Trials and Travels (Semi-lit)

[Rakashua]

Kai nodded slowly, ok, so now he was getting it. It was like Isa and Aketsu, they were getting married, Aketsu had asked, the king had said yes. So, what Noe was talking about was the same as that, the same thing that he actually knew something about. It was what ended up being the emotion behind two people getting married, which meant that her response in noting that Aketsu and Isa were royalty where as she was a servant and he was 'important' was meant to draw a comparison between the two, one obviously upheld as ok and correct and the other, as something she was... ashamed of?

 

He now understood why she couldn't explain it, she was having the same trouble he was, perhaps that's how it was supposed to be, but that meant that she'd never had this problem before, so she'd never been in love, so they both knew nothing about what they were doing... well that made him feel better... and worse... at the same time.

 

He had read written accounts of love stories, they had been part of his training, but master Wu had said they were completely fake and that nothing like that happened in real life. Of course... Kai now knew that was wrong, which meant Wu had lied... which he did on purpose from time to time, either to keep Kai safe from something he should avoid, or when he was forcing Kai to discover something on his own, something that even Master Wu could not teach.

 

"I see, so that's what the old man was up to, he decided he couldn't teach me this, so he left me to discover it on my own, and let it happen if it did, which means it's not a bad thing, it's a good thing." Kai paused, right, so this was his task now, he was supposed to lead here too, he was supposed to come up with an answer, with an action.

 

"I'm sorry for dumping that on you, that's not your concern, it's mine, that was incorrect of me." Kai's chair suddenly changed and rose from the ground, becoming the equivalent of the chair he sat on when teaching, showing that he'd reversed the positions so that Noe could be more comfortable, at leas that was his intention.

 

"Alright, then," he said, his voice no longer unsure and his face held a smile, "this is what we're going to do. Our problems are both because we don't understand how we feel, and how eachother feels. Noe... I need you to trust me." He took her hands in his, "close your eyes... and try to relax. I want to share something with you..."

 

Kai took her hands and placed his palms against hers and his fingertips over hers, though his were quite a bit larger. He could feel the electricity given off by her nerves, her muscles, her heartbeat, everything.

 

"Close your eyes, and concentrate on my hands, feel the electricity in my body, my heartbeat, my breath, my voice. You are safe, you are at peace, you are calm, the storm isn't gone, it still rages inside you." Kai's voice was soft but still it's sing-song self, low, and peaceful, a loud and clear whisper. "The storm passes into me, and I calm it and send it back to you..." He allowed a small electric charge to cross between himself and Noe, remaining in place, and allowing him to influence the electrical charges in her body, to connect with that which allowed her to use lightning, and for her nerves to communicate with one another. The thing that told her heart to beat so fast, to breath so quickly, he was connected to all of it.

 

Kai took a deep breath and Noe suddenly felt herself do so also at the same moment, and her heart slowed down until it matched his. Kai took measured, slow breaths, making sure not to inhale too much and to release slowly, so as not to alarm Noe as her body attempted and then matched his.

 

"Feel my heartbeat, feel it match yours, feel my breathing, feel it fill both our lungs." Kai kept this up for a full minute before moving on. "To share the electricity in my body with you, is very hard, but electricity does more than just cause muscles to contract, it is also a language, the language of emotion, it stores everything we think and do and only our minds can read it and understand it."

 

He paused for a moment again... "breathe as I breathe, feel your heart beat as mine does, and feel... what I feel..." Kai finally dared to touch the electricity in her mind with his. He'd only done this once before, with his mother, on the day he had to leave she'd done it, and he remembered even to this day how she felt about him, how mush she loved him. Master Wu had been able to help him learn to do it, through very very precise control, but it was still very dangerous. At this stage, if he made a mistake, he could shock both of them right at their nervous centers in their minds, possibly being fatal to him, but he had to show her how he felt, so that she could understand it, so that he could understand how she felt, so that they could say what could not be expressed in words...

 

Then he felt the bridge form and his emotions rushed into her mind, and his into hers, but slowly, not violently, like looking at the reflection of someone else in a pond. Only the surface was expressed, only what they were thinking about at the moment, and it wasn't intelligible, it was simply a feeling, not actual words or images, just feelings.

 

"Now... think of me, and let me think of you, and feel... how I feel, about you..." He continued to breathe steadily and focused on Noe, her laugh, her smile, her storms, the lightning, the exhilaration he'd felt, the joy he felt at being around her, all the things he couldn't explain or fully understand, he let them all pass from him to her. He tried not to rush... but he knew he could only maintain this level of control for a few minutes at best, though it helped that he was very drained and tired so there wasn't as much energy to control.

 

Then the time was over, and he had to break the connection, slowly, first blocking himself out of her mind, then he let go of her lungs, then her heart, and eventually he was able to let go completely, and open his eyes, slowly removing his hands with a small jolt of static electricity...

Edited January 30, 2012 by Rakashua

[Silver_Voices]

Aketsu raised a brow and peered curiously at the newcomers. Loren definitely wasn't worried about them--he went off to draw--so Aketsu didn't bother asking him more questions, but he did look critically at the two. One was a blonde female with orange eyes. She looked suspicious, as though she was hiding something, but passive enough. The other had dark green hair and green eyes that suggested he might be a Plant Elementian. Aketsu smiled politely in greeting. "Hello. What brings you two this way?" Right down to business, as he was a bit suspicious about them showing up right after Eirikr--were they following Eirikr? Were they spies, or did they suspect he was a spy? Aketsu watched them closely, although he didn't look unfriendly.

Isis smiled warily, knowing the situation wasn't the best. "We're heading towards the coast. We're looking for someone, very close to Zepheena." He put a hand on her shoulder, trying to convey that she was Zepheena.

 

The first thing Zepheena noticed about this man was that his eyes were golden, a bright, shimmering metallic color that reflected everything around him. She stumbled backwards, suddenly dizzy. She dropped to her seat and held her head in her hand.

 

Isis, unsure of whether they were trusted of suspected, bit his lip and sat by the fire. But first things first... He reached into his bag and pulled out an apple seed. He buried it into the ground and sped up the growth process. Soon, a tree with red fruit was standing where nothing was before. He pulled an apple off and handed it to Zepheena. "Here, eat. It's been a long time since we last rested. You're probably just tired."

 

Zepheena looked down at the lump that Isis just placed in her hand. Red, irregular shape... Oh, it's an apple. She looked at it dumbly as the edge of her vision slowly clouded and everything faded to black.

 

Isis caught her as she fell, not at all surprised. "How many times have I told you not to use your healing when you're exhausted?" he whispered in her ear. He knew she couldn't hear him, but he never liked scolding her. He looked up at the white haired man and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, she was overly exhausted and drained the last of her energy while healing your friend over there." He pointed at Loren.

Edited January 30, 2012 by Silver_Voices

[LoveLost]

Noe was ashamed that she couldn’t look Kai in the eye. Everything was so new to her and she had no idea that he had liked her so this was a huge surprise to her. Something was just so wonderful about this though that she couldn’t help but be hopeful that maybe someday…

 

Her thoughts were interrupted when Kai mentioned that what was happening was a good thing and not a bad thing. “It is good.” She said and looked up at him as he spoke again and raised his seat to more of what seemed to be a superior position. At first it grated her, but then he was also apologizing. “kai, it’s not anything that you should feel as though you should apologize for. You were trusting me.” She said as she looked up at him then almost jerked back into the fire as he reached out towards her.

 

Despite her reaction, he still firmly grasped her hands causing her to look at their hands then back up at him several times until he spoke. He wanted her to close her eyes but she found it very interesting how small she was in comparison to Kai. His hands were broad and strong, while hers were small and delicate, it was almost, well, it was almost cute. Noe heard him say something about trusting him and without even thinking about it, her head nodded numbly to show that she understood. He told her to close her eyes, she obeyed without even a thought in her mind other than how close she was to Kai and how frustrated she was with everything going on. Too many emotions!

 

With her eyes closed Noe tried her best to keep herself from panicking and going crazy with what Kai was doing, but since she couldn’t she thought to just let her mind run wild.

 

"Close your eyes, and concentrate on my hands, feel the electricity in my body, my heartbeat, my breath, my voice. You are safe, you are at peace, you are calm, the storm isn't gone, it still rages inside you.”

 

Noe was shocked and small huff of air left her as she felt what he said. It was strange to be this close to something that she had been told to stay away from, and something she loved to watch dance across the sky; lightning, or electricity rather. His melodic voice started to soothe her and she felt as though she was safe not pressed on all sides by enemies and emotions and storms that just wished to help her vent her frustrations. He spoke about a storm within her and he was right, even though she was at peace, it was still there raging within her and waiting to get out. But then, the strangest thing happened. She felt as though her confusion and worry slowed down and then she felt a shock that wasn’t really a shock, but more of a sharing between lightning and thunder, a beautiful harmony.

 

Noe felt as though something were within her body making her calm down and be at peace, but it wasn’t forceful, it was helpful and kind like the lightning that chose to dance for her when she was around….it was KAI! The revelation was rather wonderful when she realized that Kai was the surges that she felt in her body and it thrilled her to be this close to him, instead of frightening her.

 

Noe almost opened her eyes when she heard Kai breath and her own body did the same instead of the slightly faster breathing that she had been doing because of how flustered she was. But then something odd also happened after that. Her heartbeat started to follow Kai’s heartbeat, they were in total unison before long and Kai spoke again. Just to hear his voice when she was in a state of being calm was a sheer joy.

 

He spoke about how he was the one controlling the electricity in her body which surprised her. She had no idea that electricity existed in her body, but it was thrilling to be this close to him and have him help her find her peace…but sharing emotions? Her heart wouldn’t race and her mind was the only thing worried about sharing everything that she thought about him, yet once Kai broke through into her mind, she gasped slightly at the sudden feeling of having her mind being shared with another completely.

 

His emotions were so kind, wonderful, and happy. He loved her! He truly loved her! The abandoned daughter, the slave, the hated one, Her! Her joy was evident but then she knew that he said to not only feel what he felt about her, but to let him feel what she felt about him. In that moment, since she didn’t know how to control it, she released the pent up emotions that she had about him.

 

She loved him for his kindness, for his idiocy that he had at times. She always wanted to see him smile and be near him at all times because she felt as though she were safe fro everything when she was around him. She wanted to be able to share her ideas and mind with him since she didn’t share that much with everyone else. She wanted him to know everything about her and wanted him to know that she loved him, only the gods knew how much she loved him! Her mind wandered to how she felt when he had carried her just this evening and how scared she was when she thought that he had hurt himself with the lightning. How much she was afraid for his life the day that they found out about the Aero council and what he did with his body.

 

When he started to pull away, she almost wished that he hadn’t because this was the best that she had felt in a long time. No worries, just a free mind to give to one another. But as he said, it was very difficult for him to do this so she didn’t want to tax him any further. When she opened her eyes, she stared into Kai’s for a moment, before raising herself to her knees and keeping her hands in contact with his even though he had broken contact for a moment.

What am I doing?! Her mind rushed the thought but it was a spur of the moment thing which she never did. Her face and body closed in towards Kai until she was only inches away from him. “I love you.” She whispered and then, without even thinking, she gently pressed her lips to his, hoping that he would respond in kind. If he didn’t, she would pull away, but for now, she enjoyed the feel of being so close to him and enjoyed the pleasure of having her heart beat erratically for a GOOD reason this time.

 

Isa took a deep breath before she allowed herself to forget about everything except for the moonlight and starlight that peeked through the clouds here and there. After Noe’s storm, the moon wasn’t as bright as it should have been because of the cloud cover, but there was still enough from the moon and the fire that Isa could easily draw from their illumination and create her own. With her mind pressed deep within her, she unlocked the strength that was hers thanks to heritage and being the Rainbow Child. When she did, the light that touched her immediately broke out into rainbows of color. She held up a single hand and from her fingers flew different rays of light which made it look as though she herself were turning into a rainbow. She clamped her hand down and all of the light disappeared.

 

There was never a time that she enjoyed releasing her abilities than at night when it was easiest to see what she was doing. She scraped her foot around behind her and settled into a low crouch as her hands were brought up in front of her face. Where her arms crossed, a ball of light that was mixed in color in some areas and pure white in more, and that ball grew until it extended past her elbows and finger tips.

 

Her head bent down and with a push from her legs, and a calculated fling of her arms, she sent the ball of light off into a mountain and stood there waiting for it to make contact. Her control lasted longer than other Light Elementians as well as a long distance further. When it made contact in a large poof of dust and debris, she smiled to herself and decided to take out her light weapons which she had been using quite frequently. Her hair was tied back firmly and she allowed her eyes to shift to the way that she was supposed to see the world; full of light whether it was reflected or absorbed. When she did this, the world became much brighter and much more full of color for things may seem to be one color, but it was also the light that reflected off of them that caused people to see color. Instead, Isa saw everything as a shape and the color that it made was a mere reflection. It allowed her to see if people were concealing things because of the shadows that appeared on their person which was a rather nice little perk.

 

With her abilities accessed and her mind now open, she summoned her dual light blades and made sure to temper the handles so that they weren’t so hot. Once they were fully formed and solidified, she separated herself from the light of the moon and fire so that she would be able to practice her abilities at the mastery level. Her swings and movements were vicious and precise after years and years of training much to her father’s ire. He had wanted her to be more lady like and take up an instrument or voice lessons, but no. She had wished to practice with some of the best swordsman in Solis and the other allied towns so that she would have diversity. She was young, and foolish, but this was her passion.

 

After a time, her movements slowed and she brought in a different weapon, a whip and a staff, and worked with them individually and tried her best to combine everything at one time or another so that she wouldn’t be caught off guard by an enemy. When sweat coated her skin and her breathing was rough, she stopped and decided it was time to practice the flowing part of being a Light Elementian.

 

It was a dance that was very beautiful and gracious but begged for muscular control that pressed Isa to her limits. She had never been able to master the full dance that taught how to control light even when your mind and body were at their limits, but at least she was able to master half of it.

 

Edited January 30, 2012 by LoveLost

[LadyNatasha]

~The Metal Child~ ((doesn't really interact with anyone, I just wanted to get a post for him. :3))

 

The night was crisp and the air thin. It was cool out, much to Jahanshah's delight, and Betzalel was doing his weird meditating-thingy again. Aamina was probably doing whatever underground thing she did at night, and Marcus and Skylar were probably off together talking about their wedding or how much they loved each other or some event in the past--whatever adults tended to talk about on crisp nights when the air was thin. Jahanshah had grown bored of listening to any sort of romantic conversation and hadn't dared ask Aamina to play any of the royal board games with him, although he could have made the board out of metal in a moment. She didn't ever seem in the mood to play and Jahan didn't want to ask anyone else because everyone but Celeste was always busy being an adult, and Celeste always had this almost frightened or unsure look to her face. Celeste was also out of sight, and so Jahan found he had some time to himself. He stood quietly from where he had been sitting and began to walk towards the main road, which was a quarter mile away. He wasn't trying to sneak off and wasn't at all worried about his safety or the safety of his group. Jahanshah didn't tend to worry about anything at all really except what Queen Zillah thought of his team's progress.

 

As he walked he took Daedureth out of its sheath and examined the blade with a small smile. "Just you and me now," he told the sword. As though it actually had intelligence, or perhaps a tiny bit of embodiment of Queen Zillah's dead brother, it responded be glowing darkly a moment. Jahan used to think it was simply reacting to his body movements or emotions, but recently he had decided the sword truly had some sort of mind of its own. It was possible, he knew, because all sorts of things were possible. Controlling Elements was possible, being a dragon-human was possible, so a real live sword had to be possible. "And you'll only respond to me because Queen Zillah said so, right?" Again, the sword glowed a moment. Jahanshah frowned. "I wish I was stronger with the Shadow Element. I like being metal, but it's not like a metal sword would talk to me like you do. All swords are metal, and metal isn't alive. It just sits there, just sits on my skin and in my mouth and on the walls and everywhere. It doesn't move... but shadows move. Shadows always move. Shadows can talk and I bet Light can talk, I bet Fire and Wind can too. But Metal and Earth can't talk. Solid things can't talk, and neither can Water." He paused in thought and wondered if it was possible to make a 'Weather' sword.

 

"But not all fire swords can talk, and not all shadow swords talk either, so what makes you talk? Are you really the Queen's brother?" Jahanshah was so hesitant to ask the question that he didn't even allow the sword to respond--he quenched any shadows that would have moved and his heart sped up. He stopped walking a moment and looked around. He was in a thick part of the forest where it was very dark, but of course he was long over being scared of the dark. His mother had taught him that dark was good and light could be troublesome. The crime rate in Metallum was so low that children roamed the dark streets all the time with no one watching. It wasn't like you could just hide if you stole something--living in an ancient volcano had its ups and downs. Jahanshah missed living in the volcano. He missed being covered in metal and not having to worry about sunburns or people staring or getting a cut on the finger. But he didn't miss it enough to want to go back; he liked something about being out in the wild with nothing to do but his mission for Queen Zillah.

 

He resumed his course peacefully, deep in thought. He was almost to the road when he spoke again. "I bet it'd be fun to be able to fly," he said absently. He opened his mouth to mention something about Aero, but the sword glowed again more deeply than before and he stopped to give it an odd look. Moments before he arrived at the road he sheathed the sword. Then he stepped out onto the road and looked around. Of course, no one was there. Only thieves and spies and beggars would travel so late at night. He sighed, almost a bit disappointed although who could say why, and then he turned and began to walk back towards the woods.

 

~~~~

 

~Aketsu~

 

"We're heading towards the coast. We're looking for someone, very close to Zepheena." Aketsu gave a nod in acknowledgement, then turned and smiled politely at Zepheena. His smile faded in confusion as she stumbled a bit before sitting. It looked like she had a headache

 

The first thing Zepheena noticed about this man was that his eyes were golden, a bright, shimmering metallic color that reflected everything around him. She stumbled backwards, suddenly dizzy. She dropped to her seat and held her head in her hand. Aketsu looked to the young man for answers, but the man was doing something. Aketsu watched cautiously as he dropped something to the ground... and it grew. Understanding dawned on Aketsu and he smiled; the young man was a Plant Elementian. Aketsu had never met a Plant Elementian who even came close to liking the Shadow Alliance, so immediately he felt inclined to give more trust to the two before him. Zepheena, however, didn't look anything like a Plant Elementian.

 

"Here, eat. It's been a long time since we last rested. You're probably just tired." Aketsu watched with a bit of alarm as the girl seemed to sway from reality again. She looked exhausted, and perhaps she was sick. Aketsu frowned and quickly drew a blanket from his pack which was on the ground next to him. It was a spare blanket and so it hadn't been used yet."Sorry, she was overly exhausted and drained the last of her energy while healing your friend over there." Aketsu glanced in the direction Loren had went and then looked back to the stranger before him. Some noise caught his attention not too far from the fire and he saw Isa giving Eirikr a talking to. He smiled and shook his head, wondering what Eirikr had done to make her unhappy. He was too preoccupied with his current conversation to notice that Eirikr was in fact sitting in front of Isa's tent. He turned back to the newcomers and looked at Zepheena. She did look quite drained.

 

"Here, let her rest," he said as he handed the blanked to Isis. "She healed Loren?" Aketsu hadn't known Loren was injured. He wondered about Loren sometimes, wondered if Loren really was going to help them if it came to a fight. He wondered about Loren's secrets and even moreso now that Aero had split, but he didn't doubt Loren's loyalty. He simply wished he understood the lad a bit better. "Then she has our thanks. Both of you do. I'm Aketsu Momoa," he said, purposely leaving out 'the sixth.' He held out his hand in greeting.

 

 

~~~

~Yuaki~

"Shut it kid, can't you see I'm trying to rest? Go away, and learn to respect you elders." Yuaki's smile widened at this. Elder? Elder? Haha! He's what, seventeen? That's only a year older than me! Tough guy. Yuaki knew she looked young and usually because of that (and her status as a servant) she got this kind of treatment from royal pigs, but this guy wasn't any royal anything. Still, she didn't seem in the least offended or surprised.

 

She simply stood crossing her arms until he grudgingly moved a speck and told her the thing at his side was a pickaxe. She knew that, but calling someone 'PickaxeHead' just didn't seem to work. She was about to say something smart when suddenly a flash of light caught her attention and her smile widened. “How dare you you rotten excuse for a mole rat.” Yuaki looked at her friend with mild surprise; she wasn't surprised that Isa came and defended her, but she was surprised at the nickname. Mole rats... eww. He's way cuter than a mole rat.

 

“How dare you insult one of the several that have seemingly allowed one as rude and uncouth as yourself to even be in the presence of more nobles and future queens and kings than you have seen in your lifetime!” And at this Yuaki could have laughed because of how ironic the statement was, but she kept silent and her smile faded a little. She did appreciate Isa coming and defending her and she realized maybe she shouldn't let guys push her around verbally, but in all honesty she didn't care. She had never cared much what anyone from Terra or Cumulus or even Sola thought of her. Yet what Isa was doing for her she took into appreciation, even when she suddenly found herself shoved into the tent by hot hands. She made herself comfortable with a little sigh, like a bird huddling in a nest.

 

"If you are still in front of my tent when I come back, a burn won’t be the only thing that you will receive.” And then to Yuaki, “If he tries anything, just call me. Light IS my element ya know.” Yuaki returned Isa's smile and waved goodbye as Isa walked off. She noticed Aketsu glance her direction and shake his head with a smile before he turned back to the two new guests. Yuaki lay on her stomach and propped her head on her hands, elbows on the ground. She kicked off her sandals before leaning forward to glance out at Eirikr, if he was still near. "The name's Yuaki Xa," she said happily. "Nice talking to you, good night!" With that she swooshed the tent curtain shut and took out her hair which had been pulled back in a tail. Then, making sure the tent was fully closed and turning her back to the entrance, she changed into a more comfortable fluffy fur shirt and began to organize her bed.

[Silver_Voices]

~Aketsu~

 

Aketsu gave a nod in acknowledgement, then turned and smiled politely at Zepheena. His smile faded in confusion as she stumbled a bit before sitting. It looked like she had a headache. Aketsu looked to the young man for answers, but the man was doing something. Aketsu watched cautiously as he dropped something to the ground... and it grew. Understanding dawned on Aketsu and he smiled; the young man was a Plant Elementian. Aketsu had never met a Plant Elementian who even came close to liking the Shadow Alliance, so immediately he felt inclined to give more trust to the two before him. Zepheena, however, didn't look anything like a Plant Elementian. Aketsu watched with a bit of alarm as the girl seemed to sway from reality again. She looked exhausted, and perhaps she was sick. Aketsu frowned and quickly drew a blanket from his pack which was on the ground next to him. It was a spare blanket and so it hadn't been used yet. Aketsu glanced in the direction Loren had went and then turned back to the newcomers and looked at Zepheena. She did look quite drained.

 

"Here, let her rest," he said as he handed the blanket to Isis. "She healed Loren?" Aketsu hadn't known Loren was injured. He wondered about Loren sometimes, wondered if Loren really was going to help them if it came to a fight. He wondered about Loren's secrets and even moreso now that Aero had split, but he didn't doubt Loren's loyalty. He simply wished he understood the lad a bit better. "Then she has our thanks. Both of you do. I'm Aketsu Momoa."

 

Isis

Isis smiled, both thankful and relieved. "Thank you," he said as he took the blanket. "Luna spotted me as I was at the edge of the camp. She was kind enough to lead me to Zepheena. When I got there, she had already started the healing process, but Loren looked a little bruised on his face and arms." He supported her with his shoulder as he covered her small figure with the blanket. "I'm Isis; Plant Elementian, if you couldn't tell." Brushing Zepheena's long blond hair behind her ear, he revealed her sun mark on her neck. "And Zepheena is a Light Elementian." He took the apple from her hand and offered it to Aketsu. "Apple?"

Edited January 30, 2012 by Silver_Voices

[LadyNatasha]

~Aketsu~

 

Aketsu nodded as the man explained how he had come upon their group. Aketsu was glad that Luna had found them; she was pretty good with handling strangers. "I'm Isis; Plant Elementian, if you couldn't tell." Isis. That almost sounds familiar. "And Zepheena is a Light Elementian." Aketsu was pleasantly surprised and realized that her healing probably came from her element somehow. Fascinating, how some Elementians had the ability to heal others. It was a very useful and rather rare gift. "Apple?" Aketsu shook his head. "No thank you, we just ate. In fact we have some leftovers." Aketsu gestured towards the little plate of food that was left. "Please help yourself. But... I will have to ask you to allow me to search your things. You see, we aren't just any group of travelers and we have to watch out for spies." It was as simple as that; just as Eirikr had shown Aketsu his things, these two would have to show what they carried. Aketsu highly doubted they were spies, but he wasn't going to risk carelessness. He figured if they had nothing to hide they wouldn't mind showing what they carried.

[Rakashua]

Kai had kept his eyes closed, having withdrawn his energy back into himself. He was left with a bit of sweat on his brow from the concentration it had taken to maintain without hurting himself... or her. But before it broke he could feel her emotions, like a storm, hitting him and at first it was painful, too much for his mind to process... apparently that's just how girls are though and his brain wasn't used to it.

 

Kai opened his eyes as he felt something warm and soft press against his lips, only to find Noe's eyes only centimeters away from his own, and she was... kissing him... and... he didn't find it repulsive like he thought he would have. It took him a half second but he kissed her back, holding it for a moment as he embraced her small and still cold frame with his warm, larger body. The effect was almost the same as before, he could almost feel her emotions through the kiss... not in the electrical way, but in some way that he didn't understand.

 

I love you she had said it, and now he understood it, what it meant to her, the word that stood for a feeling that couldn't be described or defined... and was simply reduced to a word, love. He only let her go once he felt her body warming up with his heat. She was still cold and he felt bad knowing that in part it had been his fault. but finally it did end and he gently pulled away, moving his arms back to his sides and placing his hands over hers again.

 

"I... love you too." Even in the moment though Kai wasn't hugely different than he had been before, his mind was still firing out plans and steps, though he was admittedly a lot happier than he could ever remember being. "I think, after all this time, I finally understand Master Wu's last statement to me as I left. He said Kai, you remember what I told you about females, you be careful around them! They bring chaos if you let them distract you, remember your manners, and know this. You will never find your balance until you get to know female and through her chaos you will find peace." Kai smiled happily and ran a rough finger across Noe's left cheek.

 

"Noe?" He asked, taking her hands again, "would you be my balance? Would you agree to spend the rest of your life with me, as a part of me? Would you let me be your balance too? Noe... Would you marry me?" Kai quickly added in haste an other set of words before she could answer. "Not right now I mean... there's no one here to... well maybe Ayame... but we'd need to ask the king... and I mean maybe I'm not supposed to... and it's really bad timing considering that we catch up to enemy lines tomorrow.... and... and... and you know... I really don't care, I love you."

 

 

 

[SkySong278]

Sky looked up at the constellations as Marc pointed them out to her and then listened to what he said in reply to her question. She knew that he felt a bit ashamed for that even if he wasn't showing it so she said, "It's not your fault. I understand that your job at the academy is making you busy." In reply to his question about her seeing any other stars that she wanted to point out she shook her head in a negative before yawning a bit and starting to fall asleep on his shoulder as they laid there on the hill. She figured that she could sleep peacefully now in their tent without any nightmares but only as long as he was sleeping next to her. Before she completely drifted off to sleep right there on the hill with her head on his shoulder she said softly, "I love you" and then let the darkness that was sleep take her into its folds.

[Silver_Voices]

Aketsu shook his head. "No thank you, we just ate. In fact we have some leftovers. Please help yourself. But... I will have to ask you to allow me to search your things. You see, we aren't just any group of travelers and we have to watch out for spies."

Isis wrinkled his brow. "Not just any? What's..." He cut himself off and shook his head. "Wait, better to hold my questions until you are sure we aren't spies." He pulled Zepheena's cloak off and held it out to Aketsu. "Whatever we have should be in her pockets." He unfastened his pouch from his belt and handed it to Aketsu. "There are a variety of seeds in there. We don't carry any food with us, I grow fruits and things when we stop and rest. Also, there's a small leather bag in there. Be careful if you open it, those are darts from a certain plant that produces sleeping gas. If you get pricked, you'll loose consciousness within a minute. You'll wake up in about three." He tried to recall the items in Zepheena's cloak, but the only thing he could remember was Zepheena's dagger. It was small and dull. Not much of a danger.

Edited January 30, 2012 by Silver_Voices

[LoveLost]

Noe couldn't help but smile when Kai actually kissed her back and wrapped his strong arms around her. Her body stopped shivering after a moment of being in the chilled air even if her clothes were still damp and cold. His warm embrace was more than enough to keep her from ever being cold again. When he pulled back, she opened her eyes and blushed after she realized what she had done. He HAD kissed her back hadn’t he? Didn’t he? Or was she just imagining things? Oh she prayed to the gods that she wasn’t imagining things!

 

Her fears of doing something wrong went away though when she heard Kai say that he loved her as well. Just those words sent her into a smiling giggle that was gentle and sweet. No one had ever said that to her and meant it. Most of the time it was meant as just something to keep her calm but here he was with his own past that seemed to hurt him so much, and HE was loving HER! The most bi-polar person in the world! Right now, she felt like a million dollars and no one could bring her down, EVER!!!!

 

Now, no one could bring her down, but she could hit a ceiling that had a window she was yet to find. The ceiling was the surprising question that Kai had after he had trailed his rough finger across her cheek. He had stated that his master spoke about finding balance through an unbalanced woman. That sort of thing never made any sense to her, but right now she was stuck on what he was saying at this moment, here and now.

 

"would you be my balance? Would you agree to spend the rest of your life with me, as a part of me? Would you let me be your balance too? Noe... Would you marry me?"

 

Noe was so shocked that she couldn’t do anything but look at him with her mouth hanging wide until Ayame, who had been woken up when Noe shouted slightly held his thumbs up in an exaggerated motion that she should say yes. He was her only friend in life, well, except for Kai and Cielo, and for him to be that reassuring….that meant that it would be okay didn’t it?

 

He wanted her, her of all people, to marry him. The kindest, sweetest, most amazing man in the world….even if he was incredibly oblivious at times which she knew would be irritating at times. It was the first time though that she had seen him firm but also so happy. His face was shining and for once, he stated that he didn’t care about anything else because he loved her. Just those words caused her to smile, because this was a new ground for her, but one filled with a wonderful future. All at once, everything looked completely different now that she was looking at Kai as his future wife…wait, oops! She hadn’t said anything! Even Ayame looked worried until she shook her head in an affirmative.

 

“Yes, yes Kaimaru….yes!” she said with a smile and a happy laugh as she threw her arms around his neck and held on tightly. She couldn’t stop laughing and smiling especially once Ayame started to do a little jig around the fire.

 

Ayame looked at Kai and grinned. “Thank you sir! It seems that this delicate little thorned flower has found her match. Ah! The day that I would see this, I never thought that it would come!” Ayame smiled and cawed loudly into the air before hopping around once more and then coming to a standstill in a fully human shaped form. “Well now, seeing as the king isn’t here, and since he and I are both considered Noe’s guardians now that her parents and old guardian are dead, You must ask the right questions young master.” Ayame said with a bright twinkle in his golden/orange eyes.

[Lore_Master]

Loren, from the corner of the tent heard the progression of Kai and Noe's little love story... right up to the marriage part. He shook his head and sighed, they too were now engaged? It was romantic, certainly... but he was seriously worried about the new stability of the group. Four people in the group were now engaged, but he worried that an enemy could exploit this. He needed someone to talk too, some cold and calm headed... Cielo. He disliked the idea of talking to her, but he didn't want to see 'the third path' be sidetracked by emotions. He walked over to the sounds of water, and soon enough found the twins and Cielo playing some strange game involving water. "Uh... Cielo, can I talk to you?" Said Loren as best as he could, without trying to upset her.

 

~Creos: Warrior of Fire~

 

In the city of cumulus, most of the towns people had finally gone to bed. The only source of light and activity was at one of the few pubs and inn that ran during the night. Inside one, called Cloud Nine, a burned man was sitting at a table with a bunch of other men, soldiers like himself. The drinks were flowing, and the stories flowed faster. "And there I was, on board a ship... surrounded by seven enemy ships, one was even shaped like a whale, which is a really big fish" Explained Creos, before he took a gulp of his ale. He was recounting his mercenary years, the two years he spent away from this land. He was on the subject of his time during "The battle of the southern seas", a mostly naval based war.

 

"When one of the ships got close enough, I swinged across from mast to mast, with my entire body ablazed! It was amazing, fire danced around the ship. In the end, the whale ship fled as my employer's army won, and we had this strong drink called rum as we watched the enemy's ships burn into the night." Explained Creos, the rest of the men laughed, they honestly thought it was a great story. Creos's mercenary years were the best years of his life, he had all sorts of trophies and little knick-knacks from that time. For the rest of the night, he talked with the other soldiers and traded stories.

[LadyNatasha]

~Aketsu~

 

"Not just any? What's..." Aketsu frowned, but Isis caught himself faster; "Wait, better to hold my questions until you are sure we aren't spies." Aketsu carefully took Zepheena's cloak and Isis' pouch and looked through them. He was pleased with how willing they were to hand these things over; he guessed this meant they didn't have any military objective or secrets to hide. He didn't take anything out unless he had to and he was a bit surprised at how little the travelers had. He listened as Isis explained the seeds and the darts, which Aketsu only quickly glanced at before he closed the leather bag. He was quite used to handling poisons, but he didn't do it unless he had to. He quickly finished looking through the things and smiled, handing the things back to Isis.

 

"Welcome then. As you are simply travelers and not warrior or mercenaries, I'm afraid that tomorrow you will have to separate from our group. You see, we are indeed fighting for the kingdom of Solis and although we wish to avoid bloodshed if possible, I believe we are going to have to fight in the near future. I couldn't ask you to stay and risk your lives, for I believe the enemy would kill even the innocent traveling with us. Until tomorrow when we separate our ways, you are free to use extra blankets and take extra food for your journey, and also to socialize with the group." He realized that traveling could be lonely and boring, and sometimes it was nice to talk to someone you didn't know. He certainly hadn't minded Eirikr's company or the company of these two.

 

"Other blankets would be in that bag over there and we hang the dried food in the pouch you see on that tree. I'm afraid we don't have any extra tents, but if you sleep near the center of the camp I can assure you you're quite safe." With that Aketsu stood and stretched, a bit stiff from sitting for so long. For a moment he let his golden eyes survey the skies above, which were still a bit cloudy from Noe's storm. “Yes, yes Kaimaru….yes!” Noe's distant voice sounded very happy... but for some reason, it set Aketsu on edge and alarmed him. He frowned and glanced in the direction the voice had come from. For some reason, he didn't feel like going to see what was going on. Noe sounded so happy... she reminded him of when Isa had-- he stopped. There was no way, absolutely no way. So he made himself sit and gave a weary smile to Isis before he busied himself putting some small sticks on the fire. There was no way; Kai wasn't that socially inept, and Noe wasn't that silly. Nope.

 

~~~~

 

~Jahanshah~

 

After a short walk about the road and a few more conversations with Daedureth, Jahan happily returned to camp. He entered his tent--he hated bugs, which could bother him now that he had no metal skin--and lay down on the hard ground, staring at some grass in front of him. He never covered himself in blankets; clothing was uncomfortable enough and he longed to be metal again. A strange paranoia of becoming weak and attached to the softness of the clothing had been seeping to the edge of his mind, and so he always made sure to shun fabric whenever possible. He hardly pet his horse anymore either, and wondered if someday he could make his own metal horse that would be alive like Daedureth. He would name it Shadowbane... no, too common... he would find some strange name for it.

 

It would look like a metal statue until he called to it, and then the obsidian steed would ignite with black shadows; its eyes would turn red and its inner nostrils would drip hot metal. It would wildly toss its head and snort, sending sizzling metal spewing to the ground. It would stamp the ground with hooves so sharp they would pierce iron and scrape steel. If it lost a limb, it would regrow it. If it was stabbed in the heart, it would consume the weapon that stabbed it. And so Jahanshah slept, dreaming such simple dreams and forgetting of all his responsibility and the dreams of his Queen and his mother and his kingdom. For one night, he was no longer a prince but a simple child.

[Rakashua]

Kai could have sworn that those moments between asking Noe and her answer were the longest of his life. He honestly wasn't sure if she'd say yes, though it made sense, it did seem fast, but he didn't know what else to do. What was the point of just knowing that you loved someone and they loved you back, in a way neither of you had ever experienced... and not decide to make it a commitment.

 

Kai of course didn't realize the benefits of a long relationship, getting to know someone, he simply figured that that was part of the deal, getting to know someone better, and that it would go smoothly, a dangerous assumption to make, but to him, not.

 

Then she nodded, and finally spoke the word... yes... yes she would marry him, she agreed.

 

And then Ayame spoke up, honestly Johan hadn't even noticed the creature man, he had been so absorbed in Noe that he'd really not noticed much of anything the last few minutes.

 

He quickly thought over what he knew, trying to figure out what Ayame wanted... and then he remembered what Aketsu had done with the king.

 

"Ayame, I would like to ask for your... for Noe's hand in marriage, if you would see fit that our union would be one of love and care in harmony till death do us part, then I ask that you grant this request." He said, elegantly in the voice Aketsu had used earlier.

 

But his mind was also on other things, he couldn't help it, thinking about everything... it just happened. It would be dangerous now that he cared about Noe so openly, for him and Aketsu and Isa and Noe... the dynamics of the group would change. But it would also bring them a harmony, he knew that himself and Noe would now work together in ways they never could have before, and that would give them an advantage considering how well their elements matched.

 

Still... he needed to call a meeting to discuss this first hing in the morning, before they headed out, it was important enough to delay for.

[BlueApollo]

((Okay guys! I'm gonna try to jump back in to this! Seriously...two days and I'm already really far behind...>_>))

 

Luna

 

Zepheena, Isis, and Loren left ahead of Luna, walking towards the camp so that the new pair could be fully introduced. Luna opened her mind again, letting the voices of everybody's thoughts drift to her, but she kept them at a low volume like the soft buzz of a bee. She of all people was not comfortable with Zepheena. Letting them into the camp only seemed to spell out disaster in her mind. She didn't know what was wrong with Zepheena, but she was getting a terrible vibe from the girl. Odd...Luna found it ironic that she should be nervous around a Light Elementian. They were supposed to be those good healer people that never strayed to the path of darkness. Why, then, was she so suspicious?

 

Luna looked up at the sky, a few clouds still swirling around and shrouding many of the stars from sight. She couldn't stand up to the others. There was just no way that she could summon up the courage to tell anyone. Even if she could she knew that she would stutter her whole way through her explanation. That would just look foolish, and nobody listened to a fool. She sighed and decided to make her way back to the camp.

 

When she finally entered the firelit clearing, Isis and Zepheena were already settling. Luna's heart sank a little. She didn't mean to feel so averse to them (in fact, she thought Isis was rather nice), but the fact that nobody else had noticed anything wrong with Zepheena put her on edge even more. What if they noticed too late? It would be her fault if Zepheena did anything to hurt them. It was then that Luna decided she would pay extra attention to the girl. She'd just have to listen in on every thought the girl had for any warning signs. It would be a dull and tedious task, but hopefully it would reap results. With that resolution in mind, Luna took a seat next to the fire and close her eyes, letting the light dance in a sightless world of her own.

[Nasa13]

Eirikr

 

"Mole rat hmm," said Eirikr as he heaved himself up of the ground. " Now that is a new one. Oh well, good night Yuaki Xa. You may want to call that fearsome beast in before she goes and chomps someones head off."

 

This last bit he said with a chuckle before walking off, again. What use did Terrans really have for royalty. They couldn't even lift a stone, much less do any kind of real work. At the thought of a noble working in the quarries was enough for him to hoot with laughter.

 

"A noble doing work," he broke into laughter again. "That's about as likely as a sheep being blue."

 

He went off cackling to himself. When he managed to calm down he settled against a tree and promptly fell asleep. Would they still trust him if he was gone in the morning?

Edited January 31, 2012 by Nasa13

[jaina]

Cielo

 

Cielo was quick enough to switch to defense with the attack from Nerio. She quickly swept the spheres surrounding her into a sheet surrounding her that quickly absorbed most of the droplets that had been launched at her, though some still pierced through to splat into her. In quick reply, she launched the entirety of her shield at Nerio. The water went forward as a massive surge, a wall of roughly five feet high by seven feet wide. "Try to keep up, Nerio," Cielo called as she sent the water at him. She was quickly gathering more water to form new protective spheres about her body.

[gistofeverything]

((been gone since page 18... Got some catching up to do! As Celeste.))

 

Celeste

 

Night had fallen over their camp. Night was the cloak that gave her her element of profession. Unlike the others, she preferred to sleep outside and weather the elements for whatever they might be. It also gave her some solitude away from the others. Time as well. Time to reflect on her choices. Near-silently, she slipped away from the camp into the *forest, I think it is*, and she looked at her new surroundings.

 

Dew had fallen over the plants and grass, making them glisten in the moonlight. This made the scenery sparkle. It was innocent, and elegant. Soon, there was a small clearing. She walked into the center, and pulled out her staff from her thigh. She elongated it to its full length, forty-eight inches. It was almost as tall as her, which is why she chose this as her weapon. It gave her great versatility and agility.

 

Her weapon aside, she started to concentrate. Slowly, but surely, the dew gravitated towards her staff, and started to gently clued across its smooth surface. However, when it started to coagulate at the tip, she lost her concentration, and it all fell apart. She softly cursed, and plopped down in the grass, and stared up into the moon, deep I thought. What if I'm no good to anyone? All I am is a simple Water elementian, while Jahan has power beyond one's wildest dreams! Am i just a bother to the team? Jahan didn't even believe in her - he told Skylar and I to 'get out in a hurry' if the going gets tough. He doesn't even think I can fight!She envied this - not everyone had his power, and it was people like him that got people thinking that the Shadow Alliance was the supreme power of the land.

 

It was just the way things were. She couldn't do anything to change it... A tear fell down her cheek. She layed down in the moonlit grass, silently lamenting at what her life should have been like, but never would be.

 

((She's going to stay here until morning. Interaction?))

[Silver_Voices]

Isis nodded understandingly, but he grinned at the same time. "Honestly, we might not carry anything with us, but we can fight." He quickly selected a seed from the pouch and threw it on the ground, and it quickly grew into a thorny vine. It takes time to describe it, but the actual process took a mere second. "I can influence the growth speed and direction of any plant, so the whole forest is my weapon." He lifted Zepheena's limp hand. "And when she's in full strength, she can summon orbs of light that will absorb a person's energy. Not enough to kill them, but enough to exhaust them or confuse them." He sighed. "I don't know about her, but this is what I was trained for. I'd gladly serve my kingdom to whatever end."

 

 

Edited January 31, 2012 by Silver_Voices

[LadyNatasha]

((Jahanshah shall interact with Celeste :3))

~Jahanshah~

 

Jahanshah was awoken by a sniffling sound, a sound he had become quite sensitive to--the sound of someone just barely crying. He was sensitive to it because on many nights he had heard his own mother sniffle in such a way, and he had found that whenever he came and talked to her she felt better although he never knew why she was sad in the first place. But this wasn't his mother--the voice was higher and softer and sadder. Jahan quickly realized it was Celeste; Aamina never cried and Skylar was somewhere with Marcus. Jahanshah found it strange that Celeste would be crying, since she had seemed content up to this point. He hadn't ever really talked to her he realized, and perhaps it was best he got to know her or at least know why she was upset. He crawled out of his tent and stood. He cautiously followed the sound of the crying until he came upon Celeste. She was laying in the grass, her back towards him.

 

Jahan sighed quietly and walked up to her, sitting down about three feet to her left and staring at the moon. He had no idea what to say, so finally he thought of the simplest thing he could; "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare? Did someone hurt you?" Sincerity covered his innocent face and he looked Celeste in the eye, truly concerned. His father had taught him that a leader should always be concerned about their team's health, be it physical or emotional. His father had said that people became weak in body and aged faster if they were emotionally unhealthy, and when Jahan had asked what made them emotionally unhealthy his mother had blurted that when they were sad or very angry they weren't healthy. Celeste appeared to be sad now, and Jahan had no clue why.

 

~~~

 

~Aketsu~

 

"Honestly, we might not carry anything with us, but we can fight." Aketsu nodded; he didn't doubt two lone travelers could fight, for why would they travel alone if they couldn't? He was impressed at the speed with which Isis grew the seed into a thorn vine and how sharp it was. "I can influence the growth speed and direction of any plant, so the whole forest is my weapon." Now Aketsu wondered why Isis was telling him this. He's traveling to the coast, isn't he? Surely he wouldn't wish to join us on our quest...? Not that Aketsu would mind, of course; in his opinion, the bigger the better so long as every member could spar and get along.

 

He wouldn't mind having a group of thirty, if they could all work in unison and all knew how to follow a few simple rules. It was the 'special loner' type of person that really bothered him, the person that thought for some reason they were above everyone else and were just good enough to hang out with the group but too good to follow simple rules and directions, too good to train with everyone else. Aketsu couldn't understand those people or what they thought was so great about themselves, especially if they were only around his age. He could understand the Beast-people's wish to keep their abilities private; they were probably ancient and far beyond the talent of the Elementians they traveled with. They had likely seen more death in one day than Aketsu had seen in his life. But when young men and women paraded around as though the world sat under their feet--allowing others to pity them and keeping their little secrets--it was those people that bothered Aketsu. Certainly if Isa had been like that he would have respected her for her royalty but would have had no interest in spending the rest of his life with her. He especially was annoyed when peasants behaved in such a way. He had only met six people in his entire life who constantly behaved in this strange way, but none of them were currently with his group and so he was content.

 

"And when she's in full strength, she can summon orbs of light that will absorb a person's energy. Not enough to kill them, but enough to exhaust them or confuse them." Aketsu blinked back to the present as Isis spoke, and he nodded curiously. That was a useful ability, very useful for getting captives and assisting the team. Not everyone could be up front doing the blaster damage; someone had to weaken the enemies first. "I don't know about her, but this is what I was trained for. I'd gladly serve my kingdom to whatever end." Then Aketsu finally smiled and leaned back a bit. "Are you saying you wish to join us? We aren't headed directly for the coast; we're going to skim past Cumulus and head towards Whisper, if we can find it, but first we are going to intercept a group of Shadow Alliance travelers who appear to be armed and heading towards Cumulus as well. There will very likely be fighting, but we are in all honesty on a mission to stop a war before it starts. The Shadow Queen grows restless and wishes revenge on King Aslano of Solis, and all the Light Alliance. Do you truly wish to risk your life to help us? If so, I would be honored to have you... but only if your companion also agrees."

 

Aketsu looked at Zepheena curiously. He couldn't tell if she was a sort of adopted-sibling to Isis or if they were in a more romantic relationship, and he decided not to ask. One thing was sure, though; if Zepheena didn't wish to fight, she would need a companion to accompany her on her journey and so Isis would have to leave with her. Aketsu couldn't just let her travel on by herself if she didn't wish to join and Isis did, but he had a feeling Isis wouldn't leave her to travel alone either way. Content, he turned back to Isis and awaited an answer.

[LoveLost]

Nerio almost screamed like a little girl when Cielo sent her wall of water and Leith did the same. “Not fair!” he shouted at them as he ducked down and covered himself with a quickly formed, and not very well formed, shield that covered him on both sides. When he stood up he was soaked to the bone and an angry grin was on his face. “Leith, not cool.” He glared at his brother who was laughing for once instead of always being so quiet. “Oh, but it was….buwaaaaahahhahahahaa!!” Leith was surprised though when his brother shot off the water from his body and sent a large water ball towards his brother, but then in an instant, swung the ball around towards Cielo in a quick movement. Leith was shocked that his brother would be able to pull the momentum like that, but he did.

 

Noe looked at Ayame expectantly and waited for him to respond but it seemed as though he was putting it off to keep the two of them tense. “ You do realize that the two of you have only known each other for a week and a few days? That is hardly enough time to form a bond that will last decades, perhaps even centuries. However, as I look at you two, I can’t help but feel the elements and the earth agreeing to your requested bond. For, “ he chuckled softly “I do not think that there is any others that could stand you two.” He meant it fondly but Noe frowned slightly in her frustration with how long it was taking Ayame.

 

Hye paused once more before smiling at them and transforming into his griffin form. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the fire and once they had, he walked around to where they were standing to look down upon them. His feathers ruffled as he took a deep breath and as he breathed out upon them, it seemd a though it were not the breath of a meat eating monster, but instead the breath of the elements coming upon them and refreshing their spirits and bodies. “You both, have my blessing.” With that, Ayame turned away from them and with a powerful swoop of his wings, he ascended into the air where he would watch over the camp for the night.

 

Noe looked after Ayame for a moment, then turned towards Kai and looked up at him, a searching feel to her gaze. Was Kai as happy as she was? Was he really going to love her as his wife and not as a servant? Would he consider her a woman and not a girl?

 

Once skylar had fallen asleep, Marcus also started to feel himself drift off into the unknown. But before he did, he lit a small fire beside him that wouldn’t harm the grass or them if they touched it in their rest. The small flame was like a watch dog and would wake him if anyone new or with a hostile nature approached them. “Good night Sky.” He muttered before finally laying back completely on the grass and falling into blissful sleep.

[Silver_Voices]

Isis nodded affermative. "I want to defend the kingdom. If this group fails the mission to stop the war, then fighting will ensue all over the world. We will have to fight in either case." He reached up and plucked an apple from the tree. "If we join the group, you will have a better chance of succeding. If we depart and your group fails, we will have a higher chance of being attacked and overcome. It's in both of our interests that we join." He took a bite, chewed and swallowed before speaking again. "I'm sure Zepheena will see it that way as well, only..." He sighed and looked pleadingly at Aketsu. "Can I be honest with you? Fully?"

[LadyNatasha]

~Aketsu~

 

"I want to defend the kingdom. If this group fails the mission to stop the war, then fighting will ensue all over the world. We will have to fight in either case." Aketsu listened to what Isis said and was surprised at the young man's wisdom and care. Surprised, and pleased. He hadn't really thought of it that way, but it made sense and was as good an argument as any."I'm sure Zepheena will see it that way as well, only..." Aketsu sensed the change in Isis' voice and frowned slightly. "Can I be honest with you? Fully?"

 

"Of course," Aketsu answered immediately. After all, it wasn't like anything Isis could say would be outrageous unless he was a spy from the enemy. Kai already had a 'Shadow Alliance Element' and there were members with more than one element, so Aketsu figured Isis had nothing to hide. But Isis' voice itself and the pleading look in his eyes made Aketsu wonder what he had to speak of. "Please do."

[BlueApollo]

Renzo

 

Renzo let a tiny bolt of lightning flicker in his hand like a deadly candle. The light illuminated his face and the area around him just enough for him to make his way through without hitting anything. He levitated a few feet off the ground, relaxing in his flight as he let the electromagnetic currents carry him on his meandering path. He yawned. It was getting late. The moon was high and he could already feel the sensation of sleep tugging at his eye lides, begging for the blanket of his skin to cover his eyes for the night. Just a little further he thought to himself over and over again. He was dreadfully bored with no one around to entertain him, and his hands were constantly twitching with the the electricity that coursed through him.

 

His silver eyes caught a flicker of a fire being lit in the distance. If he knew anything about the Shadow Alliance it was that only a Fire Elementian could light a flame like that. Renzo grinned. Finally, some entertainment at last! He dropped himself to the ground and hastened towards the campsite, lightning still flickering in his palm just in case he came across any unnecessary trouble.

[Silver_Voices]

"Of course, Please do."

Isis checked to make sure Zepheena was still asleep. "Zepheena's father... He is a Fire Elementian. When she was a child, her father was all she knew. While she was at the academy, he was arrested in Sola. She disappeared for a few weeks, and when she came back, she got a notice announcing his death. Well, I found out that he wasn't dead, in fact, she went to the prison and helped him escape. I asked her about it, and she told me that she wanted to go find him. Well, that's why we are here in the first place." Isis rubbed his hands together, trying not to burst out with his fears, the worst possible scenario. He opted for the simpler dilemma. "If she was in a situation where she had to fight her father in battle... She wouldn't be able to do it. But he would kill her, without a doubt."

[LadyNatasha]

~Aketsu~

 

Aketsu listened to Isis tell about Zepheena's past. It didn't sound like he was saying Zepheena had any ability with fire, but obviously her parents hadn't come from the same background and for a moment he wondered what had happened to her mother. "Well, I found out that he wasn't dead, in fact, she went to the prison and helped him escape. I asked her about it, and she told me that she wanted to go find him. Well, that's why we are here in the first place." Aketsu frowned, searching Isis' face. He glanced at Zepheena, then looked back at Isis. "If she was in a situation where she had to fight her father in battle... She wouldn't be able to do it. But he would kill her, without a doubt."

 

Aketsu nodded and thought for a moment. Then he smiled. "Then I guess it's best you join us. She'll never have to fight him alone in a group our size--certainly we could get her out of his way and take him out if necessary. Besides," on a more positive note, "what's the chance we'd meet up with him anyway?" Aketsu also asked it because Isis sounded afraid they would meet up with him. "He's not searching for her," referring to Zepheena, "is he?" If he was it would make things a bit more complicated, but it wasn't anything the group couldn't handle. Aketsu had confidence in the talents and dedication of the Light Group, White Knights, Peace Warriors... Aketsu couldn't think of a good name for them and shrugged to himself. He had confidence in his friends.