inner battle going on inside of her as she reasoned why she wanted Aketsu to act like she wasn't superior and then it hit her. She wanted to be equal with him because SHE respected HIM. "i know you're going to pry, so I might as well spill huh?" she said and smiled at Yuaki as she shifted her vision so that she could see her normally. Before she started she sighed and looked up at the sun so that she wouldn't become frustrated with herself then looked back at the ground and began.

"I just get so tired of Aketsu always doing what he normally does and it just irks me so much because I have been dealing with it since he was here. But I also just realized that I don't want to be treated like that from him because then it makes me superior to him...and I don't want it to be like that between he and I. I mean you and I have jumped that barrier and are great friends, at least I hope you consider us like that as well. Most of the time, actually hardly ever now, I don't consider you a servant." she stopped for a moment and her hands were clenched in front of her. Hardly ever was she real with herself, a habit learned when her mother passed away. "I don't want Aketsu to treat me like that because I like him...and I think that when he treats me like that instead of taking charge that it makes me....i dunno, like some overbearing friend and I don't want to be that with him." she said saying more than she wanted to but less than she knew. Isa almost felt as if.... "i almost think that I love him Yuaki...and I don't even know the real him..." she said in almost a whisper.

SkySong278 · September 28, 2011

Skylar

Sky just stood there off to the side, watching and listening to everything that was said and to the sounds of nature around them. She wondered when they would head out but didn't want to ask in case she was snapped at for some odd reason for asking that question. She didn't think that she would be snapped at but she didn't want to take that chance. She had been rarely snapped at and she didn't want to start getting snapped at even more now. She just stayed quiet and looked around their surroundings as she heard the birds singing and to everything else that was around.

gistofeverything · September 29, 2011

((I'M BACK! ))

Tractus

Tractus' stomach growled. He kind of figured; he hadn't eaten for a while... Then he heard something in his head, "And I agree with Akira. You should check on Akilana later, but first w-we need to sort things out, Tractus" Hmmm. Why would she contact him directly like this? He thought that she didn't very much well like him. He thought that she could read thoughts as well as project them, with her being such a strong telepath. "Of course. After breakfast. Do you want Akira with us?" He tried to think as loud as he could; he didn't know how to project and read thoughts, though he assumed that he could learn... To Akira, he said, "What do we usually have for breakfast?"

Edited September 29, 2011 by gistofeverything

akiraa · September 29, 2011

Akira blinked and thought then said "Well... lot's of stuff. Cereal, pancakes, waffles. Many different things..." She was now in deep thought of past breakfastses as she walked towards the cafeteria. As she thought of stuff she rambled it out. She was in her own little world and didn't notice much other than her thoughts.

--

Akilana shook her head and said "b..but... I'm not used to this... it's different... to different... I don't know how to act... I... only know how to act as I 'usually' do..." she said usually like she didn't mean it. Usually to other people she was an emotionless rock. In her was always these swirling feelings of despair, lonelyness, and even anger. How people saw the usually was different from her usually. She was now subconsciously trying to pull herself together. She saw it bad enough that Leith saw her crying in the first place, but now she was telling him everything! it felt good though... It actually was slowly helping her emotions sort out, and even making her feel better, and a bit more comforted. The little storm started to slowly diminish, slowly. Showing that even though she still couldn't stop crying, it was helping some what.

LadyNatasha · September 29, 2011

((due to the length of the post I'll say here that Aketsu doesn't interact with anyone so y'all don't have to read his post unless you want to--except for LL of course, who has to read everyone's everything :3))

~Yuaki~

"Thanks." Yuaki took that as her cue and plopped herself down on the bench next to Isa, barely giving Isa time to scoot. She turned her head to look at Isa, her eyes calm but curious. "Yuaki, I should be sorry to you... I didn't mean to act like that, well maybe a little bit... but at least not like that." Yuaki smiled and shrugged; everyone had their days. But as she looked at Isa more, she realized that this was one case that had been going on longer than just a day. Whatever Isa was feeling, she had felt it for quite a while. Yuaki gently kicked her feet back and forth under the bench, patient for Isa to sort her thoughts but eager to know what was on the princess' mind. "I know you're going to pry, so I might as well spill huh?" Yuaki grinned as Isa finally faced her, but she didn't make any joke; she wanted Isa to be able to say what she wanted to say. Yuaki knew from personal experience that it wasn't good to keep bothersome emotions locked up and tell no one. She was having that issue with having a Shadow Element that no one knew about.

"I just get so tired of Aketsu always doing what he normally does and it just irks me so much because I have been dealing with it since he was here. But I also just realized that I don't want to be treated like that from him because then it makes me superior to him... and I don't want it to be like that between he and I." Yuaki listened carefully. Isa's sick of dealing with Aketsu? No, not Aketsu... his attitude. "I mean you and I have jumped that barrier and are great friends, at least I hope you consider us like that as well. Most of the time, actually hardly ever now, I don't consider you a servant." Yuaki smiled as a sort of thanks and mutual agreement; however arrogant it sounded, she didn't consider herself a servant either. "I don't want Aketsu to treat me like that because I like him... and I think that when he treats me like that instead of taking charge that it makes me.... I dunno, like some overbearing friend and I don't want to be that with him." Yuaki simply nodded, wondering if she'd hear what she thought she'd hear. "...I almost think that I love him Yuaki... and I don't even know the real him..."

Now there was silence, as Isa's voice faded into a whisper. Oh boy, this is a problem. Yep yep, a real-- Clink! Yuaki spun her head around to see what had made the noise, but all she saw was a startled servant looking at a copper jar that had fallen to the ground. Funny thing was, there was nobody near the copper jar and yet the servant was blushing like she had just seen something she wasn't supposed to see. She glanced at Yuaki and Isa and smiled apologetically, then hurried to pick up the jar. Yuaki shrugged it off, too busy thinking about Isa's problem to care. She turned to face Isa as a weak breeze passed through her hair, coming from the servant's direction. "Isa... if that's how you really feel, I need to be honest with you, okay?" Yuaki bit her lip; she wasn't very good at covering things with sugar, and was sure she was about to sound really blunt. "It's not a bad thing and I don't mean to change your mind at all, but... y'know, everyone has problems..." Yuaki let out a quick sigh... and then simply decided not to say what she was going to say, which was something along the lines of '...but Aketsu has a lot of them that you shouldn't have to deal with.' But who am I to say that? Like I said, everyone has problems. Isa knows that and she knows the Aketsu she sees, so she must be willing to at least try to deal with him. Why burst her bubble?

Yuaki shook her head and smiled. "Isa, I think it's awesome that you like him." Just like that, she had said it. "I don't know you and Aketsu like you probably know each other, but y'know what? I've never told you this before because I never thought it mattered, but when you're not around, Aketsu is WAY different. Don't take that wrong! It's not your fault, it's his choice: you don't cause him to be worse, you just cause him to be different. When you're not around, he's kind of smug and has a really good sense of humor, a bit standoffish and not buddies with anyone but always present and willing to give his opinion. He smiles and laughs and... I..." Yuaki had lost her train of thought. She really had no idea what she was saying, and so her blunt nature returned: "I think you two are perfect for each other, but I think he needs to know how you feel because I think he feels the same. I really do." Wow, that was weird. Yuaki had never really thought of it, but seeing Isa and Aketsu... she really did think Aketsu's interest in Isa went past servanthood. She was absolutely certain it hadn't a year ago, but both Isa and Aketsu were changing... and so was Yuaki. She almost felt jealous, simply because she knew she couldn't ever be in a relationship here, but she gave Isa a big smile.

"You need to pull him aside and tell him straightforward that you love him. Not just that you like him, because that won't get enough response! You need to be blunt, and get his reaction." Yuaki suddenly looked more triumphant and spoke with more volume; "And if he isn't man enough to admit that he feels the same, or if he's so coward he'll tell you he doesn't think that's ever possible, than you just need to forget about him, got it? It's not healthy for you to be left hangin', gal! I think you need to take your own advice and--as you told Aketsu--get some guts!" Yuaki's voice was positive, not demanding, and she grinned at her less vulgar language-usage and finally shut her mouth to get Isa's opinion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Aketsu~

Aketsu did manage to find Kai, but he was talking to King Aslano and Aketsu didn't want to interfere since the new painter Loren was also there and they looked quite busy. He did hear the king mention Aketsu's appointment to meet with the representatives of his city. He was grateful for the reminder, though he wasn't pleased to speak with them. They always seemed... well, strange. They always spoke to him as though they were walking on eggshells, and of course they didn't approve of his constant state of barefootedness or the fact that he often wore peasant's garb and never got rid of the green scarf which was currently tied around his left arm. They always asked him how he was doing and how he felt about everything, and then how the royal family was doing. The women always spoke softly and nodded a lot and the men always had their arms crossed and watched critically. By now Aketsu simply figured it was their personalities, and he wondered which representatives would come today.

As he was strolling along, he came by a painting of Isa as a little girl and he remembered the conversation from earlier. Now he felt really stupid, like he had said something dumb to Isa. He hated bothering Isa and hated making her mad, but that was the problem; she didn't want him to apologize, she wanted him to... to what? To tell her she's wrong? I do not understand her wishes. Perhaps I should find her and find out... but then what was there to say? 'Isa, I'm sorry. Here I am again admitting I am wrong and you are right, I should not have returned that compliment even though I believed it true. Next time I won't return a compliment, or apologize as I am now.' The more Aketsu thought about it, the dumber it sounded, especially since he had a feeling Isa maybe didn't want an apology... or did she? Did she want an apology for that, but not for other things? It was too much for Aketsu to think about, and so he decided to head to the garden to clear his mind.

The royal garden was a wonderful place; the vegetation was amazing and very varied, and Aketsu loved to blow the breezes of his favorite flowers in his direction. Aketsu had often played hide-and-seek with other boys when he was a young teen, shortly after the burn incident. At first the others had been a bit frightened of him, but they had quickly learned that he was different than before, more controlled...

Aketsu came to the south gate of the Royal Garden and entered quietly, immediately letting his mind immerse him in the sounds of nature. It was beautiful; the sounds of birds singing, servants laughing, trees swaying, crickets chirping, Isa speaking... Isa's here?! Aketsu took in a sharp breath and almost left, but he couldn't help it; he had to hear what she was saying, especially since Yuaki was there too by the sound of it. He felt a slight headache forming at the front of his temples. I am sorry for this dishonesty, Princess Isa, but I think it is best for you if I know what you're saying. I promise I'll leave immediately if I hear anything personal, and I'll forget it! But... if you're talking about what happened today... I want to know how to apologize.

And so Aketsu listened: "I just get so tired of Aketsu always doing what he normally does and it just irks me so much because I have been dealing with it since he was here." She's bothered by my respect of the royal family? Aketsu was puzzled, but listened further: "But I also just realized that I don't want to be treated like that from him because then it makes me superior to him...and I don't want it to be like that between he and I." Aketsu frowned, leaning in closer. He was currently behind a turned wall that hid the door from sight of people in the garden, so the garden seemed more natural. There was a desk near him with some copper dishes on it. What does she mean she doesn't want it to be like that? She... she's royalty. Shouldn't it be that way? Doesn't she get tired of the rude lack of respect some others have for her? "I don't want Aketsu to treat me like that because I like him...and I think that when he treats me like that instead of taking charge that it makes me.... I dunno, like some overbearing friend and I don't want to be that with him." Aketsu was breathless for a moment. She sees me as a friend... and she wants me to be a friend? But... doesn't she have enough friends? Why would she want me, out of all people to be her-- "I almost think that I love him Yuaki..."

Isa's voice faded out, but Aketsu wouldn't have heard anything else anyways. He couldn't believe what he had already heard. She... loves me? She love me? But I... I'm just a... -Clunk- Aketsu's hand suddenly bumped one of the copper jars, and it was headed towards the ground. Knowing he wouldn't be able to catch it, Aketsu did the only thing he could think of; he ran, using a burst of wind to carry him silently and quickly out of the door before the copper jar even hit the ground. After that, he didn't stop; he ran using his wind until he reached his quarters, breathing fast. He prayed Isa didn't know he had seen her. The guardian part of him told him to go back to her and admit what he had heard, and accept any sort of punishment. However, a new part of him was forming... and it was getting stronger than his guardian self. This new part of him said the last thing he wanted to do was tell Isa he had heard her. Was it cowardice? Aketsu didn't think so; to him, it was incredible. Isa liked him. Isa loved him. He couldn't believe it, and yet somehow it did.

But I'm only a noble, and from Aero! She's from the royal family of Sola! All my life, my duty has been to obey and protect the royal family of Sola, be it King Aslano, Princess Isa, or whatever husband or children Isa eventually gets! I n-never intended to love her, or for her to love me... is this my fault? Is this even wrong? As a guardian sworn to do her wishes, maybe I should love her back to fulfill her wish... no no, that would be fake. Or would it? Isn't that what she wishes? Is that what I want? Aketsu felt another headache piercing his thought, blocking something from him... something he wanted and hadn't had for a long time. It was the same blockage he had felt when he had been enraged, the same blockage that didn't let him picture violence. He didn't remember when the headaches had started, but now they bothered him more than ever. A million thoughts raced through his head, and the more he thought the more his head hurt. But he didn't stop; no, he wanted to break the barrier, the painful barrier that was keeping something from him, something that he had never thought was important until now.

It had never bothered him before, this barrier he now felt. It had never stopped him from doing anything he had wanted, but now he wanted something new. He wanted... I want... he couldn't even describe it. The headache pounded on and Aketsu leaned on a wall for support. "This...!" He grimaced and closed his eyes as the burning and pounding spread throughout his skull. "Is what...!" He gritted his teeth and shook his head. "I want!" Aketsu gasped as suddenly the headache was gone and memories came flooding into his head. A child was on fire in front of him, angry and hurt siblings stared at him, teachers yelled at him, parents babied him, the Aero high council warned him... and he didn't listen. He was there every time, laughing. He laughed at the bully who he had lit on fire, laughed at his siblings he had stolen inheritance from, laughed at his teachers and laughed at the high council. Then there was a Space Elementian, a strong one Aketsu recognized, telling him it was time for a change. All at once Aketsu knew what had happened.

"They suppressed... my memories!" He gasped aloud. All these years, he hadn't been able to picture violence and hadn't been able to think of doing anything besides reverently obeying every word the royalty of Sola spoke. Not once had he thought this strange, even when no one had acted as obsessed as he had. He hadn't wanted anything else, because no one had ever asked him to want anything else. But Isa... she asked me to want something, even if she didn't tell me! Isa... you have saved me from a fate I didn't even know was upon me, rescued me from enemies I didn't know I had. Aketsu was silent for a long time, staring at his hands as the memories of the pain and violence he had caused came back. He had been uncontrollable, a fiery tempered boy who wanted everyone to feel pain. He wanted them to hurt just as much as he felt lonely, but they had changed that. They had changed him. They controlled me. They forced me to change, because they didn't want to deal with me!

Aketsu felt the pangs of new rage, but then thought of Sola. King Aslano... does he know? No, he's too good to me, he wouldn't have. They must have done it behind his back. I can't even remember who was involved! But all the Aero council must know by now. Aketsu was angered deeply, as he hadn't been in years, but then he thought of Isa and the anger faded. He finally understood why he had been the way he was, and why Aero had deemed him uncontrollable. And I have to meet with them later today. So, that's why they've always acted so different around me. They're being careful not to bring up those memories or let me know what happened. They must know that I'll be leaving today and will see things that could make me angry enough to break the barrier I just broke. Hmph. Aketsu smiled in a slighlty-twisted way. I wonder if they plan to strengthen the barrier today? I won't give them that chance, not now that I know the truth.

Aketsu wanted to show up and beat the living daylights out of all those who had known who he really was but hadn't told him. He wanted to ask them how they felt, making him into the monster he was now instead of trying to help him when he was a child. He felt betrayed; they had locked his problems away instead of dealing with them, and hadn't even allowed him to deal with them. But again he thought of Isa, and he clenched his fists. "No," he said aloud. "I won't handle it that way. That will only prove their point." He smiled and stood. "No one will know about this, but things will be different now." How would they be different? Aketsu really didn't know. Years of caring about nothing but serving the family of Sola had created habits in him, habits that he knew were partly good and partly not. They would be difficult to break, or maybe not. Aketsu didn't know, but for him, it was time to start a new life, to start over. He had broken the barrier that had held him down, and now he would have to be responsible for his own actions. "Now is the time," he whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Jahanshah~

"I'm sure we all would like to know what is going on that we won't feel as if we are walking blindly."

Jahan blinked and looked at Marcus. "Oh, of course," he said simply. "We hadn't..." he paused, then decided not to finish his sentence. "We're going to Cumulus first. We will rally support from them and perhaps take a look at their weather machine. We may even spark a revolt." Jahanshah stepped forward and looked at Skylar. She seemed eager to go, and he was glad. "I would like all of your opinions on what we should do at Cumulus. We do not want to cause them extra harm as they are still neutral and may have spies, but we do want to get any support we can from them. If they refuse to support us, we plan to take their precious weather machine and use it in the next part of our plans." Jahan glanced at Betzalel, as though to confirm the accuracy of what he was saying. "Of course," he said as he turned back to the others, "we wouldn't want them knowing the Shadow Alliance stole their machine." He then looked at Aamina. "Perhaps we could make it look like the Earth Elementians stole it. I know for a fact that Cumulus would not outright attack the Earth Elementians for such a deed but would carefully gather evidence. This would take them time, and by the time they realized an unaffiliated group had stolen the weather machine we would be long gone. What do you think?" The last question was directed at the entire group, but Jahan still held an air about him that proclaimed he would consider their opinions but was not subject to them.

Edited September 29, 2011 by LadyNatasha

LoveLost · September 29, 2011

((just posting for Isa right now I'll post the rest tomorrow))

Isa

Isa didn't expect all that she had from Yuaki and when Yuaki started, Isa was entranced with her words. At first she stated that she needed to be honest, but she knew that, Yuaki had always been honest with her and she started out as if Aketsu wasn't the one for her which made her face fall just enough to be noticeable. However, it was then that Yuaki started to talk almost quickly but she was telling the truth!

"Isa, I think it's awesome that you like him. I don't know you and Aketsu like you probably know each other, but y'know what? I've never told you this before because I never thought it mattered, but when you're not around, Aketsu is WAY different." Different, she said but was this a good different? She and Aketsu had always known about each other and Isa had known about when he came to the Academy...but...hold on... "Don't take that wrong! It's not your fault, it's his choice: you don't cause him to be worse, you just cause him to be different. When you're not around, he's kind of smug and has a really good sense of humor, a bit standoffish and not buddies with anyone but always present and willing to give his opinion. He smiles and laughs " Oh okay good, then he wasn't mad at her and at least it wasn't really her fault...or was it? But Yuaki was saying that when Isa wasn't there, he laughed...he smiled...what was it like to see Aketsu smile? She never had seen him smile ever and hadn't ever heard him laugh around her. It took her a moment to accept that fact but Yuaki wasn't done.

"I...I think you two are perfect for each other, but I think he needs to know how you feel because I think he feels the same. I really do." Isa's mouth just about dropped open and she was surprised beyond belief at what Yuaki said. BUT, it made her heart jump, no it made her heart skip a beat or two and she couldn't figure out why. She had expected Yuaki to dissuade her about Aketsu but here she was saying that they were perfect for each other! "I think he needs to know how you feel, Isa. I think you need to pull him aside and tell him straightforward that you love him. Not just that you like him, because that won't get enough response! You need to be blunt, and get his reaction." Know how she feels? Isa would have never done that to anyone. The only person that ever knew how she felt was Yuaki...but now that she was listening to her, she was right...she had to be blunt...she had to be honest with herself...

"And if he isn't man enough to admit that he feels the same, or if he's so coward he'll tell you he doesn't think that's ever possible, than you just need to forget about him, got it? It's not healthy for you to be left hangin', gal! I think you need to take your own advice and--as you told Aketsu--get some guts!" Isa listened to the last part staring at the brilliant colors in a single piece of wood. Yuaki always told her the truth, always was blunt....so why couldn't she believe her now? That's it....she was scared. Isa was scared to tell Aketsu. Most boys always came to her and told her that they loved her more than anything and she had turned away all of them because she was dead sure that they just wanted her money and power. But Aketsu? He was...different.

Isa looked back up at Yuaki and nodded in agreement with what she said. "You're right...and even though I'm scared to do it, I'll do it...you're advice has never really failed Yuaki....except for that one time with that nasty smelling fruit...I'll never eat that again!" she said with a laugh as she stood up and grabbed Yuaki's hand. "But you're coming with me....I want to get this done before the graduation...I don't want to wait. But then again, you know me best, when do I like to hold my tongue?" she said and it was evident that she was ready.

Isa took off running and knew that Yuaki could keep up with her. Both were rather slim and active so running wasn't something that was hard for them. She ran and ran all the way to Aketsu's room to find his door open and him looking either angry, which was a new emotion for her to see on his face but there was something else and it looked like he was in recent pain. She was breathing a little bit hard and she glowed with the sudden exertion. Her hair was wild and framed her face the rainbows in her hair and eyes contrasting each other. "Aketsu! Are you okay?" she asked first and then stopped herself. "No, I want to tell you something and it's something that I have been wanting to say for a long time. I have always been afraid to say it though and I'm admitting this...I don't really know why, but Aketsu, I lo-" she raised her hand for a moment to let herself breath because she was gasping for breath now because of how fast she had said her sentence which had thrown off her controlled breathing.

((HMmmmmmm, what will Aketsu do? Will Isa finally tell him? hahhaha this is too much fun!))

Lore_Master · September 29, 2011

Loren

"My dear boy no! Oh how I would love to see them all be so shocked they would have to stop talking, but no. However, they will have representatives here today to see Aketsu. I suggest though that you stick to the bacakgrounds and once you are all out of the city, then I hope you will take your time to learn from Aketsu. He has mastered his ability quite well and you would do well to learn to defend yourself and others with yours."

Loren sighed in relief, he could finally be himself...even if those days are now gone... But what worried him the most was that representatives were visiting the castle today, and to visit Aketsu. He had heard all about him since he was a child. Rich, Hansome, somebody who would have an excellent chance of being a councilor someday. Loren shook his head softly, Aketsu would fit the ideal image of a wind elementian. He wasn't that eager to learn from Aketsu...mostly because he didn't want to harm people with his powers.

When the king left, and Noe began to walk into the castle, he fixed his hair as he caught up with her. He pulled out his cloak and struggled to get it back on, making sure the hood was covering his head. "Noe...please don't tell anybody else I'm an elementian" He said, looking at her with a saddened look. "It might seem selfish...but I just wanna be Loren, the Painting for one more day...because once I tell them myself, they will never see me as that again." He added, smiling softly before he looked away and sighed sadly.

LadyNatasha · September 29, 2011

((Okay, I just have to post once more tonight because you totally set that up PERFECTLY for what I had hoped Aketsu would get to do... read on, because Isa doesn't have to finish her sentence!))

~Yuaki~ <3

...and then Aketsu~ <3 <3

Yuaki waited with patient impatience for Isa to think over her words. She was so glad she could be honest with Isa (at least in this aspect): most girls would have flipped when Yuaki had told them they had to get some guts, or that everyone had problems, or... well, most girls didn't like Yuaki's forward nature. But despite their differences, Isa and Yuaki always seemed to manage to get along, even when they weren't getting along. Finally Isa looked back up at Yuaki and nodded, and Yuaki smiled expectantly.

"You're right... and even though I'm scared to do it, I'll do it..." Yuaki nodded happily. "That's the spirit," she said triumphantly. "Your advice has never really failed Yuaki.... except for that one time with that nasty smelling fruit... I'll never eat that again!" Yuaki laughed loudly at the memory, but gasped as Isa pulled her to her feet. "But you're coming with me.... I want to get this done before the graduation.. .I don't want to wait. But then again, you know me best, when do I like to hold my tongue?" Yuaki laughed again. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" She sped after Isa, hoping dearly that Aketsu wouldn't say or do something stupid. He was such a robot, with such obsessive motives... how could he possibly bring himself above the lowly life he had trapped himself in? Yuaki was always confused by him; he looked like he'd be the dominant sort of person, yet he wasn't. She really hoped she was right about him liking Isa... his appearance just didn't suite his attitude. But oh well! Here we go!

Yuaki sped after Isa, racing all the way across the palace exterior to the boy's side of the area. She was glad to see that Aketsu's door was open and he was in there, but something about him looked... different. He looked quite upset. Wow, did we really irk him that bad? I was sure he'd just put it off as one of 'Isa's bad days' or something... Yuaki stopped at the doorway, panting.

~Aketsu was stunned to see Isa come running to the door. He immediately straightened, but didn't even think of bowing. There was too much more on his mind--was Isa mad? Would she forgive him? How was he supposed to ask for forgiveness, or was he? Would he get the chance to? Could he perhaps tell her how he felt now, maybe tell her he had changed? It seemed she was there all too soon, but her first words made him believe she wasn't there to demand change. Oh, her face was beautiful, beautiful in a way he had never seen it before. Sunlight streamed in behind her and her rainbow hair flew wildly around her face. Her large rainbow eyes were full of emotion and excitement. "Aketsu! Are you okay? No, I want to tell you something and it's something that I have been wanting to say for a long time."

Aketsu stepped forward; he had to tell her something too, and didn't want her to say her something before his something, for he feared she'd say something he didn't want to hear. Of course, she kept right on talking too fast for him to cut in, but he truly hoped she wouldn't say that she thought it was better if they didn't see each other any longer. He didn't know why, but he was afraid that was what she had come to say. "I have always been afraid to say it though and I'm admitting this...I don't really know why, but Aketsu, I lo-" As Isa gasped, Aketsu didn't give her the chance to finish her sentence. He hadn't even registered what she said before he did it, and maybe he did it to keep her from saying what he thought she'd say. However, the moment he did it, he realized what she had been about to say and all reservation about doing it left him there. So what did he do? Three things that add up to one, almost simultaneously:

He rushed up to Isa.

He gently but quickly embraced her.

He kissed her on the lips. Yes, kissed her.

Aketsu kissed Isa, barely after she had taken a breath. It wasn't a peck, either; His arms were around her and he kissed her with emotion. Yuaki stopped breathing and her jaw fell off her face, but Aketsu hadn't even noticed her. He knew now what Isa had been starting to say, and a wave of relief washed through him, along with a wave of other emotions. He was now sure that he wanted to protect Isa with his life, but not as her bodyguard--as something much, much more important, and as a being responsible for his own actions!

~If Isa slaps, hits or pulls away from Aketsu, he'll let go and back up, wordless long enough for Isa to say something.

~If Isa does not slap, hit or pull away from Aketsu, the kiss lasts a second more before he pulls away, holds her hands gently, smiles at her like he never has before, and says "I love you too, Isa, more than anyone on earth."

~If something else happens, he'll react accordingly o.o If King Aslano was to enter, he wouldn't notice unless the king said something. Then, of course, he'd pull away completely and react depending on what the king says...

Whatever happens, Yuaki is currently dead with shock. X3

((HaHA! What whilst thy Isa doeth? Oh, if King Aslano walks in on them now! X3))

Rakashua · September 29, 2011

Kai had followed Noe out of the room and was about to say something when Loren came running up behind them.

He smiled at the man, understanding his sentiment well. Not exactly sure why, he decided to leave the two of them alone, It had mostly been by chance that he had discovered Loren's secret, something he may only ever have shared with Noe otherwise, it seemed... proper, to take himself out of the conversation at this point.

"I'll see you two later, Noe, Loren. I'll... go find Aketsu and see if I can't ask to borrow a few more of his clothes for the journey." It was a sort of lame excuse, but on the other hand, it was on Kai's list of things to get done before they left. He could already tell that the white and blue robe he was wearing now wasn't made to last like his monk's robes had been. Also, Master Tsume had informed him that when traveling with companions it was polite to have at least one extra set of clothes to change into encase there wasn't water around or dust to wash in.

It only occurred to him after he rounded a few corners that he had no idea where aketsu was. But after rounding a few corners and talking to some of the servants, who were remarkable helpful and kind, he ended up in the hallway leading to Aketsu's room.

Apparently he wasn't the only one there to see the boy, Yuaki was standing in the hallway staring into the room with an expression that Kai didn't recognize.

"Yuaki right?" Kai called out, walking towards her. "I don't think I was introduced to you properly, I'm Kai. Is this the line to see Aketsu?"

Edited September 29, 2011 by Rakashua

LadyNatasha · September 29, 2011

~Yuaki~

Something was different. Something had changed. Whoa!!! Yuaki could not believe what Aketsu had just done, but before she even had time to see Isa's reaction she heard footsteps coming their way from the hallway to her right. She spun in their direction, a look of panic on her face. I can't let anyone see this! That was her first thought, and she was a little dumbfounded when she saw that the footsteps belonged to the cute monk.

"Yuaki right?" Eyes wide, Yuaki looked left and right as though to make sure no one else was around. "I don't think I was introduced to you properly, I'm Kai. Is this the line to see Aketsu?" Before Kai could reach her or the door, Yuaki virtually threw herself at him and stopped him about ten feet away from the entrance to the door by standing smack dab in front of him, almost running into him. Since they were at a side-angle, Kai wouldn't be able to see what was going on in the room. "Hi, Kai!" She spoke with a hushed voice, but it was also unnaturally high-pitched and fake. "Um, it's great to see you but you see, uh, Aketsu isn't available right now! He's really, really busy and I was, er, door guarding for him! I mean, room guarding, since as you can see his door is open..." Yuaki finished off with some nervous laughter, but was inwardly smacking her head on a wall. Why didn't I shut the door?! Wait... why WOULD I shut the door?! Aketsu just KISSED Isa, he must be crazy and I can't just lock Isa in with a lunatic! Well, I could but... nah, I'd get in trouble. But! I can't let Kai know, he'll tell Aslano and who knows what he'd do if he saw Aketsu kissing Isa! But is it because Aketsu got so upset he ate or drank something mind-altering, or did he suddenly have a one-in-a-million complete personality change?! Oh dear, I can't leave Isa alone in there but Kaaaaaaiiii!

All of these thoughts passed by in a fraction of a second and she continued speaking: "You see he's not taking visitors right now, not at all, and he would get really mad if you went to his door so! While you're waiting to talk to him, you can talk to me! What happened to Noe's arm?" Yuaki hoped the question would change the topic, but she was aware that her behavior was extremely unnatural. Still, she couldn't help it; it was such an unnatural situation, and she had no idea how Isa had reacted to Aketsu. She knew that if the Rainbow Child wanted she could blast him with light, but she also remembered the toxic air Aketsu kept in viles (and had to wonder if he had taken a whiff of any of that). The worst ran through Yuaki's head as she waited for Kai's response.

Rakashua · September 29, 2011

Kai nearly ran into Yuaki as she leapt forward and landed in front of him.

"Hi, Kai!" She sounded like she had swallowed water the wrong way. "Um, it's great to see you but you see, uh, Aketsu isn't available right now! He's really, really busy and I was, er, door guarding for him! I mean, room guarding, since as you can see his door is open..."

Room guarding? Was Aketsu in trouble? Was he injurred? That's it! The face Yuaki had been making, it was like the one Noe had made right as Kai grabbed her on the roof and threw her out of the way of the incoming lightning. but what does that mean? He mulled it over in his head. Something important, or very bad, or just plain surprising? His immediate desire was to investigate. Especially since... room guarding... seemed to not have been what Yuaki was doing, she was looking into the room after all, not watching out.

"You see he's not taking visitors right now, not at all, and he would get really mad if you went to his door so! While you're waiting to talk to him, you can talk to me! What happened to Noe's arm?"

Oh... so it was like a secret thing? Or was Aketsu really in trouble and just didn't want anyone to know about it. Kai thought about it a moment. Yes, Aketsu did seem like the kind of person who could be lying in that room bleeding to death and claim that he was fine and didn't need help and could handle it. because he reminds me of me. But Yuaki had brought up Noe's arm... did she know? Would she guess if he tried to dodge the question by peaking into the room?

He decided on a course of action that would satisfy both his curiosity and need to protect his secret.

"Sure, come outside with me and I'll tell you about it." He replied, grabbing Yuaki's hand and turning on his heel. He stamped hard once as if to shake the dirt off his feet, and began walking towards the nearest exit, which he had stumbled upon on his way here. A smile lit his face all of a sudden. "You know, where I come from, it's rude to stare at people who are displaying affection like that." He commented, "don't worry, I won't tell Aketsu you were watching when I talk to him later. But you asked me about Noe so it's fair that I answer that. And, since I caught you. You have to keep a secret for me too. That way things balance out, got it?"

Edited September 29, 2011 by Rakashua

LoveLost · September 29, 2011

((Do you know how hard it is NOT to laugh right now??????))

Isa

As Isa was about to try and take another breath, she suddenly felt herself embraced by somone and when she looked up her lips were met with Aketsu's. For a moment or two she stood there shocked beyond all belief until she finally realized that this was what she ahd always wanted with only Aketsu. Her eyes closed as she let him kiss her and she kissed him and when he pulled away and told her that he loved her and always would, it was easy to see the tears that brimmed her eyes.

He was holding her hands and it was also easy to feel her hands trembling slightly with the sudden rush of emotions that had just passed through her and the rush of being kissed by the one that she loved. She only just heard Yuaki talking to someone and then leave them and wondered where she had gone to, but for now she could only look at Aketsu and into his bright, intense golden eyes knowing that this is where she always wanted to be.

"I love you too Aketsu." she said as a small tear escaped one of her eyes but at that point as well, her father walked by the room in a normal person's attire and Isa could hear him stop, and back up as he looked into the room. He desperately loved his daughter but she hated him and he knew the reasons why even if she was wrong about them. Maybe someday he would hear her say "I love you daddy." again like she did when her mother was alive, but not now. Now he was looking at the two of them and noticed a change in Aketsu's behavior and the tear on his daughters cheek which immediately made him highly defensive.

"What happened?" he demanded as he watched his daughter not even roll her eyes but look up at Aketsu to explain. He took charge, and maybe he would again. But her father was surprised when she had a meek look on her instead of her usual demanding behavior that he was so very used to.

Marcus Tiron

Marcus nodded his approval as Jahanshah spoke. The boy had it right but he was sure that Betzalel had helped him as well....of course he had though the dragon was their guide. "This all sounds good to me, but how can we make it look like an earth elementian did it when we have a young earth bender, and i mean - Miss Aamina." he said and then was rather surprised when several long and sharply pointed, earthen spears were at his neck, heart and stomach.

Aamina

Aamina nodded her agreement as well as Jahanshah stated that she would need to be used to make it look like another netural country took their weather machine but she didn't really care about that. however, when Marcus called her a young earth bender, alluding to the fact that she may not have hardly any experience, something inside of her, that even Jahanshah hadn't seen, flared up. She stood up quickly and her hand was clenched around her sword as her stance took on the look of a very angry tigress. "young? I may be young firebender, but look at what is at your neck. I can control the very motlen rock that flows beneath our feet. Do not ever think that I am weak." she said and at this time her voice had changed into a dark angry whisper the closer that she had gotten to Marcus. Her dark brown eyes were alight with a glow that came from the necklace that she wore which didn't help in the fact that she was already angry.

Marcust Tiron

"I won't make the mistake again Aamina." he said and sliced through the earth with his fiery spear that was ready at his beck and call. "But do not challenge one that is older than you." he said firmly knowing that he would have to fight to keep himself from being run over by a little girl. He noted that his words struck an even more angry chord in the young girl and was ready as she took another step towards him her hand starting to pull her sword from its scabbard.

Noe Amani

Noe smiled at Loren and then nodded happily as well. "Loren, you're secret is safe with me. And ya know what? You should stop hiding your hair. people could just think that maybe your dad was a lightning elementian." she said and then continued to walk until she was where the graduation was going to occur. "isn't it grand?" she asked as she looked at all of the seats as well as the chairs that were on the stage. Somehow though, she was afraid and it was written all over her face. This was a new world to her...

Leith Oran

Leith was starting to become a bit nervous about talking even more, but at least his voice was holding up. "Akilana, you just have to react when it comes and not like you normally would...just think of people as kind until they prove themselves different....now cummon, we have to get ready." he said and started to walk away hoping that she would follow. He just didn't talk that much at all.

LadyNatasha · September 29, 2011

((I AM laughing. They're so cute, it's like an anime all over again! :3))

~Aketsu~

Aketsu felt more free than he ever had as Isa returned the kiss. He wanted it to last forever, but he had something he needed to say and eventually released the kiss. "I love you, Isa, more than anyone on earth." He felt his heart soar as tears of joy brimmed at the edges of Isa's rainbow eyes, making them sparkle like a thousand different gems. Her hands were trembling like delicate rays of light, warming his own hands greatly. He stared into her eyes, a soft smile on his face.

"I love you too Aketsu." Oh, the words. Aketsu had to swallow to keep from choking up. The chains that had surrounded his mind were broken, and the sudden ability to feel emotions he had never felt before was almost overwhelming. He squeezed Isa's hands tighter as a tear escaped her eyes, falling slowly down her beautiful cheeks.There were footsteps, voices, but none of that mattered. Isa mattered, and that was all. Then there were more footsteps, and Aketsu recognized the footsteps he had been so fervently memorizing for the last seven years; it was King Aslano.

"What happened?" Still holding Isa's hands, Aketsu glanced at the king. He then looked back at Isa and saw that she was looking at him. He gently dropped her left hand so his left hand was now holding her right hand, and he turned to face the king. What was there to say? What had happened? Aketsu had kissed Isa. He wouldn't mind demonstrating again, but he was aware of how childish that would be even in the state he currently was in. He took a deep breath and took a step towards the king, trying to figure out how to keep his voice level. "King Aslano, I love your daughter, Princess Isa," he said firmly. His voice had hints of confusion and wonder and liberty, but what he said was very certain. "I love her with every fiber of my being, and I love every one of her perfections and flaws. I... I have kissed her without your consent." He had really kissed her without her consent either, but she had accepted it, and that was what brought joy to his heart. He turned to look at Isa again and felt a smile returning to his face, but then turned to the king, not sure what else to say. He had a determined look on his face and his mind was swirling with emotions.

Most of him was so full of newfound love and rage he couldn't even think, but a small part of him was worried. It was warning him not to say something to the king that he'd regret, warning him to accept whatever the king said. It was concerned that if Aketsu didn't get what he wanted... he might lose control, and he was much more dangerous in that state now than he had been as a child.

~~~~~~~~~

~Yuaki~

It wasn't until she was done talking to Kai that Yuaki truly realized how fake she sounded; a five-year-old could have told she was lying. "Sure, come outside with me and I'll tell you about it." Yuaki let out a little "Eep!" as Kai took her hand and led her away from Aketsu's open door. As Yuaki glanced back, her face turned white as she saw king Aslano rounding the corner towards Aketsu's room...

"You know, where I come from, it's rude to stare at people who are displaying affection like that." Yuaki spun back to face Kai, her mouth still open with surprise. "Don't worry, I won't tell Aketsu you were watching when I talk to him later. But you asked me about Noe so it's fair that I answer that. And, since I caught you. You have to keep a secret for me too. That way things balance out, got it?" Yuaki took a moment to register what he said, and then smiled and shook her head. "Ohhhh no you don't! I saw that secret-keeping-balancing-stuff you did with Aketsu earlier! As a matter of fact, Aketsu probably knows I was there but..." she glanced back--"...doesn't really care at all. In fact, Isa invited me to watch. So, go on, tell Aketsu, I don't care." She shrugged and tapped her foot a moment, then suddenly and intensely turned to stare at Kai. "You hurt Noe, didn't you? No no, she did something really embarrassing and stupid like stick her hand in a fire when she was mad and burned her arm, right?" Yuaki laughed as a last wave of nervous energy ran through her body.

She waved her hand dismissively at Kai and gave him a wink. "Don't worry, you don't have to tell me. I was just curious because it looked like she got struck by lightning!" Yuaki thought of that wild theory a moment. "I suppose it's possible. After all, if she lost control of her weather AGAIN she could surely accidentally blast her arm like that. But whatever." Yuaki really didn't care. She liked to care, liked to pretend she cared, but she was honestly more interested in flirting with Kai and finding out what was wrong (or right?) with Aketsu. Not even that was really important to Yuaki, and in fact a lot of things that were important to most people didn't matter to Yuaki. Why? Because she didn't feel settled, didn't feel like Sola was her final destination or home. She didn't expect to ever return after the group completed their quest (IF they completed their quest), and knew that she couldn't bring herself to return unless everything went right.

Those thoughts aside, she turned her thoughts back to Kai and smiled. "So, how did YOU know what they were doing in there?" The question was less of a question than it was an excuse, in its own strange way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Jahanshah~

"This all sounds good to me, but how can we make it look like an earth elementian did it when we have a young earth bender, and I mean - Miss Aamina." Jahan was about to reconfirm Aamina's capabilities when suddenly earthen spears surrounded Marcus, all aimed for vital areas. Jahan's quickly turned to look at Aamina, hoping it was her and not an intruder that had threatened Marcus. Well, it was her, but Jahan was still quite surprised.

"Young? I may be young firebender, but look at what is at your neck. I can control the very motlen rock that flows beneath our feet. Do not ever think that I am weak." Jahan took a step forward, but paused; he knew Marcus could handle himself.

"I won't make the mistake again Aamina. But do not challenge one that is older than you." Jahan nodded at the wisdom as Marcus broke free of the earthen spikes. However, he abruptly frowned when Aamina further approached Marcus, drawing her weapon. "That's enough!" Jahan said, his voice firm and almost angry. "We are a team, not enemies! What kind of fools are we if we fight each other? We have enough enemies to worry about as it is." He then turned to look at Aamina. His eyes weren't as serious or angry as his voice was and his stance was calm, almost as though his voice elevated all on its own to prove its point.

"When our allies speak, they do not do so to harm or insult us. Marcus was giving you advice. Whether you take it or not is your choice, but I would suggest you leave him to his own opinions, even if they are wrong or insulting to you. Threatening anyone, younger or older than you, and letting them get to you, can be a serious mistake." Jahan was almost quoting what several teachers had told him many times, about listening to allies and taking nothing as an insult. One teacher had even told him a story where his ally had acted rude and cruel to save their lives, for they were being watched by a spy who was trying to figure out if they were the close friends he was sent to eliminate or not. The teacher didn't know this was why his ally was insulting him, but he simply took the insults in stride and eventually they managed to find and kill the spy.

Jahan then turned to Marcus, and his voice quieted a bit. "Please trust my judgement--I am certain that Aamina is more than capable of carrying out any task I give her that involves her Earth Element."

Edited September 30, 2011 by LadyNatasha

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