Echo of Nothingness (EON III) Continuation

For now this thread will be in the main subforum, however I'll move it when we have the time to create the proper hierarchy (after my finals) for subforums.

Clinging to his pillow, resembling a despondent child, Zach side eyed the door Natsumi had disappeared behind. He suddenly realized he was alone in a room of strangers, even Umi had been in his company less than a day and a half. His gaze returned to the others, Shina's question still lingering in the still atmosphere. His heart suddenly yearned for solitude, that hot coffee would be nice too.
He felt it much to late to answer the first part of her question, as the confidence he had been harboring had abandoned him in the meager span of a moment. What was the phrase about fair weather friends? He gave Shina a sheepish, lopsided grin and a shoulders-only-shrug.

In a pleasant turn of events Duke's quip derived a sincere laugh from Zach, making him forget his anxieties for just a moment.

"Somebodies gotta show 'em up." He snickered, his voice quickly dropping as Shina and Orion conversed over him. Zach's golden eyes shifted from one to the other as they exchanged words, his eyelids drooping. They both had silvery white hair... wild. Shina spoke her next words to him and he tried not to look completely bummed.

"Yeah, your brother and I had an... altercation earlier." He met her eyes, "I look a lot better than I did an hour ago if that says anything." He tried not to think of how August had absconded without even a short healing session from Umi.

Orion managed to stay calm, despite Shina's rising challenging tone. Her refusal to advertise her charity on her 'off' hours said a great deal about the type of person she was. When really thinking about it, what was the one thing avid charity owner's all had in common? A genuine desire to do good, and a longing to spread word of their cause so that others would join them. The only desire he'd seen from her up until that point in their meeting had been her attempt to kill her now quite sociable companion. He'd give her credit where it was do, she was a remarkable actress. Probably the best he'd ever come across. However, her setup had obviously been rushed. Unknowingly causing her to leave several holes in her performance.
After all, why would a women willing to kill on behalf of her cause only minutes before not even be willing to talk about it in the moment?
Moreover, why hadn't the duke finished her off when her hemophobia had surfaced?
Why were they so friendly towards each other after a brawl to the death?
As Shina skillfully evaded the topic of conversation and turned it to her brother, the teenage boy found a wisp of a smile tug at the corners of his lips. It seemed that their whole family was rather amusing. Especially in their shared struggle to treat others as equals. While August simply knew he was more powerful than those around him, his sister carried an air of arrogance about her. Acting as if her mere curiosity deemed her worthy for an immediate answer to appease her. In a sense, she came off as a typical spoiled rich girl.
"You have your reasons for being here, I have mine. My business with August is none of your concern." Orion finally retorted nonchalantly, turning his gaze to the bathroom door as it swung open.

"What's going on?" Umi inquired with a yawn, gently running a towel around her damp scarlet hair as she walked over to the corner of the room to heat up the teapot on the counter. "Want a cup before bed guys?"

Pausing a moment as he glanced back at Shina, Orion slowly stood and opened the door. "Umi accidentally rented a room to many, the one straight across from us. Why don't you two stay in it for the night? These two have to get some rest. The last of Natsumi's​ training is in the morning."

"Yayyy." Umi replied sarcastically, while slowly raising her fist into the air before adding the tea leaves into her pot and then eyeing the pot until the tea was done. "Alright, all done! Liss made that package and left in in the group bag, so I'll bet it's great! Ironically she manages the tasks of a typical housewife like a pro, doesn't suit her at all though."

[Lnna - Water Warlord]
Glaring as the young girl seems to disappear from view, having dodged the mass wave of snow. Glaring as she allowed snow to blare and whiten the air, slowly gazing around her as Liss monologue, 'Family trait...' Lnna surmised from the earlier stories her Master would tell her and the others about the Heroes of the Second Seishitsu War.

She listened to the girl go on about how her parents suffered at the hands of the world and why they should bother with having cared about all the deaths and not avenging them. "Truly selfish reasoning, your parents are no better than those who killed your grandparents if all they decided to do was treat the world with a blind eye to suffering." she noted, glaring as a blade was held to her neck, "We suffered as well, at the actions of Jove. Abandoned by the world as well. Now...we plan to do our best to help this world be rid of him, and ease the pain of others who have felt similar pain." She turned her head to look back at the girl, her pale icy blue eyes filled with a righteous animosity, "Cause unlike your parents...who, whether they wanted it or not...they took on a duty the moment they stood against Jove...and they failed." The air began to sting at the girl with a frightening cold snap.

Liss gave her a chance to leave all of this behind her and give up, seemingly contemplating this she smirked "...No, I think i'll take my chances..." in a flash, the blade at her throat was coated in ice, keeping it blunted. With the risk gone, Lnna twist around and in a fluid motion whips her hand forward, forming her own knife out of ice as she slashed at Liss while leaping back "My masters' identity was no secret, we've just been informed to see how long it took for you to figure out. But to go further on your question...I will not abandon the woman who saved me and raised us all, I'd be no better than your parents. I will see this through to the bloody end, all for the sake of my master, and the world. And no need to worry about the children at the village..." she made a small gesture as an explosion of ice erupted from the ground at her "The one who will win is I, Lnna Bronnislava!"

[Judah - Earth Warlord]
The great Warlord of the Sandy plains of Nil merely, shook his head at the group before him. "Don't say I gave you a chance to run..." he grinned as he burst out in laughter, "Come on little fire mage! Your pathetic lukewarm flames are nothing compared to the blazing sun of Nil!" he roared as he caused a sandstorm to form around him, the sand mixing and choking the flames around them.

Surprised by the sudden paralysis of the one girl. He had a odd sensation wash over him from looking at her 'This feeling...' he thought as he tried to recall it, before his eyes widened at the sudden realization "Zofia!?" he asked himself as Sahara decided to join the fray, he grinned slightly "I don't know where you're getting that power from, but its reminding me of the Sand Witch..." he spoke as tendrils of sand began to worm there way up in columns around him. "But I think this is going to be a lot more exciting!" he chuckled as he grinned a wolfish grin, before his expression fell, and he readied himself to attack "Sorry Cassy, but they don't plan on backing down...I'll be taking on yet another sin!" with that the columns all erupted forwards at the three.

"I'll take you all down!" he yelled, '...For them...'. The Warlord lowered himself down as he paced his hands on the ground "Oi! you called me a terrorist, right? By from my point of view...my actions are no different than what Zofia herself did!" He pointed out as the sands began to vibrate, multiple earthen spikes erupted adding to the pressure of being targeted by the sand pillars blasted at them. "Hehehe, do you know the amount of Blood and corpses are behind her? Her kill count is miles longer, and filled with far more innocent blood, then mine!" he roared as he grinned "...Sounds like to me I'M the real hero here!"

Judah was really at an advantage here, Judah had all the sand in this damn desert to use as his weapon. He believe in Sahara's ability though, but Iggy didn't have enough water to work with... and Rohan didn't inherit the earth seishitsu from his dad. No he got something even more powerful than that. His flames were dying out from the sand covering them and all Rohan did was step back a few feet to get away "My fire may not be as hot as the sun... yet, but I'm sure as hell that it's hotter than lightning!" He yelled out and his whole body was consumed by his flames. Growing bigger, brighter and hotter, enough to withstand the sand and even start melting it into glass.

Iggy really didn't know what to do in this situation, all the water he was carrying was almost gone. The closest body of water was miles away from them, and he doubts that there's an oasis nearby too. He just stood there looking around trying to find a solution, that when he noticed something... it was small but it could work. Even if you Judah was from Nil, everyone had to sweat... that could be his backup plan if the first didn't work. What he was really aiming for was the small cloud that was coming their way, it was about a mile away but it could be his only chance of helping. For now all he do was block the incoming attacks, and dodge them "I got a plan Rohan!"

Rohan quickly glanced at him and gave him a small nod of approval. He let his flames die for the incoming attack and yawn as Judah kept yapping about something "Hey I'm not saying that Zofia is a saint, I know what she has done" Rohan stood still as Judah began his next attack. He wasn't going to move at all "And do you know the amount of f*cks I give about her kill count?" He said, Rohan raised his right arm in the direction of the sand puller and spikes, the palm of his hand started glowing with a white light.m, and from there a Kiko beam was shot. A small one but just enough to counter his attack "I don't care about this hero crap, you threaten my family then you're as good as dead... oh I forgot to tell you. Since our first fight I've been only using fire, I wnated to give you a chance" he said very confidently with a cocky grin on his face "come at me"

DannyGirl~ wrote:Orion managed to stay calm, despite Shina's rising challenging tone. Her refusal to advertise her charity on her 'off' hours said a great deal about the type of person she was. When really thinking about it, what was the one thing avid charity owner's all had in common? A genuine desire to do good, and a longing to spread word of their cause so that others would join them. The only desire he'd seen from her up until that point in their meeting had been her attempt to kill her now quite sociable companion. He'd give her credit where it was do, she was a remarkable actress. Probably the best he'd ever come across. However, her setup had obviously been rushed. Unknowingly causing her to leave several holes in her performance.
After all, why would a women willing to kill on behalf of her cause only minutes before not even be willing to talk about it in the moment?
Moreover, why hadn't the duke finished her off when her hemophobia had surfaced?
Why were they so friendly towards each other after a brawl to the death?
As Shina skillfully evaded the topic of conversation and turned it to her brother, the teenage boy found a wisp of a smile tug at the corners of his lips. It seemed that their whole family was rather amusing. Especially in their shared struggle to treat others as equals. While August simply knew he was more powerful than those around him, his sister carried an air of arrogance about her. Acting as if her mere curiosity deemed her worthy for an immediate answer to appease her. In a sense, she came off as a typical spoiled rich girl.
"You have your reasons for being here, I have mine. My business with August is none of your concern." Orion finally retorted nonchalantly, turning his gaze to the bathroom door as it swung open.

"What's going on?" Umi inquired with a yawn, gently running a towel around her damp scarlet hair as she walked over to the corner of the room to heat up the teapot on the counter. "Want a cup before bed guys?"

Pausing a moment as he glanced back at Shina, Orion slowly stood and opened the door. "Umi accidentally rented a room to many, the one straight across from us. Why don't you two stay in it for the night? These two have to get some rest. The last of Natsumi's​ training is in the morning."

"Yayyy." Umi replied sarcastically, while slowly raising her fist into the air before adding the tea leaves into her pot and then eyeing the pot until the tea was done. "Alright, all done! Liss made that package and left in in the group bag, so I'll bet it's great! Ironically she manages the tasks of a typical housewife like a pro, doesn't suit her at all though."

Sammich wrote:Clinging to his pillow, resembling a despondent child, Zach side eyed the door Natsumi had disappeared behind. He suddenly realized he was alone in a room of strangers, even Umi had  been in his company less than a day and a half. His gaze returned to the others, Shina's question still lingering in the still atmosphere. His heart suddenly yearned for solitude, that hot coffee would be nice too.
He felt it much to late to answer the first part of her question, as the confidence he had been harboring had abandoned him in the meager span of a moment. What was the phrase about fair weather friends? He gave Shina a sheepish, lopsided grin and a shoulders-only-shrug.

In a pleasant turn of events Duke's quip derived a sincere laugh from Zach, making him forget his anxieties for just a moment.

"Somebodies gotta show 'em up." He snickered, his voice quickly dropping as Shina and Orion conversed over him. Zach's golden eyes shifted from one to the other as they exchanged words, his eyelids drooping. They both had silvery white hair... wild. Shina spoke her next words to him and he tried not to look completely bummed.

"Yeah, your brother and I had an... altercation earlier." He met her eyes, "I look a lot better than I did an hour ago if that says anything." He tried not to think of how August had absconded without even a short healing session from Umi.

Disinterest was suspiciously crawling onto her face, her head occasionally turned elsewhere, aware of Zach's momentary glances and Orion's hard stares, yet none kept much of her attention until Orion spoke out. Though once the words have left Orion's mouth, Shina felt as if she was being provoked or almost mocked, not many people refused her even the slightest of answers and this man had just done that, It's not my business to know my brother's affairs? Being evasive. Lets play your game then.

Her mouth twisted into a sour smile, she'd already thought of a response, "If me knowing how you've met MY family and why you're overly annoyed at THEM is none of my business then I can assure you that my line of work is not yours." Despite the defensive nature of her response, she was intrigued why Orion so persistently refused her an answer, yet she didn't wander for too long as the answer was as clear as their hair, What secret are you hiding? Why are you hiding it?

Though the tension was broken by Zach's laugh which seemed to ease her slightly as she had broken her stare from Orion just to look at Zach, yet his response had not stopped her eyes from rolling back, "Of course" Pushing herself, she dusted her skirt with her hands, "I don't know who's the bigger fool, you or him. Training or not, beating someone up is just going to prolong it all. Fight someone who wields an element which compliments yours. Speaking of complimentary elements, my mother had told me of one of her few encounters with your mother, Zofia. Your mother, a wielder of the sand element and my mother, fire and water. How your mother produced a beast which stood higher than this building with assumingly impressive strength. Though my mother, a fool, stood beside the man which had seemed to marvel her. Even when he nearly killed her, but that's not the point, the point is that because their elements were complimentary, they managed to create a new form of element for your mother to wield, glass." Curiously, she spoke harsh words for the most part, yet there was some sincerity in them, she wanted to hear legends of heroes which together fought with glass as an element, that'd be one she wouldn't forget., "Though, don't bite the hand that feeds you, if he wants, he could've killed you and had it not been for our damned father, the true gods know what would be of his powers now" A sigh of exhaustion escaped, this side of hers always came out, it felt cheap and unnecessary but she simply would explode would it not be for a rant.

There came another, Natsumi's bubbly personality wasn't particularly welcome at this moment, with Shina more angry than she led the rest to believe but stressing the redhead would not ease the matters, "Not much, me and Duke were preparing to leave since we don't want to keep any of you awake any longer" she had addressed the fact that Orion had went to the door, "I'd like a cup, please." Duke requested after receiving a glance from his companion.

For a couple of seconds, Shina stood in silence with her head slightly dropped, concentrating on the wild fire within her, with the door opened she felt like a tigress, ready to run free with the elements, to gracefully manoeuvre herself from obstacles and to pounce on anyone who had dared to cross her but now? She felt like a timid kitten, disgracefully domesticated into a slave of humanity or well, gods if you please. Showcasing her contasting feelings, she moved towards a table, glancing at the door across to see the number of the room.

Reaching out, she slipped her fingers around the keychain, taking the keys as her hand retreated back to her, "Duke, grab the tea and let's go." Barking out orders, she looked around the room to see if she had something else to take but there was nothing and with that, she took strides with pride, her chest pushed out for posture, yet she stood softly on her feet which she usually had bare, never making much noise when carrying herself around, "I wish everyone a great night, thank you for the hospitality" Thanking, she turned to Orion who was holding the door, pulling at the ribbon in her hair, the ribbon untied and the hair appeared a bit longer and messier. Though that was not the point, as a more sinister smile took host of her mouth, she took her place beside Orion and tied the ribbon around his head, "Cute, suits you" Chuckling, she walked out of the room, blowing a kiss for over exaggeration, awaiting for Duke.

Duke waited eagerly for the tea, and once it arrived he chugged it down, "This Liss may be good at making the tea, but your brewing makes it better, I thank you for the tea, Zach for his humour and Orion for his help. I apologise for the Vermilion and hope you have a good night"

Sammich, post: 1907396, member: 34476 wrote:The woman's lips pursed, she'd hoped Takumi would keep it quiet about her good service to the stranger. She didn't need anyone thinking they owed her anything. Jove forbid. Luckily the fellow didn't seem like the type. Kamila crossed her arms and continued to observe through half lidded eyes.

Until the stranger spoke his last name, a name that made her stomach lurch. Her brows inclined, before resuming her resting face a moment later, hoping they hadn't noticed. A Siopelos? Probably kin of the Hero's. Of course. Had to be related to a Hero, as if one wasn't enough for her to deal with. Her worries only cemented as they spoke of a destroyed village. How could chaos be genetic??

She snorted at his sarcasm, "Oh yes, looked like a blast." And then fell completely silent again.

derekjay2000, post: 1907845, member: 25031 wrote:Takumi listened to Leios exchange his one sided pleasantries, knowing that such things were not in the girls nature to be polite. Having met her sometime after the cataclysmic events in Fuji...he has learned to expect certain things from her. One of them was that she disliked others knowing about her actions, no doubt he annoyed her with that bit of information that he released. However, lying wasn't in his nature...and forced him to make it clear when people needed to be commended, '...Damn Temple Teaching...' he thought to himself, before Leios returned his attention to Takumi.

At his thanking, he looked down slightly embarrassed "Well, yes...I couldn't leave you there" He spoke as he ran a hand through his hair. His mood did however change when Leios recalled the village, frowning as he glared at the man "...I'm sorry? is a village being destroyed funny..." he voice lined with agitation, his gaze hardening "Is the fact that the people's homes and livelihood being demolished what you get a kick out of!" Takumi slowly allowed his annoyance take over him...his magic flaring up as the wind began to pick up slightly, "...Do you think people suffering as they watch as their homes, livelihood, and memories are burned and destroyed funny!?" Raising his voice as he approached the stranger, Takumi was going to continue, but was cut off by a sharp pain in his head. The memories of that day, standing amid the destruction of his home...the temple he grew up in, the bodies of the priest and fellow friends surrounding him. The warm sensation of his own blood running down his face and arm felt vividly real. Shaking his head, Takumi pinched the bridge of his nose as he regained his Barings, looking up...he noticed a few people staring. Sighing he straightened up putting off the sudden fatigue he felt in the presence of others "Forgive me...I...don't know what came over me" Apologizing as he turned and went to Kamilla's side again. Taking a deep breath, and clearing his throat, he refaced Leios after gaining his composer back '...Gotta be strong, Takumi...for them...'.

"Anyway, you said Siopelos was your name?" He sighed, he hated when people brought up his lineage to the Heroes. It somehow felt even more agitating hearing it from another, supposed, Child of Heroes. "I see. Yes, my mother is the hero Eve Skyslayer...I believe that makes you...Danyell and Kios' child? my mother spoke of them..."

Leios couldn't help but crack a small grin at Kamila's pun that lingered until Takumi began to scold him. He waited silently for Takumi's small outburst to finish and Leios was quick to defend himself after he finished, "I understand your grievances, but the village was already in the process of being destroyed by the person I fought. Even worse, they were going after the people in that village. I specifically made sure no one got caught up in our fight." Leios sighed and rubbed his temples before continuing, "...that being said, you're correct that I wasn't really thinking about the village. I had my own reasons to fight her, but I suppose I could have been a bit more mindful of what I trampled on in order to do so, even if it was a nest of criminals."

Leios leaned on some crates, regaining some of the color in his face in the process. He could sense the apprehension from Takumi as he responded to the 'Child of a Hero' comment, causing him to rethink his approach before speaking again. "Yes, I am their child. I'm not very surprised Eve has spoken of my parents, though I know that our parents did not depart from each other on the best of terms. However, I don't care much for what went down between them and it won't affect how I think of you either."

Standing up before moving on to the next topic Leios said, "Let's get back to the business at hand. I'd greatly appreciate if you two could point me to a guide that would take me to Nil. I'm not the best with directions so I'd probably get myself lost in that desert. The sooner the better however, because there's a face I really need to punch."

DannyGirl~ wrote:Orion managed to stay calm, despite Shina's rising challenging tone. Her refusal to advertise her charity on her 'off' hours said a great deal about the type of person she was. When really thinking about it, what was the one thing avid charity owner's all had in common? A genuine desire to do good, and a longing to spread word of their cause so that others would join them. The only desire he'd seen from her up until that point in their meeting had been her attempt to kill her now quite sociable companion. He'd give her credit where it was do, she was a remarkable actress. Probably the best he'd ever come across. However, her setup had obviously been rushed. Unknowingly causing her to leave several holes in her performance.
After all, why would a women willing to kill on behalf of her cause only minutes before not even be willing to talk about it in the moment?
Moreover, why hadn't the duke finished her off when her hemophobia had surfaced?
Why were they so friendly towards each other after a brawl to the death?
As Shina skillfully evaded the topic of conversation and turned it to her brother, the teenage boy found a wisp of a smile tug at the corners of his lips. It seemed that their whole family was rather amusing. Especially in their shared struggle to treat others as equals. While August simply knew he was more powerful than those around him, his sister carried an air of arrogance about her. Acting as if her mere curiosity deemed her worthy for an immediate answer to appease her. In a sense, she came off as a typical spoiled rich girl.
"You have your reasons for being here, I have mine. My business with August is none of your concern." Orion finally retorted nonchalantly, turning his gaze to the bathroom door as it swung open.

"What's going on?" Umi inquired with a yawn, gently running a towel around her damp scarlet hair as she walked over to the corner of the room to heat up the teapot on the counter. "Want a cup before bed guys?"

Pausing a moment as he glanced back at Shina, Orion slowly stood and opened the door. "Umi accidentally rented a room to many, the one straight across from us. Why don't you two stay in it for the night? These two have to get some rest. The last of Natsumi's​ training is in the morning."

"Yayyy." Umi replied sarcastically, while slowly raising her fist into the air before adding the tea leaves into her pot and then eyeing the pot until the tea was done. "Alright, all done! Liss made that package and left in in the group bag, so I'll bet it's great! Ironically she manages the tasks of a typical housewife like a pro, doesn't suit her at all though."

Voca wrote:
Disinterest was suspiciously crawling onto her face, her head occasionally turned elsewhere, aware of Zach's momentary glances and Orion's hard stares, yet none kept much of her attention until Orion spoke out. Though once the words have left Orion's mouth, Shina felt as if she was being provoked or almost mocked, not many people refused her even the slightest of answers and this man had just done that, It's not my business to know my brother's affairs? Being evasive. Lets play your game then.

Her mouth twisted into a sour smile, she'd already thought of a response, "If me knowing how you've met MY family and why you're overly annoyed at THEM is none of my business then I can assure you that my line of work is not yours." Despite the defensive nature of her response, she was intrigued why Orion so persistently refused her an answer, yet she didn't wander for too long as the answer was as clear as their hair, What secret are you hiding? Why are you hiding it?

Though the tension was broken by Zach's laugh which seemed to ease her slightly as she had broken her stare from Orion just to look at Zach, yet his response had not stopped her eyes from rolling back, "Of course" Pushing herself, she dusted her skirt with her hands, "I don't know who's the bigger fool, you or him. Training or not, beating someone up is just going to prolong it all. Fight someone who wields an element which compliments yours. Speaking of complimentary elements, my mother had told me of one of her few encounters with your mother, Zofia. Your mother, a wielder of the sand element and my mother, fire and water. How your mother produced a beast which stood higher than this building with assumingly impressive strength. Though my mother, a fool, stood beside the man which had seemed to marvel her. Even when he nearly killed her, but that's not the point, the point is that because their elements were complimentary, they managed to create a new form of element for your mother to wield, glass." Curiously, she spoke harsh words for the most part, yet there was some sincerity in them, she wanted to hear legends of heroes which together fought with glass as an element, that'd be one she wouldn't forget., "Though, don't bite the hand that feeds you, if he wants, he could've killed you and had it not been for our damned father, the true gods know what would be of his powers now" A sigh of exhaustion escaped, this side of hers always came out, it felt cheap and unnecessary but she simply would explode would it not be for a rant.

There came another, Natsumi's bubbly personality wasn't particularly welcome at this moment, with Shina more angry than she led the rest to believe but stressing the redhead would not ease the matters, "Not much, me and Duke were preparing to leave since we don't want to keep any of you awake any longer" she had addressed the fact that Orion had went to the door, "I'd like a cup, please." Duke requested after receiving a glance from his companion.

For a couple of seconds, Shina stood in silence with her head slightly dropped, concentrating on the wild fire within her, with the door opened she felt like a tigress, ready to run free with the elements, to gracefully  manoeuvre herself from obstacles and to pounce on anyone who had dared to cross her but now? She felt like a timid kitten, disgracefully domesticated into a slave of humanity or well, gods if you please. Showcasing her contasting feelings, she moved towards a table, glancing at the door across to see the number of the room.

Reaching out, she slipped her fingers around the keychain, taking the keys as her hand retreated back to her, "Duke, grab the tea and let's go." Barking out orders, she looked around the room to see if she had something else to take but there was nothing and with that, she took strides with pride, her chest pushed out for posture, yet she stood softly on her feet which she usually had bare, never making much noise when carrying herself around, "I wish everyone a great night, thank you for the hospitality" Thanking, she turned to Orion who was holding the door, pulling at the ribbon in her hair, the ribbon untied and the hair appeared a bit longer and messier. Though that was not the point, as a more sinister smile took host of her mouth, she took her place beside Orion and tied the ribbon around his head, "Cute, suits you" Chuckling, she walked out of the room, blowing a kiss for over exaggeration, awaiting for Duke.

Duke waited eagerly for the tea, and once it arrived he chugged it down, "This Liss may be good at making the tea, but your brewing makes it better, I thank you for the tea, Zach for his humour and Orion for his help. I apologise for the Vermilion and hope you have a good night"  

Zach continued to gauge the exchange between the silvery haired duo. His eyelids were half closed, his expression seeming genuinely disinterested but his eyes were keen. His perception of Orion has been rocky at first, but pushing past the blatant envy and bias maybe there was something bigger to be concerned about. His mysterious motives with August took precedence, who would want anything to do with that guy? A mystery for the ages truly.
And then Shina began to address him directly. His eyebrows furrowed, not really sure how to process the her analysis of his actions. Well she's not wrong. He had not time to defend himself in anyway she jumped into another topic, his mom.
"Yeah she mentioned that once or twice, but she never really tells it like that." He laughed unenthusiastically. His eyes widened, "Are you saying you want to train with me? I'm confused." Her hypercritical words blended with her intrigue concocted the strangest mix of signals. He decided not to be perturbed by any of her criticism.
His inquiries were cut short as Umi reappeared. "Yes please!" He replied eagerly and raised his hand excitedly, it was no coffee but anything hot would do at this point. He laughed at Umi's analysis of Liss, "Yeah she doesn't seem like the type." 'And neither do you.' he almost said aloud. He didn't feel he had known the redhead long enough to make judgement on her character but something about her, he couldn't place it just yet.
He sipped his tea as Shina and Duke began to make their way to their own room. Zach wanted to question it but he feared he'd say something wrong and face the wrath of a Vermillion the second time in a day. So He quietly waved to Shina as she made her thanks and looked on in horror as she did... whatever that was. Shina came and went but Zach's gaze remained on Orion, his eyebrows upturned and eyes wide with fear, sympathy, and confusion.
"Yeah good night you two..." He said passively as the door shut behind them.
He was quiet for a few moments.
"Is anybody else... really... really lost right now."

Iskios wrote:

derekjay2000, post: 1907845, member: 25031 wrote:Takumi listened to Leios exchange his one sided pleasantries, knowing that such things were not in the girls nature to be polite. Having met her sometime after the cataclysmic events in Fuji...he has learned to expect certain things from her. One of them was that she disliked others knowing about her actions, no doubt he annoyed her with that bit of information that he released. However, lying wasn't in his nature...and forced him to make it clear when people needed to be commended, '...Damn Temple Teaching...' he thought to himself, before Leios returned his attention to Takumi.

At his thanking, he looked down slightly embarrassed "Well, yes...I couldn't leave you there" He spoke as he ran a hand through his hair. His mood did however change when Leios recalled the village, frowning as he glared at the man "...I'm sorry? is a village being destroyed funny..." he voice lined with agitation, his gaze hardening "Is the fact that the people's homes and livelihood being demolished what you get a kick out of!" Takumi slowly allowed his annoyance take over him...his magic flaring up as the wind began to pick up slightly, "...Do you think people suffering as they watch as their homes, livelihood, and memories are burned and destroyed funny!?" Raising his voice as he approached the stranger, Takumi was going to continue, but was cut off by a sharp pain in his head. The memories of that day, standing amid the destruction of his home...the temple he grew up in, the bodies of the priest and fellow friends surrounding him. The warm sensation of his own blood running down his face and arm felt vividly real. Shaking his head, Takumi pinched the bridge of his nose as he regained his Barings, looking up...he noticed a few people staring. Sighing he straightened up putting off the sudden fatigue he felt in the presence of others "Forgive me...I...don't know what came over me" Apologizing as he turned and went to Kamilla's side again. Taking a deep breath, and clearing his throat, he refaced Leios after gaining his composer back '...Gotta be strong, Takumi...for them...'.

"Anyway, you said Siopelos was your name?" He sighed, he hated when people brought up his lineage to the Heroes. It somehow felt even more agitating hearing it from another, supposed, Child of Heroes. "I see. Yes, my mother is the hero Eve Skyslayer...I believe that makes you...Danyell and Kios' child? my mother spoke of them..."

Leios couldn't help but crack a small grin at Kamila's pun that lingered until Takumi began to scold him. He waited silently for Takumi's small outburst to finish and Leios was quick to defend himself after he finished, "I understand your grievances, but the village was already in the process of being destroyed by the person I fought. Even worse, they were going after the people in that village. I specifically made sure no one got caught up in our fight." Leios sighed and rubbed his temples before continuing, "...that being said, you're correct that I wasn't really thinking about the village. I had my own reasons to fight her, but I suppose I could have been a bit more mindful of what I trampled on in order to do so, even if it was a nest of criminals."

Leios leaned on some crates, regaining some of the color in his face in the process. He could sense the apprehension from Takumi as he responded to the 'Child of a Hero' comment, causing him to rethink his approach before speaking again. "Yes, I am their child. I'm not very surprised Eve has spoken of my parents, though I know that our parents did not depart from each other on the best of terms. However, I don't care much for what went down between them and it won't affect how I think of you either."

Standing up before moving on to the next topic Leios said, "Let's get back to the business at hand. I'd greatly appreciate if you two could point me to a guide that would take me to Nil. I'm not the best with directions so I'd probably get myself lost in that desert. The sooner the better however, because there's a face I really need to punch."

The muscles in her back stayed taunt as Takumi began to speak again, they had just met he barely knew anything of her and her past but the anxiety rose in her throat as she could just see the words come out of his mouth. But they never did because though they shared experiences they were still strangers. Her eyes rolled as the Skyslayers voice rose, she offered Leios a knowing look but did not interrupt. Takumi was on edge but he had a good heart. The situation never escalated, Leios had more sense that she would have guessed.

She let them banter about their relatives for a minute, she looked at her nails, grimy and short, a bit of blood still staining her finger tips. "Look at you two, should start a club." She said with sarcasm and a little smile.

Her face knotted in irritation as the desert was mentioned, "Never been there." Her words were short, maybe too short.

Cherokee watched her girls open there presents from Adrienne with a bright grin spread from ear to ear. It was so refreshing to see her best friend again after so many years, she almost didn't know how to reach to the situation. She knew that things for Adrienne had been rough, especially considering her relationship with Jove. Not only had Jove's first child come from another women, last Cherry heard he barely paid her any attention at all... Something she had little to no hope had changed in the slightest. On top of that Jove failure to love his family had forced her children to distance themselves from their parents in order to find it in other forms. A burden that had weighed heavy on Adrienne's heart since her children were small. Yet here she was, showing her stable and far from poor family with gifts and affection despite her own tribulations. An act of kindness that left a deep mark on the red head's heart. Filling her with a warm, yet strange, sensation of both sorrow and love. Adrienne's dependence on serving those around her in her spare time was one of the most selfless acts Cherokee had ever had the pleasure of witnessing.
Honestly if their rules had been reversed she would've left her husband years ago, and hid herself away to protect herself from ever being hurt again. That was what she did best after all, running away from any problems that surfaced in her life. Luckily she had a husband that went out of his way to talk care of anything for her. When it came to having the best spouse, she'd pretty much won the lottery. "I'm so grateful for you." Cherry whispered to him with a soft chuckle, before giving him a brief kiss and turning back to Adrienne as she motioned for Kama to sit beside her.
Laughing brightly as Tsubaki eagerly pulled one of her new dresses on and Sango avidly scanned through her new book, the hyperactive ginger winked at her children before gently placing a hand against her swollen stomach. She couldn't wait to have another little bundle of joy in her life. "Alright girls, what do you say to Auntie Adrienne?" Reminding them gently with a soft smile, Cherokee nodded in encouragement before finally crawling off Adrienne's lap and on to Kama's.
"Thanks, Auntie!" Tsubaki cheered before tackling the dark haired woman with a hug, shortly followed by one from Sango. "Thank you, Auntie. I'll take good care of it." She promised formally as she pulled away before gently taking her younger sister by the hand and guiding her up the stairs. "I'll entertain her so you guys can catch up."
Cherry nodded in approval as she slumped back against Kama and watch them go, turning her attention back to her friend after they'd disappeared from view. "A present for me too? What kind of thing did you get me? I'm so excited to see it!" The ginger exclaimed in excitement while hoping up and down on Kama's lap slightly, like a young child waiting to receive candy from her parents. She couldn't wait to see what it was!

DannyGirl~ wrote:Cherokee watched her girls open there presents from Adrienne with a bright grin spread from ear to ear. It was so refreshing to see her best friend again after so many years, she almost didn't know how to reach to the situation. She knew that things for Adrienne had been rough, especially considering her relationship with Jove. Not only had Jove's first child come from another women, last Cherry heard he barely paid her any attention at all... Something she had little to no hope had changed in the slightest. On top of that Jove failure to love his family had forced her children to distance themselves from their parents in order to find it in other forms. A burden that had weighed heavy on Adrienne's heart since her children were small. Yet here she was, showing her stable and far from poor family with gifts and affection despite her own tribulations. An act of kindness that left a deep mark on the red head's heart. Filling her with a warm, yet strange, sensation of both sorrow and love. Adrienne's dependence on serving those around her in her spare time was one of the most selfless acts Cherokee had ever had the pleasure of witnessing.
Honestly if their rules had been reversed she would've left her husband years ago, and hid herself away to protect herself from ever being hurt again. That was what she did best after all, running away from any problems that surfaced in her life. Luckily she had a husband that went out of his way to talk care of anything for her. When it came to having the best spouse, she'd pretty much won the lottery. "I'm so grateful for you." Cherry whispered to him with a soft chuckle, before giving him a brief kiss and turning back to Adrienne as she motioned for Kama to sit beside her.
Laughing brightly as Tsubaki eagerly pulled one of her new dresses on and Sango avidly scanned through her new book, the hyperactive ginger winked at her children before gently placing a hand against her swollen stomach. She couldn't wait to have another little bundle of joy in her life. "Alright girls, what do you say to Auntie Adrienne?" Reminding them gently with a soft smile, Cherokee nodded in encouragement before finally crawling off Adrienne's lap and on to Kama's.
"Thanks, Auntie!" Tsubaki cheered before tackling the dark haired woman with a hug, shortly followed by one from Sango. "Thank you, Auntie. I'll take good care of it." She promised formally as she pulled away before gently taking her younger sister by the hand and guiding her up the stairs. "I'll entertain her so you guys can catch up."
Cherry nodded in approval as she slumped back against Kama and watch them go, turning her attention back to her friend after they'd disappeared from view. "A present for me too? What kind of thing did you get me? I'm so excited to see it!" The ginger exclaimed in excitement while hoping up and down on Kama's lap slightly, like a young child waiting to receive candy from her parents. She couldn't wait to see what it was!

Adrienne gazed at Cherry lazily, the happiness which Cherry was portraying was nearly non-existent in her own family yet during her own years, she still felt as though she lived a fruitful life with many upsides and downsides to each day, month and year. The two bestfriends had very contrasting lifestyles, perhaps thats what had made them so close in the first place, with their own very different problems, stories and memories to tell which kept each meeting just as interesting as the previous.

Her comrade was a dream come true to many wives, living under a respectable name with many roofs to cover her head, beautiful children which for the most part lived up to their parents' expectations and a dashing, caring husband whose embrace she could feel most nights and mornings - If he wasn't busy or away. She knew many women would kill to have a position like that, especially from the poor districts as Adrienne would often times spend her evenings talking to the less fortunate, discussing their lives and ways to help them and many times, she heard wishes which were a reality for her best friend. Yet Adrienne herself felt little envy, she knew that at many points in her life she could've went the other way, betrayed her beloved or simply have never snuck out that fatal night which changed the course of her whole life. Yet she remained at his side, during the battle, during the war and during the aftermath, she stayed for her love for him, perhaps it was an influence from her previous life which made her fall in love with him so heavily but despite the feelings that stirred inside of her because of his actions, she never left. She had wanted that lifestyle and all she could do is take it with pride and live with the consequences of her actions as happily and comfortably as possible.

Her gaze followed Cherry's which was directed at the children, the two little girls which expressed happiness in front of their parents. Adrienne always tried to bring August and Shina together so they could play with Rohan and Natsumi, yet for the most part, Jove objected - especially when it came to August. Adrienne knew that August was going to be his heir, so he must be strong enough to rule over Seiya and not repeat the mistakes his father had done, therefore such pleasantries were not permitted for her little boy - at least for the most part. MorningStar fell completely out of the equation when it came to pleasantries as in reality, MorningStar was a failure to Jove, he failed to live up to his father's standards yet Jove didn't discard of his bastard as easily as Adrienne thought. In fact, Jove was softer to MorningStar than she had anticipated, keeping him under his wing and eventually rewarding him an honorable title within the military. Whenever Adrienne got the chance to steal her children for an afternoon to spend time with them within their castle, Adrienne most times also took MorningStar with them, she knew the boy would have a difficulty growing up without a mother figure in his life and Adrienne tried to fill the void yet she never was too sure whether the boy appreciated it or not. Naturally, Adrienne bonded with Shina the easiest as it was her little girl, Jove at first had persisted in taking all of the children and training them on a daily routine yet once it was discovered that Shina was the weakest of the three, the policy had changed and Adrienne found her girl often spending her evenings with her maid and teachers rather than her father. This gave Adrienne a chance to shape the girl up into a lady rather than a warrior yet deep down she knew that the vermillion blood boiled inside of her, which meant that her thirst for thrill must be satisfied so as any mother with the power, she had made sure that Shina's personal maid had experience in fighting so the two could actively sneak into the battlements and train. As years passed, the children grew more independent and distant, their independence had revealed itself with their age, the first being Morningstar and last being August.

So where else would Adrienne find the joy of children? By giving what she had failed to give to her own, affection, gifts, attention and compassion which is why she adored visiting Cherry and Kama and taking care of their children, it filled a void in her heart which created itself over time.

Her eyes met the final destination, Kama. In many ways, Kama and Jove were similar in the simplest of ways, both men had pockets which had money falling out of them, respectable names which would get them places, rich family history and a desire to achieve what they wish yet the two men were so different too. Kama showed affection to his family as often as possible, he gave up his own addictions for his wife, spent time with the family as a whole and provided everything for his family. In many ways, Kama was the dream husband for many women; these women would do anything to take Cherry's spot and have their lives changed forever, yet despite what they would try, Kama would travel every corner of each region to embrace and have Cherry as a wife. Their love was undeniable yet Adrienne continued to feel no envy.

Perhaps she had grown delusional over the years but Adrienne cherished each moment she got to spend with Jove, their moments were short and sweet; often yearning for more yet it didn't matter how much she wished, it was Jove who made the final decision. Every time Jove gave up his time for his wife, he'd show her affection which would drag her back in. The man had cheated on her, yet she found herself to have forgiven him, perhaps it was not that the man had desire for the woman but desire for a respectable heir, something which hurt her pride at first but instead she took the shame; used it to her advantage. Many women would shone her, and be outraged in her position yet instead she took the child in as her own and anyone who dared to shame, she would silence with a scornful look. Openly, she wished for her husband to give her more time with himself yet her wishes were not often heard and her Vermilion pride made her head remain high and accept her fate rather than fight it.

Tsubaki's embrace had brought Adrienne back to reality, at first her expression blank with confusion yet now a smile had replaced the previous look, she held onto the girl tightly, "You're very welcome, both of you, little angels" She remarked as she smiled at Sango too, "Sango if you ever want to visit the royal library, just have me informed and I will invite you. Same with you Tsubaki, if you ever want to try on the royal dresses then tell your mother and I will take both of you" She chuckled with excitement, Adrienne adored children, they were the purest form of mankind, too fragile and impressionable.

Placing her hands on either side of herself, she pushed herself from the sofa; Crystal already handing the first gift to her lady, "This will quite possibly be some exotic herbs. They're herbs; remedies and recipes which I doubt you've heard of, I gathered them during my expeditions, I'm sure the greatest healer should have the best of resources for her patients" She beamed, placing the gift on Cherry's laps though the gift was rather big filled with many wonders inside, "Though the second is a little not appropriate for now, I had one of the royal tailors make a variety of clothes for each season, using the finest fabrics yet they must wait a little," Laughing awkwardly, she placed the second gift beside Cherry - or rather gifts as there were plenty. Though the last were two tickets, "Though luckily, I think this gift should compensate for the little failure. I've got two tickets to one of the most luxurious spas in Seiya, using elements from all regions. I was thinking you and Natsumi could have a day out yet it seems she's gone?"

After a moment of rummaging through his knapsack, the young black-haired man pulled out a single coin. “Broke again..” He whispered to himself, letting out a sigh afterwards. His journey to Kagutsuchi had drained his personal ‘savings’ and he once again found himself unable to purchase food or rent a room at an Inn. On top of that, he hadn't become accustomed to the climate yet, so he had become drenched in sweat. Knowing that he would need more money, Saiko began to glance around, trying to decide who would be the most “generous”. He didn't want target anyone especially wealthy just yet, so to avoid angering the more powerful families. Having good relations with powerful people could come in handy. He also didn't want to bother with any of the poor folk, so he knew he had to be very careful with this choice. He wandered for about an hour until he found what he was looking for. A young woman, barely an adult, had become his newest target. Or rather, the silver necklace around her neck had. He slowly made his way towards the woman until he felt he was close enough. He lifted his face mask to cover his face before quickly snatching the necklace off of her neck. With it in hand, he quickly darted off towards the nearest alley

(Thisll do)

As Aleah was minding her own business and was walking down the street she then felt a breeze brush past her. She then looked down at her chest in which she found her necklace missing. she rolled her eyes and sighed, she then went to go and get it. She ran as fast as she could but couldn't catch up to him, she then tried to find a way to catch him. she knew the place very well so she took a shortcut up on the roofs, as she was running on top of the roofs she was finally catching up to him. she looked down at him and huffed, she then went much faster and then jumped off and landed in front of him. she then pushed him against a wall, she was pretty strong for a short girl. "please hand over my necklace." she said plainly

With the door locked, her head turned to Duke in the hallway, lightly fistbumping his shoulder, "That went better than I expected" Laughing, she commented, the keys dancing around her index finger which was hula hooping the chain.

Rising his brow, Duke questioned her with his expression, "Are you sure? You didn't look amused when he refused you an answer." To Duke it looked like Shina would've broken out another fight yet she hadn't. The Vermilion already looked like a very strange family; he had only met one of them but perhaps it was just her expertise in hiding her motives? "Let's go down to the bar, I rather talk there than anywhere else, walls are paper thin"

---

Taking her place on a seat opposite her partner, she threw the keys to him which he instinctively caught and placed inside a pocket, "What'd you want to talk about?" Grinning, her elbows situated themselves on the table with her fingers interlocked with eachother; her chin resting on top of them, "How did you learn to act like that? I've seen a couple of plays in my not so longer life time, yet there was no one who didn't need a moment to get into character. So how did you do it?" Peering over at her cocky smile which spread even further after his question, "Well well well, it's time to dig into the past" Announcing, her head propped itself up from the support of her fingers which clasped themselves together, "In my more youthful years, after my father had stopped personally training me, my mother took the opportunity to start shaping me into a woman. This started with private lessons, etiquette, animal handling and foraging. Later they developed into cooking, dancing, horse riding, speech, hosting, singing and what not. I had a personal maid which was called Linnea, she stayed by my side most days, we actually looked very similar except features differed and her eyes were crimson whilst mine are purple regardless she trained me, combat wise and always covered for me. I had a mentor which was called Vain, I mean.." Breathing in, she laughed from reflecting on the past, " That was her nickname, her actual name was Vanessa but you must get the point why she was called that. Anyway, she had to make sure that the progress to me acting like a lady was progressing rather than, well not going anywhere. We also had a young animal master, he handled the animals, so naturally I saw him a lot, his name was Aeneas."

Sighing heavily, Duke interrupted Shina, "I think you're getting off topic, none of this seems to actually address my question other than the lesson part but even then there was no mention of any sort of acting." Reaching over the table, Shina placed her index finger over his mouth, quietly hushing him before returning back to her seat, fixing her posture, "Linnea, the maid, looked very similar to me, so our little mischievous souls took the opportunity to many times switch positions. Shina the maid and Linnea the princess, going around the castle, acting as eachother and seeing how many people we could fool. It was also a great way to find out what people thought about my family behind closed doors." Letting out a laugh in respect of the memories, "I wonder where she is now, but that's how my acting started out. It progressed with my Mentor Vanessa, which of course didn't like me doing things like combat, or being dirty from playing in the forest or where ever else. So here came more of my acting, trust me, it wasn't easy to convince someone that you totally didn't fall into mud because you were out in the forest. So overtime, I became better at explaining and changing the events of my day in word form. Now the Animal Master, he wasn't the only one, in fact he was an apprentice. Only 3 years older than me, and I liked him, very much."

Hearing her words, Duke's gag reflex reacted as he had chugged his drink down, leaning forward from the reaction with a hand over his mouth. Shina's expression turned to a black slate, her eyes widely open as she stared at him in some form of disbelief before laughing, "Yeah, aha" Duke still looked a little in disbelief as he observed Shina's awkward but somewhat genuine laugh, "This snowflake actually liked someone?" Teasingly, he asked with a chuckle to suit the atmosphere of their conversation, "I can't believe it either! But that's not the point, I was afraid of anyone finding out, even Aeneas himself, which made me always push myself to acting as if there was no kind of feeling. We are talking like 14 here, just to clarify, so the feelings were so so real" Emphasising on the 'so', she rolled her eyes in a sarcastic manner, "I think you kind of get the point though, I basically was self trained to be someone or do something I hadn't, which led me to here. I don't think I would ever manage any role in a melodramatic play"

Duke grabbed the mug, chugging some of the drink down before responding, "Yeah, Everyone has a specialty within a specialty, understandable, but it's rather late, want to go head to sleep?", Shifting on her seat, Shina awkwardly swatted her fingers at the air, "Oh no, I want to go on a walk, I'm not exactly tired so. You can go ahead, just leave the key in the creak of the door or something? Worst case scenario I will have to go to the desk for an extra key" Declining the offer, Duke nodded his head, pulling himself up from the table before waving at Shina; making his way to the stairs which remained hidden within the deep corridors.

Aimi99 wrote:As Aleah was minding her own business and was walking down the street she then felt a breeze brush past her. She then looked down at her chest in which she found her necklace missing. she rolled her eyes and sighed, she then went to go and get it. She ran as fast as she could but couldn't catch up to him, she then tried to find a way to catch him. she knew the place very well so she took a shortcut up on the roofs, as she was running on top of the roofs she was finally catching up to him. she looked down at him and huffed, she then went much faster and then jumped off and landed in front of him. she then pushed him against a wall, she was pretty strong for a short girl. "please hand over my necklace." she said plainly  

"Well, you see, that isnt going to work. Im afraid that Im gonna have to keep this, girly" He replied nonchalantly. He kicked her away and darted off once more. "This is tonights dinner!" He shouted behind him. Though, he wasnt even sure who would buy it or if it was even worth anything. He glanced around for a better escape route, but found nothing. He climbed the side of a nearby building, hoping he could lose her the same way dhe had previously caught him earlier. "You can get it back from the buyer though!" he shouted with a grin. Saiko jumped off of the roof a few houses away. Once he was out of sight, he jumped down a manhole, which led into a maintance tunnel underneath the city. 'I should be fine here...' He thought to himself

she sighed and got up, she went after him. He didn't lose her that easily, she then found the man hole. she then looked down into the hole " I see you" she said as she stood up. she then closed her eyes and started to move her hands in a specific way. Then the water down below the manhole started to moved slowly and then it started to move uncontrollably. The water then grabbed a hold of him, then the water and the guy went flying out of the manhole. Aleah then commanded the water with her hands to come to her, the water then brought the guy to her. it had a hold of him tight then you think, she grinned she then took her necklace back.

Sammich, post: 1898797, member: 34476 wrote:A man of opportunity Zachariah's brows eased a moment, the concern fallen from his face as he corrected Danyell on her statement. "I'll have you know Mrs. Siopelos I am in a long term relationship with my job, we're going on twenty-five years now~" His eyes gleamed with a patriotic pride and he gave the married couple before him a wink. "But point taken." His expression wavered back into creases, his age showing as Danyell divulged the details of his nephew.

He allowed himself a slight exhale of relief, classic Zach, playing the hero. But as he listened the stone in his chest grew heavier. Zachariah swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming on his brow, "Mrs. and Mr. Siopelos, I am going to assume you spent only a short time with my nephew..." He continued with an eerily even tone, "because I assure you he went with them. He wouldn't back out, not after that. Zach is going to get himself killed. Omygod my sister is going end me. I feel it, an ominous force sucking away my life energy already. Soon she'll be back to finish me off." While he was partially worried, partially serious and partially being dramatic for humorous effect to lighten the situation, the feeling he described was sincere. Maybe it was the topic of conversation, the daunting new threat on the horizon, the two whole hours of sleep he had gotten the night previous, maybe it was because he was stashed in a library underground while everyone else was out risking their necks against numerous threat. He rubbed his face pulling back the skin, making it seem gaunt.

"I think I am going to be ill."

Kios jokingly said, "Well your sister can't kill you if she dies first. Though Zach might very well get himself killed...probably not by a lack of preparation, but more of a clumsy moment like tripping and falling off of a cliff. If we were to look after him for a bit would that be satisfactory?"

DannyGirl~, post: 1905823, member: 15225 wrote:"Pride or no, you knew something was wrong and you abandoned your family!" Danyell roared, her fingertips shaking as she pulled them into a closed fist. Her breath fell heavy. The fire in her eyes far from an illusion as she held Kios' gaze in a hard glare, though it only lasted but a moment before her eyes fell closed. It took a few moments, however the middle aged woman managed to her breathing and pull herself back together. Iskios was a lot of things, though he was far from being the type of man her father was. He wouldn't turn his back on those he loved, rather he had an odd manner of portraying his confidence in there abilities. Eventually grunting in reply to his latter comment, the tall brunette stiffly nodded in agreement. "It was... Strange, to say the least. Though I think it shows some growth on Jove's behalf..." The mere thought caused a small smile to form in the corners of her ruby lips, hope swelling within her as she pondered back on her decision all those years ago. Perhaps this was a sign that such a choice hadn't been made in vain.

Pulling from her inner thoughts as Kios warned Zach of his resemblance to herself, a small spark of anger once again began to glow within her warm brown orbs. "I'm right here Iskios! What a way to speak of your wife." She grumbled lowly while crossing her arms under her chest in a huff. All those years and nothing had really changed between them. They still fought like, well, an old married couple, Kios was still an idiot, and Danyell still couldn't imagine loving anyone else. Even if he indirectly insulted her from time to time. "Don't listen to Kios, Zach WILL be fine. So you don't have to worry... And congratulations I suppose. Though I'm not sure how you'll be able to spend the anniversary with a career."

Danyell turned back to Kios as he continued on to the main topic at hand, pausing a few moments before gently shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not really certain, though I don't see why he'd help us if he was involved with our attackers. On top of that he was just a kid, seemed to be around Leios' age." Dismissing the subject once he'd done so, the fiery brunette found herself far more concerned with his next topic of conversation. She had been so caught up in finding her husband that she overlooked her children's suspicious behavior. Lissandra hated shopping. Leios had never been with the others when they left. "Oh no..."

Brushing her fears aside as she enjoyed the warmth of Kios' arms around her, Danyell chuckled softly in reply to his apology. "I know you wouldn't, I'm sorry too. Not hearing from you sent me into a panic." She admitted in a quiet huff as he pulled away from her, her gaze following his broad frame back to the library's shelving. Honestly she didn't understand how he always remained so composed. "Wait Kios-" She protested weakly, though silenced herself as he continued on about all they had to do. On one hand he was right, Fuji needed help. Logically speaking that should be their first concern. An entire continent had suddenly been turned to Ash and rubble, that wasn't something that just happened naturally... The few survivors that had managed to avoid the tragedy needed help rebuilding, and the one responsible needed to be unveiled before they repeated their actions. Something much greater than the warlords were at play... Moreover Zach must've really needed help regarding the conflict in Nil if he'd called in Kios. That wasn't something he normally did for kicks and giggles. Keyword in that statement being 'normally'.

However on the other hand, Danyell was beginning to grow far more upset regarding the welfare of her children. It was selfish, putting her own fears above the needs of an entire country... But she'd always been that way. Many didn't understand why Danyell allowed her emotions to take complete control of her thoughts, and maybe deep down she didn't truly know a way to answer the question herself. All she knew was at that point it was instinctive. It had never lead her astray.

"Hold on just a minute, the children didn't go anywhere! They are just shopping!" A loud growl escaped her as she attempted to reaffirm both her companions and herself, though the swift pulse pounding against her chest made it clear that she was failing to do so. "S-Shopping... They hate shopping... W-Why did I fall for shopping?" Beginning to pace as the rooms temperature began to spike, courtesy of the flames rising from her long brown waves, the panicked mother found herself panting for air as she attempted to calm herself. Why was she such an idiot? Earlier she'd written the signs of in hope that she'd been wrong, though more Kios spoke of it the harder it became to deny her flaw. "I-I... I was so focused on finding you... We have to go stop them! They're going to get themselves killed!" She added to Zach's worry, tugging on her ponytail in her usual nervous habit. In that moment she knew exactly what she needed, a voice of reason.

In her youth she'd turned to Ren to solve her inner conflict, though those days seemed so long ago. Over the years she'd found another person to rely on in times of trouble, so that Ren had the time he needed to heal. Whether or not he was actually as helpful, really depended on the subject a hand.

Turning to her husband with large pleading eyes, Danyell mentally begged him for guidance. Something that happened fairly often in the Siopelos' home, when she was upset about something that wasn't Kios himself. "I'm going to kill them, I really am. Then they'll be grounded forever. Literally." The grave comment escaped her lips in something of a threatening manner, fire beginning to light the depths of her chestnut orbs as she began to be consumed by her anger. If only she hadn't blasted off after Kios... Even if it had been the first time he'd ever forgotten, it was not an unreasonably difficult task to write a letter explaining that he was heading out to the library. Or for him to tell her in person, heaven forbid.

Kios patted Danyell on the head to soothe her, "I have a lot of faith that our kids are going to survive long enough so that you can kill them. They may be rash like we used to be but we've taught them well and they're both self-sufficient enough I believe." He began to walk towards the stairs that lead back up to the surface before continuing, "If they find themselves in need of some help or direction, the first place the kids would go would be here. At least Leios would and I'm pretty sure the other teens also know about the Library even if they've never been here before." Kios summoned some of his Dark Seishitsu and sent it towards the mechanism that kept the entrance to the library locked, unbinding it temporarily. "That means that the best thing we can do for them now is to stay here and leave the door unlocked for them. In the meantime we can continue trying to find ways to improve the Nil situation."

(It's really short but I wanted to at least get something out there for Kios finally, I might add more later xD)

Derekjay2000 wrote:[Lnna - Water Warlord]
Glaring as the young girl seems to disappear from view, having dodged the mass wave of snow. Glaring as she allowed snow to blare and whiten the air, slowly gazing around her as Liss monologue, 'Family trait...' Lnna surmised from the earlier stories her Master would tell her and the others about the Heroes of the Second Seishitsu War.

She listened to the girl go on about how her parents suffered at the hands of the world and why they should bother with having cared about all the deaths and not avenging them. "Truly selfish reasoning, your parents are no better than those who killed your grandparents if all they decided to do was treat the world with a blind eye to suffering." she noted, glaring as a blade was held to her neck, "We suffered as well, at the actions of Jove. Abandoned by the world as well. Now...we plan to do our best to help this world be rid of him, and ease the pain of others who have felt similar pain." She turned her head to look back at the girl, her pale icy blue eyes filled with a righteous animosity, "Cause unlike your parents...who, whether they wanted it or not...they took on a duty the moment they stood against Jove...and they failed." The air began to sting at the girl with a frightening cold snap.

Liss gave her a chance to leave all of this behind her and give up, seemingly contemplating this she smirked "...No, I think i'll take my chances..." in a flash, the blade at her throat was coated in ice, keeping it blunted. With the risk gone, Lnna twist around and in a fluid motion whips her hand forward, forming her own knife out of ice as she slashed at Liss while leaping back "My masters' identity was no secret, we've just been informed to see how long it took for you to figure out. But to go further on your question...I will not abandon the woman who saved me and raised us all, I'd be no better than your parents. I will see this through to the bloody end, all for the sake of my master, and the world. And no need to worry about the children at the village..." she made a small gesture as an explosion of ice erupted from the ground at her "The one who will win is I, Lnna Bronnislava!"

"They didn't turn a blind eye to Jove's acts, obviously, as they put a stop to it. Some are simply smart enough not to waste their lives away on futile revenge missions." Lissandra chuckled passively at the girl's misguided comment, deep down beginning to pity the supposed 'warlord'. That women... She'd done this to her disciples, twisted their emotions and feed them thoughts of a hopeless revolution against Jove from a young tender age. When really all they'd needed was a loving mother to help them let go of the past, and heal.

The fallen hero had lost her way indeed, to go as far as to drag those who trusted her down with her.

And all in the name of revenge, if even that. Perhaps she was after glory as well, a chance to take out a demigod and take his place as the unspoken overseer of the earth itself. In the end, it was hard to place exactly what she was after at that point. Too many years had passed since her parents, or anyone else, had made contact with her.

"Ease the pain of others? Jove has been at peace with this world for over 20 years, and now has an entire country that depends on him. Though I don't condone his parenting methods, that's the only thing I can currently give him any demerits for." Rolling her eyes as she shook her head in annoyance, Lissandra sighed in disappointment before continuing. "Until Jove chooses to return to a radical lifestyle, you warlosers are the only ones disrupting the peace. So far I've witnessed first hand destruction of a multi million gold piece property on you're behalf, and not the mention attempted murder and human endangerment. Though lets be honest, I'm willing to bet your group has taken many lives on their quest to gain power. That at very least warrants a life in prison, and by your own definition of justice a death sentence. Unlike Jove, killing you is actually an achievable task."

"My parents succeeded in what your master would never have thought was possible, and to be brutally honest do to her extremist points view, never could've done. They changed Jove's mind about humanity. Your master is bitter because in the end, she was no hero at all. She failed. Her quest was to kill Jove, my parent's was to end the war. Which was accomplished in the end?" Chuckling bitterly as the air grew stiff, the young women paused as an icy chill came over her. It was clear then that Lnna had made her choice, though her reaction to that decision hadn't been what even Liss herself had expected it to be.

As the girl refused her verbally, Lissandra found herself shaking. Her hands twitching at random by her sides as a genuine fit of laughter fell from her crimson lips. Practically beaming with joy as the blonde whipped around and slashed out at her, the auburn haired girl put to practice the most important thing Ren had taught her. Never run away from an obstacle, no matter how much power divides you. Though in this case she had to admit, she was greatly underwhelmed. Based off her earlier conversations with the doctor, she'd expected the women you carry herself with carefully planned attacks. However up until that point into their battle Lnna's fighting style mirrored that of Judah's. Leaving her to believe they'd learned it from a women who fought using the same tactics herself.

Catching the blade made from icy her bare hand, the usually collected young women's smile only grew as scarlet streams slowly tickled down her hands and the blade turning to steam due to the extreme heat radiating off her body. She glazed down at the cut with a gaze slightly sentimental, remembering all years she'd spent researching in the library and then training in the forest. Every single day pushing her limits, and learning how you control her darkness Senshitsu without her father's help. Not that she wouldn't have excepted it, though her father seemed to stray away from the thought of both she and Leios mastering advanced darkness techniques. Something that confused, yet didn't dieter her. Though all of her experimenting had been for no true reason save to keep up with you family up until that point, things were about to change. She didn't know if she'd ever face another battle like this, each side so set on their ways that anything could happen, and that excited her in ways she couldn't quite describe.

"That first hit was a free, but now you'll have to work for it." Lissandra explained confidently as she wiped her hand against her shirt, cringing slightly as Lnna addressed herself in the same manner as Rohan usually did. So she was delusional as well as dysfunctional. In attempts to defeat Jove, the warlords had become the same type of people that he used to be. As ice shot up from the ground beneath her, Liss flung herself back onto the first spike to break from the ground. As she stood atop the fragile fixture, the girl waited patiently as the danger slowly melted away beneath her feet. It had taken her a few minutes, but she'd finally come up with a plan that should carry her safely threw that battle. If executed correctly, of course. Timing would be everything for the next short lengths of her life until the fight ended. "Determining who is worthy to live and who should die..." Lissandra began softly as she ran her blunt blade through the earth beneath her in short quick bursts, her tone serious as she glared over to Lnna. "That was what Jove did, 20 years ago. In attempts to defeat him, your group has replaced him! Rebuilding his purpose!" Launching towards Lnna at a remarkable speed thanks to the flames shooting from the back of her feet, the previous arena fighter smirked as the ice on her blade melted away before striking out at the girl's stomach while using her other scorching hand to try and choke her. Either way, Lnna was going to get burned. Just being near the wild girl was hot enough to hurt, and definitely discouraged close proximity at all costs. "Who gave you that right?! Do you warlosers think you're some kinds of gods?! Deciding the worth of a life?!"

Voca wrote:With the door locked, her head turned to Duke in the hallway, lightly fistbumping his shoulder, "That went better than I expected" Laughing, she commented, the keys dancing around her index finger which was hula hooping the chain.

Rising his brow, Duke questioned her with his expression, "Are you sure? You didn't look amused when he refused you an answer." To Duke it looked like Shina would've broken out another fight yet she hadn't. The Vermilion already looked like a very strange family; he had only met one of them but perhaps it was just her expertise in hiding her motives? "Let's go down to the bar, I rather talk there than anywhere else, walls are paper thin"

---

Taking her place on a seat opposite her partner, she threw the keys to him which he instinctively caught and placed inside a pocket, "What'd you want to talk about?" Grinning, her elbows situated themselves on the table with her fingers interlocked with eachother; her chin resting on top of them, "How did you learn to act like that? I've seen a couple of plays in my not so longer life time, yet there was no one who didn't need a moment to get into character. So how did you do it?" Peering over at her cocky smile which spread even further after his question, "Well well well, it's time to dig into the past" Announcing, her head propped itself up from the support of her fingers which clasped themselves together, "In my more youthful years, after my father had stopped personally training me, my mother took the opportunity to start shaping me into a woman. This started with private lessons, etiquette, animal handling and foraging. Later they developed into cooking, dancing, horse riding, speech, hosting, singing and what not. I had a personal maid which was called Linnea, she stayed by my side most days, we actually looked very similar except features differed and her eyes were crimson whilst mine are purple regardless she trained me, combat wise and always covered for me. I had a mentor which was called Vain, I mean.." Breathing in, she laughed from reflecting on the past, " That was her nickname, her actual name was Vanessa but you must get the point why she was called that. Anyway, she had to make sure that the progress to me acting like a lady was progressing rather than, well not going anywhere. We also had a young animal master, he handled the animals, so naturally I saw him a lot, his name was Aeneas."

Sighing heavily, Duke interrupted Shina, "I think you're getting off topic, none of this seems to actually address my question other than the lesson part but even then there was no mention of any sort of acting." Reaching over the table, Shina placed her index finger over his mouth, quietly hushing him before returning back to her seat, fixing her posture, "Linnea, the maid, looked very similar to me, so our little mischievous souls took the opportunity to many times switch positions. Shina the maid and Linnea the princess, going around the castle, acting as eachother and seeing how many people we could fool. It was also a great way to find out what people thought about my family behind closed doors." Letting out a laugh in respect of the memories, "I wonder where she is now, but that's how my acting started out. It progressed with my Mentor Vanessa, which of course didn't like me doing things like combat, or being dirty from playing in the forest or where ever else. So here came more of my acting, trust me, it wasn't easy to convince someone that you totally didn't fall into mud because you were out in the forest. So overtime, I became better at explaining and changing the events of my day in word form. Now the Animal Master, he wasn't the only one, in fact he was an apprentice. Only 3 years older than me, and I liked him, very much."

Hearing her words, Duke's gag reflex reacted as he had chugged his drink down, leaning forward from the reaction with a hand over his mouth. Shina's expression turned to a black slate, her eyes widely open as she stared at him in some form of disbelief before laughing, "Yeah, aha" Duke still looked a little in disbelief as he observed Shina's awkward but somewhat genuine laugh, "This snowflake actually liked someone?" Teasingly, he asked with a chuckle to suit the atmosphere of their conversation, "I can't believe it either! But that's not the point, I was afraid of anyone finding out, even Aeneas himself, which made me always push myself to acting as if there was no kind of feeling. We are talking like 14 here, just to clarify, so the feelings were so so real" Emphasising on the 'so', she rolled her eyes in a sarcastic manner, "I think you kind of get the point though, I basically was self trained to be someone or do something I hadn't, which led me to here. I don't think I would ever manage any role in a melodramatic play"

Duke grabbed the mug, chugging some of the drink down before responding, "Yeah, Everyone has a specialty within a specialty, understandable, but it's rather late, want to go head to sleep?", Shifting on her seat, Shina awkwardly swatted her fingers at the air, "Oh no, I want to go on a walk, I'm not exactly tired so. You can go ahead, just leave the key in the creak of the door or something? Worst case scenario I will have to go to the desk for an extra key" Declining the offer, Duke nodded his head, pulling himself up from the table before waving at Shina; making his way to the stairs which remained hidden within the deep corridors.

Shina's gaze remained directed at the corridor in which Duke had disappeared for several minutes, she realised that she simply need some peace - Yet did she really? Her feelings were a mixture of a longing loneliness and yet she felt like pleading for Duke to come back, to keep her company. She felt addled, unable to identify the culprit in her very contrasting feelings, it felt unusual yet it intrigued her. Perhaps it was the human interaction which perplexed her so much, afterall she had disappeared from the face of the Earth for almost a year; before that making frequent trips to other nations which lasted over weeks at a time. I suppose a wolf can only operate one way; not both, she sighed, placing the palms of her hands on the table, her muscles tensed as she pulled herself from the previously occupied stool, trying to achieve it as gracefully as possible yet being too dazzled to function.

In response to her slow motions, a squeak of joy had graced her ears which caused Shina's face to momentarily scrunch up though fixing that as she attempted to pivot on the spot, only to be greeted by fragile arms around her waist, "You're the Princess of Seiya! You're Princess Shina" Squealed a youthful voice which was slightly muffled by the fabrics of her dress pressed against the girl's face, yet that simple action caused Shina's face to soften up. During her adventures outside of the castle in the earlier years, Shina was greeted by a similar title more frequently but as she grew older and her absence more common, many stopped addressing her by such title. Perhaps it's for the best, yet why now?, feeling quite puzzled, she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and lightly pushed the girl, kneeling infront of her, "It's not safe to run up to people you don't know, yet you are correct, I am" Feeling her throat run dry, she coughed before continuing, "Princess Shina" The girl's face lightened up, completely ignoring what was said by Shina previously, leaping at the White haired girl, wrapping her arms around her neck.

However this time, the girl pulled back quickly before a daunting expression had taken over, "I need to make it back to my parents however they live a couple buildings away. I'm too scared to go myself and you're the only person I recognise! Afterall a Princess can't be evil" The foolish mind of a young one, it made her sigh yet she felt a sense of responsibility, she had to make sure the girl had arrived safely. Devilishly, she smiled, grabbing hold of the girl's hand as she pushed herself up, "Let's go then!" She said, giving the girl a wink before running out of the building.

Derekjay2000 wrote:[Judah - Earth Warlord]
The great Warlord of the Sandy plains of Nil merely, shook his head at the group before him. "Don't say I gave you a chance to run..." he grinned as he burst out in laughter, "Come on little fire mage! Your pathetic lukewarm flames are nothing compared to the blazing sun of Nil!" he roared as he caused a sandstorm to form around him, the sand mixing and choking the flames around them.

Surprised by the sudden paralysis of the one girl. He had a odd sensation wash over him from looking at her 'This feeling...' he thought as he tried to recall it, before his eyes widened at the sudden realization "Zofia!?" he asked himself as Sahara decided to join the fray, he grinned slightly "I don't know where you're getting that power from, but its reminding me of the Sand Witch..." he spoke as tendrils of sand began to worm there way up in columns around him. "But I think this is going to be a lot more exciting!" he chuckled as he grinned a wolfish grin, before his expression fell, and he readied himself to attack "Sorry Cassy, but they don't plan on backing down...I'll be taking on yet another sin!" with that the columns all erupted forwards at the three.

"I'll take you all down!" he yelled, '...For them...'. The Warlord lowered himself down as he paced his hands on the ground "Oi! you called me a terrorist, right? By from my point of view...my actions are no different than what Zofia herself did!" He pointed out as the sands began to vibrate, multiple earthen spikes erupted adding to the pressure of being targeted by the sand pillars blasted at them. "Hehehe, do you know the amount of Blood and corpses are behind her? Her kill count is miles longer, and filled with far more innocent blood, then mine!" he roared as he grinned "...Sounds like to me I'M the real hero here!"

Naro wrote:Judah was really at an advantage here, Judah had all the sand in this damn desert to use as his weapon. He believe in Sahara's ability though, but Iggy didn't have enough water to work with... and Rohan didn't inherit the earth seishitsu from his dad. No he got something even more powerful than that. His flames were dying out from the sand covering them and all Rohan did was step back a few feet to get away "My fire may not be as hot as the sun... yet, but I'm sure as hell that it's hotter than lightning!" He yelled out and his whole body was consumed by his flames. Growing bigger, brighter and hotter, enough to withstand the sand and even start melting it into glass.

Iggy really didn't know what to do in this situation, all the water he was carrying was almost gone. The closest body of water was miles away from them, and he doubts that there's an oasis nearby too. He just stood there looking around trying to find a solution, that when he noticed something... it was small but it could work. Even if you Judah was from Nil, everyone had to sweat... that could be his backup plan if the first didn't work. What he was really aiming for was the small cloud that was coming their way, it was about a mile away but it could be his only chance of helping. For now all he do was block the incoming attacks, and dodge them "I got a plan Rohan!"

Rohan quickly glanced at him and gave him a small nod of approval. He let his flames die for the incoming attack and yawn as Judah kept yapping about something "Hey I'm not saying that Zofia is a saint, I know what she has done" Rohan stood still as Judah began his next attack. He wasn't going to move at all "And do you know the amount of f*cks I give about her kill count?" He said, Rohan raised his right arm in the direction of the sand puller and spikes, the palm of his hand started glowing with a white light.m, and from there a Kiko beam was shot. A small one but just enough to counter his attack "I don't care about this hero crap, you threaten my family then you're as good as dead... oh I forgot to tell you. Since our first fight I've been only using fire, I wnated to give you a chance" he said very confidently with a cocky grin on his face "come at me"

As Judah called out to her, addressing her as Zofia, Sahara found herself in too much of a hazy to reply. For some reason she couldn't quite place, the young woman could only summon her voice when both her and the Lady of the Waste's thoughts were in unison. Though it didn't seem to be the same in reverse. Though it had only been a few short moments since they'd joined forces, Sahara had already found her actual control in their situation be be rather skeptical to say the least. Although very faint, she could feel the Lady of the Waste's true desires beginning to seep into her thoughts. Being to influence her better judgement, though she did her best to brush it off in a mindful manner. One thing was certain though, the Lady's thirst for blood and the power that came along with defeating Judah was her main drive in that battle. Sahara could feel it racing through her, urging her to lunge at the warlord and ensure his demise with her own to hands. However she could never do that... She had to fight back against the Lady's desires until Rohan managed to end the fight.

Upon Judah's critique of the former hero Zofia, Sahara felt a slight annoyance coming from both she and the Lady. What did he know? He wasn't there. In fact, he probably wasn't even born yet. Waiting for any explanation from her new companion, who had actually been there, the emerald haired teen found herself sorely disappointed when only being met by silence. It seemed that she wouldn't be getting the full story anytime soon. However, Papa had already told her the tale of Zofia in her youth. It was common knowledge that at one point she'd fallen and sided with Jove on behalf of her people. Though that had only made Sahara like her story all the more, because it showed that she was human... And like everyone, she had a choice on whether or not to redeem herself and right her wrongs. She had, and devoted the rest of her life to helping those around her. That was reason enough to earn respect on Sahara's behalf, so she didn't appreciate Judah badmouthing the deceased hero. It was never wise to speak ill of the dead.

Mirroring Judah's movements as he summoned some of the sands to him, Sahara also created large spikes of sand to follow Judah's movement. Only then noticing the glass appearing at Rohan's feet due to the strength of his flame. That trick could be useful indeed. Nodding confidently as he challenged the warlord head on, the young woman found herself calming immensely as she waited for his move. She'd only known Rohan for a little over a week, however from what she'd seen he was both driven and capable. If anyone could defeat Judah it'd be him. "Go ahead, we'll ward off his attacks."

Sammich wrote:
Zach continued to gauge the exchange between the silvery haired duo. His eyelids were half closed, his expression seeming genuinely disinterested but his eyes were keen. His perception of Orion has been rocky at first, but pushing past the blatant envy and bias maybe there was something bigger to be concerned about. His mysterious motives with August took precedence, who would want anything to do with that guy? A mystery for the ages truly.
And then Shina began to address him directly. His eyebrows furrowed, not really sure how to process the her analysis of his actions. Well she's not wrong. He had not time to defend himself in anyway she jumped into another topic, his mom.
"Yeah she mentioned that once or twice, but she never really tells it like that." He laughed unenthusiastically. His eyes widened, "Are you saying you want to train with me? I'm confused." Her hypercritical words blended with her intrigue concocted the strangest mix of signals. He decided not to be perturbed by any of her criticism.
His inquiries were cut short as Umi reappeared. "Yes please!" He replied eagerly and raised his hand excitedly, it was no coffee but anything hot would do at this point. He laughed at Umi's analysis of Liss, "Yeah she doesn't seem like the type." 'And neither do you.' he almost said aloud. He didn't feel he had known the redhead long enough to make judgment on her character but something about her, he couldn't place it just yet.
He sipped his tea as Shina and Duke began to make their way to their own room. Zach wanted to question it but he feared he'd say something wrong and face the wrath of a Vermillion the second time in a day. So He quietly waved to Shina as she made her thanks and looked on in horror as she did... whatever that was. Shina came and went but Zach's gaze remained on Orion, his eyebrows upturned and eyes wide with fear, sympathy, and confusion.
"Yeah good night you two..." He said passively as the door shut behind them.
He was quiet for a few moments.
"Is anybody else... really... really lost right now."

Vocaloid wrote:Disinterest was suspiciously crawling onto her face, her head occasionally turned elsewhere, aware of Zach's momentary glances and Orion's hard stares, yet none kept much of her attention until Orion spoke out. Though once the words have left Orion's mouth, Shina felt as if she was being provoked or almost mocked, not many people refused her even the slightest of answers and this man had just done that, It's not my business to know my brother's affairs? Being evasive. Lets play your game then. 

Her mouth twisted into a sour smile, she'd already thought of a response, "If me knowing how you've met MY family and why you're overly annoyed at THEM is none of my business then I can assure you that my line of work is not yours." Despite the defensive nature of her response, she was intrigued why Orion so persistently refused her an answer, yet she didn't wander for too long as the answer was as clear as their hair, What secret are you hiding? Why are you hiding it? 

Though the tension was broken by Zach's laugh which seemed to ease her slightly as she had broken her stare from Orion just to look at Zach, yet his response had not stopped her eyes from rolling back, "Of course" Pushing herself, she dusted her skirt with her hands, "I don't know who's the bigger fool, you or him. Training or not, beating someone up is just going to prolong it all. Fight someone who wields an element which compliments yours. Speaking of complimentary elements, my mother had told me of one of her few encounters with your mother, Zofia. Your mother, a wielder of the sand element and my mother, fire and water. How your mother produced a beast which stood higher than this building with assumingly impressive strength. Though my mother, a fool, stood beside the man which had seemed to marvel her. Even when he nearly killed her, but that's not the point, the point is that because their elements were complimentary, they managed to create a new form of element for your mother to wield, glass." Curiously, she spoke harsh words for the most part, yet there was some sincerity in them, she wanted to hear legends of heroes which together fought with glass as an element, that'd be one she wouldn't forget., "Though, don't bite the hand that feeds you, if he wants, he could've killed you and had it not been for our damned father, the true gods know what would be of his powers now" A sigh of exhaustion escaped, this side of hers always came out, it felt cheap and unnecessary but she simply would explode would it not be for a rant.

There came another, Natsumi's bubbly personality wasn't particularly welcome at this moment, with Shina more angry than she led the rest to believe but stressing the redhead would not ease the matters, "Not much, me and Duke were preparing to leave since we don't want to keep any of you awake any longer" she had addressed the fact that Orion had went to the door, "I'd like a cup, please." Duke requested after receiving a glance from his companion. 

For a couple of seconds, Shina stood in silence with her head slightly dropped, concentrating on the wild fire within her, with the door opened she felt like a tigress, ready to run free with the elements, to gracefully manoeuvre herself from obstacles and to pounce on anyone who had dared to cross her but now? She felt like a timid kitten, disgracefully domesticated into a slave of humanity or well, gods if you please. Showcasing her contasting feelings, she moved towards a table, glancing at the door across to see the number of the room. 

Reaching out, she slipped her fingers around the keychain, taking the keys as her hand retreated back to her, "Duke, grab the tea and let's go." Barking out orders, she looked around the room to see if she had something else to take but there was nothing and with that, she took strides with pride, her chest pushed out for posture, yet she stood softly on her feet which she usually had bare, never making much noise when carrying herself around, "I wish everyone a great night, thank you for the hospitality" Thanking, she turned to Orion who was holding the door, pulling at the ribbon in her hair, the ribbon untied and the hair appeared a bit longer and messier. Though that was not the point, as a more sinister smile took host of her mouth, she took her place beside Orion and tied the ribbon around his head, "Cute, suits you" Chuckling, she walked out of the room, blowing a kiss for over exaggeration, awaiting for Duke.

Duke waited eagerly for the tea, and once it arrived he chugged it down, "This Liss may be good at making the tea, but your brewing makes it better, I thank you for the tea, Zach for his humour and Orion for his help. I apologize for the Vermilion and hope you have a good night."

 

“Aw, did Orion tell you that? He’s such a party pooper!” Natsumi pouted, though was secretly just as upset as she played out that she was. Though not the best at expressing herself, she sincerely had enjoyed seeing Shina again… The young redhead didn’t want to watch yet another friend leave again so soon. It seemed like the more time that passed, the more she was abandoned by those she counted on. Speaking both from past experience and current circumstances.
There was nothing she hated more than being alone.
“Oh, sure thing Sugar.” Snapping out of her thoughts with a slightly less enthusiastic smile than usually, Natsumi carried a glass over to both of the boys before pouring a cup for herself and taking a seat at Zach's side. His comment leading her to giggle softly. “I know right? And yet she’s got a knack for that kind of thing, organization and other motherly chores. She’d probably get more dates if she stopped harassing the local gangs, now everyone’s intimidated by her.” Sighing softly as she leaned back against the couch before letting out a yawn, the young maiden visually perked up in reply to Duke’s compliment. “No need to sweet talk me, Sugar. It’s not too hard to turn on a stove.” She replied quickly, though her beaming grin told how she really felt. Natsumi really was one who thrived on praise, and the attention it brought with it. Along with that she immediately took a liking to Shina’s companion, though she hadn’t seen his true colors yet.

As Orion held the door open for the two, his eyes widened as Shina suddenly marched up to him in a proud manner and did quite possibly the most unexpected thing that had happened to him that day. Staring down at her in confusion as she suddenly pulled her shining ribbon from her hair, Orion found his cheeks subtly warming up as her white curls fell down around her and she reached out the tie the ribbon in his hair instead. For a few moments her could’ve even process what had happened. What was she hoping to accomplish by giving him her bow? Then to follow it up she called him cute, and blew him a kiss before disappearing down the hall with Duke following after her. Had the ribbon been a token of her favor then? Though more importantly, were all women as forward as Delilah, Umi, Noel, and Shina?
Eventually turning back to his companions as he pulled the ribbon from his hair, studied it, and then gently placed it in his pocket, Orion slowly began to clear his throat before replying to Zach. “When it comes to women, I don’t think a true understanding can ever be found.” He admitted bluntly before leaning out of the doorframe and spotting another exit on the other side of the hall. “I’m going for a walk, but it’s late. You two stood get some rest, I’ll wake you up in the morning Umi.’ The young man addressed them professionally before disappearing into the hall and shutting the door behind himself.

“Oh boy…” Natsumi groaned sarcastically before standing up and stretching out. “Come on Zach, you heard him. It’s time to get some shut eye.” She prompted gently before finishing her tea and setting the cup aside before moving over to the bedside and flopping down onto the mattress. She was actually pretty beat, what a day.

***
Taking in a deep breath as he leisurely walked down the street, Orion found himself skimming over the events that had happened that day. For his first independent mission in several years, he wasn’t doing as thorough of a job as he used to. Honestly, his task had been so simple virtually anyone could’ve done it. Keep an eye on August. That was it, the entire summary of his task. And what had he done in one single day? Lost track of him. Why Jove’s son had suddenly run off was a little disheartening on Orion’s earlier assessment of the teen, however he stood by it regardless of that. August wasn’t a bad guy, and he wasn’t even found of his father… Whatever he was up to, Orion doubted that it could’ve been all that life threatening. To those around him at least. In regards to endangering himself, August did seem to be the reckless type. For the sake of increasing his power Orion held no doubts that the quarter god would put his own life at risk. If August was indeed capable of being killed that was. Orion didn’t know what the limits were to a demi gods immorality. Though since August was more human than god, he’d reason that he was in fact mortal himself. Though such was merely a hypothesis. There was no guarantee that August himself even knew the answer to that question.
Orion brushed all his analysis’ of his strange new acquaintance aside as he continued making his way down the street, and instead turned his thoughts to the other people he’d met that week. Natsumi was a bit ditsy on the surface, though after seeing that she possessed healing senshitsu he wondered what secrets the girl was actually hiding under her flirtatious grin. After all, only being able to summon water for healing and nothing else was impossible… Wasn’t it? That matter aside, out of all the women he’d met that week he felt the most at home with Umi. Her flirtings and overall demeanor reminded him something of Delilah, assuring him that the redhead was seeking attention rather than true affection. At least out of the people he’d seen her interact with thusfar. Such behavior was actually calming to him, almost like coming home after a long mission, however Natsumi wasn’t strong enough or self assured enough to compare to Delilah on the battlefield. Out of their group he reasoned the brief glimpse of how the Liss girl had carried herself had been the most similar, though it was hard to be sure without actually speaking to her. Despite that matter, Orion was actually looking forward to seeing what Umi could really do the next morning in training. Maybe he could help her reach Delilah’s positive qualities, since she possessed some of the same negative ones already.
Then there was Zach, who he was pretty sure disliked him for some reason or another. He couldn’t really place why that was, though secretly Orion was quite impressed with the brunette. The teen sure could take a beating, and showed great promise as a warrior if he kept up his training. His biggest downfall approaching that line of work would be the women. If Zach didn’t overcome his tendencies to make a good impression on every pretty girl who he encountered women like Delilah would get to him every time. Or at very least women like Natsumi, who seemed to be admittedly far more innocent than his sister. Professional matters aside, Orion saw both August and Zach as men he could come to his friends someday. If they’d give him that chance of course.
Last out of that group, there was Noel… While he was used to Delilah’s one night stands and other inappropriate behaviors, he hadn’t anticipated Noel as the type to kiss someone she’d only meet that day. While it was and interesting battle approach, Orion was slightly disappointed that his first kiss had been wasted in training. Originally he thought that it could’ve been a spark that lead to something greater between them, however he was beginning to realize that romance was much more complicated than it came across depicted in the few adventure books he’d read over the years. Then again, such works only added romance in on the side and most had been told through a man’s narrative. Perhaps reading something written by a women would help him understand them better. Though deep down he knew that he wouldn’t have time for such things with a job as demanding as his. Besides that, with the loss of her entire nation on her shoulders, Noel had other responsibilities to take care of from that point on. He doubted the group would see her again for quite some time. Meaning he probably wouldn’t see her again ever. Leaving him to go on the walk they’d planned all on his own… Though Noel wasn’t the most interesting girl he’d met that day.
Something was definitely up with Shina. The young women in many ways was a walking contradiction. A supposed charity worker who refused to advertise her cause? A snow like haired girl who had devoted herself to helping the less fortunate that was also armed to the teeth and obviously trained to kill? None of it quite added up. Then, on top of it all, she was a run away princess. The daughter of Jove who had abandoned both her father and his kingdom. Though he was more willing to keep his mind up in regards to the last oddity. If the rumors regarding Jove were true, Shina might’ve been doing what she had to in order to escape a bad situation. Gently pulling the girl’s purple ribbon out of his pocket as he pondered, Orion found himself once again debating what it had meant. Though he preferred to think of it as a favor rather than an insult, if that day had shown him anything it was that he didn’t understand women. However Shina’s stubbornness reminded him of Delilah, so perhaps she preferred to be forward as well. Either way, it seemed like a waste to toss it out. No matter the meaning behind her actions, he decided that he’d keep it. She had given it to him after all, that made it a gift. Though one poorly given, it was his first gift coming from someone besides his sister.
Glancing up to the road ahead of him, Orion’s red orbs widen upon spotting a familiar young women in a purple dress. Now missing a bow to accent her shimmering white hair. Though what really caught her attention was the small girl holding her hand beside her. What was going on? He definitely would’ve noticed a child in Shina’s company back during the brawl if there had been one. Which he was certain there hadn’t been. Deciding it was best to check it out, the young man stuffed the ribbon back into his pocket before bolting after them. Seemingly appearing next to the trees lining the pathway in a flash. “Good evening, or morning. Whichever you prefer at this hour.” Orion greeted causally as he slowly strolled onto the darkened street, relying on the dim light of the streetlamps as he scanned over the child at Shina’s side. It had to be past midnight at that point, certainly not a recommended hour to take small children on walks. Though surprisingly enough, the child bore a striking resemblance to Shina. Maybe she and Duke were far more than traveling companion’s after all. “…Is this your daughter? Don’t you think that it’s a little past her bedtime?” The young men inquired as politely as he could, despite his obvious confusion on the subject. He hadn’t expected her to be a young mother. Perhaps he should’ve thrown her ribbon away after all. For some reason it suddenly felt inappropriate for him to keep it.

Sammich wrote:

Iskios wrote:

Leios couldn't help but crack a small grin at Kamila's pun that lingered until Takumi began to scold him. He waited silently for Takumi's small outburst to finish and Leios was quick to defend himself after he finished, "I understand your grievances, but the village was already in the process of being destroyed by the person I fought. Even worse, they were going after the people in that village. I specifically made sure no one got caught up in our fight." Leios sighed and rubbed his temples before continuing, "...that being said, you're correct that I wasn't really thinking about the village. I had my own reasons to fight her, but I suppose I could have been a bit more mindful of what I trampled on in order to do so, even if it was a nest of criminals."

Leios leaned on some crates, regaining some of the color in his face in the process. He could sense the apprehension from Takumi as he responded to the 'Child of a Hero' comment, causing him to rethink his approach before speaking again. "Yes, I am their child. I'm not very surprised Eve has spoken of my parents, though I know that our parents did not depart from each other on the best of terms. However, I don't care much for what went down between them and it won't affect how I think of you either."

Standing up before moving on to the next topic Leios said, "Let's get back to the business at hand. I'd greatly appreciate if you two could point me to a guide that would take me to Nil. I'm not the best with directions so I'd probably get myself lost in that desert. The sooner the better however, because there's a face I really need to punch."

The muscles in her back stayed taunt as Takumi began to speak again, they had just met he barely knew anything of her and her past but the anxiety rose in her throat as she could just see the words come out of his mouth. But they never did because though they shared experiences they were still strangers. Her eyes rolled as the Skyslayers voice rose, she offered Leios a knowing look but did not interrupt. Takumi was on edge but he had a good heart. The situation never escalated, Leios had more sense that she would have guessed.

She let them banter about their relatives for a minute, she looked at her nails, grimy and short, a bit of blood still staining her finger tips. "Look at you two, should start a club." She said with sarcasm and a little smile.

Her face knotted in irritation as the desert was mentioned, "Never been there." Her words were short, maybe too short.

Takumi lowered his head in slight shame, hearing Leios explanation...he had heard some rumors while exploring that a female was going around destroying criminal hives, Leios having fought her made sense, now that he thought about it, with the nature of destruction caused. Taking in a breath he returned his gaze to Leios "So long as you understand, I'm once again sorry. Things have been..." he paused glancing around the camp of refugees, lots of them look worn out and ragged "...Things have been tough..."

Straightening up when he began to talk in regards to their lineage, he grinned at Leios "...My mother didn't really like your dad, she seemed okay with Danyell...I think they didn't know each other that well is all" He shook his head at the memory of his mother fussing about the two, Kios and Danyell. Glaring at Kamilla after her little comment, he cleared his throat in contempt, "I'm so use to just being 'Eve's Kid'...I'm sorry if I came off rude about the subject...it's a pleasure to meet someone of my...'Extended Family?' He said slowly in a questioning tone, more than likely asking if that sounded acceptable.

"You wish to go to Nil?" he questioned, a raised brow looking at his wounds. He was about to continue, but was surprised by Kamilla's interjection. Staring at the girl with a glare, not a harsh one mind you, but a analytical glare. "...Having been there, and knowing how to get there are two different things Kamilla..." Takumi pointed out with a smug grin, "...Anyway, I know how to get there. Mother took me there on occasions when she went to visit some political dude...something about giving support to Zofia's brother." He placed a hand on his chin in thought "He believed that he could help garner support threw being friendly with a religious figure, I went with her due to teaching...so I have pretty good idea how to get there." He no proudly "Mother took me often enough too see Aunty Zofia a well...who she was...um..." Searching for the word, he had a embarrassed flush as he chuckled nervously "...Fond of..."

"However, if you think I'm taking you anywhere in that state...you'd be wrong...Unless" he said slyly turning to Kamilla "If you came along, to keep an eye on his wounds, I may be privy to the idea. Not too mention I had business planned in Nil either way..."

DannyGirl~ wrote:

Naro wrote:Judah was really at an advantage here, Judah had all the sand in this damn desert to use as his weapon. He believe in Sahara's ability though, but Iggy didn't have enough water to work with... and Rohan didn't inherit the earth seishitsu from his dad. No he got something even more powerful than that. His flames were dying out from the sand covering them and all Rohan did was step back a few feet to get away "My fire may not be as hot as the sun... yet, but I'm sure as hell that it's hotter than lightning!" He yelled out and his whole body was consumed by his flames. Growing bigger, brighter and hotter, enough to withstand the sand and even start melting it into glass.

Iggy really didn't know what to do in this situation, all the water he was carrying was almost gone. The closest body of water was miles away from them, and he doubts that there's an oasis nearby too. He just stood there looking around trying to find a solution, that when he noticed something... it was small but it could work. Even if you Judah was from Nil, everyone had to sweat... that could be his backup plan if the first didn't work. What he was really aiming for was the small cloud that was coming their way, it was about a mile away but it could be his only chance of helping. For now all he do was block the incoming attacks, and dodge them "I got a plan Rohan!"

Rohan quickly glanced at him and gave him a small nod of approval. He let his flames die for the incoming attack and yawn as Judah kept yapping about something "Hey I'm not saying that Zofia is a saint, I know what she has done" Rohan stood still as Judah began his next attack. He wasn't going to move at all "And do you know the amount of f*cks I give about her kill count?" He said, Rohan raised his right arm in the direction of the sand puller and spikes, the palm of his hand started glowing with a white light.m, and from there a Kiko beam was shot. A small one but just enough to counter his attack "I don't care about this hero crap, you threaten my family then you're as good as dead... oh I forgot to tell you. Since our first fight I've been only using fire, I wnated to give you a chance" he said very confidently with a cocky grin on his face "come at me"

As Judah called out to her, addressing her as Zofia, Sahara found herself in too much of a hazy to reply. For some reason she couldn't quite place, the young woman could only summon her voice when both her and the Lady of the Waste's thoughts were in unison. Though it didn't seem to be the same in reverse. Though it had only been a few short moments since they'd joined forces, Sahara had already found her actual control in their situation be be rather skeptical to say the least. Although very faint, she could feel the Lady of the Waste's true desires beginning to seep into her thoughts. Being to influence her better judgement, though she did her best to brush it off in a mindful manner. One thing was certain though, the Lady's thirst for blood and the power that came along with defeating Judah was her main drive in that battle. Sahara could feel it racing through her, urging her to lunge at the warlord and ensure his demise with her own to hands. However she could never do that... She had to fight back against the Lady's desires until Rohan managed to end the fight.

Upon Judah's critique of the former hero Zofia, Sahara felt a slight annoyance coming from both she and the Lady. What did he know? He wasn't there. In fact, he probably wasn't even born yet. Waiting for any explanation from her new companion, who had actually been there, the emerald haired teen found herself sorely disappointed when only being met by silence. It seemed that she wouldn't be getting the full story anytime soon. However, Papa had already told her the tale of Zofia in her youth. It was common knowledge that at one point she'd fallen and sided with Jove on behalf of her people. Though that had only made Sahara like her story all the more, because it showed that she was human... And like everyone, she had a choice on whether or not to redeem herself and right her wrongs. She had, and devoted the rest of her life to helping those around her. That was reason enough to earn respect on Sahara's behalf, so she didn't appreciate Judah badmouthing the deceased hero. It was never wise to speak ill of the dead.

Mirroring Judah's movements as he summoned some of the sands to him, Sahara also created large spikes of sand to follow Judah's movement. Only then noticing the glass appearing at Rohan's feet due to the strength of his flame. That trick could be useful indeed. Nodding confidently as he challenged the warlord head on, the young woman found herself calming immensely as she waited for his move. She'd only known Rohan for a little over a week, however from what she'd seen he was both driven and capable. If anyone could defeat Judah it'd be him. "Go ahead, we'll ward off his attacks."

Judah made a combination glare/grin as he watched the pipsqueaks each do their work. Eyes widening, he barley dodged the blast of kiko as it grazed his shoulder, leaving a burn, canceling out his previous attack with the shot. He then noticed the girl being a copy-cat as a attack similar to his rushed at him as well, sand erupted under him as he dodged the attack by riding a cloud of sand floating in the air looking down at them in surprise, he grinned happily "Sweet!!!~" he chuckled as he was pleasantly surprised at the sudden spike in skill "The legendary Kiko, and that little girl seems to be good at mimicking me....this might actually be entertaining!" he smirked as he raised his hand. He would need to not underestimate them, even if he was good and at an advantage...anyone would have trouble in a three on one fight. 'If sand can't penetrate his flames' Judah noted as he made a thrusting motion with his hand. "Hahaha! so this is for the sake of your family? Well then, it becomes more and more clear to me..." Four small, spiral shaped, shards of stone erupted from the ground "Me and you...we aren't too different it seems!" spinning fast as they swerved and shifted through the air, hard targets to aim at although their target was clear, as the sharp spear head stones flew at Rohan, easily piercing through the blaze at him.

Using his other hand he motioned towards Sahara as he made another gesture, a pillar of stone rising behind her in a over the top eruption...a distraction as a powerful stream of sand was came fourth from the sea of sand like a serpent, 'The stone will be a distraction...while a tort of sand will blast her in the back, slamming her against the stone in the process!' he thought out while he quickly snapped his attention to Iggy, stone spikes blasting underneath him in a large array. "It's admirable that you'd fight, to damn for what others think or believe! To hell the risk that two strangers would face for the sake of those who you hold closest!" he ascended on his cloud, perfectly at home as he watched from above the battlefield using the environment to his advantage as he moved his hands in a circular motion, causing sand to whip about them...more or less for annoying and reducing their field of view "I won't lose, you would understand the feeling...I have something to fight for as well!" he yelled as he grinned, moving his hand forward "You and I are kindred spirits after all!" having thrown his hand in a horizontal motion, the sand shifted underneath his foes as to form a tidal wave of grainy earth to wash over them following his hands direction.

Rohan was quick on his feet, ready for any attack Judah might throw at him, now that he decided to use kiko he had to create a whole new plan to defeat him. He threw 2 punches that shot flames after Judah as he flew on the cloud he made from sand, so he was getting the high ground... the could be a problem, he should get Judah down again before it's too late. Good thing Rohan was quick to make a new plan, he glanced at Sahara and Iggys direction to check on them but in that time Judah had already launched his next attack. When Rohan turned back it was already too late... Rohan was able to move but the attack had pierced through his left bicep. He covered the wound with his other hand as he side stepped... the attack made a whole on his leather jacket which only fueled his rage "we're nothing alike..." he said after noticing the sand around them moving and the sky getting covered as well.

Iggy was a bit overwhelmed and also feeling kinda useless in this fight since he didn't have any water left to attack with... if only he could get to that small cloud that was passing by. He fell back after Judah attacked him luckily it missed him since he fell back but he was getting a bit scared with their current situation. He was beginning to lose hope too.

This was really bad... they were surrounded by the sand and Judah had the upper hand. Rohan quickly ran over to Sahara and wrapped his hand around her waist and grabbed Iggy by his shirt. He used his fire seishitsu to fly up like a rocket, and out of the sand storm into clear skies. He used the momentum to throw Iggy with all of his strength towards the cloud he had been eying for a while "wait no Rohan!" He screamed as he flew off. He stopped in front of Judah while holding Sahara close to him "don't worry about my arm... I can hold you, just give me some support while Iggy comes back.". Rohan's eyes began glowing white and shot beams of kiko from them, right at Judah. Then raised his hand and created a massive fire ball, almost like a small start. After a few seconds passed he threw the ball at him.

DannyGirl~ wrote:

Sammich wrote:
Zach continued to gauge the exchange between the silvery haired duo. His eyelids were half closed, his expression seeming genuinely disinterested but his eyes were keen. His perception of Orion has been rocky at first, but pushing past the blatant envy and bias maybe there was something bigger to be concerned about. His mysterious motives with August took precedence, who would want anything to do with that guy? A mystery for the ages truly.
And then Shina began to address him directly. His eyebrows furrowed, not really sure how to process the her analysis of his actions. Well she's not wrong. He had not time to defend himself in anyway she jumped into another topic, his mom.
"Yeah she mentioned that once or twice, but she never really tells it like that." He laughed unenthusiastically. His eyes widened, "Are you saying you want to train with me? I'm confused." Her hypercritical words blended with her intrigue concocted the strangest mix of signals. He decided not to be perturbed by any of her criticism.
His inquiries were cut short as Umi reappeared. "Yes please!" He replied eagerly and raised his hand excitedly, it was no coffee but anything hot would do at this point. He laughed at Umi's analysis of Liss, "Yeah she doesn't seem like the type." 'And neither do you.' he almost said aloud. He didn't feel he had known the redhead long enough to make judgment on her character but something about her, he couldn't place it just yet.
He sipped his tea as Shina and Duke began to make their way to their own room. Zach wanted to question it but he feared he'd say something wrong and face the wrath of a Vermillion the second time in a day. So He quietly waved to Shina as she made her thanks and looked on in horror as she did... whatever that was. Shina came and went but Zach's gaze remained on Orion, his eyebrows upturned and eyes wide with fear, sympathy, and confusion.
"Yeah good night you two..." He said passively as the door shut behind them.
He was quiet for a few moments.
"Is anybody else... really... really lost right now."

Vocaloid wrote:Disinterest was suspiciously crawling onto her face, her head occasionally turned elsewhere, aware of Zach's momentary glances and Orion's hard stares, yet none kept much of her attention until Orion spoke out. Though once the words have left Orion's mouth, Shina felt as if she was being provoked or almost mocked, not many people refused her even the slightest of answers and this man had just done that, It's not my business to know my brother's affairs? Being evasive. Lets play your game then. 

Her mouth twisted into a sour smile, she'd already thought of a response, "If me knowing how you've met MY family and why you're overly annoyed at THEM is none of my business then I can assure you that my line of work is not yours." Despite the defensive nature of her response, she was intrigued why Orion so persistently refused her an answer, yet she didn't wander for too long as the answer was as clear as their hair, What secret are you hiding? Why are you hiding it? 

Though the tension was broken by Zach's laugh which seemed to ease her slightly as she had broken her stare from Orion just to look at Zach, yet his response had not stopped her eyes from rolling back, "Of course" Pushing herself, she dusted her skirt with her hands, "I don't know who's the bigger fool, you or him. Training or not, beating someone up is just going to prolong it all. Fight someone who wields an element which compliments yours. Speaking of complimentary elements, my mother had told me of one of her few encounters with your mother, Zofia. Your mother, a wielder of the sand element and my mother, fire and water. How your mother produced a beast which stood higher than this building with assumingly impressive strength. Though my mother, a fool, stood beside the man which had seemed to marvel her. Even when he nearly killed her, but that's not the point, the point is that because their elements were complimentary, they managed to create a new form of element for your mother to wield, glass." Curiously, she spoke harsh words for the most part, yet there was some sincerity in them, she wanted to hear legends of heroes which together fought with glass as an element, that'd be one she wouldn't forget., "Though, don't bite the hand that feeds you, if he wants, he could've killed you and had it not been for our damned father, the true gods know what would be of his powers now" A sigh of exhaustion escaped, this side of hers always came out, it felt cheap and unnecessary but she simply would explode would it not be for a rant.

There came another, Natsumi's bubbly personality wasn't particularly welcome at this moment, with Shina more angry than she led the rest to believe but stressing the redhead would not ease the matters, "Not much, me and Duke were preparing to leave since we don't want to keep any of you awake any longer" she had addressed the fact that Orion had went to the door, "I'd like a cup, please." Duke requested after receiving a glance from his companion. 

For a couple of seconds, Shina stood in silence with her head slightly dropped, concentrating on the wild fire within her, with the door opened she felt like a tigress, ready to run free with the elements, to gracefully manoeuvre herself from obstacles and to pounce on anyone who had dared to cross her but now? She felt like a timid kitten, disgracefully domesticated into a slave of humanity or well, gods if you please. Showcasing her contasting feelings, she moved towards a table, glancing at the door across to see the number of the room. 

Reaching out, she slipped her fingers around the keychain, taking the keys as her hand retreated back to her, "Duke, grab the tea and let's go." Barking out orders, she looked around the room to see if she had something else to take but there was nothing and with that, she took strides with pride, her chest pushed out for posture, yet she stood softly on her feet which she usually had bare, never making much noise when carrying herself around, "I wish everyone a great night, thank you for the hospitality" Thanking, she turned to Orion who was holding the door, pulling at the ribbon in her hair, the ribbon untied and the hair appeared a bit longer and messier. Though that was not the point, as a more sinister smile took host of her mouth, she took her place beside Orion and tied the ribbon around his head, "Cute, suits you" Chuckling, she walked out of the room, blowing a kiss for over exaggeration, awaiting for Duke.

Duke waited eagerly for the tea, and once it arrived he chugged it down, "This Liss may be good at making the tea, but your brewing makes it better, I thank you for the tea, Zach for his humour and Orion for his help. I apologize for the Vermilion and hope you have a good night."

 

“Aw, did Orion tell you that? He’s such a party pooper!” Natsumi pouted, though was secretly just as upset as she played out that she was. Though not the best at expressing herself, she sincerely had enjoyed seeing Shina again… The young redhead didn’t want to watch yet another friend leave again so soon. It seemed like the more time that passed, the more she was abandoned by those she counted on. Speaking both from past experience and current circumstances.
There was nothing she hated more than being alone.  
“Oh, sure thing Sugar.” Snapping out of her thoughts with a slightly less enthusiastic smile than usually, Natsumi carried a glass over to both of the boys before pouring a cup for herself and taking a seat at Zach's side. His comment leading her to giggle softly. “I know right? And yet she’s got a knack for that kind of thing, organization and other motherly chores. She’d probably get more dates if she stopped harassing the local gangs, now everyone’s intimidated by her.” Sighing softly as she leaned back against the couch before letting out a yawn, the young maiden visually perked up in reply to Duke’s compliment. “No need to sweet talk me, Sugar. It’s not too hard to turn on a stove.” She replied quickly, though her beaming grin told how she really felt. Natsumi really was one who thrived on praise, and the attention it brought with it. Along with that she immediately took a liking to Shina’s companion, though she hadn’t seen his true colors yet.

As Orion held the door open for the two, his eyes widened as Shina suddenly marched up to him in a proud manner and did quite possibly the most unexpected thing that had happened to him that day. Staring down at her in confusion as she suddenly pulled her shining ribbon from her hair, Orion found his cheeks subtly warming up as her white curls fell down around her and she reached out the tie the ribbon in his hair instead. For a few moments her could’ve even process what had happened. What was she hoping to accomplish by giving him her bow? Then to follow it up she called him cute, and blew him a kiss before disappearing down the hall with Duke following after her. Had the ribbon been a token of her favor then? Though more importantly, were all women as forward as Delilah, Umi, Noel, and Shina?
Eventually turning back to his companions as he pulled the ribbon from his hair, studied it, and then gently placed it in his pocket, Orion slowly began to clear his throat before replying to Zach. “When it comes to women, I don’t think a true understanding can ever be found.” He admitted bluntly before leaning out of the doorframe and spotting another exit on the other side of the hall. “I’m going for a walk, but it’s late. You two stood get some rest, I’ll wake you up in the morning Umi.’ The young man addressed them professionally before disappearing into the hall and shutting the door behind himself.

“Oh boy…” Natsumi groaned sarcastically before standing up and stretching out. “Come on Zach, you heard him. It’s time to get some shut eye.” She prompted gently before finishing her tea and setting the cup aside before moving over to the bedside and flopping down onto the mattress. She was actually pretty beat, what a day.  

***
Taking in a deep breath as he leisurely walked down the street, Orion found himself skimming over the events that had happened that day. For his first independent mission in several years, he wasn’t doing as thorough of a job as he used to. Honestly, his task had been so simple virtually anyone could’ve done it. Keep an eye on August. That was it, the entire summary of his task. And what had he done in one single day? Lost track of him. Why Jove’s son had suddenly run off was a little disheartening on Orion’s earlier assessment of the teen, however he stood by it regardless of that. August wasn’t a bad guy, and he wasn’t even found of his father… Whatever he was up to, Orion doubted that it could’ve been all that life threatening. To those around him at least. In regards to endangering himself, August did seem to be the reckless type. For the sake of increasing his power Orion held no doubts that the quarter god would put his own life at risk. If August was indeed capable of being killed that was. Orion didn’t know what the limits were to a demi gods immorality. Though since August was more human than god, he’d reason that he was in fact mortal himself. Though such was merely a hypothesis. There was no guarantee that August himself even knew the answer to that question.
Orion brushed all his analysis’ of his strange new acquaintance aside as he continued making his way down the street, and instead turned his thoughts to the other people he’d met that week. Natsumi was a bit ditsy on the surface, though after seeing that she possessed healing senshitsu he wondered what secrets the girl was actually hiding under her flirtatious grin. After all, only being able to summon water for healing and nothing else was impossible… Wasn’t it? That matter aside, out of all the women he’d met that week he felt the most at home with Umi. Her flirtings and overall demeanor reminded him something of Delilah, assuring him that the redhead was seeking attention rather than true affection. At least out of the people he’d seen her interact with thusfar. Such behavior was actually calming to him, almost like coming home after a long mission, however Natsumi wasn’t strong enough or self assured enough to compare to Delilah on the battlefield. Out of their group he reasoned the brief glimpse of how the Liss girl had carried herself had been the most similar, though it was hard to be sure without actually speaking to her. Despite that matter, Orion was actually looking forward to seeing what Umi could really do the next morning in training. Maybe he could help her reach Delilah’s positive qualities, since she possessed some of the same negative ones already.
Then there was Zach, who he was pretty sure disliked him for some reason or another. He couldn’t really place why that was, though secretly Orion was quite impressed with the brunette. The teen sure could take a beating, and showed great promise as a warrior if he kept up his training. His biggest downfall approaching that line of work would be the women. If Zach didn’t overcome his tendencies to make a good impression on every pretty girl who he encountered women like Delilah would get to him every time. Or at very least women like Natsumi, who seemed to be admittedly far more innocent than his sister. Professional matters aside, Orion saw both August and Zach as men he could come to his friends someday. If they’d give him that chance of course.
Last out of that group, there was Noel… While he was used to Delilah’s one night stands and other inappropriate behaviors, he hadn’t anticipated Noel as the type to kiss someone she’d only meet that day. While it was and interesting battle approach, Orion was slightly disappointed that his first kiss had been wasted in training. Originally he thought that it could’ve been a spark that lead to something greater between them, however he was beginning to realize that romance was much more complicated than it came across depicted in the few adventure books he’d read over the years. Then again, such works only added romance in on the side and most had been told through a man’s narrative. Perhaps reading something written by a women would help him understand them better. Though deep down he knew that he wouldn’t have time for such things with a job as demanding as his. Besides that, with the loss of her entire nation on her shoulders, Noel had other responsibilities to take care of from that point on. He doubted the group would see her again for quite some time. Meaning he probably wouldn’t see her again ever. Leaving him to go on the walk they’d planned all on his own… Though Noel wasn’t the most interesting girl he’d met that day.
Something was definitely up with Shina. The young women in many ways was a walking contradiction. A supposed charity worker who refused to advertise her cause? A snow like haired girl who had devoted herself to helping the less fortunate that was also armed to the teeth and obviously trained to kill? None of it quite added up. Then, on top of it all, she was a run away princess. The daughter of Jove who had abandoned both her father and his kingdom. Though he was more willing to keep his mind up in regards to the last oddity. If the rumors regarding Jove were true, Shina might’ve been doing what she had to in order to escape a bad situation. Gently pulling the girl’s purple ribbon out of his pocket as he pondered, Orion found himself once again debating what it had meant. Though he preferred to think of it as a favor rather than an insult, if that day had shown him anything it was that he didn’t understand women. However Shina’s stubbornness reminded him of Delilah, so perhaps she preferred to be forward as well. Either way, it seemed like a waste to toss it out. No matter the meaning behind her actions, he decided that he’d keep it. She had given it to him after all, that made it a gift. Though one poorly given, it was his first gift coming from someone besides his sister.
Glancing up to the road ahead of him, Orion’s red orbs widen upon spotting a familiar young women in a purple dress. Now missing a bow to accent her shimmering white hair. Though what really caught her attention was the small girl holding her hand beside her. What was going on? He definitely would’ve noticed a child in Shina’s company back during the brawl if there had been one. Which he was certain there hadn’t been. Deciding it was best to check it out, the young man stuffed the ribbon back into his pocket before bolting after them. Seemingly appearing next to the trees lining the pathway in a flash. “Good evening, or morning. Whichever you prefer at this hour.” Orion greeted causally as he slowly strolled onto the darkened street, relying on the dim light of the streetlamps as he scanned over the child at Shina’s side. It had to be past midnight at that point, certainly not a recommended hour to take small children on walks. Though surprisingly enough, the child bore a striking resemblance to Shina. Maybe she and Duke were far more than traveling companion’s after all. “…Is this your daughter? Don’t you think that it’s a little past her bedtime?” The young men inquired as politely as he could, despite his obvious confusion on the subject. He hadn’t expected her to be a young mother. Perhaps he should’ve thrown her ribbon away after all. For some reason it suddenly felt inappropriate for him to keep it.

Pounding, yet gentle, a pure sense of pain overwhelmed her; taking many stops to 'appreciate nature', she would take that chance to let her lungs become accustomed to the icy coldness of the air. It had been a while since she ran long distances - especially so persistently with another person dragging her back, yet the minion followed after her, had it been someone else, the girl would be dead yet she was in good hands, hands that could protect her.

The moon had many guests in it's home, varying in size and even colour, she loved the night sky - it always fascinated her. Yet it wasn't her that seemed to be all that impressed, as once she turned her head, she realised the ambition and innonence in the eyes of the girl, a honey amber which shimmered, "It's beautiful, isn't it?" At first, her voice came out broken and weak, having to cough before it returned to it's previous state. Yet no reply was given, instead their eyes met eachother, her face softening once more, greeted by a toothy smile which appeared very silly yet adorable, "Ah, if you want look at the stars more, we can. It'd just be better to sit somewhere so we don't waste our energy." Yet, the girl shook her head, perhaps she was not interested afterall, "It's best if we go, some people get violent" Was all that escaped her mouth, Smart one.

Continuing their walk, many thoughts ran through her head, they all changed dependent on what she walked past, the most frequent being her family.  Lissandra told her that August had changed, that he disobeyed his father, that he was with the children of the heroes yet it wasn't Lissandra, Natsumi, Orion, Rohan or ANYONE that knew him as good as she did, right? The thought scared her, it lingered around her, almost grabbing at her to drag her down yet with that, the speed of her walk increased, at one point it almost went into a run but she protested, her fears couldn't lead her. Not now, not ever.

Pivoting, she gazed at Orion, she was about to respond however her lips sealed themselves once more, the fabric of her sleeve brushed aggressively against her arm, realising that the girl didn't know who Orion was, but did she either? Perhaps it was best to ignore him, afterall he had angered her - yet she knew it'd be rude and below her, "I won't agree with the morning, but I can definitely settle on night." A uncertainty had overcome her, especially since his eyes shifted from her to the girl yet the kicker had only to come.

Once it did, it had taken Shina back and for several minutes, she had nothing to say other than offer her stare, "Oh, yes, of course." Stammering, her fingers let go of the girl's hand and instead locked themselves within eachother, "I had a child when I was 12, and no one heard about it. Not the kingdom, not the servants, not my parents, not my brother and nor did I." Twisting her body to give Orion a good glance, she let her words sink in before giving another strike, "And oh yes. Of course, I managed to maintain such a petite stomach, look no bumps!" Her hand ran down her stomach to smoothen the fabric; displaying how thin she actually was, "Because you know, after you give birth, your stomach obviously restores itself to it's previous state" This time, the comment was more of a scoff and dig at the absurd question, "Of course It's not my daughter! I'm escorting her back!" The frequency of her voice remained quite high as she mocked, in the end, she folded her arms; awaiting another response.