Fanelia

[Nairohe]

A music box sung a familiar tune, an old tune that was said to have been hummbed by the girl from the mystic moon herself when her great... in reality, she didn't really now how many greats, but the song sang to the children of Van Fanel since the Girl from the mystic moon's arrival.

"Hitomi... That was her name wasn't it?" She closed her eyes and listened to the quite breeze and the music box. She hummed along to the familiar tune till it stopped playing and it would be quiet again. She closed her eyes dreaming. She pictured her mother and father when they were alive. It wasn't always this quiet. Then, she gained courage when she recalled the stories, the stories of Van Fanel how he himself was an orphan and grew up to be the greatest hero of them all. "Her name, there's a nice ring to it." Even after the song was gone, she contnued to hum it again... it was the only way that she could really hold her tears back.

Tomorrow, she was to be crowned Queen of Fanelia...

[Nairohe]

(((OOC: Just to let you know that it's up and will be running pretty soon. tralalalala!)))

[Kayay]

“M'Lady?” A slender woman stepped into the room, feline features softly highlighted by the light that spilled through the windows.

“Yes?”

“The delegation from Freid will be arriving in the morn.” Pale green eyes glanced out the window to the setting sun. “They’ll be here shortly before the coronation, if all goes well. Are you going to greet them yourself, or should I send someone?”

She looked up, finger still lingering along the gilded edge of the music box. “Send Crimmius to receive them. He can get them settled then, if they wish, escort them to the coronation.”

The cat woman nodded, pausing to look upon her queen – her friend – with concern. “Will you be all right?”

“I don’t know.” He voice wavered a bit, but she turned to grace her friend with a smile. “It’s just my nerves, nothing serious. I-I’ll be fine.”

“Hikari-sama, don’t you go letting those advisors and politicians go pushing you around today.” She placed her hands on her hips and, although she was the younger of the two women, adopted a motherly demeanor. “Find someplace where you can rest. Tomorrow will be more than chaotic enough to make up for stealing a bit of solitude today.”

“Thank you. I will.”

[Fairybane]

In the brightly lit temple, a large figure kneeled humbly before the fierce stone visage of a dragon in flight. Low chanting could be heard by anyone who dared cross the threshold of the small chamber, a deep earthly rumble with hints of a snarling accent. Briefly, the massive form bent forward and bowed deeply beneath the dancing torches and thin haze of incense smoke. In one smooth motion that bespoke many years of practiced ease, the powerful figure rose from his kneel and turned around gracefully, black robes fluttering behind.
With a deep breath, Crimmius Renault took a lungful of the scented smoke, and then released it with a purging exhalation, all part of his morning worship routine. The breath, powered by the mighty lungs of the lion-man sent stray currents of smoke curling through the confines of the temple, which were then broken as Crimm strode down the center aisle towards the engraved double doors that marked the only entrance to his temple. Emerging into the halls of the palace, Crimm stared solemnly at a trio of young initiates in his path who cowered at his grim gaze and scuttled past quickly. Continuing on his way, he nodded briefly to guards at their posts, maids tending to their daily chores, and scholars emerging from their studies, but growled menacingly at a court advisor he saw, swaggering arrogantly through the corridors. As the man scurried off, cowed by the sight of the massive priest, Crimm shook his head and continued on his way.
"Today..." he spoke to himself in a deep baritone voice. "Today brings much promise..."
Stepping through a portal into a lush courtyard, Crimm meandered through the garden, letting the morning breeze ruffle his tawny mane. Bumblebees buzzed lazily through the branches of rosebushes and birds twittered far above in the clear skies. It was a typical day in Fanelia but Crimm could feel that there was something different about it...an omen sent by the Dragon God.
A fresh breeze rolled in and Crimm opened his fanged mouth wide to breath in the clear air. Suddenly a bumblebee broke away from the roses and made a line straight for Crimm. Moving with suprising agility, the lion-man darted his hand out and crushed the insect in midflight. But when he opened his palm revealing a sticky mess, the dead bumblebee's stinger was lodged in his flesh.
Silently, Crimm pondered this development. "An omen indeed," he growled to himself, pinching out the stinger with his claws.

[Lady Fanel]

Deep in the bellows of the castle, the little-noticed palace workers were hard at work. To pass the time, they often gossiped about what was going on in the country.

On this particular day, a young woman named Aethaeus was scrubbing laundry over a hot kettle. The older women around her were gossiping, as usual, but this time the news was interesting enough that Aethaeus decided to listen in.

"....A delegation from Freid, are you sure?"

"Of course I am. I was there when the messenger brought the news." The speaker looked indignant at being questioned.

One of the other women looked up from folding the laundry. "Well, why are they coming here? It's been a long time since Freid has visited Fanelia."

The old woman shrugged. "I'm not sure. Someone said it was because a new war was starting."

The work suddenly stopped as everyone stared at her. "I would hope not, Mai," said the woman who had spoken first. "There's not been many battles since the Great War, and I would hope there won't be any more."

A younger woman spoke up. "Well I heard they were coming because the Duke wanted to marry our princess."

Aethaeus sighed and dried of her hands. "I'm going to take this laundry outside and hang it to dry," she said, picking up the basket of laundry she had just washed. As usual, no one noticed her.

She walked outside and immediately felt the cool air stick to her skin. She held the door open a moment to allow the cool air to enter into the steamy basement, and then shut it behind her. Slowly she made her way to the garden, as if every step she took made her life seem more endless and tiring. Making her way over to the ropes that were hung up to use as clotheslines, she started draping sheets over them. Hearing a noise to her right, Aethaeus turned around to see a lionman standing by the roses, his back to her. She looked at him a moment, wondering why he was there and what he was doing, and then remembered that she had work to do. Softly sighing, she resumed hanging up the sheets.

[Kayay]

Tail swishing languidly behind her, Maeko strolled through the palace, the rolled parchment the messenger bird had brought at dawn in her hand. The delegation would be arriving later that day it stated, and possibly in time for the coronation. Upon passing a small courtyard, the catwoman stopped, watching the washerwomen hanging the laundry to dry. She leaned against a pillar and absently rapped her long nails on the stone surface, relaxing in observing the women perform such a mundane yet necessary chore. Closing her pale jade eyes, she felt the warmth of the sun on her face, tinting the backs of her lids orange-red, and her lips curled into a peaceful smile. It was the quiet before the storm that would be the coronation ceremony, and she intended to enjoy it while it lasted. Afterwards, she’d be kept plenty busy helping her friend adjust to her new official position as Queen.

Walking out into the yard, the scattered trees cast dappled shadows upon her tawny velveteen fur. Peering over the wall, she could see the city sprawled below, a much different place than that of a scant hundred years ago. After all, a few decade were nothing compared to the vast history of Gaea. True, it was not the most advanced countries, but no longer was Fanelia seen as the backwater land of farmers. Still, if a curious soul wandered the outlying areas, one could find scattered crumbling remains of the old city, scorch marks from the massive fire faded but visible. Maybe that was why no one had the heart to completely destroy those ruins, tiny monuments, of sorts, to how far the land had progressed since the reign of the legendary Van Slanzar de Fanel.

Turning from the view, Maeko went back to people watching amid the sweet perfume of the roses


((OOC: We’ve got a time warp to deal with. Freid is still in the evening, the ship having left at 8pm. Fanelia is already in the morning. Somewhere along the way the two times will have to catch up since the ship is supposed to arrive in Fanelia before noon.))

[Kayay]

The room was lit by the morning sunlight shining through stained glass and tall clear windows, creating cascades of fractured light and shadows that intersected at various points and reached across the floor, up the walls, and along the columns that lined the room. A particularly intense shaft of light illuminated the sunken center of the temple, where once the White Dragon itself had been hidden. Along the sides of the wall there are miniature shrines within carefully tended alcoves, the centerpiece of which are gleaming multifaceted energists, each seeming to contain a power, pulsing…sleeping…waiting.

No one other than the royal family and high-ranking priests entered the place for decades, but it was here in this holy silence that a bright pillar of pale blue light shot down from the sky. People in the city pointed and whispered, some recalling the last time such a sight was witnessed centuries ago, before the Great War. Some viewed it as a sign of prosperity to come, others made gestures meant to ward against evil, but all knew it to be a vision of great importance.

Needless to say, Silvern, Elisan, Dryan, Fangolas, and Dream, all slowly waking from the smothering grip of unconsciousness, would not be remain undiscovered for long.


((OOC: FYI, it is still early morning in Fanelia))

[DrkZealot]

((OOC: Ugh...hopefully my posting will get better as time goes on...Though it hasn't happened in the FF rpg, I'm sure this one'll be different...heh heh :heh:

The sun elegantly acended above the palace casting a light blue tint across the cloudless sky, banishing the darkness of night, giving it the appearance of still ocean water, devoid of ripple or wave caused by the salty breeze. It was a beautiful sight, the air was clean and sweet to the nose, the several fragrant blades of grass and flowers did well to perfume the air. Contrary to the dull grey mornings in Zaibach where steam and sulfurous gas clogged the lungs, one could take in a deep breath without doubling over in long fits of coughing resulting in bloodying the hands that covered the mouth. The young man extended his arms away from his body in a much needed stretch, his sore bones voicing their displeasure with low cracking sounds and momentary flashes of pain, as if warning him from doing it again. His muscles on the other hand rather enjoyed the stretch, the night before they worked near their limit, lifting several supply crates into the Fanelian Palace and Guymelef storage, while several of his peers struggled with one. That night’s sleep proved unsatisfactory as well, the small, stern looking cot they supplied in his tentative dwelling was so stiff a rigid it could have stood at attention with the best of the Fanelian Samurai. It was all too reminiscent to his nights in his Zaibach barracks, the only exception being the annoying chirping of crickets and other nocturnal creatures through the small window…and the lack of twelve foot rats living underneath the floor he failed to ever see. His chambers where on the first floor, where much of the military slept, though it seemed they forgot he was no longer a criminal and never cleaning tool. His room was nearly the size of a prison cell, the air reeked with the odor of several sour cleaning materials, and he could have sworn late at night one of the maids removed a broom and mop from the corner opposite his cot.

Well, it mattered little now, the morning more than made up for the terrible night(though the fumes made him sleep considerably well and deep). Birds happily welcomed the new day with cheerful songs, children laughed and played their games in the open yards running circles around disgruntles maids, all the while worried parents continued to yell words of caution to the oblivious offspring. His arms where crossed loosely over his chest, the undersized black Zaibachian shirt still stretched over his upper body, and the oversized trousers still bunched up at the ankles and swooshed in the air against each other as he walked. It may have been a good idea to do as Maeko said and remove the clothes of his former masters, but he saw no real reason for it. All the guards and soldiers had been informed of his presence here, and would not mistake him for a spy. The people near him regarded him with only limited suspicion, scrutinizing this odd stranger in unfamiliar garb who suddenly appeared in their yard, like one of the recently uncloaked Zaibachian Guymelefs in the stories told to them about days long past. Besides, it was much more comfortable and fashionably tasteful than the jumpsuit he was offered for his work.

He still had a quite some time until he was to report to the palace again for work. With his help the night prior, they were well ahead of schedule and were granted leniency on the time they had to report in. Working in the Guymelef hangar wasn’t all that bad, though it was painful watching the Falcate being converted into a work Guymelef. Upon first entering the hanger he watched as the mechanics worked on its damaged exterior, welding closed the gaping wounds in its armored chest. Removing several pieces of Crima Claw that had become deeply lodged into its’ back. Hammering out the dents from several powerful blows and sanding over the misshapen features from severe burns of the pursuing Melef’s flamethrowers. In the little time working in the Guymelef storage area, he watched as they removed the left arms flame thrower, replaced it with a normal arm with the thicker reinforced fingers required for moving equipment, rather than the thin deft digits used in the wielding of weapons. The right arm remained the same, the long scythe still rest at the end of the crima claw, the last of the metal used in the formation of this weapon. He sighed longingly as he thought about the damaged Guymelef that lent him the last of its strength, and allowed him to escape from that accursed place…And though it was the first time ever piloting a Guymelef, he felt a strange bond to it. Fate had been with him that night…

[Megumi H]

((OOC: Good morning, and how are you?))



Stone. Cool. Air. Light. Red....

Eyelids opening slowly as the physical world reappeared before her, Dream Chang awoke with a groan, wondering in her haze why there was an unfamiliar ceiling above her, and why her arm was stretched across a man's midsection. Confused, she lifted her arm away and made an effort to sit up, still looking at the man beside her.

His eyes had not yet opened, but his face, framed by blond hair, seemed so familiar. Dream's eyes traveled further down. There was a rough, round wound in his left arm next to her. A concerned frown crossed her face and she reached a hand out to touch it-- and stopped. Her own hand had blood on it.

Suddenly she flinched, as struck by a torrent of memories. She saw smoke, the man, her own arms reaching out.... She saw bright metal, skin parting, blood... so much blood.... and a cruel face.

She blinked and her eyes were wide, her mouth gaping. Her eyes went back and forth between her bloody hand and the man's arm, and she whipped her head around to see that she was not alone with him. She saw another man, a creature... and again the face, no longer cruel but blank and unconscious.

[Kayay]

~~~~Silvern~~~~

He awoke to pain and warmth. His left arm alternated between throbbing numbness and sharp stabs of pain, and the entire left side of his shirt was stained with blood. Groggily, Silvern tried to right himself, immediately regretting the action as the room began to spin. Mentally he cursed the idiot Elisan for not only indirectly injuring him but also for the brutal slaughter of the Kamakura policeman.

Taking a few deep breaths, the blonde waited for his vision to clear and the room to remain still before taking in his surroundings. Dryan and Fangolas, to his surprise, lay nearby, and the girl Dream sat wide-eyed beside him. She appeared scared and confused, but otherwise unharmed. Too weary to speak, Silvern crawled towards the still unconscious foxwoman and Fang, ignoring Elisan and secretly hoping he was dead. A trail of smeared blood marked his path, and he reached to feel for a pulse on both. They were alive. Silvern breathed a sigh of relief then looked back up at Dream.

“Where are we?”


~~~~ Maeko~~~~

“By the Goddess, what was that?”

Past the women hanging laundry and past the gardens she rushed. Of all the people in Fanelia, there were few who knew the legends as well as she, and the shaft of blue light that engulfed the temple was exactly like the one of the tales that had been passed down from generation to generation.

Maeko pushed open the smaller access door beside the heavy ornate double doors. Her feline eyes immediately adjusted to the change in lighting and she spotted what looked like four…no, five bodies. Two were shakily sitting up, and the distinct scent of blood hung in the air. Silhouetted in the doorway, the catwoman turned her head and called out into the courtyard.

“Fetch guards and a medic, now!” She paused. “And find Crimm while you’re at it!” The priest was one of the few who were allowed access to this temple. Maybe he’d have some answers.

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus looked up from her laundry, startled by the pillar of light that appeared in the sky. A slender catwoman started running past Aethaeus to the temple. She resumed hanging up the laundry for a moment as thoughts raced through her mind.

It's probably nothing important. Maybe it's an illusion to give the people something to talk about, she reasoned. But what if it's not? What if it's a real pillar bringing our saviour like the legends tell? Is it wise to stay here? Yes, it would be much better if she stayed. If she were to run off and not finish her task, she would get in much trouble.

But eventually her curiosity got the better of her. She dropped the laundry on the dewy grass and ran after the catwoman.

[Megumi H]

Dream had turned toward the wall, facing away from the others. She wasn't sure who was alive, but she couldn't bear to see them with such uncertainty. Her head throbbed, and she rested it on her knees, folding her arms tightly around them. She heard faint sounds of someone stirring, but didn't move. She was not at all certain she'd be prepared to see who it might be.

She felt so vulnerable and helpless. She wished for someone to give her good news. She wanted someone to tell her everything would be all right. She wanted someone to comfort her in this unfamiliar place.

Then she heard it. "Where are we?"

Dream started. She let go of her knees and stood up, turning to see the man with the blond hair.

He's awake... He's okay... Oh, he's alive!

This reassurance overwhelmed Dream, and before she knew what she was doing, she ran to Silvern's side and threw her arms around him, ignoring the blood on his body and burying her head in his side, starting to cry in all her mixed emotions.

She barely knew when the door creaked open and someone yelled from the doorway. Her eyes were shut and streaming, and her ears heard only the sound of her own sobs.

[Phantom Angel]

~----Dryan----~


She could hear the falling of water inside her head. Drop, by drop, by drop, the water fell, ringing in her ears.

It sounded like screams, screams she didn't want to rember, screams she had struggled to forget.

"Gwira..." she whispered softly, feeling her stomach convulse. Nausea washed over her, yet when the fox struggled to open her eyes, they simply fell back like prison gates.

"Get her now! Over there! She's getting away!"

Her breath came in ragged gasps, as the sensation in her stomach intesified by apprehension.

"She's getting away! There will be hell to pay if we lose her now!"

The voices were familiar, yet strange. Their nasal tones matched her own way of speaking. She could feel the scent of the night's air invade her nostrils. It was so pungeat that she choked, and forgot to breathe for a few moments.

"Come on! Chase her off the cliff! That way the chief will never know she was here!"

Their voices were like mallets pounding in her brain. Each syllable hurt more than the next.

Then she fell.

"Oh lord!" Dryan yelped, and struggled to sit up on the cold, dusty floor.

The feeling of nausea from her stomach swam up to her head, making her disoriented, while still maintaining the urge to vomit.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice sounding alarmingly hoarse and broken.

"It's okay darling. You're home, and you're safe." The familiar voice of her alternate personality whispered softly.

An unfamilar warmth spread through her body at the sound of the deep throaty voice. A tear of happiness rolled down Dryan's cheek, as the foxwoman sat on the dusty floor.

"Gwira...

[Kayay]

“It’s okay. You’ll be fine.” Silvern stroked Dream’s hair comforting her as one would a child. “Dryan?” He turned his head at the other woman’s yelp, one arm still draped around the crying girl’s shoulders. “What is it? What’s…”

“Who are you?” Maeko’s curt, no nonsense voice interrupted. Her shoes clicked sharply on the marble floor as the catwoman approached, eyeing the strangers suspiciously. The conscious blonde appeared to be the only one injured, but the wound didn’t seem fatal; then again, she was no doctor. As the foxwoman struggled to sit upright, Maeko stepped to the side to keep an eye on her as well. “Who are you, where did you come from, and how did you get in here?”

Footsteps behind her announced the arrival of a medic and a pair of guards, but when the catwoman turned to gesture for them to enter she caught sight of one of the washerwomen she’d been watching earlier peering into the temple. Wonderful. Her tail swished with irritation, but she reminded herself it was to be expected, and bit her tongue against the sharp reprimand she was tempted to give. The pillar of light had been seen by dozens of pairs of eyes, and it was only natural a few would come poking around.

“That one’s hurt.” She jerked her head in Silvern’s direction, and the medic hurried over to the man. “And you there by the door, make yourself useful and fetch Crimmius.”

[Eydtman]

Slowly Elisan began to hear the faint sound of voices and scuffling feet fade in from nothingness in which he was envelpoed. With each passing moment the sounds grew louder until they became clear enough that he could make out what the voices were saying.

“It’s okay. You’ll be fine.”

Elisan recognized that the voice was Silvern's. Slowly he began to open his eyes. His eyelids felt heavy as if there were tiny weights attatched to each of them trying to keep him from seeing the world around him.

“Who are you?”

Another voice, this one Elisan did not recognize, but it was in Gaean and not that foreign language that the people tend to spoke in this place. Elisan was now beginning to get feeling back into the rest of his body. Under his hands he could feel the cool hardness of a flat stone floor. Elisan's eye's flashed open quickly upon feeling the the stone beneath him. He quickly began to realize that he wasn't in the same place that he last remembered himself being. Instead of being in the forest outside of the Doc's house he was now in a stone room. As his vision became clearer he noticed that around him lay the familiar faces of the people he had met since arriving in the strange land. Dryan, Silvern and the girl were awake, but Nik and Fang were still laying unconcious on the ground.

"We've been captured?' was the first thing that ran through Elisan's mind. The last thing he remembered was turning to see how Silvern had made out in the battle. Had there been more pursuers in the forest than they had realized? Did they jump me when I turned?

“That one’s hurt.”

There was that voice that Elisan didn't recognize again. He sloely turned his head to face it. In front of the door stood a woman, a feline woman actually. Elisan caught a glimpse of some movement behind her and then saw the two armed gaurds.

"We have been captured." he thought to himself again.

Elisan slowly and laborously tried to force himself into a sitting position. It was then that he noticed that they all still had their weapons with them. Normally if one were to be captured, the removal of their weapons would be top priority. Something strange was going on.

Elisan saw someone hurry over to Silvern's side carrying a medical bag. It was then that he saw the wound in Silvern's arm. Elisan chuckled quietly at the sight of the wound.

"Hey Silvern," Elisan called to him in a quiet voice while rolling up the left sleeve of his shirt and slowly unravelling the bandage that was on his own arm. "Look, now we're like twins." He said pointing to the nearly identical wound he had recieved when he had first arrived in the strange land. With this Elisan broke out in laughter. Regardless of the situation they had found themselves in, and even though he didn't know why he found it so funny, he couldn't help but laugh.

[Megumi H]

Her sobs lessened and she eventually quieted as Silvern stroked her hair, and moved closer to him as he murmured encouraging words to her. Someone came over to them and tried gently to move Dream away, but she clutched tightly at Silvern's clothes in silent protest.

"It's all right," he assured her with a slight wince as she accidentally pulled against his arm. "He's only trying to help."

Dream looked up at him, but loosened her grip and slid her hand down into his, giving the medic enough room to work on Silvern's wounded arm.

Her throat was still tight with fear and from crying and she, in an attempt to still her trembling, squeezed his hand, turning her face away as the medic peeled back Silvern's shirt. She wiped her tears from her face with her sleeve.

Then she heard another voice and her skin prickled. "Hey, Silvern," it said, "Look, now we're like twins." Dream's face hardened and she gritted her teeth. How could this man be so casual? He began to laugh, and each ring sent shivers running up and down her spine. Her nose stung and she felt hot tears building behind her eyelids.

"Make him stop..." she pleaded softly to no one in particular. "Stop...."

[Phantom Angel]

Dryan could barely contain the happiness that seemed to want to spill down her cheeks. They were home, and she could feel the pulse of the presence at the back of her head. Gwira had returned, and never in her life had Dryan felt a more acute sense of relief.

"What happened to you? Why did you disappear all of a sudden?" She asked, breathless with anticipation.

"I can't explain what happened. After the doctor gave you that poison.... after I saw you dead...." Gwira couldn't continue, as a sob constricted her throat.

Dryan felt the cat's tears spill down her cheeks, and deep in the space of her mind, she felt Gwira's comforting presence envelop hers. For a moment, but just for a single moment, Dryan was allowed to feel all the fear, the relief and the happiness in the other's heart. It was a dizzying feeling.

"But I wasn't dead. I don't really know what the poison was or how it acted, but it didn't kill me."

" I realised that now, but after your conscience faded from your mind, I was left alone to search for you and..." Gwira was unsure of what to say next. She knew that under no circumstance was she to retell to Dryan what had happened after she lost consciousness. "Somehow, I begun to fade as well. And then everything I know was that you were back here, and you were dreaming that horrible dream. " She whispered, trying to sound as truthful as possible.

Dryan's suspicious nature was eclipsed by the happiness she was feeling at their reunion. If it would have been any other time, the fox woman would have instantly known she was being made a fool of.

However, as Gwira saw it, it wasn't lying. It was simply concealing a truth, and prolonging a painful decision for the time being. She ardently hoped it would be forever, but her experience argued against that fervent wish.

"Anyway, we should pay attention to what is going on around us." she suggested, meekly.

"Fang!" Dryan exclaimed.

The last thing she remebered from the sequence on the Mystic Moon was the taste of her salty tears, and Fang's chaste, but brotherly embrace. Then.... everything had faded and they had ended up here.

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus was startled as the catwoman addressed her. "Yes, m'lady," she bowed. Then she turned and ran towards the gardens. Looking around, she saw her laundry lying on the ground and winced at the thought of the punishment she would receive. Spotting the tall lion-man standing by the rosebushes, she ran over to him.

"Pardon me, m'lord, but I was sent to get you. There is trouble at the temple," she said, bowing low.

[Kayay]

It was quite clear from the glares the blonde one shot towards the other man that there was hostility between the members of this little group. Maeko chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip as she observed them for a few seconds. With the arrival of the Freid delegates and coronation ceremony that afternoon a bit of paranoia wasn’t unreasonable.

“Search them and confiscate anything that even looks like a weapon,” she ordered the guards. The catwoman crossed her arms over her chest and, tapping her carefully manicured claws against her arms, scrutinized, them before turning her attention to the medic. “How is he?”

The elderly man looked up from binding Silvern’s arm. “He lost a good amount of blood, but he’ll be fine.” He rose and walked stiffly to the woman’s side, lowering his voice a bit. “What puzzles me, however, is what caused a wound like this. It’s most unusual.”

Maeko wrinkled her nose and let out a rather unladylike little snort. What did she care about what the man’s wound looked like? The fact was, she had five strangers who’d appeared out of nowhere, one bleeding, to add to an already busy schedule. Her foul mood was interrupted by the grating laughter of one of the males and frightened sobs of the girl. Paces away, the dark skinned man was also slowly regaining consciousness, in response to the fox’s gentle urgings.

“I don’t know what you find so amusing, stranger,” she spoke icily to Elisan.

[DrkZealot]

Long minutes ago the sky erupted with a pale blue glow emitted from a shaft of light piercing through the clouds like a javelin, stabbing through the Temple below. It took long….very long moments for the raccoon to come to a reasonable course of action. For he was torn between his need to prove himself to those of Fanelia; he wished to work for them, protect them at all cost. He was torn between that and an unimaginable fear that clutched at his stomach, pinched his spine and immobilized his lower body when he tried to move forward (Yet moving backward, away from the light didn’t seem to be a problem). His eyes glanced from left to right, watching as some of the people from the yard abandoned their work to Investigate to the odd disturbance.
Under normal circumstances Wraith would have ran home crying at the unnatural sight before him, his overactive imagination conjuring images of Zaibachain engineered giant wererats being transported with the long pillar of light into the city, wreaking havoc on the cities cheese supply, then when all was consumed turning their attention to the ripe flesh of the Gaens (their preference being raccoon) inhabiting the large Kingdome. But he did finally come to a consensus, his loyalty to his new home took priority over his own life, he pledged it to Maeko and the rulers of Fanelia, and no scary beam of light was going to keep him from fulfilling his duty. He wouldn’t let those large rats from Zaibach destroy this city; he had grown quite fond of it in recent days. And while the sleeping accommodation weren’t what he would have liked them to be, and the food was lacking the subtle hints of iron and other metallic ore found in his Zaibachian meals, he came to accept it as home.
With that settled, and his course of action decided, he quickly made his way to the nearby temple his strong legs propelling him quickly across the city.

((ooc: Mwahahhahah feel the wrath of a rushed post))

[Fairybane]

Crimm looked up sharply as Maeko dashed past the gardens, vanishing before he could call to her.
Something is afoot... he thought to himself, a low disapproving rumble sounding deep in his throat. The old lion was aware that a youthful catgirl like Maeko was far lighter on her feet then he was, and immediately decided that attempting to pursue her would be fruitless.
If fate chooses to enlighten me...well it shall send me a sign. For now, I shall await its answer while enjoying this fine morning.
There was the sound of hasty footsteps upon the gravel walkway, and then a feminine voice broke the silence of the gardens.
"Pardon me, m'lord, but I was sent to get you. There is trouble at the temple."
Ah, so that's where Maeko was headed. Crimm turned around and smiled to the young maid who was bowing to him. Her face was unfamiliar, and looked to be of mixed ancestry but the feline features clearly bespoke her heritage.
"Please rise young miss, I am no lord but a humble priest," he said, bowing in return. "Please call me Father Crimm...but come now, let us see to this matter."

Crimmius was quite familiar with the path to the old temple, in fact he considered himself its caretaker. Though rarely used, he would still keep the grounds maintained for the rare times that one of the royal family would visit. And it was a peaceful place to meditate, knowing the stories associated with the temple, it made him feel closer to the gods just by being within the hallowed confines of the ancient building. But the omens of the morning weighing heavily in his mind, Crimm wondered just what kind of 'trouble' had occured. Glancing behind, he saw that the maid was trailing behind and he considered asking her for details.
"Miss, what sort of trouble has befallen the temple?" he asked in his deep baritone voice.

[Lady Fanel]

"Please call me Father Crimm...but come now, let us see to this matter."

Aethaeus bowed and followed the lion-priest to the temple. He led the way down the well-cared for paths as if he knew every curve, every direction he must take. He was quite a bit taller than Aethaeus, and she found herself wondering what he did as a priest.

"Miss, what sort of trouble has befallen the temple?" he asked in his deep baritone voice.

She almost jumped as he addressed her so formally. "Please, m'lord," she said, "call me Aethaeus." She bowed her head. "I am not worthy of being called a 'miss'." There was a pause. "I'm afraid I don't know much of what's going on at the temple, only that it has something to do with several people that were lying on the floor. They seemed hurt, because the catwoman who sent me called for medics. That's all I know, m'lord." Aethaeus lowered her eyes, embarassed at having talked to formally to one of her superiors.

[DrZepp]

Findel wearily looked up from the wash bucket, his face still red from the warm liquid.
*I've never spent this much time in the wash room.*
The samurai mused idly, thinking back to his Basram patrol days: Long months in the wilderness with little means of cleaning oneself. It was rough, but Findel had grown used to being dirty and unkempt at all times. Things had certainly changed as of late, though. He had barely even touched a glass of ale since Asturia, and he was secretly starting to like Freids airy attire. Yes, things were slowly beggining to change for the once proud (once slightly manlier) Basramian. He now found himself greatly anticipating the levi-ships arrival in Fanelia...
Thus, as he finished up with his wash he made for Gwyndolins main chambers, where he had left the Asturian with Aaron the night before.

*

"Morning..."
The Basramian said roughly, revealing his shirtless self to a groggy looking Gwyndolin. Her room was just as elaborate as the one in Freid had been (compared to the dull shades of Basram at least.) So, after checking out the interior designs, Findel dully noted that Aaron was gone.
"Where has he run off to now?"

Gwyndolin shrugged, standing up to face the Basramian.
Findels eyes showed immediate irritation at the thought that Aaron was wandering around, stabbing people, but that was soon washed away as he realised a new sensation, or rather a lack thereof... "The ship has stopped moving."
Gwyndolin nodded again.
"Yes, we have docked by now. We should be going."

[Fairybane]

"Hmmm..." Crimm's voice thundered and his tail swished back and forth. "Strangers in the temple?" The lion-man's hazel eyes glinted dangerously, and his stride suddenly lengthened so that Aethaeus was forced to scurry in order to keep up with him. For a moment, he had been a little hopeful, knowing the old stories associated with the temple and this land...that the ancient tales had come back to life. But if this was nothing more than a pack of bandits desecrating his temple...
At his hastened pace, Crimm and Aetheus arrived at the scene shortly, passing through the small crowd of onlookers, right up to the entrance to the temple. Glancing around, Crimm was relieved to see that nothing seemed to be damaged or stolen, but that a number of oddly dressed strangers were sprawled about the floor, with medics tending to a few.
"Maeko!" he called, recognizing the catwoman amongst the guards surrounding the strangers. "What on Gaia is happening here?"

[EvaRobby]

<<OOC: I'm going to make a sorry attempt at controlling Findel a little, forgive me ^_^;; >>

It suddenly clicked in Touji's head. The left. The lack of sleep he had last night wasn't helping him think at all. He had a hard enough time staying asleep, let alone getting that way. Nightmares kept finding him as he slept.

When he arrived at Gwyndolens door, he spent a short moment remembering what he was doing, and choosing his words for once he entered. He hoped she wouldn't still be asleep.

He knocked on the door, and it soon opened to reveal an unfamiliar topless man. Touji made an automatic assumption, though he didn't want to make it obvious. He daydreamed for a momet as he considered Gwyndolen's character, and the possibility that...

"Yes?" The man interrupted his toughts, Touji finally remembered where he was.

"Oh. Excuse me." He tried to remember his planned words, but failed miserably. "Is Gwyndolen here?"

[Kayay]

Many scathing words were on the tip of her tongue, but before the catwoman could verbally skin these people alive, Crimm arrived with all his usual forwardness.

“I have no idea Father Crimm. These people just appeared out of the blue,” Maeko make a dismissive little wave at the strangers, “and so far I haven’t gotten any explanations.” She arched an eyebrow and looked aside at the leonine man. “I assume you saw the light pillar. It sounds crazy, but at first I thought, well, you know the tales, but, except for the fact that they just spontaneously appeared out of nowhere, they look like average Gaeans. Unless,” she lowered her voice so the others did not hear, “you have any insight that they may be otherwise?”

The priest had no time to reply, for it was at that moment that the small crowd assembled at the door pushed forward, inadvertently shoving Wraith into the temple.

“Oh for the love of…” The anthro woman hissed, then noticed the raccoon anthro. “Wraith, since you’re here, do me a favor and watch the door, and keep any more nosey busy bodies OUT, or I’ll use them as my personal scratching post!”

Meako turned back to Crimm. He was an imposing figure; perhaps he could get some answers. “Father, the visitors from Freid will be here soon, and I must go meet them, so I’ll leave things in your hands for now. The guards will take them to an extra room near the servant’s wing, but I want them kept together, so have extra cots brought in necessary, and since Wraith and that other girl,” she nodded at Aethaeus, “are already around, they can assist you.”

[Phantom Angel]

Suddenly, the room was filled with strangers that seemed to just appear out of nowhere. For a moment, Dryan was taken aback by the fact that she could understand what they were saying.

"Well, no duh, it is Gaea...." Gwira replied silently.

Dryan rolled her eyes but stayed silent. She didn't like them. In fact, the first thing she wanted to do was to stand up, then to go find the nearest tavern and get drunk, pass out and wake up in the morning all nicely refreshed, minus a splitting headache.

It wasn't often that the fox woman got drunk. In all her life, she had only done so two or three times. The urge to do so now, however, was overwhelming.

"You handle this. They disgust me." Dryan motioned to Gwira.

In the split second that passed between Gwira opened her mouth, the fox's eyes turned a vibrant shade of green.

"Hey, you cat woman over there! And you priest man! How about you help us get our wounded out of here and treated, instead of marvelling stupidly at the fact that we've suddenly appeared here."

"I didn't mean for you to be that rude..." Dryan sighed inside their mind.

"Well, you never said be nice either." Gwira argued back.

"It was implied. After all this is their country and their castle. Would you want to be imprisoned on account of your big mouth???"

Looking around the room, Dryan saw that it fit the description in the old history tomes, that talked about the arival of the seer on Gaea. Undoubtedly, they were in Fanelia, and this were members of the Fanelian castle.

"This is juuust wonderful." she thought, a tinge of sarcasm in her inner voice.

"You're the one that didn't want to talk to them.... "

"I don't, they disgust me."

"Then don't complain about my way of doing things. " Gwira concisely ended the argument.

The argument made Dryan feel fuzzy inside, and she complied, knowing that one way or another they would manage to smooth things over with the others. And if not, she could always find someone willing to get her out of the city without anyone knowing.

"Come on you guys, let's get out of here... They're oviously of little help." Gwira whispered softly to the others, as she slowly crawled towards Fang, trying to shake the slayer into consciousness.

"What is the extent of Silvern's wound?" Dryan asked, trying to smooth over Gwira's not-so-suble insult.

[DrkZealot]

One minute Wraith remembered himself mulling about outside the temple with the swelling crowd, unsuccessfully working up the courage to enter. Even the behind view of Maeko stepping inside, as tempting as it was, was still not incentive enough for the young ex soldier to enter. Yet, the next he was tossed prematurely into the Temple like the innards of an over ripened grape being pinched from the sides by the small crowd that continued to massed outside. His chin slammed painfully onto the hard marvel floor, and he could feel the tears welling in his eyes, and fought hard to quickly suck up the pain and stagger to his feet.

“Wraith, since you’re here, do me a favor and watch the door, and keep any more nosey busy bodies OUT, or I’ll use them as my personal scratching post!” He heard Maeko grumble impatiently.
“But…but I just got here…” He whined dusting himself off. But before he could continue his protest, a sharp glare from the oddly authoritative catwoman shut him up seemingly indefinitely. With his snout shut and his tail between his legs he cast the woman another pleading glance that was (in his eyes) rudely ignored and made his way back outside the temple. Secretly relived he didn’t have to stay inside he slammed the door behind him and held out his right arm and shook his head at any meddlesome soul that got up enough courage to take a curious step towards the entrance.

“Nothin’ ta see here people, go on home.”

He yelled in the strongest, most commanding voice he could muster. Sadly enough it came out with a slightly soprano pitch which led many to merely chuckle under their breath and turn around returning home.

[Kayay]

I’m going to kill them. No, first I’m going to shred them into tiny bits and THEN kill anyone who survives.

With forced politeness and a false smile, Maeko walked lover to the fox, hands clasped behind her back. “’Stupidly’, hmm?” Her jade eyes narrowed and she looked haughtily down at Dryan. “’Stupid’’ is running off your mouth when already up to your neck in hot water, so you’d better shut your shut your trap before you end up drowning yourself.”

Maeko took a step back, and her eyes slid over to the one the woman identified as Silvern. “And your friend will be fine," she continued in a slightly less hostiel tone. "The doctor has already patched him up and tells me he just needs some food and rest and,” she added noting the rather ragged state of the group, “a bath. In fact, you all could use one.” Her ears twiched and swiveled in response to the guard's movements. "Remember," she repeated, "search them thouroughly and confiscate anything that looks like a weapon, even if it's a harmless little nail file."

“You can stop shaking me now Dryan,” Fang groggily muttered and slowly sat up. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked around at the stained glass, the tiny altars, at Maeko and Crimm, and finally at Dryan. “Either they’ve joined the rest of us on the mystic Moon, or we’re back home. The second answers seems the most logical, but that doesn’t tell me exactly where we are other than some sort of holy place.”

[Eydtman]

"Oh forget it." Elisan thought to hismelf. Noone else seemed to be laughing except for himself, but that was ok. He never even bothered to respond to the catwoman who asked him what was so funny since she wouldn't understand anyways. It would just be a waste of breath.

He was still rather confused about this situation however. At first it appeared as if they had been already captured, but now it appeared as if they were just about to be captured by the people here, and on top of that they were most definately Gaean. The last thing Elisan remembered was still just turning to face Silvern to see how he had made out in the battle and then he woke up here.

The catwoman ordered the gaurds to take their weapons, which Elisan didn't like one bit. He hoped that since his blades were retracted into they housing on his arm, that anyone who looked at them would assume them just to be some sort of arm gaurd. One thing was for sure, he most definately didn't want them finding out what the gun he had stashed behind his back was, or what it was capable of. Upon the guise of maneuvering himself into a more comfortable position Elisan slid the gun deeper down into the back of his pants so that it could not be seen. If they frisked him they would definately notice it, but if that happened he'd simply lie and say it was something else, and not a weapon. No weapon such as this existed in Gaea so he felt it safe that they wouldn't be able to tell it was a weapon, unless Silvern or one of the others ratted it out. In which case he would skin them alive and use their face as a hat. Elisan chuckled inwardly to himself at the thought of what an ugly hat Silvern's face would make.

Another anthro, this one much more intimidating, had arrived on the scene and began talking to the cat woman that seemed to be the person in charge here.

“Father, the visitors from Freid will be here soon, and I must go meet them, so I’ll leave things in your hands for now. The guards will take them to an extra room near the servant’s wing, but I want them kept together, so have extra cots brought in necessary, and since Wraith and that other girl,” she nodded at Aethaeus, “are already around, they can assist you.” said the cat woman.

So they were going to be taken to a room in the servants wing? It was a hell of alot better than a dungeon atleast. This only made the situation more confusing though. Just why were they here? Were they to be prisoners?

"Guess i'll just have to play this one by ear for now." he thought to himself.

If they were indeed back on Gaea, things could get messy if anyone recognized him. He wasn't going to go back to that hell without a fight...

[Princess Samari]

OOC: Wehaw! I be movin through threads!

[DrkZealot]

E…excuse me Miss Maeko” A meek voice sounded from behind the cracked door of the temple, and a fuzzy masked face popped from the behind the open door, the gap only large enough to fit his small head.

“The crowed has lessened, I…I don’t think there’s need for me to watch the door anymore”

He stated with a slight wince, bracing himself for the oncoming reprimand he could feel about to explode from the disgruntled catwoman. For long moments he patiently waited as she continued to address the large lion Monk who calmly spoke or nodded his head in accordance to Maeko’s words. “But…but if you want me to stay out here, I’ll be glad to do so” He continued, still waiting for an answer, his clear blue eyes lowering to the temple floor in embarrassment, knowing he was interruption an important development.

The short amount of time he was outside had been quite an eye opener for the young anthro, he recalled standing before this woman, bloody and bruised, pledging allegiance to Fanelia (and to her afterwards). He would give his life for a second chance, a chance to break himself away from the fetid body known as Zaibach, an entity that would not hesitate killing thousands of men and women alike to advance but one step foreward towards their goal. Maeko was the reason he was standing there (though scared to death) at the moment, the reason he wasn’t rotting in one of their prisons as a Zaibach spy; it was because of her. He continued to stand, refusing to enter the temple until given word by her, or the Monk whom he was informed about, and who he held in high respect for the sheer fact he had little to no religious history.
His clawed finger skid upon the surface of the temples outer wall as he waited, his muscles tensing ever now and then when he noticed a quick movement from the woman he owed his life to. It felt as if he broke his mothers favorite vase and awaited punishment from the woman who was now so angry couldn’t speak; her anger standing watch in her throat, violently blocking any statements that stumbled too far near the opening. Maeko seemed so different this day, so angry, tense and irritable…because of this he decided to bother her as little as possible, and offer his services in any way possible. ~ please don’t yell at me, please don’t yell at me~ The words began to scramble throughout his head, bouncing off the walls of his skull like a rubber ball, stealing away every bit of his attention like a greedy child snatching away another’s favorite toy. ~Please…I hate being yelled at…~

[Kayay]

Like hell I’ll let you keep any weapons while we are unarmed.

“I’d take those gauntlets from him if I were you,” Silvern coolly told the guard searching Elisan, “and I’d frisk him too, just in case he’s hiding anything, then again, I think he’d like that.” He smiled as he willingly handed over his saber to the other soldier, figuring it was best to cooperate.

Maeko cocked her head and stared at Elisan for a second. He didn’t seem like that kind of man, but then again…

“E…excuse me Miss Maeko”

She looked dispassionately at the raccoonman. Honestly, he was one of the most timid creatures she’d ever met. “No, it’s all right. Come in.” Wraith shuffled in a few steps and she shook her head with a small amused turn of her lips. Her temper was like quicksilver, changing with unexpected swiftness, and it was hard to be angry towards one so meek. “You can come in a bit more than that Wraith. Father Crimm may need your assistance.”

[DrkZealot]

Still ashamed and a tab bit confused with the sudden change of mood in the temple the young raccoon took a few more cautiously steps within at the sweet call of Maeko, never once lifting an ashamed eye from the floor. The short raccoon was outwardly frightened, his steps were quick and uneven, and his head remained lowered as if trying to evade invisible arrows he could feel whizzing by his head from the mass of people inside. He could think of nothing to say, nothing to do, she scared the living daylights out of him and he was afraid to say the slightest thing, in fears of offending her and bringing back that horrible, angry look on her face. That image burned deep upon the youths brain like a searing hot cattle brand, and that look convinced him to try, at all costs, not to ever make her angry like that again.
He hated the fact people of authority scared him witless, but the because he held the woman and the monk in such high respect, he couldn’t bare to see a disapproving look from either of the two. He knew that if he stayed quiet and out of the way, there would be nothing for those in charge to yell at him for, so he did just that, remained silent and obedient.

He crept further into the temple, his pace quickening as his peripheral vision caught the sight of the catwoman off the corner of his eye, his head remained down even after passing her, the clear blue orbs dead set on the floor as if making an honest attempt to count every weathered crack on its surface. Standing beside Crimm he remained silent, even his long oversized tail took heed of his mental notes, as if it too were afraid to make any sudden moves.
There was no need to speak now, he had his orders from Maeko; he was to assist the large Monk if need be, but the intruders seemed cooperative on the most part, so he assumed he would have little to no work. So, until he was asked to speak, or do anything further, he remained quiet, just like back in Zaibach. Needless to say, the nostalgia wasn’t at all welcome.

[Megumi H]

Dream felt even more confused. Where were they, and what did that cat-like woman just call them? And why did the fox-woman- Dryan, her name was- suddenly seem a little... less normal than before?

Then she sighed deeply at the mention of rest and a bath. With all that running through the streets and tripping through the woods, rest and a bath were the comforts she now craved most. Looking down at herself, she noticed besides the blood some smudges of dirt and bits of dry leaves. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. She looked over at the others, wondering if they'd gone through close to the same thing.

Dryan continued to shake the man named Fang, and he quickly regained consciousness, looking around and mumbling something about 'the mystic moon,' 'home,' and 'a holy place.'

Which again begged the question: Where are we?

Dream gave Silvern's hand a quick squeeze and asked "Silvern...san...sir... do you know where we are?"

There were so many more strange-looking people here besides Dryan... there was of course, the cat-woman, and then that huge lionish man, and then... what looked like a raccoon-man. Was this Dryan's home?


((OOC: I know this is a crap post, but I'm just making sure we all know I'm still here.))

[Phantom Angel]

“’Stupid’’ is running off your mouth when already up to your neck in hot water, so you’d better shut your shut your trap before you end up drowning yourself.”

She had mouth, Gwira admited silently. However, just because she had mouth that did not mean she had to use it so freely.

"Shall I teach her a little lesson?" Gwira asked.

"Just as long as you don't get us imprisoned or otherwise restrained from the nearby supply of food, sure." Dryan, who was not too high on people insulting them agreed from within.

Gwira openly licked her lips, a lopsided grin stretching her smile.

“a bath. In fact, you all could use one.”

"You're just jealous that we travelled to the Mystic Moon and you didn't. But it's okay. We brought back presents." Gwira snarled, slowly.

"Now, if you're a good kitty I'll even give you some mothballs to chase. But... first you have to show me the way to the nearest bath. I want to smell of home again." Gwira added, arcing an eyebrow in silent challenge at the cat girl.

"I think she'll be really pissed now... Dryan commented with a sigh.

"No one, absolutely no one, calls me STINKY!"

"Aye, aye. I'm so not getting involved in this." Dryan added with amusement.

There was no need for her involvement. Gwira was perfectly capable of insulting the cat girl all on her own. The fox's attention strayed towards Fang who was struggling to stand up.

"From the way this chamber looks, I'd say we're in Fanelia." Dryan burst out, in response to his question.
"But, a lot might have changed in 100 years."

[Fairybane]

Silent but by no means idle, Crimm's acute feline hearing was taking in everything the strangers were saying. It was much to comprehend, but the huge lionman quickly uttered a mantra in his throat to keep his great heart from beating right out of his chest.
By the gods! The Mystic Moon!
He had not noticed the beam of blue light, signalling the arrival of these outlanders, otherwise he immediatly would have recalled the old stories...but at least Maeko had arrived to take control of the matter. But knowing the fiesty catwoman's unpredictable temper...
Crimm firmly placed his paws on Maeko's shoulders, gently but powerfully pulling her away from the strangers and towards the door. "Listen not to her taunts young one, she would like nothing more than to see you angry..." Glancing back at the sharp tongued foxwoman, he saw that her attention had already drifted back to her companions. "I think it would be best to make sure that the arrival of our...guests here does not trouble our future queen, as she has quite enough to worry about. In fact, you might tell all the guards that discretion would be preferred in this matter."
Movement from below caught his attention, and glancing down, he noticed the black and grey masked face of a racoon looking back at him with glittering eyes. "Ah, Wraith...I did not notice you there...I suppose Maeko wanted you to help...?" The monk suddenly recalled the shy catgirl that had brought him to the temple. "Aetheus! I would like our guests to be well-fed before I speak with them. Wraith here would be glad to help you bring some breakfast to the guest wing if you would be so kind?"

[Kayay]

With Father Crimm left to deal with this minor crisis, Maeko breathed a bit easier. Wraith, she noticed, was still staring determinedly at the floor. “Relax a bit Wraith and remember to breath, or you’ll pass out on us, and then what?” She sighed and took a few steps towards the exit. The boy would have to grow a spine one day, but until then…

"You're just jealous that we travelled to the Mystic Moon and you didn't. But it's okay. We brought back presents. Now, if you're a good kitty I'll even give you some mothballs to chase. But... first you have to show me the way to the nearest bath. I want to smell of home again."

Her ears slicked back and she whirled around and strode over to the still sitting foxwoman. So this one was a little smart ass was she? Maeko opened her mouth to retaliate but was thankfully interrupted by Crimm’s levelheaded actions. Reluctantly she let him guide her away. Were it anyone else, she’d be clawing his eyes out, but the Priest was one of those few she listened to without too much protest…usually.

“Yes…yes thank you Father Crimm.” She inclinded her head in a little bow and turned to leave, first shooting Dryan a venomous glare that made it clear that their little battle was far from over.

“And I thought Silvern was the only one with a death wish around here,” Fangolas dryly muttered under his breath to Dryan as he watched the angry catwoman leave. “The friction betwixt he and Elisan and you and the feline are enough to send us up in flames before long.” Shifting his weight to a more comfortable position, he shuddered as one last wave of pressure washed through his body, the origin being his energist. Then the pain finally left, and he breathed a bit easier. Now more than ever, however, he wished he could extract the damned gemstone, or at least figure out how to control it.

Silvern, meanwhile, ignoring Elisan’s furious looks for revealing his stash of weapons, focused upon the girl Dream. “We’re in ‘Fanelia’, although it’s no city I’ve ever heard of and…wait, how is it you can understand their language now?” He shook his head. “Nevermind. It’s not important. They’re all on edge, but they don’t seem to mean us any harm.”

[Hitomi_333]

*Everything in Gwyndolin's head felt fuzzy, as if she was unable to get a hold onto reality. The entire night had been spent trying to question Aaron or to keep a watch to prevent him from escaping. However, the questioning was a disappointment as Aaron refused to say anything, despite Gwyndolin's "persuasiveness." She knew that sleep wouldn't be possible for a great many hours though.

"Where has he run off to now?" Findel demanded.

Gwyndolin shrugged, her brain partially not comprehending what he asked. "Oh, he's in the other bedroom," she finally added, dully.

The levi-ship had come to a stop and at that moment the two knights realized it. "The ship has stopped moving." Findel remarked.

"Yes, we have docked by now. We should be going," Gwyndolin replied. She made a move to get her bags and to get Aaron. As little as she trusted him alone anywhere, she knew that from that additional bedroom (which she assumed may have been meant for Touji, her young charge) had no means of escape. However, before she could do that there was a knock at the door and Findel answered it.

"Oh. Excuse me. Is Gwyndolen here?"

Gwyndolin heard Touji's voice from behind the door. "Yes, I'm in here," she called out to him. "Come on in." She moved about her room, gathering the few belongings that she had taken out, though for the most part she was fully packed and ready to leave in an instant.

"You look tired," she told the boy, as if she hadn't stayed up all night. "The levi-ship has landed in Fanelia and I'm told that there are to be carriages waiting to take us to the palace. Are you ready to leave?" she asked him.

Gwyndolin sighed, putting the last of her things in her bag. Traveling with Aaron made her duty much more stressful than it would have been. He'd needed to be watched to prevent him from stabbing anyone or otherwise causing trouble. However, she hated to have him near Touji, whom she was also in charge of keeping out of trouble (though that seemed to be easy). At least having someone to protect prevented her from feeling sorry for herself as she had in Freid, for which she was ashamed. From here on out she would only do her duty.*

OOC: heh, due to Kayay's relentless harassment, I've returned from my extended absence ^^ heh... sorry for not posting.

[DrkZealot]

The large clear blue eyes rose from the floor, and the black tipped triangular ears perked upon hearing his name and being assigned a task. He nodded his head in compliance but couldn’t help but wonder the logic behind it. He heard Maeko’s words of false warning and let out a small sigh, forcing a smile even less genuine than Maeko’s concern that seemed lined with annoyance. His small paw passed through the short fuzz over his head as he pondered how to word his question to the rather intimidating Lion.
“Excuse me…Father Crimm” He mumbled in low tones, taking a quick moment to glance over his shoulder to the sharp tongued intruders, most notably the one exchanging harsh words with Maeko. “I mean no disrespect in what I say, I just want to know why it is these people who intruded upon such a sacred place, blatantly lie to you and Miss Maeko about being from the Mystic Moon, then continue to insult Miss Maeko get treated to breakfast? It’s just…they’re story is such an obvious lie…and instead of being heavily interrogated, they’re given a warm meal, a warm bath, and a room more than likely twice as large as mine….N-not to say the living accommodations you’ve given me are unsatisfactory” he hurriedly corrected himself with the lie, “it’s just that…they’re intruders, just as I was. And they’re being treated as honored guests…”

He wished he could have retracted that statement. Thinking back upon it, it was obvious, even to him he was only jealous. His naivety took control of his mind and he wondered why it was strange intruders of the Temple, who claimed to have come from the Mystic moon flaunting multiple weapons get treated better than a bloodied, bruised, beaten and weaponless ex Zaibach soldier in a nonfunctional Guymelef. He was thrown in jail like a common criminal, and even when Miss Maeko finally managed to get him out, he was stuck in a room that he still believes at one time housed only cleaning products, and he knew there were still several spies watching his every move. He looked down, ashamed at himself for such thoughts; even more so he voiced a sliver of them before Father Crimm. Scratching the back of his head he quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything….I’ll get their breakfast now” He mumbled shaking the thoughts from his head, standing upright and swiftly walking past the group, casting Aethaeus a quick look, signaling he was not waiting for her.

((OOC: Wraith doesn't know anything about the story of Hitome coming from Earth. He wasn't taught anything about it in Zaibach; knows nothing of the legends, and still belives anyone claiming to be from the Mystic Moon is stark raving mad.))

[Kayay]

~~~~outside the temple~~~~

“Where are you off to in such a hurry, young man?”

A cool voice called to Wraith, and a thin, wiry middle aged man dressed from head to toe in finely tailored black approached the anthro. A leader of sorts among the merchant’s, Foucault was a familiar face on the palace grounds, often speaking to the council on behalf of his guild, and while he was an excellent negotiator and politician, he was also, to be blunt, creepy. From under a fringe of limp shoulder length black hair, her regarded the world from cold, distant eyes of an inky black, and he smiled that slick politician’s smile, his lips turning upwards slightly in mild amusement at Wraith’s nervousness. Something interesting was happening, and the merchant was the type who liked to be in the know.


~~~~leviship~~~~

Most of the time was spent showing the girl around the ship, stopping by the library, the small meditation room, the bridge, the dining area, and the observation deck. “This ship is designed for speed and comfort, but it’s not a recreation vehicle, so most people spend their time reading, meditating, or games suited to two or three people,” Dharr had explained. Midway through a stroll on the deck, a deckhand paused by the pair, informing them that the carriages had arrived to take them to the palace. Dharr nodded, and held out his hand to Chigusa to lead her to the gangway. “Your luggage will be brought along ahead of us, so unless there’s anything else, we can see if your friends are already waiting for us.”

*

Aaron, still in something of a daze, emerged from the bedroom, the journal, hidden from sight, weighing him down, an albatross around his neck so to speak. Ignoring the knight, samurai and the newly arrived boy, a face familiar from Freid, Aaron stood silently in the doorframe. His sword was still by his side, not surprising once one realized that any attempt to separate him from the macabre blade might set him off. Somehow he’d managed not to lose control during the night long interrogation, but there was little he could explain. Looking down at his hand, he wondered just why he’d done it. What had come over him, and why couldn’t he remember?

*

He was far from healed, but at least he felt somewhat better. Then again, he thought wryly, anything was “better” than slowly bleeding to death. Early that morning Seth had managed to talk the guard watching the infirmary to help him to his quarters. It had taken more time than usual, but he’d managed to don a suitable uniform. A shame I can’t do something about this crutch. It makes me feel like and old man, he chuckled to himself as he leaned his weight upon the supports. Checking one last time that everything was packed and set aside for the porters, Seth walked out to be escorted to the waiting carriages.

[Lady Fanel]

"Aetheus! I would like our guests to be well-fed before I speak with them. Wraith here would be glad to help you bring some breakfast to the guest wing if you would be so kind?"

The young servant bowed. "Of course, m'lord, as you wish. If you'll excuse me." She saw the racoon-man give her a quick look as he walked by and out of the temple. Aethaeus gave one final bow as she followed him outside.

She heard someone calling to Wraith as she stepped out the door, blinking in the sudden light. Placing her hand above her eyes to shield off the sun, she saw an odd-looking man dressed in black approaching Wraith.

[EvaRobby]

"Are you ready to leave?"

Toujis stopped to consider his long list of possessions, these clothes, those clothes, this sword, that sword, and his watch. He silently pondered how much they'd pay for such a 'magical' device here, he'd probably get enough to buy some extra pairs of underwear.

"I guess so, though I don't know where my other sword has gotten to."

Touji spotted Findel in the corner of his eye, reminding him of his suspicions. He wondered for a moment whether he actually wanted to hear her answer.

"Who's that guy?"

He considered the possibility of something like a male concubine existing. The idea of it made him shudder.

[Eydtman]

Elisan shot mental daggers at Silvern. It looked like Elisan would be planning on making that ugly hat soon now. If Silvern had only kept his big mouth shut they might not have noticed. Bastard. Oh well, if Silvern ended up in trouble and needed to fight but Elisan had no weapons because of him, he'd simply watch and laugh. Well he would have watched and laughed anyways, but that's beside the point.

"Why of course, I was just planning on handing these over to you." Elisan said faking a cheerful expression. "I had no intention of keeping these on here anyways, it's not like I'd need them at all here right?" Elisan carefully undid his weapons and placed them on the ground infront of him. "Be careful now, there are some quite sharp blades within those." He said to the nearest guard.

Elisan knew that Silvern would rat out what the gun was if they found it on him by frisking so he reluctantly pulled it out aswell and motioned for the guard who was picking up his gauntlets to come a little closer, which he did. Normally in this situation Elisan would have attacked, but he couldn't see any way of doing that and escaping in this situation, so instead he tried to play it smart.

In a quiet voice so that noone but the guard and himself could hear what was being said Elisan spoke to the guard. "See this here, this is actually my medicine dispenser but that guy over there doesn't trust me and thinks it's a weapon of some sort. He's a crafty one, he is. Always trying to get me into trouble and all. I really don't know what's his problem. Anyways, I'll still give this to you so that he doesn't make a fuss. When I leave I'd like it back though please. I can;t go too long without my medication."

Elisan worked the action quietly on the gun several times ejecting the bullets onto the grounf infront of him, counting them as they fell a few inches to the ground until they had all been ejected.

"...two, three, four, five..."

Again he spoke to the guard. "I'll need these now though, or else I'll get deathly ill." He said as he picked up the handfull of bullets and swallowed them one by one before handing over the gun to the guard. "There ya go. Don't go losing it now." He said with a faked smile.

As the guard turned his back to walk to the next person he shot an icy look toward Silvern.

"I hate you SOOOOOOO much!."

[Fairybane]

Crimm shook his head quietly as Wraith departed and Aetheus followed quietly. He didn't know too many of the details surrounding Wraith's harrowing escape from Zaibach, but he found the young Racoon-man's personality endearing. The impetuosity of youth, it would be hypocritical of me to berate him for speaking his mind... He would find Wraith later on and tell him some of the ancient tales of Fanelia.
But back to the matters at hand...Crimmius looked up just in time to notice the chilling look that one of the strangers sent towards his companion.
"...looks Zaibachian," muttered one of the guards, tinkering with the clever mechanisms of the retracting blade-gauntlets.
Clearing his throat thunderously, Crimm stepped behind the guard, lowering the gauntlet with his sinewy paw.
"If the guests have entrusted all their weapons to our safekeeping, let us move them to a more accomadating location." Rattling his prayer beads, Crimm subtly drew their attention to the fact that they were in a sacred temple of all places.
Giving a collective superstitious wince, the guards milled about, helping the strangers to their feet and neatly filing them out of the temple until Crimm was left by himself in the hollow emptiness, the mild din from outside echoing within.
"What darkness approaches these peaceful times that requires the aid of the Mystic Moon?" Crimm asked nobody in particular. Others of his faith might have been skeptical, But Crimmius had always trusted his instincts over all else. And his instincts told him that interesting times had just begun.

[Chesta chesta chesta]

Outside, in the glorious sunshine, two forms leaned against the side of one of the carriages. A feathered beast sat perched on a shoulder. Neither of them had any luggage, though one did seem to hold a pastry of some kind.

“I’m going to give it to Chigusa and she will talk again.” The pastry was rather lopsided as if someone had sat on it or perhaps dropped it.

Tonton brushed his hands against it, like you straighten a shirt, but the pastry didn’t seem like it felt like responding to the touch and remained deformed.

“I don’t think she would want to eat that.”

“Of course she would. Chigusa is…what do you call us…”

The earth boy pressed a chubby finger against his chin and tried to think harder than he had ever done before. All it did was to make him hungry. Eitre never moved his gaze from the gangway, it flickered from passenger to passenger as he tried to see if he recognised anyone.

The two had come to an agreement that they would refuse to share carriage with anyone that they didn’t know. Neither did it seem that anyone wanted to question them on why they hogged a carriage. Maybe they were intimidated by Tonton and his lopsided pastry.

“Trouble?”

“The other word. Earth people.”

There was no sight of her as yet, nor anyone they knew of the name of.

“Mystic moon.”

“Yes, Mystic moon eats food.”

If Tonton could’ve been anymore prouder then he would’ve exploded. He had a master plan. He was going to find all the mystic mooners and they could go on a big nice picnic. Everyone loved picnics.

[DrZepp]

Findel grasped his bandaged shoulder, realizing that he should probably put a shirt on before entering Fanelia. He glanced across the room, noticing his pile of sparse belongings. Brushing past Gwyndolin in several strides, Findel cocked his head as the young boy spoke.
"Who's that guy?"
Touji said, seeming to ignore the fact that Findel was standing no more than five feet away. There was a moment of silence as Gwyndolin turned to face the samurai, but she was soon cut off.

"Findel Falor. I hail from Basram."
Findel said routinely, looking down at his Freidian tunic.
"And you are the Mystic Moon boy..."
He continued, slipping the shirt on with an air of disinterest. He remembered Toujis story from the throne room, yet with all the new faces it was unlikely that the earthling recognized him.
Findel furrowed his brow. Just seeing Touji again reminded him of all the revelations concerning the mystic moon... information that the Basramian would have been better off not hearing.
In a fit of inner frustration, Findel immediately started to doubt Toujis tales from Freid, despite the fact that only a day before he had been quite convinced that Risa and the others travels were true. Findel proved too stuborn to be changed overnight, and there was no doubt that it would take time for his beliefs to shift. With a huff, the samurai tried to push the thoughts to the back of his mind.

"I am departing... if you care to join me, so be it."
He exclaimed gruffly, striding past Gwyndolin one last time and heading for the exit.
With his head downcast, Findel barely noticed Aaron, standing quietly at the door. The two men bumped shoulders as Findel brushed by with a low cough.

[Kayay]

~~~~Foucault ~~~~

Not waiting for a reply nor an invitation, Foucault fluidly fell into step with the raccoonman, arcing a brow in acknowledgment to Aetheus’ arrival. Two servants, nervously hurrying from the temple off to who knew where to do who knew what was enough in itself to catch his interest, but after the commotion, it was reasonable to assume something quite important was happening.

“I hope you don’t mind my joining you on your way to the palace, but I myself was just headed that way for a meeting with the Representative of the Guilds.” His interest increased when from the temple behind them emerged several more people, among them the Priest, a handful of guards and medics, and five unfamiliar faces. Well, well, well… Not just anyone gained admittance to the royal family’s temple, and guessing from their escort and the sour looks on their faces, these strangers weren’t exactly welcome.


~~~~Aaron~~~~

Aaron barely acknowledged Findel, looking up blankly at him as the man bumped him aside. It was hard to believe this usually emotionless young man had attacked Seth the previous day, but Aaron was full of surprises, not the least of which was his Draconian heritage that only a handful of people knew about, so whether he’d lose himself in another irrational haze of rage, no one, not even Aaron himself, could say for sure. One thing he did know was, although part of him wanted to seek solitude, he had to talk to Seth again and try to figure things out. So while Gwyn was preoccupied with Touji, Aaron slipped out after Findel, silently shadowing the Basramian through the hallways.

[Hitomi_333]

*Gwyndolin was irritated by Findel's complete coldness, but she put on a happy face for Touji's benefit. "Well, we'd better head out then," she saw that Aaron was following Findel and decided that it would be best to ignore the strange young man for now, as it seemed that there could be little to gain from keeping him captive.

For the nth time in the last few days Gwyndolin picked up her bags and began carrying them down the hallway. In all reality, she cared little for most of her personal belongings, but the bag that she was entrusted with from the King was precious to her. Gwyn missed King Arien although she'd only been his personal guard for a few days. The young king was always very kind and hospitable... unlike certain people that she'd been in the company of as of late.

"We'll grab your luggage and then take one of the carriages to the palace," Gwyn interrupted her own thoughts and announced. "Eh," she realized with a sheepish grin, "I don't even know which direction your room is." Some guardian I am... not even knowing where his room is-- I couldn't have checked in on him if I tried.

[DrkZealot]

((ooc: Things don't seem to be going very well for me in the rpg. I can't seem to get into character *sigh*))

In the early morning hours it could be heard blocks around. The high pitched, woman like scream that erupted and fell upon the ears of all within it’s vast radius. The epicenter? The medium sized raccoon male now sprawled on the floor, his right hand clutching his chest, his face twisted in terror as the screams continued to echo off the stone walls of surrounding building.
His mind had been elsewhere since he exited the temple, his thoughts wandering here and there, most about Maeko and Crimm. Others consisting of his surroundings, such as the beautiful day; how that strange woman across the street seemed to have something caught in her eye by the way she seemed to only blink with her left when looking at him. He also noticed the two guys there across the street, both of them seemingly forgetting the other wasn’t a woman the way they were kissing and all. These thought took over the majority of his attention and he was unaware he was being followed by Aetheus, let alone the grimy merchant who’s creepy face seemed to pop out of nowhere when the young man turned to look to his right. And so there he was in the present. His screams had now subsided, and the initial shock was worn off, but his heart still felt as if it would shatter through his chest with the ferocity it continued to beat. After a few minutes of deep breaths and pounding on the left side of his chest to get his heart going again, he somewhat gained control of himself and propped himself up with his right elbow, shakily trying to bring himself to his feet before mumbling in a low trembling voice answering the Merchants question.

“I..I…I d-d-don’t m-mind at all”

[Endurance]

Nothing had annoyed Ecli quite as much as hiding inside leviship full of busy people for a whole night. It had been quite a challenge to remain completely unnoticed by everyone and at the same time locate Chisuga's whereabouts too.

He had spent rest of the night in half slumped position, silently musing over the situtation again and again to come up with a proper plan of how to deal with both Chisuga and Aaron,who had in some mysterious way managed to obtain Dryden's journal. Ecli swallowed hard, effectively digesting a clod of disgustingly bitter herbs he had been chewing.

This is a reckless gamble.... but I'd rather risk some mild side effects of unboiled herbs than falling down with a sudden, uncontrollable seizure

Ecli observed calmly how Dharr came to escort Chisuga out of the leviship. He was too far away to hear what they were talking about but it looked like they were about to leave soon. Ecli waited for them to leave first and after that rose up, stretched his sore muscles and started pursuing the unaware couple. For Ecli's dismay Dharr and Chisuga were visiting just about every crowded place inside the leviship, including meditation room, bridge and dining area just to name the few.

Finally Dharr and Chisuga started walking to direction where Ecli knew gangway to be. Smiling ominiously Ecli fondled the tip of his dagger as he pondered his next action.

I will blend into crowd and slip inside the palace grounds with them. I have watched that Chisuga long enough to notice that she tends to isolate herself from the others. If she does that again I can easily capture her.

Ecli had always trusted on his instincts. He would succeed no matter how dire things might look.

[Kayay]

“Hello. You’re the boy with the owl,” the Freidian soldier greeted Eitre and Ton Ton, as if the former was now forever cursed with the title of The Boy With The Owl. “I can’t in honest say I’m sorry to see you go, but I wish you better luck in your future.” Another anonymous porter strapped what little luggage the travelers had into place, and Dharr stepped out of the man’s way then bowed to Chigusa, preparing to take his leave, but then he spotted Jirair and Seth disembarking, and the elder soldier gestured for Dharr to come over. “Excuse me.”

The trio stood far enough away from Ton Ton, Eitre, and Chigusa that none of their words carried over above the din of the landing platform, but from their very posture it was obvious that whatever the subject it was serious. From time to time Seth, who leaned on his crutch as casually as if it had always been there, glanced at the group waiting by the carriage and then at the gangway. Even Jirair and Dharr wore concerned expressions. Finally, the conversation ended, Jirair clasped Seth’s hand in farewell, and the two Freidians boarded the leviship again, leaving Seth to slowly make his way to the waiting carriages.

“Good morning, as soon as the others arrive we can leave.” Seth nodded a greeting towards the trio in an absentminded manner, his thoughts obviously elsewhere, but upon noticing the feathered creature on Eitre’s shoulder he looked curiously at the young man, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “It’s not exactly the most important thing to know, but where did you get that?”


~~~~Foucault ~~~~

“Already people are whispering of conspiracy and cataclysm and miracles.” The merchant carefully adjusted the smoke colored glasses he wore, peered back at the strangers not far behind him, then turned his attention back to Wraith. His voice was friendly enough, but there was an intensity in his eyes that made many a man tremble. “So tell me, my boy, who are they, prophets or madmen or charlatans?”


((OOC: Poor Wraith is going to have a heart attack.))

[Fairybane]

The short journey to the palace was uneventful if anything. Crimm and his small entourage of guards ushered the newcomers quietly to the courtyard, past the rose garden and towards the guest wing of the castle. As they passed through an ivy-draped archway, the lionman glanced up at the tower where the princess' room was.
I hope Maeko has a chance to inform her majesty of these visitors before anyone else does. Crimm returned his gaze to the motley band before him, his sad gaze passing right through them. Poor girl, a pity she will not be able to savor her youth...
Since leaving the temple, their little parade had apparantly gained a sizable number of followers, all curious onlookers who trailed behind them with hushed whispers and suspicious glances. Turning around suddenly, Crimm growled lightly, letting his lips widen into a mild snarl. "Please good people, do return to your duties and trouble us not to stare." Crossing his burly arms, Crimm stared down the small mob, mostly servants and bored guards, though a few nobles could be seen among them, standing out rather sorely in their finery. Satisfied that he had done all he could to break up the crowd, Crimm turned away and walked quickly to catch up with the guarded strangers.

"Ah! Naughty baby, come back here!!" came a woman's cry, accompanied by a shrill squeal. Crimmius looked back in time to see a small catgirl in a tan smock emerge from a side door, her tiny legs carrying her into the midst of the entourage, and right smack into one of the outlanders. The one with the ugly sneer that they had to take the knived gauntlets from...
Peering out of the doorway, a bedraggled looking catwoman appeared with arms akimbo. "Milia! Get away from that man immediately!"

[Phantom Angel]

Gwira heard the priest order the crowd of people that had turned to stare away from them. She watched with delight, the big curious eyes that clung to their every step, a plan slowly taking form in her mind.

"You can't possibly want to do that!" Dryan exclaimed, a bit taken aback by the cruelty of what Gwira was proposing.

"And why not? As I recally, we don't have enough money to take a levi-ship home. So, we must make money." Gwira retorted.

"But that's tricking innocent people!" Dryan bit back.

"And you think they wouldn't trick us if they were in our shoes? Gwira asked.

"Well, you do have a point, but we cannot afford to tarnish the image of our business."

"And yet, we need money."

"Yes, that's why we'll sell that blasted figurine I bought from that man in Asturia. And we'll charge extra because it's been to the Mystic Moon." Dryan proposed.

"That could work... and we could somehow try to get our hands on Elisan's weapon and present it as a harmless decoration, and sell that for a lot of money as well."

"Well, we'd have to make it so that it wouldn't be dangerous first, but I'm sure we can get a very comfortable sum for that 'artifact'."

"It's a plan!

"Excuse me, but what has happened to our weapons now that you have promptly disarmed us?" Gwira asked Crimmus. "Will we get them back when we want to leave the castle?" she asked, falling into pace with the priest.

[Fairybane]

"They'll be kept in a safe place for now until we find out why you encroached on holy territory, laden with weapons..." replied Crimmius rather severely. Distracted, he darted a glance back at the catgirl who had fallen on her face after having collided with one of the strangers, and was now wailing loudly. The air was soon filled with the sounds of ear-piercing cries, and the clipped scolding tone of the mother catwoman as she shrieked angrily at the strangers. Out of the corner of his eye, Crimm could see the group of onlookers gradually return as the new ruckus echoed throughout the palace.

[Chesta chesta chesta]

“Oh no. They’ve run out of food!” Tonton exclaimed and pointed an accusing finger at the huddling group. “They want to eat Tonton. Eitre will not let them hurt Tonton, will he?”

If the true path to joy was food - then being said food was the ultimate nightmare for Tonton. His chubby fingers pressed against his cheeks and rocked from side to side whilst repeating “no no no”.

“I’m sure that they’re talking about something else.” Eitre gave a ‘couldn’t care less’ shrug and clumsily clambered into the carriage. Leaning against the side and with a ‘cat who ate the canary’ smile he proceeded to give Tonton a theory of his own. “They’re going to feed you to the dragons instead.”

Tonton who, understandably, had never been near a dragon, after all they were only mythical creatures on the mystic mood, didn’t know how to react at first. He wanted to laugh and say that there were no such thing as dragons but no matter how dim he was, not even Tonton could escape the fact that there had been several un-explainable things in these parts. And Eitre wouldn’t lie.

“Chigusa, don’t let them hurt Tonton.”

The round boy grabbed hold of girl in a tight bear hug and lifted her off the ground. At least she was lucky, he wasn’t trying to swing her over his head like he had tried to do to Eitre at that fateful meeting in Zaibach.

“Tonton will be nice. Chigusa protect me.”

To prove how nice he was, Tonton lifted her higher so that she wouldn’t need to climb up those suspicious carriage steps. He followed quickly after, sat down by her side and leaned slightly against her, not noticing how she seemed to try to scoot further away. Mind you, he was only trying to show how nice he was.

The three sat still, waiting patiently whilst drumming fingers against the sides. Someone sighed heavily. People outside were getting into carriages, some seemed to know each other and others didn’t. Seth was familiar, but Eitre couldn’t put a time or place to his face. He should’ve have done something noticeable like saving their lives, that had imprinted Findel forever on the boy’s mind. But no, this guy just had to query about the bird.

A stale smile spread across Eitre’s lips as he tried not to shout abuse about leaving people alone and not to be so curious. “She found me.”

“It’s someone else’s feathery…” Tonton added.

“Apparently, according to that scholar what’s-his-face Hooter belongs to some minister. She doesn’t seem to miss him too much.” To which Hooter voiced her agreement.

[Eydtman]

"Ouch! Hey watch where you're going!" Elisan let out a startled cry as the little fanelian feline (say that 10 times fast) ran into him and fell backwards onto the ground. His brash words had obviously scared her, and combined with the impact of running into him, tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Milia! Get away from that man immediately!" Cried another cat woman who was obviously her mother.

"Bah, stupid kid! Look what you've done to yourself now."

Normally Elisan wouldn't have cared at all about someone getting hurt, but this wasn't just a regular little human girl. It was a cute little kitty cat that was crying out for his help.

With a sigh Elisan crouched down infront of the little girl. She trembled out of fear and as he stretched out his hand toward her she slowly tried to push herself away as to run away from the man.

"It's ok, i'm not going to hurt you." Elisan said as he gently wiped away one of her tears with one of his fingers. Even if he had wanted to, he knew he couldn't hurt her. "Are you alright? You should really watch where you are going or else you could get hurt like that. Now let's stand you up and make sure that you didn't injure youself." Elisan helped the little girl up to her feet and and gave her a quick visual survey. "Well it doesn't look like you mangaed to hurt yourself too badly. Now you should go back to your mommy before she starts worrying about you." He said as he gave her a nice little pat on the head before standing back up.

The little girls tears had stopped and big smile spread across her lips. "Thanks Mister!" said the little girl excitedly and began to run to her mother. About half way to her mother she stopped and turned back to him. "My name's Milla, what's yours?"

"Elisan. Now hurry up and get back to your mother. I've got to be going now to. Bye."

"BYE!" Shouted the little girl with a big wave.

Elisan turned back to face the others and was met with several odd stares.

"What?!" cried Elisan. "Don't look at me like that!"

[Megumi H]

Dream forgot her own fears for a moment, completely concerned for the well-being of the little girl... cat-girl. She'd seen what Elisan could do... what he had done....

To Dream's surprise and utter shock, he was quite courteous to the poor cat-girl. The Earth girl never would have expected kindness from someone like Elisan... not after....

"BYE!" called the little girl as she ran off. Joy from Elisan...? It couldn't possibly be....

Dream turned away and leaned slightly against Silvern, still holding his hand.

She didn't want to remember... but she knew she'd never forget.

"Silvern.... how can one person.. do something so terrible.... and then... do something so...." She hesitated, not knowing if she could say the word.

[Kayay]

~~~~Seth ~~~~

The knight settled next to Eitre, grateful to be off his feet, and leaned his crutch against the side. Although there was easily room for two more, Gwyndolin, Findel, and Touji would have to ride in the second carriage.

“Scholar what’s-his-face? You must mean that Freidian Scholar Dare,” Seth continued on the pleasant conversation to pass the time. “Actually, I do remember Dharr mentioning a minister who owned an owl had died recently, so I doubt he would miss ‘Hooter’ much.” Automatically he reached to check that the journal was in place, stopping when he remembered it was no longer in his possession and instead checking his throwing knives were secure, as if to cover his error. He wasn’t even sure he wanted nor even had a right to take the book back. He should have and could have handed it over to Aaron and Owen and parted ways back in Palas. But I didn’t. And he didn’t regret that decision.

“Once things are sorted out at the palace, I assume you’ll be leaving our little group to go back home,” he asked Eitre. “You did tell Duke Mahad back in the throne room that you’re from Fanelia, didn’t you?” Casually Seth included Chigusa and Ton Ton in the conversation. “If I understood the whole explanation correctly, you Ton Ton and Touji are all from the Mystic Moon, or Earth as you call it, but somehow ended up in Zaibach, and that’s where you met that agent Cen.” Seth folded his arms across his chest and gave a small laugh. “Well, she’s been something of a thorn in our sides for some time now. I wouldn’t be surprised if she shows up again.”


~~~~Silvern ~~~~

“I don’t know. Some people are like that, kind one moment and violent the next, but there is always a reason behind it, even if it only makes sense to the madman himself.” Silvern gave her hand a gentle squeeze, comforting her as he would a younger sister.

Fangolas, who was feeling better with every passing minute, fell in step along Dreams other side and patted her shoulder. “Do not worry Little Miss. Silvern and I will see that no harm befalls you.”

Silvern nodded in thanks to the other man, so imposing in appearance and yet so soft spoken and gentlemanly. “And I’ll make sure our hosts know just what kind of man he is,” he added with a sharp glance at Elisan.


((OOC: *Seth learned their names back in this post (http://animeboards.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=537634316#post537634316 ) when they almost all ended up in prison.))

[EvaRobby]

Touji paused for a moment and played his journey backwards in his mind. He pointed to an area down the hallway, he could have been pointing at any one of several doors.

"I think it was that one."

He then started forward.

When at the door he stopped. He opened the door slowly, as quietly as possible, hoping that if he'd made the wrong choice, he'd be able to close the door without them knowing any better.

A familiar pile of clothes laid in the corner of the room. He stepped inside and bundled them under his left arm. An embarrassed smile spread on his face. Damn. I need money.

"Well, this is everything, except for my other sword."

[Fairybane]

It was not what Crimm was expecting at all. Though he didn't know this "Elisan" yet on a personal basis...he had seen the vicious looks that the man wore, and the silky treacherous attitude that he used on the guards within the temple. As the little catgirl ran back to her mother, Crimm noticed the incredulous stares of Elisan's companions.
But yet...he didn't seem to be acting. It was just another detail Crimm would have to remember about these strangers. They were becoming more and more intriguing by the moment.
With that little distraction out of the way, they continued through the palace, into the first floor of the guest wing. Clean and rather spartan, the furnishings were sparse and inexpensive, but these rooms were meant for messengers and visitors of low rank, as well as the servants who actually lived within the palace. Crimmius himself had a room within these plain hallways, as did Wraith.
Softly, Crimm laughed to himself....the young raccoon must have believed that the 'visitors' were being given rooms in the upper floors, where dignitaries and ambassadors were quartered.
Briefly, the priest conferred with one of the passing servants, who showed him a large room that was unoccupied. Quickly and efficiently, several maids pulled the dust covers off the cots and furniture and opened the blinds, allowing daylight to stream into the room through the frosted glass windows. Standing at the doorway, Crimm stepped aside to let the maids file out, and then turned to his guests. Bowing with paws clasped, the monk addressed them humbly.
"Please, let this room be your home for now. Some food should be here soon, make yourselves comfortable until it arrives."

[Megumi H]

She smiled and looked up at Silvern's comforting squeeze of her hand, but her expression changed in an instant. Now that they were finally in broad daylight, Dream could see clearly what Silvern was wearing. She abruptly dropped his hand and stepped away from him, using all her willpower to refrain from screaming "What are you wearing?!" She wasn't sure she wanted to know. It was pink, and it looked rather tight on him; in fact, it looked like a woman's shirt....

She decided to keep her little distance from him the rest of the way to the palace.

((OOC: Oi, I'd love to actually see that scene! I wonder if it's as funny as the way I wrote it?))

The lion-man finally stopped by the doorway of the guest room, politely announcing that they had reached their destination. Dream hesitantly poked her head through the doorway, then, realizing that there were more beds in the room than she had expected, turned and timidly asked the lion-man, "Excuse me... um.. sir.... are we all... expected to stay in.. the same room?" She was sure she knew the answer already....

((OOC2: It's about time I added some comic relief already...
The shirt came from this post. (http://animeboards.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=537663787#post537663787)))

[Kayay]

~~~~Foucault ~~~~

From the raccoon man’s stammered half explanations Foucault gathered that Wraith knew very little about these strangers, but the words “Mystic Moon” slipped out amid all the other meaningless babble. Shortly before they reached the kitchens the merchant took his leave from Wraith and the unknown catwoman servant who hovered in the background. He dismissed the quiet woman as unimportant. She didn’t seem to have much to say, but the nervous Wraith he wagered might be useful. People often forgot servants were about. In fact, for many nobles a truly valued one was one who was near invisible until needed, which meant they often overheard things of interest.

“It’s been most pleasant chatting. Perhaps we can continue out little conversation at another time.” The merchant flashed that cold smile again as Wriath gathered the food to be taken to the ‘guests’ and finally left the anthro in peace.


~~~~Silvern ~~~~

Dream's sudden withdrawal and the look on her face surprised and confused him, until he noticed the way she stared at his shirt. After the small mess Fangolas and he had caused back in the doctor’s house, the pair had hurriedly grabbed whatever reasonable clean shirts they could from the scientist’s closet. Unfortunately, the only one Silvern had found that fit looked as though it had inadvertently been dyed pink in the wash. Up until now, however, Silvern had figured either no one had noticed or they’d all forgotten about the ill fitted shirt. He sighed. Hopefully they’d be brought a change of clothes along with the food. All of them could definitely use both.

[DrkZealot]

It wouldn’t be far off to say that Wraith was happy to see the Merchant leave, in fact, even though he enjoyed the company of people, that certain human gave him a weird feeling in his stomach. It was a feeling that reduced him and the girl trailing behind to a deep, awkward silence. The young raccoon tried to break it many times, but a large lump seemed to always gather in his throat at the start of each attempt. He looked down at the large quantities of food the servants began piling on the cart for the “guests” and couldn’t help but feel a bit neglected. It seemed the only way to be treated nicely in this place was to sneak into a sacred temple and claim you were from the Mystic Moon. The youth shook his fuzzy head, banishing such thoughts; jealousy and envy were both quite rude emotions, or so his mother told him. “Appreciate whatever you got” He smiled softly at these words, words from a woman who was far away in Zaibach, a woman he’d never see again. He couldn’t help it, his friends constantly teased him about his extreme cases of homesickness, and while he didn’t think there was anything wrong with crying, other people oddly thought it was a quite a humorous occasion. They always seemed to laugh so hard when he began singing old lullabies to himself in the middle of the night, or when he whimpered in his sleep while holding onto his favorite blanket he managed to smuggle into the compound.

He sighed lightly to himself and continued to help the servants load the food onto the cart, his mind once again shifting gears, thinking about that merchant that seemed to show so much interest on the ongoing events with the strange guests.

“Miss Aetheus, did you know that strange man who was just with us awhile ago…I don’t think he should know what’s been going on.” Lowering his head level with hers he glanced around with those clear blue eyes, suspiciously scrutinizing all those in sight before speaking in a low voice, as if his next words kept the most dreaded, and important of secrets. “I don’t trust him” He whispered standing upright (or as upright as his pure blood could manage him) scratching the side of his head. “Do you think we might be able to get some of this?” He said, again obviously loosing interest in his other thoughts and moving onto something more appealing. “Sure looks good and I haven’t eaten yet…you think Miss Maeko’d get mad if I took just a little nibble?” Well, it was obvious he wasn’t looking for an answer, as he already began picking at the food even as he spoke. And after the servants shooed him off from hovering over a different cart of pastries, and gave hurried directions to the guests quarters, larger chunks started vanishing from the guests food cart into his bottomless pit of a stomach with the passing of each second and step.

[Fairybane]

"Hmmm..." rumbled the lion man as he put a single clawed finger to his chin in speculation. He hadn't really thought about it, but it would be more proper to give the women a separate room from the men. "Well I suppose we can provide a different room for you and the lady fox, young one. But for now, I would rather have you all together." Crimm gestured to his left, towards a simple wooden door within the room. "There is a washbasin and other facilities in there if any of you need to clean up." With those words, Crimm left the strangers to themselves, trudging back to the door's entrance where a pair of guards still waited outside. "Wraith should be along shortly with a young lady and a meal for our guests," he informed the men, as he closed the door quietly. "I must visit the royal library for a moment, do make sure that nobody else enters but those two."
As the towering form of Crimm disappeared down the hall, the two guards exchanged glances, wry smirks on their face.
"Wraith, eh?" said one guard, snickering. "Let's have some fun with him and his 'lady friend' when they get here."

[Eydtman]

Finally they had made it to their room.

"There is a washbasin and other facilities in there if any of you need to clean up." Elisan heard the lion man say.

"Perfect." he thought to himself. With a groan Elisan put one hand over his mouth and the clutched his stomach with the other. "I don't feel so good," he said, "I think i'm going to throw up..." Elisan quickly made his way over to the washbasin with his back turned to the others and stuck his fingers down his throat, causing him to throw up. Keeping his hand over his mouth he used his fingers to filter out the bullets he had earlier swallowed from everything else. There was no way he wasn't going to keep these with him. Afterall, he did keep them from the guards for a reason. Having finished throwing up, Elisan washed his hands while still keeping the bullets hidden within them washing them at the same time. When he was finished he quickly pocketed the bullets under the guise of drying his hands on pants.

"Noone would have been able to see that." He thought to himself as he finished rinsing his mouth out.

"Yeuck!" Elisan said loudly. "I don't know why that happened, maybe I'm allergic to a certain someone's shirt." Elisan said mocking Silvern. Elisan himself hadn't really noticed the shirt Silvern was wearing until the girl pointed out just a little while ago.

"Real men don't wear pink."

[Kayay]

Another look out the carriage window to the gangway only proved that Gwyndolin, Findel, Touji, and Aaron had yet to disembark the leviship, and Seth began to grow concerned. There was much he’d leaned from Jirair that he had to tell the other knight, and he wanted to be sure Aaron had been under her watch the whole night. The Freidian soldier didn’t suspect Aaron or any of the others in Seth’s group were responsible for the latest incident, but he also didn’t know that the young man was responsible for Seth’s injury, and the knight would rest easier if her knew for certain...

Where are you Gwyn? What’s taking you and Falor so long? Seth shifted in his seat, tempted to find out for himself.

[Phantom Angel]

Dryan felt the need to avert her eyes as the fat slob who called himself Elisan found it fit to throw up all over the wash basin.

"Yes, you're very right, he is a fat, ungrateful, ungraceful, slobbering, pig." Gwira admitted, unflinchingly.

A smile tugged at Dryan's mouth. Gwira certainly had given name to her thoughts, and more.

"I think we should teach him what it means to willingly throw up in front of us." Dryan suggested.

"You're right, the sounds he was making were awfully strained. Gwira agreed.

"I can't believe he polluted the water. What a jerk. I so wanted a bath." Dryan replied, scrunching her nose.

"Hmm, I say we blackmail him."

"But we don't know if he actually did it on purpose or not."

"Well, that never stopped us before. And he polluted the water. He deserves punishment."

"True."

"Hey, slob-face, why didn't you use the damn window? Now we can't wash because YOU polluted the water with your barf." Gwira growled.

"Yeah, don't you know any manners? It's the girls that get to use the washroom first, then the men, and then you." Dryan replied with a smirk, stealing an amused glance towards Dream.

Elisan made her skin crawl. There was just something about him, that made her want to punch him in the face. He was just so... slimy. There was no other word that could better describe him, and Dryan had tried.

"Even pinky here knows that." Gwira said, pointing at Silver. "Where the heck did you grow up?"

[Hitomi_333]

*Gwyndolin and Touji made their way through the levi-ship and down to the carriage. Although the hallways all looked the same, amazingly Gwyn was able to find her way out. This was ironic, considering the problems that she always had in the palace in Palas, even though she had been there many times.

As Gwyndolin sat down in the carriage with her luggage, butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Whatever it was that King Airien gave her to deliver must be of great importance. She held onto it tightly.

At this point she no longer longed for home... all she could see was the task ahead of her.*

ooc: nice *subtle* hint, Kayay... lol /ooc

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus followed the raccoon-man all the way to the palace. Deep in thought, she hardly noticed when they entered the palace and he began to speak to her.

"No," she replied in answer to his question. "I thought you knew him by the way he was talking to you. It was strange though," she started, walking away. "It almost seemed that he knew what was going on." Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw her companion hovering over a food cart before getting shooed away. Shaking herself out of her daydream, Aethaeus grabbed a cart and started wheeling it after Wraith to the guest's quarters.

[Endurance]

His long hair waved slightly in gentle breeze as Ecli quickly strode down the gangway and took a long breath of fresh air, which was quite different if compared to musty air inside the leviship. Taking a quick glance around Ecli noticed how the carriages reserved for the royal guests were already fitted and ready to leave at any minute. As timing was crucial in his plan, Ecli knew that he should make haste to reach royal palace of Fanel before the others do.

At first Ecli walked through the yard bowing his head slightly, just in case that some dolt would accidentally recognize him and blurt out annoying and unwanted questions. It was easy to go around the carriages and soon he had already disappeared into throng of Fanelian people that mercifully hid him from sight. Ecli's easy-going dash quickened into exhausting sprint and he shoved himself forcefully throught the crowd just as he had learned to do in his early youth in Zaibach.

"Just like in the old days" Ecli thought bitterly.

[Kayay]

“Hello luv,” a husky voice called to the scholar.

It was hard to tell the woman’s exact age, but beneath the rouge and kohl and tightly cinched dress she might have been near Ecli’s age. With a suggestive smile, the woman confidently sashayed towards the scholar, After looking him up and down, she tossed her thick mane of dark auburn hair back and moved closer, the faint scent of jasmine coiling itself around them both.

“You’re new to the city, aren’t you? If you need of a guide, I’d be happy to show you the sights.”

[Endurance]

With a faked smile on his face Ecli hesitantly stopped his stride and turned to face the woman squarely. She was not ugly to look at but Ecli had seen and abused women like her so many times before that he had stopped counting all those sad, unforgiveable instances.

" Really?" Ecli asked in pleasant voice, giving a considerate glance to woman. " Let's make a deal. Guide me to royal palace the fastest way you know and I will reward you with more than modest sum of wealth"

To boost his words Ecli gestured at his medicinal pouch, hoping that it would make this particular wench more interested of his offer. He didn't have any money but usually sweet, honey-laced words were enough.

[Kayay]

“Well, Luv, you’re a generous man, but first would you be kind enough to walk me back to my place so I can fetch my cloak? It looks like it may rain later.” With a suggestive little smile on her painted lips, the woman slipped her arm through Ecli’s, dark curls spilling over her shoulder. “It’s not far. It’ll only take a moment, and then I’ll take you wherever you like.”

Down the street and around the corner she guided him onto a side street. It was less crowded here, and less than a block away she stopped by a nondescript door, its green paint peeling and worn. “It’s not much,” she apologized as she unlocked the door and stepped aside for Ecli to enter, “but it’s home.”

The windows were shuttered, and for a moment as his eyes strove to adjust, Ecli could only make out the vague outline of furniture and a doorway leading to the rest of the house. He heard the door behind him lock shut, a normal enough percaution for a woman who lived alone to do, but then he also heard the scrape of feet on the dusty floor, footsteps too heavy to belong to the woman, and two men stepped from their places at either side of the door. In their hands the brutes held short wooden clubs, and the woman sidestepped along the wall to a corner. She had brought the little fool here; her job was done, and now it was the men’s turn.

*****

Back at the leviship, meanwhile, down the corridors of the leviship and into the late morning sun Aaron trailed Findel, neither speaking a word. The handsome carriages stood out among the crowd, small Fanelian banners waving proudly from either side of the driver’s seat, and the samuari and introverted young man headed for them. One of the drivers bowed in greeting then moved quickly to hold open the door for the pair, allowing Findel and Aaron to seat themselves on the bench across from Gwyn and Touji.

“Is that everyone?” the doorman asked, climbing up beside the driver when Findel nodded, and with a sharp snap of the reins the two carriages lurched forwards then settled into a smooth and steady pace.


((OOC: ALRIGHT, I’m leaving it up to you folk to take the carriages through the city and to the palace, encountering whoever or whatever along the way.))

[Megumi H]

Dream wrinkled her nose at the disgusting sour smell of the vomit. The sterile air of the room had already been contaminated with the smell of the dirt and sweat of the group, but Elisan just had to go and add something even more repulsive, destroying anyone else's chance at a bath while he was at it. Still, Dream couldn't help but giggle as Dryan told Elisan off.

She decided to have a seat while waiting for the food to come, but not wanting to get the clean bedsheets or chair cushions dirty, she sat down on the floor and examined her slippers, wrinkling her nose again in displeasure at the dark smudges of dirt and other things they had accumulated. She tried to shake some of the dirt off by thwacking them against the floor, at the same time wiggling her toes to see if there was any fluffy blue lint stuck to them. She smiled to herself. This is the first time they've been out in the air since.... Her smile rapidly faded. Under the smudges of dirt were still a few yellow cat hairs.

Caspian....

What will become of you now?

[DrkZealot]

“Oh, well I didn’t know him. He just showed up…I wonder why he was so interested in hearing about a few crazy strangers claiming to be from the Mystic Moon” He said in a loud voice shoving an entire buttered roll into his mouth. After a satisfied sigh he looked down to the tray for another, but seeing that particular tray now empty he scribbled the words “IOU 30 fluffy delicious buttered breakfast rolls that just melt in your mouth and slide down the throat leaving a nice warm feeling in your stomach - Signed Wraith” on a napkin, slipped it on the crumbles saucer and placed the tin dome over the empty plate of food; just as he did with the each other plate on his cart, each napkin describing that certain plate of food he ingested. A sad look washing over his face he sighed deeply to himself; he’d eaten enough for about ten people, but that cart of food seemed like a drop in the bucket to his abnormally large stomach.

The remainder of the long walk to the guests quarters was quite opposite to their initial walk to the kitchen. The first was filled with an eerie silence, while this was overflowing with mindless chatter on the part of Wraith. He was happy to have finally received a response to his question about the merchant, and now he was brimming with daring tales of juvenile life back on Zaibach. The one sided conversation dealt with such pointless matters as his friends, and multiple stories about him and the three caught sneaking out of the barracks late at night. A few short abrupt talks about training exercises which were quickly changed back to talks about the four when he grew tired of the current conversation.

Finally arriving in the hallway of the guest’s quarters he shut his mouth at the sight of the two guards posted at the doorstep. His ears drooped and his head lowered as he wheeled the cart before the figures of authority. “Uh…food for the…Wackoe’s” He mumbled.

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus smiled at the guards as they opened the door to let her and Wraith past. "Thanks, luvs," she said, winking. A foul odor met her as she entered the room, and she wrinkled up her nose in disgust. "Somebody seems to be having problems," she commented, wheeling her tray to the center of the room. Aethaeus lifted up the covers on the food trays, displaying the delicious meal found within. "If you're hungry, you'd better come eat now before the food disappears," she said to the strangers after shooting a quick glance at Wraith. Then, remembering her place, she bowed her head slightly and retreated back a few steps away from the cart.

[DrZepp]

It was obvious that Gwyndolin was not overly pleased as Aaron and Findel entered the carriage.

The samurai sent a deadpan stare across the small cabin as the driver spurred his vessel into action. He knew this would be an uncomfortable ride to the palace for at least half of the small group. Touji and Gwyn seemed to be getting along just fine. Findel figured it was Aaron who was causing the horrible silence between the passengers. It had been easy to ignore the Draconians presence when he was silently lagging behind in the leviship, but now that he was sitting no more than two inches away...
*Ahem*
Findel cleared his throat, leaning back slightly to show off a false sense of relaxation. There was no way he could reveal how nervous he really was in front of Gwyndolin and the boy. The idea of even being in Fanelia, with a group of people that he was beggining to consider companions was... odd, unfamiliar... uncomfortable in some ways. It was clear that a certain precedent had been set up for the Basramian, one of a rather hard-core badass, he thought. It was important to uphold the image to some extent, for the sake of pride at least. And what better way to maintain the image than to strike up light conversation?

"Yes...yes..." Findel muttered to no one inparticular. He wanted to address Touji, but the fact that the boy claimed to be from the Mystic Moon made the task a bit more strenuous. It was a touchy subject after all.
"So... Boy- err Touji...." There was an elongated silence as Findel tried to think of something other than the mystic moon to ask him about. It proved to be extremely difficult, so the samurai reverted to the only other thing that had been exposed to in the past few days.
"Well then... Are her lessons as stimulating as the barbarians?"
Findel nodded towards Gwyndolin, indirectly picking on the fact that the earthling seemed to be 'getting along' so well with her. Findel was apparently funnier than even he realized.


(OOC: i think Findel saw Touji with Owen, but im not sure... either way... err... nevermind)

[Endurance]

Ecli lost two precious seconds when his brain refused to realize that he had been betrayed by that wench. Assassin's instincts took over his body the very instant that nearest man swinged his club in menacing arc that targeted Ecli's face. Thug let out an surprised grunt as his club met with hard wooden door instead of his intended victim, tearing handful of splinters from door. Second mugger however reacted to Ecli's sudden duck by swinging his club wildly in air managing to hinder assassin's movements only for a split second. Only the wench who had escaped into far distant corner in all ruckus had noticed that something was horribly amiss, no simple scholar should had been able to hold back an combined attack of two strong men who had striked first.

"Look out! He's not what he looks like!" She screamed in husky voice.

Her warning came a little too late though as first thug's overhead blow was nimbly dodged aside. Before the thug could raise his club for an another attack Ecli sprang upwards from his half-crouched position, easily using his momentum driving his right palm into enemy's face with a satisfactory impact, crushing nose, fracturing bone and damaging tissue. Thug let out an disheartening groan and teetered backwards cluthing his face tightly. Second mugger rushed to aid his companion by swinging his club in powerful but inept arc that targeted Ecli's unprotected head. Just before it slammed against the assassin Ecli raised his arm to meet the crude weapon's shaft, absorbing the worst edge of the impact and thus making the whole maneuver almost useless. Ecli continued his block by kicking enemy straight into his unprotected midriff, sending him flying through the air and tumbling against a hard wooden table.

As the first thug was still recovering from the crushing blow and the second was gasping for breath on the floor, Ecli finally managed to wield his dagger and turned towards the woman who had led him here. Wench had propably finally realized what a hideous mistake she had made by bringing this man with her. Panic stricken and horrified by the deadly prowess scholar had showed to her, she was unable to open the lock he had put in place herself. Her hands hopelessly fumbled again and again as she tried almost to rub the complicated lock open.

"Tell your friends to stay where they are or I will kill you all." Ecli's voice had become virulent, completely different voice if compared to how his tone usually sounds like. He snickered at the woman who did not even have strenght to face him.

"In fact, I'll kill one of you now just to make sure that the rest of you understand me perfectly"

[Fairybane]

The guards had been grinning benevolently the entire time, and anyone who was familiar with the samurai of Fanelia's royal palace would have known the men at arms to be at times notoriously mischevous, rude, and quite unwelcoming to outsiders. As such, Wraith had suffered no lack of taunting, pranks, and various devilry at the hands of the palace guards...their distaste for Zaibach was centuries old and as of now, the unfortunate raccoon-man was recieving the brunt of their cruelty.
And that was why their unnerving smiles should have been enough to tip off both Wraith and Aetheus.
With a smirking nod, the larger of the two Samurai signalled to his partner, and in the coordinated grace of trained warriors, the other guard siezed Warith by his bushy tail and yanked the unfortunate racoon from the guest's room, while the first closed the door with the click of the bolt turning.
"Hah!" guffawed the guard, as Wraith struggled in his burly-armed hold. "Look'it him squirm!"
The other guard made kissing noises through the locked door at Aetheus adding in a lewd tone "We'll come back for you later honey! Bwahahaha!"
One of the dinner trays...Wraith's to be exact, was still outside the room and lifting the domed cover of the largest platter, the guard forcefully slapped the writhing Racoon-man onto the polished metal slab and then quickly clamped the lid back down, all the while snickering like a schoolboy.
"Stairs! Stairs!" shouted the other one enthusiastically. Both of them grinned as they looked out the window at the large flight of steps that lead down to the gardens.
With conspiratorial giggles, the two burly men wheeled the cart down the hall, holding the lid down firmly as weak thumping came from beneath it. "Now then, to find some rope," muttered the samurai as the other exploded into suppressed snickering.

[Kayay]

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. The little harlot pressed herself against the wall and watched with growing worry as the scholar, a man who looked like a harmless little bookworm, dispatched the two men. Swearing under her breath, she tried to open the door, but her hands would not stop shaking.

"Tell your friends to stay where they are or I will kill you all,” the scholar ordered, and she turned to face him, rage battling with fear, and then her instincts took over.

“Now d-don’t be so rash Luv.” It was every woman for herself, and she tried to charm the man as she slowly inched her way around the room. “T-they just told me to bring someone…anyone here. I’ve been down on my luck, and…and I didn’t think they’d try to kill you,” she stammered. “I really didn’t have any choice!” she insisted in a pleading voice.

Once she was close enough to the doorway, she toppled a chair over in an attempt to slow Ecli down and ran into the next room and for the front door.

[Chesta chesta chesta]

The carriage shuddered as the horses pulled forward and advanced on the Fanelian capital. The bodies of the occupants rocked back and forth as it moved in a steady motion, almost lazily due to the horses dragging their hooves behind.

Seth was being polite enough, didn’t seemed to be fazed by the manic Cheshire cat grin Tonton was giving him. He wasn’t being too intrusive, unlike most that they had encountered in Freid who had all been “Where you from? What are you doing here? Off with their heads.”

“Dare?” Eitre repeated the name as if it would mean something the second time, before waving his hand dismissively. “Never heard of him.” He returned against the window frame, the familiar sounds and smells of his homeland were finally re-introduced to his senses. It sure made a welcome difference from the awful memories of the Zaibach smog and the nothingness of the Freidian wilderness.

Tonton eased off Chigusa, he couldn’t have been sure whether she had been prodding him or some creature had snuck into his clothes and was nibbling at his skin. But she seemed to welcome the space between them, rubbing her shoulder that seemed to have gotten numb. His attention was brought to Seth’s word about Eitre leaving the group when they’d arrive.

“Eitre-person is leaving?” No reply was given, just distant gazes from weary travellers. Tonton looked down at his hands, crossed the fingers and started to roll his thumbs round and round. He continued to mumbled to himself. "Cen was nice. She gave Tonton food and made him smell all nicey-nice."

“See that street?” Eitre pointed leaned over from his side of the carriage, pointing towards a long alley in shadow. “I was born there. In the white house at the end.”

The streets were full of life. Men and beasts going bout their daily business like countless years before. Many were in full action to ready the last preparations for the coronation. The sweet smell of produce filled the air from the open stalls of the market. Marketers raised their voices to convince the public that their goods were the best in the land. The Fanelian market was hardly as big as the Asturian bazaar, but this had a different feeling to it. Here people knew each other and catching up on the gossip was equally as important as the newly baked bread on offer. Fanelia was a large city with a small village attitude. A few children ran alongside the carriages, laughing whilst trying to catch a glimpse of the important guests inside.

“And over there you can buy the most wondrous rarities.” Eitre continued his tour. “If you follow that street then you get to the square and the front gates of the castle.”

Tonton’s ear perked up. “Is she sleeping?”

“No, should she be?”

“But you got dragons, she should be sleeping. It’s the rules. Isn't that right tall dark stranger?”

[Kayay]

“You have a natural talent for making people despise you,” Silvern commented to Elisan after Dryan’s little talk down. Before Elian could even try to reply to her scathing comments, however, the food arrived, along with the two meek servants he’s seen earlier at the temple. “Someone has been nothing but problems,” Silvern said in reply to the catwoman’s observation, “and now, like a babe soiling himself, he’s fowled our water. Could we have some clean…”

The guards chose this moment to pull their little prank, yanking Wraith out with a startled little yelp. Fangolas stood when the door slammed behind the servant girl then frowned in disgust at the guards’ lewd behavior. “Will the furry one be all right?” he asked the anthro servant. “Perhaps someone should fetch some help.”

[EvaRobby]

Touji watched Findel, and that strange other man enter the carriage. He tried to remember his name, but he'd never paid much attention to it earlier, he was suddenly curious about this elder boy,

'D'... it started with 'D'... David? Luckily, he wasn't given the chance to embarrass himself,

"So... Boy- err Touji...." Findel paused, and a slightly confused expression crossed his face. "Well then... Are her lessons as stimulating as the barbarians?"

Lessons? Touji tried to work out what he'd said. Was he supposed to be trained by her? His eyes found Gwyndolen's face for a moment and he tried to read her expression.

"What lessons?" Did that mean he wasn't going to be trained by Owen anymore? It was starting to seem a bit obvious now. Touji blushed, just a little, at his own thoughts.

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus smirked as she heard the guard's comment towards her. Yeah right, she thought. Let them try. Realizing one of the strangers was speaking to her, Aethaeus raised her eyes. The speaker was tanned and dark, and looked like he had seen much hardship. Unvoluntarily, Aethaeus found herself wondering what had brought the strangers to Fanelia.

"He will be alright," she answered, bowing her head again. A scowl came over her face. "No one will help him, so there is no need to go find help. No one cares what happens to the servants." She looked up. "It is only the lords and the samurai that matter."

Aethaeus turned away from the stranger and walked towards the window. Anger pulsed inside of her head, nearly blinding her. Presently she regained her calm and turned back to the strangers.

"Please forgive me," she bowed low. "I should not speak ill of my kinsmen. Help yourself to anything on the tray. If you would like, I can go while you eat and come back when you finish, or I can stay here until you're done. You decide."

[Hitomi_333]

*Gwyndolin studied Findel for a moment after he asked his question. Silently she warned him with her eyes, keeping the rest of her face void of emotion. It was apparent that he found himself to be rather clever. And the boy stuttered in response, seeming to realize something for the first time.

Her eyes flashed again. "I was simply told to watch out for the boy," she told Findel flatly. However, fearing that she would come off and cold and harsh, she turned to the boy. "I've taught sword lessons quite often, and wouldn't mind teaching you in our free time in Fanelia-- that is, if you'd like. However, I'm sure that once we reach the palace you will be reunited with Owen and he could teach you, if you'd rather." She almost made some remarks as to the barbarian, but bit her tongue to prevent herself from doing so.

She never forgave him for peeking in on her at the hot springs-- but wait, Findel was the one who was on the women's side. The memory of it still angered her.

"PERVERT!" Gwyndolin nearly through her bag at Findel, but decided it was too valuable and kicked him in the shin from across the carriage instead. "Hmph..." she crossed her arms and looked out the window angrily. She didn't feel the need to explain her sudden outburst and felt it was completely justified. After all, HE was the pervert.*

[DrZepp]

A bead of sweat slowly descended Findels forhead as Gwyndolin showed off her obvious affection for him...
*WHACK*
Ahh... the pain.

"mMMmahh...."
The samurai locked his lips together, trying to hide the sting from the Asturians sudden kick. She was a tough one, that was certain... Stuborn too, but so was Findel.
As Gwyndolin pushed her nose up, crossed her arms, and turned to the window, Findel quickly mimicked her movements. He would not be outmatched this time.
*The silent treatment it is then...*
He thought slyly... But not before a bit of revenge was had.
Still turned to the window -with a deadpan expression- Findel slowly raised his foot. Touji noticed it, and immediately knew what was comming. Findel smirked inwardly, kicking his boot into Gwyndolins shin.

[DrkZealot]

((ooc: Short and crappy, but I have work in a few hours and can't afford to stay up any later))

Wraith was quite happy and slightly surprised to find himself inside the dinner platter. The past few weeks he’d lived in Fanelia, he found the wide majority of samurai in the area favored garbage tins above all else. The dinner platter with the tin dome clamped over, tied down with thick rope; while extremely uncomfortable, was a refreshing change of pace from before. He didn’t much like sitting in a garbage can filled to the brim with rotting meat, smelly cheese, and other, less pleasant items. Yet, despite the fact he welcomed a change in the vehicle of his harassment from the local guards it didn’t change the fact he was terribly afraid of the dark, and claustrophobic to boot. So, his actions were the same as if he was in the garbage can, he commenced his usual fit of whining, crying, and kicking (though his ability to do this was greatly decreased in the small amount of space he had now) which all proved pointless. The Samurai continued to laugh and giggle like prepubescent boys looking through a crack in one of the back walls of the local brothel. Their ridicule and overall bad manners bringing more than one sad tear to his eye as he listened to his name, and country of origin being used as the butt of a few jokes, and on occasion in the same sentence of filthy farm animals, such as “Zaibachian Swine” and a few more he decided were much to rude to even ponder over.

Eventually he gave up his futile struggle to rid himself of the cramping interior of the tin dome. Well…that was until the “stairs stairs stairs!” chant grew louder and he felt himself being hoisted off the ground. Shifting his body on the dinner platter as best he could he tried to visualize the nearest set of stairs in the general area, all the while forcing his mind to keep from straying to pointless matters as the weather, or the beautiful flowers in the garden right below him…Blinking a few times in the smothering darkness he tapped the side of the dome with his knuckle. “Uh…the stairs leading to the garden’s pretty steep…I…I don’t think the doctors would approve of me getting thrown out the window. Can’t you just roll me down a rocky hill again?…guys…guys…GUYS!” He screamed the last word as he heard the grunts from outside as he was rocked backwards, then felt himself being pushed to the opposite side of the platter as he was flung out the window and onto the long, and painful set of stone steps below.

[Phantom Angel]

"Is he going to be okay?" Dryan asked, concerned as to the safety of the young racoon.

"It doesn't concern us, why are you even bothering to ask?" Gwira asked coldly.

"Because just like us, he's a person." Dryan replied, her lips stretching in a thin line.

"Big deal. He should know how to deal with them."

Dryan sighed, aware that no amount of arguing with Gwira would ever change her mind. When it came to people, her counterpart was more detached and cold than herself. Dryan knew that Gwira's sentiments towards others stemmed from some sort of experience she was unaware of. Perhaps something had happened during her blackouts that had made Gwira become this way. Or perhaps it was just an instinctive mistrust in people. Dryan didn't know, and every time she had tried to ask Gwira about it, she had become defensive about it, and Dryan had dropped the subject.

"You know what? I'm sick of lingering in this place. It's like we're prisoners or something. I'm going out for a walk." Gwira announced, and head decisively towards the door.

"Anyone else wanting to come with?" Dryan asked.

"Why did you do that? I thought we were trying to look for a way to make money and to go back home?" Gwira asked, a bit sourly.

"It'll be more likely that they let us go if we go in a group. Perhaps the girl from the Mystic Moon would express a desire to see the palace. Then we can sightsee as well as assess our situation." Dryan explained.

"Okay, sounds good, but what if she doesn't make an offer?"

"Then we go anyway. I don't want to stay here any longer."

"Well, we'... I'll be going now, before this place starts to smell even fowler."

[Fairybane]

Crimm hummed a Fanelian hymn with his rumbling lion's voice as he padded back through the gardens again with a stack of books cradled in his muscled arms. All of the scarred, dusty tomes held stories and tales of visitors from the mystic moon, millenia-old wars, Draconions, and the legendary guymelef...Escaflowne. Matters that today were considered to be mere fables, but Crimmius believed otherwise.
With as close to a grin as anyone in the palace had ever seen the priest wearing, Crimm started up the long flight of steps that lead out of the gardens and up to the guest wing. No sooner had he taken a score of steps when he saw an object erupt from one of the open windows, glinting metallically in the noonday sunlight as it sailed through the air.
"By the heavens, what--?" exclaimed Crimm as the shiny object landed on the stairwell in an explosion of sparks and then began a break-neck descent careening wildly down the steps. Over the grating sound of metal-on-stone, a thin keening wail could be heard and as the metal object neared, Crimm realized that it was the source of the shriek. Dropping the pile of books suddenly, the bulky monk hunkered down where he stood, preparing for the inevitable collision of the...the screaming shiny thing. Unslowed, the object hurtled down the steps trailing a glittering wake of sparks.

"Kurik! Irwen!!" echoed a dreadful roar from below. Abruptly, the two faces peering out the window blanched and disappeared. Crimm shook his head, a fanged grin growing on his lion's visage as he gently set the roped dinner platter down on a step, neatly severing the cords with his sharp claws. Then trudging back up the stairs, he went about collecting the scattered tomes that littered the steps.

[Kayay]

~~~~Foucault~~~~

The council meeting had been most insightful. In general everyone was content with the current state of affairs, and most were in downright high spirits in anticipation of t coronation ceremony later in the day, but of course where were the usual boat rockers. Always there was a disgruntled soul who was happiest when he complained, but Foucault had managed to silence the little twit’s whining quickly enough. At this ate, he could be an elected official in no time, but that would mean his life would be scrutinized, and, besides, his goals had changed recently.

Turning away from the palace gates, Foucault decided to make a little detour. Those “Mystic Moon” folk were by now settled into their new room and maybe they’d be in the mood for some friendly conversation. A smile spread across his face, but there was nothing warm about it. Yes, things were going much better than he ever could have anticipated.


~~~~Seth~~~~

“Hm? Yes, Fanelia is known for it’s dragons, but they rarely come near the city, so you need not worry. Dragon’s seem to be the lest of our worries at the moment, anyway, and ‘nice’ is hardly the word I’d use for your friend Cen.”

For a moment Seth watched the people they passed. It all seemed so…normal watching the children at play as Eitre pointed out this and that. It was almost cruel, he thought, to disrupt this illusion, but it was for their own safety.

“When we arrive at the palace, most likely you’ll be free to roam the grounds unescorted, but I don’t want any of you wandering off on your own.”

Seth frowned inwardly, realizing he sounded like some overprotective, paranoid adult. When had he been forced into this position anyway? Seth enjoyed his position, cared for the well being of the men under his command, and served Asturia faithfully, but always he reverted to some of the old irresponsible habits when the mood struck, much to the chagrin of the Captain. It was a wonder he’d gotten as far in the ranks as he had.

“Jirair informed me that there was another unusual death, similar to Durjaya’s, that gruff guardsman back in Freid. This time it was servant. He thinks we’re being followed, and after what he told me I'm inclined agree.”


((OOC: Yes, you can ask qestions.))

[EvaRobby]

Touji recycled the recent words in his head and tried to work out if Findel could have inserted some secret sexual code into his words. The only possibilities required a too much stretching, so it didn't make any sense to him. And now they were bickering like children. He shuffled along the seat while no one payed attention to him, intending to give himself a little more distance from the pair, hoping they wouldn't decide to get him involved.

He wanted to ask why the conversation had suddenly changed tone, but something told him that it wouldn't be a very good idea. Touji looked at Aaron again and wondered if it would be possible to talk to him, but that seemed just as impossible.

He decided to step backwards in their conversation,

"If you want to train me, I..." Touji suddenly realised he hadn't considered the words for this. He pushed himself to continue, "I'd like... that." He suddenly felt extremely stupid.

[Hitomi_333]

*Had Gwyndolin thought of the reactions to her suddenly kicking Findel in the shin, she would never had expected him to kick her back. This being the case, she had been rather at ease looking out of the window, snubbing Findel. Of course, she was brought down by a sudden kick in the shin. Reflexively, she jolted upright as she realized what had happened. Pain in her shin caused her to wince, and she rubbed the spot. It was definitely going to bruise, there was no doubt about it-- but she knew that she had kicked Findel just as hard.

A mischeivous smile crossed her lips briefly as she began to raise her foot to kick him again, but she was surprised when Touji spoke. "If you want to train me, I... I'd like... that." Her foot lowered again. Gwyn smiled at Touji. "I'd like that too."

"Sir Falor, I never realized you were such a child," she looked at him accusingly. Then to add emphasis to her point, she stuck out her tongue.... and kicked him again.*

[DrkZealot]

Even as the platter halted it’s speedy decent down the steps, the screams within commenced. A few moments of muffled screams continued even on the safety of the ground before they lowered to pitiful sets of whines, then subsided all together, the tin lid slowly lifting, and a single frightened clear blue eye visible beyond the small crack. The eye glanced here and there, then here again as if doubting his own eye that looked upon the stable ground. The lid fell once more and a relieved sigh sounded from inside before being slowly slid off his scrunched body. Standing to his feet he held his arms out before him trying to regain his balance, a severe dizzy spell buckling his knees and sending him once more to the ground. After another long pause the raccoon attempted standing once more, stumbling on his rubbery legs, but ultimately achieving his goal of staying upright.

With a paw on his head and another on his stomach he staggered to the long flight of stairs where his savior knelt over collecting documents scattered here and there across the stone steps. With an embarrassed look, the youth kneeled beside him and aided him in gathering the documents. “I…I’m sorry. I know I’ve been a lot of trouble here lately Father Crimm…but I’m trying the best I can…I’ve offered my life to Fanelia for taking me in…and I want to help. But in the end I’m just ‘causing more trouble than I’m worth” Another pause as he slid another document onto the growing stack in his arms. “I’m really sorry…I’ll try my best to stay out of trouble…just…just try to have patience with me OH MY GOD AETHAEUS!” He screamed standing to his feet and handing the hulking lion the large stacks of papers in a hurried, yet respectful thrust. “Oh I sure hope they don’t hurt her” He mumbled, his low attention span once again getting the better of him as he completely forgot that Crimm stood behind him, and forgot to apologize for his hasty retreat. Barreling up the stairs on all fours the raccoon man’s over active imagination clouded his (non existent) logic. He remembered their coarse words when addressing the servant, and could only imagine what they would do to her. “We'll come back for you later honey! Bwahahaha!" The words caused him to cringe in disgust as he rushed down the hall, knocking over furniture and servant alike in his hellish rush to the aid of the innocent bystander. “I mean I know she’s a little strange and quiet kinda creepy in a passive sortta way, and short and probably really fun to make fun of and all, but that still doesn’t give them any right to hurt her. I’m the one they’re after, why’re they targeting her too? Oooohh not good not good not good, if someone gets hurt ‘cause of me again I don’t know if I can forgive myself” He said to himself as he rushed in-between the legs of a female servant, sending her loose skirt fluttering in the air, and bloodying the noses of multiple male onlookers as they watched her struggle to cover her panty-less lower body from the powerful gust of air caused by the speedy raccoon.
Finally arriving at the top floor at full speed, he slowed himself to a halt (with the help of an opened door he slammed into). Shakily standing to his feet Wraith placed a hand over his bloody nose and began to walk towards the two guards, who where obviously quite happy to see him again...with the way the grinned and cracked their knuckles and all.

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus stood there, waiting for one of the strangers to make a move. "Yes," she said in answer one of the strangers' question. "Wraith will be alright. That's one of the good things about us servants, we're very durable." She laughed quietly at her own joke to cover her sudden rage. "It's a funny thing, isn't it," she started, walking over the a large window and looking out, "that the people who are chosen as castle samurai don't need to have any manners." Suddenly realizing that she was talking too much, Aethaeus clasped her lips together.

"Well, we'... I'll be going now, before this place starts to smell even fowler," said one of the strangers.

A grin slowly spread over Aethaeus' face before she replaced with a look of serenity. "I'm afraid you can't get out, miss. The guards have locked us in."

[Kayay]

He was ignoring them, but when Gwyn mentioned Owen’s name, Aaron looked away from the window briefly. Most of the time he’d been in the slayer’s company he’d spent trying to slip away, but now, though he didn’t completely acknowledge it himself, he was curious where Owen was. He hated to be looked down on. He hated pity. He hated being useless and pathetic, but he’d also grown used to the loud fool turning up whenever Aaron turned around, but as the knight and samurai exchanged blow Aaron fidgeted in his seat. Their flirtatious antics reminded him of Owen, and Aaron felt a twinge of regret. Somewhere along the way Owen had gone from being a nuisance to a friend.

Soon enough he retreated back to his own thoughts, his cocoon of silence isolating him from these people as effectively as a brick wall. Not even the boy he paid much attention to although he’d heard his name associated with the Mystic Moon more than once. That did interest him some, however, since the Mystic Moon had its own ties to Escaflowne, but if possible he’d figure it out without having to deal with any of them. Maybe…maybe he’d ask Seth, assuming Gwyndolin let him anywhere near her fellow knight after what happened.

[EvaRobby]

Gwndolen smiled at him, moments before kicking the man once more. It reminded him of himself just days ago. He wondered for a fraction of a second what had changed him. This world was full of murderers. Kaiya was dead, he wondered whether it was possible she'd done something to incite her own demise, but he just couldn't imagine it.

Gwyndolen and Findel were squabbling like little children, yet they were trained warriors, and assumably they'd killed before. He remembered the bloodied room, and the man who had been so cut up that just half of his injuries would have been sufficiently fatal.

Had Gwyndolen and Findel been there? He had images of them at the scene, but they could have been imagined. Before he had a chance to resist, his eyes squeezed shut, reacting to a sudden wave of thought and emotion. Was he going to be betrayed? He opened his eyes again, hoping that they'd all been too lost in their own world to notice his. He looked at Gwyndolen, she was pretty, and she was acting so childish and innocent, in a violent kind of way.

Is that the face of a murderer?

He shut off his train of thought and decided become social again before anyone would notice his silence. He put his years of anti-depressive behaviour back into practice and get one of his questions answered at the same time. He made sure he projected his voice in a way to get Aaron's attention.

"Hey, uh, you." Moments later, he had Aaron's seemingly divided attention. Divided from what, he wasn't sure. "Sorry. What's your name?"

[Kayay]

Aaron fixed Touji with a blank expression. He remembered the boy from their first encounter outside the Freidian hospital when he’d drawn his sword on Seth, and later he’d caught glimpse of him in the corridors, but they’d never spoke. Conversation, anyway, was never his forte, so for several long minutes he just stared at the boy, and not a trace of whatever thoughts were going on in his head were betrayed upon his face. Gradually, the faintest glimmer of curiosity flickered in his mismatched eyes.

“Aaron,” was his one word reply, then he turned his face away as if silently telling them to leave him alone.

[Megumi H]

"Locked us in?!"

The words were followed by a slight scuffling noise as Dream jumped to her feet, ignoring the awkward unevenness of the surface she stood upon.

"It can't be!" she gasped, stumbling over her slippers and running to the door. She tried the handle, but sure enough, it was locked, and no tugging or twisting would make it open. Dream turned to Aethaeus, shaking her by the arms in desperation. "You.. you must have a key- don't you have a key or something?!" She let go of the maid suddenly, realizing how she must appear to the others.

"I'm... sorry," she apologized to Aethaeus, and crept back to her spot with her slippers on the floor. As much as she did not ever want to be locked in a room with Elisan, going insane with worry wouldn't do much to help. She scooted a little nearer to the door at that unpleasant thought.

Then, thinking of something that might alleviate the situation ever so slightly, she turned to Aethaeus again. "Could we... at least make a... partition of sorts? I mean, at least until we can get.. separate rooms?"

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus rubbed her arms where the stranger had been holding her. "I'm sorry, miss, but I was not given a key to your room." She smiled sweetly at the girl. "Do not worry about it." She walked over to one of the windows and looked at the curtain. "I believe we can make a partition out of these." Reaching up, Aethaeus pulled the curtain down from the window and stretched it out. She walked over to where a large tapestry hung on the wall and tied one end of the curtain to it. Then she walked over to the adjoining wall and tied the other end of the curtain to another tapestry. "I'm sorry it's so small," she appologized, "but it will have to last until we can get out of here." Aethaeus walked over to the window and opened it. "Beautiful day out," she commented. "By the way," she turned back to the strangers, "my name is Aethaeus."

[Phantom Angel]

"Locked us in eh? They think they can keep me from leaving? Well, hah to them!" Gwira scoffed.

"You're awfully determined."

"Well, yeah, this place reeks of the half digested contents of that idiot's stomach. I am not staying."[/I] Gwira replied haughtily, forgetting to address Dryan in their common mind.

When all the others looked at them strangely, Gwira just scoffed.

"They might have locked the door, but they have forgotten the window." Gwira told them, striding over to the open window and starring towards the ground.

"It doesn't look that high..." Dryan remarked.

"No, not high at all. We can use the curtains as a means to get down there." Gwira replied absent-mindedly.

"What are you doing! You just said 'we'. Do you want to get us discovered and locked away?" Dryan demanded rather frantically at the back of their mind.

"That is... if anyone else would like to come with me." Gwira added somewhat sheepishly, and moved away from the window.

"I hope you don't mind us putting your partition to better use." Dryan told Dream gently.

"Yeah, you can come with me instead of staying in this fowl smelling place. We can all leave and let Elisan choke upon the marvellous stench of his own food." Gwira replied, giving Elisan a sharp and poignant look.

Then, without further ado, she untied the curtain from where Atheus had knotted it, and tugged harshly. It shrieked painfully as it ripped away.

[Chesta chesta chesta]

“You don’t suppose that these events could hold any danger to my parents?” Eitre had never thought that there could’ve been a threat to his family.

As if any murderer took such great interest in him and suddenly decided to slaughter his entire family. Fair enough, Eitre was a Fanelian nobody who had by some freaky occurrences ended up somewhere totally different from where he had intended, but the possibility was there. You can’t trust those murderers not to do it anyway, nor someone who had an imagination that suddenly decided to jump to conclusions.

“I’m your friend. Cen’s my friend.” Tonton was in a world of his own. There were no murderers there, just a lot of friends. They let Tonton hug them and play with them all day long. The hugged his own massive frame, rocking from side to side whilst going over who were all his friends. “Chigusa and Eitre and Tall dark stranger…”

Eitre rubbed the back of his hair, looked quizzically at Tonton before sighing loudly. This trip seemed to just get longer and longer. They were never going to get there. It was like a bad dream.

“Say,” he paused as he tried to remember the man’s name, it didn’t seem to want to be. “Have you got any clues on who the killer is?” Then it hit him like a stampeding herd of dragons. “Is this why you’re hanging out in our carriage? People still think of us as being suspicious?”

[Endurance]

Toppling down a chair was completely futile attempt to hinder her pursuer's superior speed. Ecli simply leaped over the chair and as his feet touched the ground again he had already darted after the wench, who had not gained much lead by her sudden stunt.

Her flight halted as Ecli viciously grabbed her from the hair and striked her into shoulder, sending her headfirst against the front door. As she moaned in pain and tried to recover Ecli grabbed her arms strongly and pulled her into standing position. She was unable to resist as Ecli launched her hard against the wall with an audible, dull thump. Her crumpled form recoiled from the wall and she went silent. Pity was the least thing on Ecli's mind as he quickly investigated her belongings and found her purse, which was not empty but not much full either. Ecli also noted that she was still alive but only barely, in so pitiful state that she was not even worth killing.

Front door didn't offer any resistance and Ecli stepped outside and tried to figure out where Fanelian castle was. He also decided that next wench who'd try to offer her services would find her intestines splattered across the street in most gruesome fashion. Events such as this showed how much Ecli could trust people other than himself.

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus looked on as one of the strangers ripped down her partition. A kind of sadness filled her, but then she willed it away. It didn't really matter after all. As the rest of the room's occupants were preoccupied in their own worries, Aethaeus slowly opened a tiny window in the corner of the room and crawled out. She slowly made her way down the wall, using the cracks between the bricks as hand and footholds. If the strangers were going to escape, that was fine with them, but she was not going to get in trouble for it. Aethaeus jumped the last few remaining feet to the ground and then walked back to the garden where she had left the laundry lying around carelessly. She hung the rest up, and then walked back to the kitchen to continue with her chores.

[Kayay]

((OOC: ATTN - Lady Fanel will be out of town from the 18th to the 27th, hence her quick escape.
And as promised, here's a mediocre post, so keep your fish sticks to yourselves.))


Fangolas watched with his usual quiet demeanor as Dryan grew increasing irritated, Dream agitated, Silvern annoyed, and Elisan annoying. As Dyran busied herself with happily shredding the curtains, no doubt imagining them to be Elisan, Fang turned towards the servant girl in time to see her squeeze through the tiny window not large enough for even a grown man to use, and his only regret was that he hadn’t the chance to properly introduce himself nor thank the catwoman.

“I’m going with her,” Silvern spoke in an aside to Fang, and the desert nomad raised an eyebrow then nodded thoughtfully.

“She does seem to be in another one of her moods,” Fang observed, “but I don’t think the little Miss is up to repelling down walls, and I doubt you want him,” Fang indicated Elisan, “roaming about. “I’ll stay here and, as the city folk say, ‘hold the fort’.”

Slvern clasped the other man appreciatively on the shoulder. “Thanks, and don’t let your guard down around that treacherous snake.”

“I won’t. I’ve survived the burning deserts, the scorching heat of a dragon’s breath, and tamed the wild stallions of the plains before I was even a man by your people’s standards. One man won’t be too difficult to handle.”

That settled, Silvern went over to inspect Dryan’s cloth rope. One end was now tied to an iron ring on the wall meant for hanging armor and weapons while the other disappeared out the window. The blonde tugged at the rope, and once satisfied it would hold their weight peered out the window to the ground below. “Lady’s first,” he gestured to the window with a sweep of his arm, and Dryan swiftly climbed onto the window ledge, grasped the rope, and repelled down. Silvern followed the moment she set foot upon solid ground. Once he too had made his escape, Fangolas pulled d the cloth rope back up, untied the end, coiled it up, and tossed it in a corner.

“Now we wait until our hosts decide to make their appearance,” Fang said calmly and sat himself next to Dream.


~~~Seth~~~

As the carriages neared the palace the buildings became taller and more elaborate, evidence of the wealth of this neighborhood, and patrols of city guards were spotted more frequently.

“No,” Seth shook his head, “you’re not suspects anymore, or, to be more precise, you’re no longer the primary suspects. On the contrary, Jirair thinks your friends may be targets, but your family I doubt is in any danger, but then again,” he frowned, “we know nothing about the assassin or his motives.”

From the look on Eitre’s face this was not what he wanted to hear. The young man wanted to be reassured that everything was all right and none of them were in danger. He wanted the happily ever after ending, but Seth couldn’t lie about that. It might make everyone feel better, but in the long run it would do them more harm than good to keep them so completely in the dark.

[Megumi H]

Dream looked out the window and drew back after a moment. She couldn't see herself rapelling down a castle wall. And what if she hit someone with a slipper while she was going down? As appealing as Dryan's offer of freedom was, Dream just couldn't bring herself to take it. She stepped away from the window. "I really don't think I could...." she told Dryan, hoping that the fox-woman wouldn't take note of her obvious fear.

She did, however, become rather upset with Silvern as decided to make his escape with Dryan out the window. How could he leave her here with... with that.. that... nasty person?! After Fangolas had retrieved the cloth rope, she sat down on the floor again, scowling fiercely. As if I'm not suffering enough, she muttered selfishly to herself, the only person I trusted so far has left. She drew her knees up to her chest in a little ball of misery and her scowl turned to a rather sour pout.

Then as Fangolas sat himself next to her on the floor, she muttered under her breath, "Well, at least I'm not completely alone...with... *ahrmhm*." Fangolas' normally intimidating appearance comforted Dream a little as she remembered his promise of safety. If he had been Silvern instead, Dream might have latched onto his arm and put just a little more distance between herself and that... worm; instead, she just looked up at Fangolas and smiled gratefully.

[Phantom Angel]

"Your loss, not mine, little girl." Gwira simply told her, and with an extravagant bow to the rest of them leaped on top of the window sill.

"Adieu, adieu, I shall miss you all when you'll be dead and tortured," she continued a wide feral smile stretching her lips. Then, she let herself fall backwards out the window.

From inside she could hear the surprised gasps of the other. Gwira simply ignored them, performed a dive flip in the air and caught the rope with both hands. The material creaked precariously but supported her weight as she came to a stop.

"Must you always go out with a bang?" Dryan inquired.

"If I'm gonna go out, it migh as well be with a bang." Gwira replied.

Dryan simply sighed deep inside, shaking her head in amusement. "You know, all of this could have been prevented. We could have stayed in that room with them."

"You know how I feel about being imprisoned," was Gwira's only comment.

Dryan did not need to respond. The mutual agreement lie inside both of them.

"Are we going to come back?" Dryan asked, unsure of what to do next.

"If we ever get off the castle grounds, then yeah. That girl from the Mystic Moon, Dream, she interests me."

Dryan knew that the interest was on a purely commecial business. She herself had spotted the oportunity Dream's presence brought. However, the fox had been somewhat reluctant to use one so young as a basis for enlarging her fortune.

"Think about all the losses we have suffered because we went to the Mystic Moon. The gains that Dream can bring us would be phenomenal." Gwira argued.

Dryan saw the validity of the point. Dream could be valueless archive of information pertaining to the Mystic Moon. She could provide them with priceless information, which sold at the right price could bring a fortune. Dryna was sure that the Scholars of Gaea would pay their lives thrice in blood to talk to another woman from the Mystic Moon.

She was not interested in their lives. Money or favours were the basis of her world, and she intended to have enough of each to never have a care in the world again.

But they would have time enough to work the minor details when they would return. For now, they still had a wall to descend.

"Hey, blondie, are you coming or what? If you want to see Fanelia, I expect you to keep up!" Gwira called out to him just as she reached the bottom.

[Fairybane]

"Back for more, eh?" sneered one of the guards, taking a few steps towards Wraith.
"We better stash him somewhere so he can't rat us out to Crimm," suggested the other, waving a coil of rope.
His partner scoffed at him though, waving his hand dismissively. "Crimm is the last person i'm worried about." He was met by a wordless stare. "C'mon Irwen, what is he going to do to us...CHANT us to death? He's a monk!"
Irwen shook his head doubtfully, "I dunno Kurik, I saw him snap a polearm with those big sharp paws of his like it was nothing!"
"Oh, he's just a big pussy-cat! I could take hi--"
Simultaneously, both Kurik and Irwen glanced back at Wraith, seeming to have just remembered the racoon-man's presense.
"We'll figure that out later."
"Yeah, let's get him."
Both of the guards lunged towards Wraith.

[Kayay]

~~~~Silvern~~~~

“I don’t see what you’re trying to accomplish other than get us into more trouble,” Silvern dared to remark to Dryan. “If you’d just have been patient they would have let us go.” The fox woman shot him a look that told him he’d best keep those opinions to himself and Silvern gave up trying to talk any sense into her. “Then again, what do I know, right?” he quickly continued with a resigned smile, “It’s your home and your people, and this is better than staying in that stuffy, smelly room, so lead the way.”


~~~~Foucault~~~~

From his position at the end of the hall the merchant could tell that the guards at the door didn’t look in a very cooperative mood and the raccoon anthro was too busy fending off their childish antics to be on any help, so Foucault turned right around and left both parties to their amusements. He’d try again later.

Since his plans to see what information he could pry from the alleged “Mystic Moon” people were put on hold, Foucault decided to return to his manor in the city. There were more than enough papers to sort through, decisions to be made, and deals, some of questionable legality, to be dealt with. His aides and clerks could handle most of the more tedious tasks, but some were best handled personally.

With his mind thus on such affairs, he was caught by surprise when he spotted two familiar figures furtively making their way across the palace grounds. The calculating smile reappeared on his face, and Foucault removed his smoke colored glasses as he adjusted his direction to intercept them.

“You two are a familiar sight,” he called to Dryan and Silvern as tucked his glasses away. “So Maeko and Father Crimm finished with their questioning already? Considering how slowly the system works these days that must be some sort of record, especially when temple trespassers are involved.”

[Chesta chesta chesta]

“B-but,” the Fanelian began, grasping tufts of hair as if he was going to yank them out, “can’t you send out some guards to protect them?” Even he knew that it was too much to ask, too much to expect that the palace would send out some of their people so close to the coronation to look over a simple forester. But forester or not, it was his family.

Then there was the “why would anyone want to kill the kids from the mystic moon?” It was quickly answered as Tonton squealed in delight at the sight of the palace.

The carriage came to an abrupt halt, the Fanelian who had remained standing fell back into his seat. There was sound of metal as guards hurried forward to up the security as their guests had arrived. The carriage door opened allowing the occupants to step out and stretch their travel weary legs. Tonton narrowly missed landing flat on his face as his feet tripped on themselves. Stumbling he managed to grab hold of one of the guards and hoist himself up onto his feet. Still the earth boy was in awe of the palace, his mouth was wide open and he raised a hand to his eyebrow as his head titled backwards so that he could take in the height of the building.

Eitre exited next. When his feet hit the wonderful solid ground of the courtyard he extended his hand to Chigusa and helping her of the carriage. If she fell then they’d never survive the night.

He squinted into the carriage and at Seth. The carriage hadn’t appeared to be so dark from the inside but in the full light of the sun it seemed to be rather dim. “How long will we have to stay here then? Just until tomorrow and then go about our business?”

[Princess Samari]

There had been something terribly uncomfortable about that carriage ride. Perhaps it had been the fact that she was sitting in such close proximity to Ton Ton who made it his duty to try and suffocate her.

"I can't believe no one here has thought up limos." Allowing Eitre to help her down Chigusa took in a deep breath. Target or no she was not about to spend another minute in one of those things. The neighborhood looked nice enough, as did the castle. Maybe the shopping wasn't so bad.

Though would anyone take her card?

[Kayay]

“I can’t do much of anything here. Were this Asturia I could and I would send someone to protect them, but here all I can do is ask, advise, and reassure,” Seth reminded Eitre. “Technically, I’m not even in charge of this delegation, but I will see what I can do. I prefer to err on the side of caution.”

After the carriage stopped and Eitre and the others exited Seth followed, moving slowly and carefully while trying not to let the stress fo his injuries show. He wasn’t entirely successful and winced as he tool the last step down. Out of the second carriage Gwyndolin, Findel, Touji, and Aaron emerged as well, although the last member of that group was carefully avoiding eye contact with everyone, especially Seth.

“Welcome to Fanelia honored guests.” From the line of guards bedecked in full dress uniforms a pink haired cat woman stepped forward and bowed deeply. “ I am Maeko, advisor to the Heir. Rooms have been prepared in the ambassadors’ wing and there you can freshen up before the afternoon meal, which will be held in the Heir's own reception room as it is to be an informal affair. “ She carefully looked each and every one over with her jade eyes as she spoke. “After which you are all invited to be her personal guests at the Coronation.”

[Endurance]

Cold sweat formed on his forehead. Moment of tension was intolerable. As Ecli waited for his ragged breath to calm he leaned against a wall of a building and watched how familiar carriage passed by and entered the palace courtyard. Ecli, for his desperation noticed that guard patrols were much common and dense in these parts of the city.

Finally Ecli made his decision and started moving toward the gate slowly. He walked as though he was just another servant of the castle, setting all his fears behind. Luck, as always, seemed to be on his side as most of the guards had gone to secure their newest guests and the few left at the gate were busy talking to each other.

Against all odds Ecli had managed to get safely inside the Fanelian palace, completely unnoticed by local authorities. With a triumphant smirk on his face Ecli hurried across the magnificient courtyard and started looking for an entrance to servant's quarters.

He had a plan. It was not really desperate but not that foolproof either.

[DrZepp]

Findel wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, silently falling in line behind Seth and Eitre. He took a mental note to keep his distance from Gwyndolin for the time being. In that time he would let her watch over Aaron as well. Findel smirked inwardly at the thought, forgetting for just a moment how potentially dangerous the draconian could be. It was still a complete mystery why he had attacked Seth, and judging from the Asturians reaction the night before, he was just as clueless as everyone else.

And then there was the mystic moon crew, oddly enough being led on by Eitre. Findel vaguely wondered how the young man had fared in Zaibach, and how exactly Ton Ton and Chigusa met up with him. He was about to address Eitre, when an elegant looking catwoman stepped out from the horde of heavily ornamented guards.
She wasted little time in getting to the point. Needless to say, Findel was greatful.

“Welcome to Fanelia honored guests. I am Maeko, advisor to the Heir."
The catwoman said, bowing deeply. Findel, taking his place beside Seth and Eitre, returned the gesture.

"Rooms have been prepared in the ambassadors’ wing" She continued. "and there you can freshen up before the afternoon meal, which will be held in the Heir's own reception room as it is to be an informal affair. “ Maeko carefully looked the newcomers over with her jade eyes as she spoke. “After which you are all invited to be her personal guests at the Coronation.”

Findel arched his eyebrow at the mention of a coronation. Apparently they had arrived just in time. It wasnt every day that a new Queen was appointed.

"I thank you, lady Maeko."
Findel said, remembering his manners.
"If a new sovereign is to be appointed, the palaces general anticipation level must be immense. Do not let us burden you any further, im sure there is much work to be done."

The Basramian nodded again, sending a sidelong glance to Gwyndolin. He wasnt always a gruff bastard.

[Eydtman]

Elisan had remained rather quiet during all that had been going on. He really didn't feel like even responding to the rude remarks that Dryan had made to him. He actually found it sort of amusing now that if he had done what she suggested and thrown up out the window, she'd probably be stepping in it right about now. Elisan took a quick sniff of the air. The smell of his vomit was noticeable, but not as badly as everyone had made it out to be. Or maybe it was just his sense of smell that was off since he'd spent alot of his time the last two years surrounded by foul smells much worse than this.

Once Dryan was fully out of the window Elisan finally spoke. "Well I'm glad that she couldn't take a bath anyways. I can't stand the smell of wet fur."

Next, Elisan made his way over to the door and examined the lock.

"Child's play." He said quietly to himself as he began to unfasten his belt. On the inside of his belt a few oddly shaped peices of metal were concealed within small pockets. He quickly took out the 2 pieces of metal he had been looking for and inserted them carefully into the lock.

"In this world there are two kinds of people; those that use their brains, and those that jump out of windows." Elisan said as he bagan his task of picking the lock.

(OOC: Crappy post x.x I've been away for the last little while due to various reasons and such, but i'm back now :D.

Elisan: "You know you all missed me....")

[Phantom Angel]

As they were creeping along the courtyard, the voice of a man called out to them.

“You two are a familiar sight.So Maeko and Father Crimm finished with their questioning already? Considering how slowly the system works these days that must be some sort of record, especially when temple trespassers are involved.”

Dryan looked up at the man who had approached them.
"So much for trying to stay inconspicuous..." Gwira muttered, retreating to leave Dryan to handle their little crisis.

Where diplomacy was involved, the fox was a much better negotiator. Gwira knew when she was beat, thus she retreated.

"Yes, the interogation moved quite fast. But since we proved conclusively we did come from the Mystic Moon they let us go," Dryan agreed.

When you wanted to craft a smart lie, it was best to simply agree with the assumptions of the others. That way, the story would sound much more natural to whomever was crafting it, and they would be more prone to take it for granted. People seldom questioned when they were told the things they wanted to hear.

So, the fox put on her best smile, trying to look as pleasing as possible. "Excuse me sir, do you know the nearest shop where I could buy a new set of clothes?" she asked, pointing at her soiled shirt. "I'm afraid this set is rather ruined after my adventure on the Mystic Moon. And my friend here also needs a set of Gean clothes. I doubt the pink is very fashionable at this time of year," the fox added, with a cute wrinkle of her nose.

If there was one thing Dryan was good at, it was acting. She had not become a successfull businesswoman through her honesty. It had been her ability to conceal her true feelings and play upon the weaknesses of others that she had gathered her fortune.

"My name is Dryan, by the way," she added pleasantly, "my friend is named Silvern."

[Kayay]

“Planning on buying me clothes?” Silvern chuckled softly to Dryan. “I didn’t know you cared so much.”

If Foucault overheard that particular jest, he showed no sign of it. “There are quite a few shops where you can buy clothes, but you look like a woman who recognizes quality workmanship at a good price. There is just such a shop only a short distance outside the palace walls. Why don’t I show you the way personally.”

The words were more of a statement than a question, as if he were giving them little option but to follow him, and with an empty smile the merchant slipped his glasses back on and motioned for Dryan and Silvern to walk with him. “Or,” he added casually, ”I could ask one of the guards to help you find your way. I’m sure one of them would be more than honored to assist visitors from the Mystic Moon.”

“That’s all right,” Silvern answered a little too eagerly. The last thing he wanted was to risk the guards figuring out who they were, and, with his own mischievious grin, reached over and plucked a stray bit of grass from Dryan’s shirt. “The sooner we both change into something clean the happier I’ll be. Lead the way, Sir.”

[Phantom Angel]

"Thank you very much Mister....", Dryan broke off leaving a significant pause so the merchant could understand that she wanted his name. "You are very kind to take time out of your day to show us around here," she added, with a slight tilt of her head.

Then, Silvern made a snide remark, and brushed some grass off of her shirt. Dryan felt slightly unnerved by his action, and threw a sideways glare at the blond man. Just what exactly was he playing at? Was he trying to gain her sympathy once more? Or was it simply harmless flirting? Maybe a bug had bitten him and the venom made him hallucinate...

"Who the hell does he think he is, plucking grass from your back?? Gwira nearly shrieked inside of Dryan's skull as Silvern moved his hand away. Dryan had to steady her alternate personality's urge to remove Silvern's hand from his body.

"Just let him be. We can't afford to scare off this nice man who is showing us around," she chastised slowly.

"NO! I want to teach him a lesson about how to use his hands!" Gwira protested vehemently.

The fox, deafened by the sound brought up a hand to her temple, trying hard not to cry out in pain. Her head felt like it was about to split into two even parts, right down its middle.

"Sorry," Gwira replied quietly, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"That's okay." Dryan muttered, under her breath.

Silently, Gwira retreated inside of her, leaving behind a dark and ominous aura. Dryan could see that the cat was upset, but in order to have a nice long talk with Gwira, she would require a quiet secluded spot. Unfortunately, time did not permit for that, and Dryan put it off as the first thing she would do once they would get home.

From inside her, Gwira simply mussed furiously.

"He'll take Dryan away from me. And when he takes her away, she won't need me any more." Gwira struggled hard to control the pain in her emotions. Dryan must never know. "I can't go back to that place. I can't ever go back."

[Kayay]

"Thank you very much Mister....",

“Call me Foucault.” His eyes narrowed behind the tinted glasses as the fox’s eyes began unfocused for a second, as if her thoughts were turning inward. “It’s actually for selfish reasons I’m helping you. I happen to own that particular shop we’re headed for, and I’m quite proud of it.” He turned his head to look back over his shoulder at them just enough that they could see the smile the artful dodger, businessman, and politician used when dealing with facing the Fanelia Council. A little bit of mock honesty and false humility typically made the other person more relaxed and, thus, more vulnerable.

“Oh? So you’re a…tailor?” Silvern hazarded a guess then looked aside at Dryan. He’d remembered Dryan once mentioning something about being an art dealer or merchant, and thought it would be nice if they had something in common with this man who’d volunteered to help them. But when he looked at Dryan he grew concerned. He’d hoped that returning to her home would have improved her state, but the muscles of her jaw seemed tense, and there were fine lines of stress bracketing her eyes. “Are you alright?” he whispered to her and slid a hand onto her shoulder.

“Hardly,” Foucault’s answer made Silvern look away from Dryan at the man leading them through the palace gates. With a nod towards the guards, the he silently implied that the two were with him. Most likely they’d assume Dryan and Silvern were new retainers of his.

“I hope I didn’t offend you. For a moment I thought maybe Dryan and you had something in common business-wise,” Silvern apologized, followed by a soft harmonious laugh, and the hand that still rested upon the foxwoman’s shoulder seemed to rest heavier and grip a little tighter.

[Phantom Angel]

"No! Let me go! Please!

The hands just reached out of the darkness, cold and slimy. No matter how much she tried to move away, the hands just kept reaching further.

"I swear, I never did it! It wasn't me! I'm innocent!"

The pleas fell on deaf ears. When you were one against the world, you rarely succeeded. One single fall and you would be the dust that settled after the crowd.

"You have to believe me... I never did anything..."

Sometimes, you did not have enough strength to keep going. Not when for one single step forward you had to go back a mile. Not when walls rose up from dust.

Sometimes, it was easier to believe what they told you. It was simpler just to close your eyes and believe.

"Don't touch me!" Dryan hissed, moving away from Silvern's touch with a foreign brutality.

There were specks of dried blood upon a worn down wall. A barless prison....

"Somebody help me..."

Dryan felt the massive headache begin to form at the back of her head. There had been only one other time she had felt a headache this bad. That had been the time when....
"Please, don't let them punish me..."

"I trust your tastes Mr. Foucault." Dryan replied with a smirk, trying very hard to keep a mask of tranquility on her face. It was not an easy task when her head felt like it was about to split in two.

"Dry.... an.... Make them stop, please, just make them stop..." Gwira called out faintly, as the void in front of her began to spin and collapse upon itself.

The hands had reached her, and their cold slimy fingers curled gently about her throat. She felt her lungs burn from the lack of air.

Dryan coughed loudly, feeling suddenly very dizzy, but refusing to reach for Silvern. No, nobody must touch her now. Or else...

"Excuse me, but is your shop very far?" Dryan asked, a bit short of breath. "A migrane just hit me and I was hoping we could stop somewhere so I could catch my breath..." she added, doing her best to look unconcerned, trying to make it seem like it was a normal day to day thing.

"Gwira, what is going on with you?? Dryan wondered, pausing slightly to wait for an answer that never came.

[Kayay]

Silverns' move was met by a more hostile reaction than what he’s expected. Dryan’s cold gaze told him that he had over-stepped his boundaries, but after what they’d been through together her aggression seemed all the more unreasonable. And when she coughed and swayed slightly he wanted to reach out to steady her but hesitated. "Dryan,” he said in a voice meant for only her ears, “I'm sorry I invaded your personal space, but believe me when I say have never hurt anyone, and do not intend to hurt anyone. If you’re not feeling well I want to offer my comfort."

"The shop is not far at all,” Foucault spoke as he walked in front of them, finally stopping at an narrow two story building with a high red tiled roof and bight windows left undraped in which the shopkeeper displayed some of her wares. Flowering ivy climbed up the brick and stone façade and a fancy sign of wood and metal above the door identified the place as the store in question.

The door opened with a soft jingle of temple bells and a cheerful woman, no older than thirty with her light brown hair pulled back in a bun, hurried to the front to greet them. She seemed especially preoccupied with making sure Foucault was doing well, and when he told her that Dryan and Silvern were “with him” she began to make quite the fuss over them. “Please, Ma’am, come with me upstairs. I have several fine outfits that would look stunning on you and your gentleman friend.”

Foucault watched the shopkeeper usher Dryan and Silvern away then turned his attention to the view out the window.

[Phantom Angel]

You bloody hypocrite, Dryan wanted to scream out as she and Silvern mounted the stairs following the trail of the woman.

"Wants to help me my ass. He just wants to look like the hero." Dryan almost snarled.

The fox forced herself to remain calm. Despite the pain pulsating at the back of her skull, she had to keep on mounting the stairs, and then somehow find some time alone. Gwira needed help. Dryan felt it with every fiber of her being.

"I have to help her, there's no time to waste!"

The hollow feeling of something having gone wrong haunted her, and she missed a step as she climbed. Before she could hit the ground, Silvern's strong arms caught her, steading her balance.

"Woah there, watch out."

"Let me go! I thought I told you not to touch me!" Dryan almost shrieked.

The shop owner looked back at them somewhat puzzled.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, her brows furrowed in concern.

"Everything is just fine." Dryan lied, throwing a meaningful glance at Silvern. He better keep his mouth shut, this was none of his business.

[Kayay]

~~~~Silvern~~~~

The second floor filled with array of outfits ranging in materials from lace, velvet, silk, to cotton and linen all neatly folded on shelves, draped on hangers, or carefully arranged on dressmakers dummies and awaiting finishing touches or alterations. As soon as she climbed the last step the shopkeeper went over to the two large windows that faced the street, pulled back the gauzy curtains, and let in the sunlight. “Take a look around,” she encouraged Dryan and proceeded to point out several shirts that she insisted would go wonderfully with her eyes.

Silvern, meanwhile, busied himself by looking around, stopping to tap the big framed mirror that stood in one corner of the room and watch it sway gently on it’s stand, but most of the clothes were too fancy for his tastes and, he guessed, probably expensive. “Do you have anything simpler?”

The woman looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yes, I have some tunics that may be just what you’re looking for. They’re rather plain but very comfortable yet functional.” Thus, smiling and nodding she excused herself and went back downstairs, leaving Silvern and Dryan alone.


~~~~Fangolas~~~~

"In this world there are two kinds of people; those that use their brains, and those that jump out of windows,” Elisan quipped.

Fangolas just settled down next to Dream and watched the fool. “And he,” he said so only the girl would hear, “is neither.”

What the dark skinned man meant by that statement wasn’t clear until the other man managed to pick the lock. Completely forgotten by Elisan were two very large, very bored, and extremely mischievous guardsmen and one nervous anthro servant on the other side, and the moment the click of the lock and soft creak of hinges sounded all heads turned to face the door and the would-be escapee.

[DrkZealot]

((OOC: The weeks of homework have ENDED and I can finally post!....until finals preparation next week that is.))

Wraiths worry for Aethaeus had caused him to sprint up the hallway in hopes of helping her, but when he arrived, the two guards were steady at their post. He could only listen for a few minutes as the two argued between each other about what to do with him before his boredom became too much and other, more pleasant thoughts came to mind. They varied in type, but all were useless, mostly consisting of pointless observations such as abnormal amounts of dust settling in the room, to cracks in the wall forming shapes of strange animals. He chuckled to himself as he pointed out a cute squirrel shaped crack that looked as if it was running up the wall with a hand full of nuts, before his pointed ears perked at the sounds of the two guards reaching a consensus about the situation.

It was as if the Ex-Soldier forgot why it was he was there, and why it was Kurik and Irwen looked to him with such menacing eyes, for the raccoon blinked with a perplexed look and scratched the back of his head. “Oh, hey. Why’re you two lookin’ at me like that? Do I have something in my nose…?” Then, with a light bulb moment, the forgetful raccoon gently pounded his right fist into his left palm and proceeded with an idiotic and nonchalant “Oh yeah. The window thing” Now that that little detail was cleared up, the Raccoon realized the full scope of what was about to happen and harshly reprimanded himself for worrying so much about other people. In Zaibach they really tried to keep him from that. In training he never could quite stop going back for a fallen ally when they collapsed on a long run, or when one was wounded in a spar. Though he’d been scolded countless times for these actions, he never could remember not to do it.

So, blinking again at the sight of the two violence starved samurai, Wraith took a cautious step back and chuckled lightly to himself, hoping that his cheery laughter would warm their hearts and they would all join hands in a round of song and drink. But, instead he found himself in a headlock at the hands of Kurik, while Irwen began the job of securing his legs with rope. “Uh….excuse me guys, do you think you could use a different rope this time? This kinda chafes my skin, and I have really sensiti-Mrhph hrmphhphff” His pleas were cut off and muffled as Kurik tied a rather fowl tasting handkerchief inside his mouth, leaving his jaw open, but the material cutting off all speech, or limiting it to “Mrmphs.”. And while he could have easily ground the thin material from his jaw with his sharp teeth, he decided against it. He knew a person once that held his handkerchief in quite high value. Maybe Kurik had been given this by he dear old grandmother while she was on her deathbed (that would explain the strange taste), or maybe an Ex lover gave it to him after a dramatic scene of unattainable love. Maybe his precious, foul smelling fiancé bestowed this foul smelling handkerchief upon him the day she was forced to move away to a far away castle by her evil father, Lord Brandston, who disapproved of their wedding, and forced the unhygienic noblewoman away from her precious lover into the tallest tower of their castle in the west. But no, Kurik could not take such a precious gift from her, even if it was to remember her by. It would not be enough to hold onto her bitter tasting handkerchief that reeked of unwashed armpits, no he must hold onto the woman and smell her foul armpits HIMSELF! So, in a fit of rage, (and of course, super ninja powers) Kurik snuck into the Lords home and slew him (of course with some strange ninja type weapon) and then was thrown in jail by her even more evil Uncle, Baron Van Doom!
Eventually the story continued until the handkerchief lost all meaning what-so-ever, and Kurik, with the aid of a magical fairy were on a mission to save the world. But, the rather intriguing story of Kuriks life was cut short, as his ears perked at a sudden sound from behind, and the door leading to the prisoners slowly creaked open. Unknown to Wraith, he had completely chewed through the handkerchief whilst going over the life of Kurik, then spoke with his newly freed jaws. “Hey, you guys really didn’t do a very good job locking the door. Father Crimm’s gonna be awfully sore when he hears about this” He said with a nod, looking into the room and adjusting the thick rope on his wrists (Tied behind his back) and his ankles.

[Fairybane]

Kurik and Irwen looked at Wraith. Then they looked at the door with Elisan’s face peeking out from within the supposedly locked room. Then they looked back at Wraith again.
It was a quandary indeed, neither of the very intelligent samurai could decide on a course of action. Sieze Elisan? Torment Wraith? It was a moment before the moronic guardsmen both came to the same conclusion. Irwen reached out and grabbed Elisan roughly by the ears, hauling him out the door and into the hall.
So now both the raccoon man and the sly Zaibachian (whom the guards had taken to calling ‘Smirky’) were trussed up like hogs for the slaughter, and being borne down the hallway on their broad shoulders.
“What should we do with them this time?” Kurik asked jauntily.
Irwen thought for a moment, his bushy eyebrows knitting in deep though before his broad face suddenly brightened with a great idea. “Suspend them from the palace flagpoles!!”
“Yeahhhh!” guffawed his compatriot. “To the courtyard with Smirky and Furball!!”

Meanwhile, Crimm finally made his way back to the guest quarters, arms laden with the tomes and scrolls that he had been forced to chase throughout the garden thanks to a particularly whimsical breeze. Stopping at the door, he glanced around quizzically. Hadn’t there been two guards posted here?
Well it WAS Kurik and Irwen. Which means they could be off anywhere playing some sort of horrible prank. Like tossing poor Wraith down the stairs
Shaking his head in irritation, Crimm growled under his breath. That type of behavior was not befitting of the royal guard…he would be sure to have a word with the captain…
Placing a heavy paw against the door he thought was locked, the lion man was astonished to see it slowly creak open. Furiously, he stormed in, his tawny mane bristling angrily.
“What happened here?!”

[EvaRobby]

Touji stepped out into the white behind the carriage's door. Once his eyes had finally adjusted to the blinding light, he was surprised to see Ton Ton, Chigusa, Eitre and others standing with him. He stayed next to Gwyndolen, and strangely found himself hoping she'd protect him from anything. He felt the need to watch her movements from the corner of his eye as well, all the while, a single word repeated in his thoughts, drowning out the conversation in front of him.

The group began moving away from the carriages. Had Findel looked at him? Why?

[Eydtman]

Elisan wasn't very happy. Here he was, tied up, being carried away over some big oaf of a guard's shoulders as they walked somewhere laughing all the way, and on top of that they had given him a new nickname which he despised.

"Smirky?" Elisan thought to himself in disgust. "I'll give them something to smirk about all right!"

Elisan let out a long sigh and frowned as he looked over at the figure that was being carried by the other guard. [/i]"Pathetic."[/i] He thought. Since they had first picked him up Elisan had been descretely loosening the ropes he was bound with, without alerting the guard to what he was doing, until he was confident enough that he could quickly get out from them when he wanted to.

Elisan spoke to the guards. "That's about far enough fella's." Elisan said casually. "Thanks for the lift but I think I can manage on my own from here on. Whether it be in a palace or a prison I don't appreciate being locked up, especially when no wrongs have been commited. So I'd suggest that you put me down now."

He doubted that they'd listen to him but it was atleast worth a shot.

[Megumi H]

((OOC: nyeah...))


"In this world there are two kinds of people; those that use their brains, and those that jump out of windows,” Elisan quipped. Dream would have stuck out her tongue at him, but she knew he'd have tried to cut it off if she had.

Fangolas just settled down next to Dream and watched the fool. “And he,” he said so only the girl would hear, “is neither.”

It took a moment for Dream to get it. Fangolas certainly didn't look like the kind to make jokes. Nevertheless, a soft giggle escaped the girl's lips, and she covered her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from laughing any louder.

As soon as the door swung open, she realized the full meaning of the joke. The look on Elisan's face was priceless as the guards seized him by the ears and dragged him out into the hall, kicking the door shut again as soon as he was out.

As their footsteps faded into silence, Dream's giggle returned. It grew both in force and volume until she let her hand down from over her mouth to around her waist and bent forward, no longer able to contain the full-fledged peals of hysterical laughter.

It was thus that Father Crimm stormed in and found her on the floor laughing like a drunken schoolgirl.

"What happened here?!"

[Lady Fanel]

((OOC: Sorry it took me so long to get back, but I've had one hell of a busy week.))

Aethaeus stopped in midstep. There were strangers at the castle. The strangers were escaping. No one knew they were escaping but her. A mischevious smile crept over her face. Then the servingwoman turned and ran towards the front of the palace where a large crowd was gathering. Looking around, she saw the pink-haired catwoman talking to what appeared to be a group of foreigners. She waited until she was done talking before tapping her arm. "Excuse me, my lady Maeko, but I believe there is something you should know."

[Endurance]

Ecli, familiar with the layout of Fanelia's palace, had no problem navigating inside the servant's quarters. Interior was very neat but not as dazzling or glamorous as the courtyard had been. Clever architecture played with intricate patterns of light and darkness, even walls were decorated with so curious recesses and embrasures that Ecli had to constrain himself not to look warily into every dark alcove and hollow.

When serving in Freid Ecli had been visited by a vast number of foreign scholars, including one from Fanelia. Such meetings were possible in occasional state visits and Ecli had gathered quite a safety net of 'fellow scholars' he could abuse in time of need. Now it was such time.

---- Rankel ----

Rankel, the middle-aged scholar of Fanel muttered heavily as he was interrupted by a loud knocking sound. Quill he held swayed and made long streak across the paper and and sturdy oak table, effectively ruining the official manuscript he had been working on.

"What is it now? Didn't I tell you servants not to disturb me until I am finished with this....." Rankel started yelling but went quiet when he realized that he had not been interrupted by a mere servant. Rankel examined the intruder curiously for a moment before a smile of recognition started forming to his weather-beaten face.
"Well well, If it's not the unhealthy prodigy of Freid then I am damned" He taunted in glee. "What occasion made you to abandon your safe haven and visit ol' Rankel here?"

[Kayay]

~~~Fangolas~~~~

Sitting on the end of the cot with his elbows resting on his knees, Fang watched Dream double over in laughter with a faint smile on his face. “It is good to hear you laugh,” he remarked, although her mirth had an edge of hysteria to it. One way to release so many mixed emotions after the experience she’s been through. The jovial mood however was interrupted by the lion priest, fur bristling, causing Fangolas to jump to his feet and instinctively reach for the saber that was not there. Normally the desert nomad was a quiet, solitary type, but with only he and the girl left in the room, the role of spokesman had fallen upon his shoulders. Perhaps it is time to let my presence be felt, he thought.

“Elisan, the witty one with an upset stomach, saw fit to take his leave, but I believe a pair of your guards are currently metting out his punishment,” Fang explained and gestured to the door with a smile.


~~~~Maeko~~~~

Maeko arched an eyebrow in response to the servant girl’s actions. Although annoyed by the interruption, she motioned to the guards to continue without her. “Please, excuse me for a moment,” she addressed Findel and Seth, made a slight bow, and stepped to the side with Aethaeus.

She looked the other cat over, recognizing her as the same servant she’d assigned to see to the temple intruders. “I assume this has something to do with the ‘guests’ you were to see to?” she asked with a weary sigh; considering how this day was going so far, she doubted it was anything but bad news.


((OOC: *Pokes Gywn, Findel, Chigusa, and company* Hellooooo?))

[DrkZealot]

With a slight blink, then a nod, Wraith squirmed a bit on Irwen’s shoulder hoping to get into a more comfortable position while he and the other unfortunate prisoner was being hauled down a long series of hallways into the courtyard.
He wanted to speak again and introduce himself to the other capture, but his words once again came out muffled grunts, and unintelligible gibberish behind yet another handkerchief that had been firmly tied around his jaw. And though he greatly condemned himself for chewing through the first one, he unknowingly began doing the same with this, except at a much slower pace as he intently listened to the two guards rather interesting conversation. They soon reached the courtyard and came to a halt before one of the many flag poles positioned in the center, before he heard the other capture speak for the first time throughout the entire bumpy trip.

"That's about far enough fella's. "Thanks for the lift but I think I can manage on my own from here on. Whether it be in a palace or a prison I don't appreciate being locked up, especially when no wrongs have been committed. So I'd suggest that you put me down now."

What a stranger person he was. Wraith could have swore they were being brought to the flag pole while tied up, so they could strip them of their clothes and hang them along with the other flags. But Smirky had just said they were just giving the two a lift(ignoring the other parts of his statement and completely missing the sarcasm). Well this seemed quite odd indeed, if they were giving them a lift, shouldn’t they have at least asked the two where they wanted to go? All this was quite frustrating to the young Raccoon who couldn’t fathom why it was they were to drop him off on this side of the palace, when the Guymelef storage facility was waaay on the other side. Did his supervisor move operations to a secret underground lab hidden cleverly underneath one of the flag poles? Eventually he ignored these thoughts, knowing his boss to never do such a thing and squirmed off Irwins shoulder, landing to the floor with a loud thump.
“Well I guess I thank you for the lift too, but you could have dropped me off a bit closer to my work.” He said with mild irritation, the gnawed through handkerchief falling off his shoulders.
Rolling on his back he squirmed and twisted until the ropes around his wrists loosened enough to get his hands free. Turning to Smirky he looked to him with a strange perplexing glance and finally introduced himself while untying the constraints on his ankles. “Hullo Smirky, I’m Wraith, Nice to meet ya! I would shake your hand but you seem to still be tied up so I’ll shake it later. So, why’d you want them to drop you off in the middle of the courtyard? This certainly seems like an odd location for a person who’s supposed to be locked in a room up there, but then again I’m not supposed to be here either so I guess it kinda evens out in the end….unless it doesn’t.”
Now that he had thoroughly confused himself (again), he inanely blinked and waited for a reply.

[Eydtman]

“Hullo Smirky, I’m Wraith, Nice to meet ya! I would shake your hand but you seem to still be tied up so I’ll shake it later. So, why’d you want them to drop you off in the middle of the courtyard? This certainly seems like an odd location for a person who’s supposed to be locked in a room up there, but then again I’m not supposed to be here either so I guess it kinda evens out in the end….unless it doesn’t.”

"So it talks afterall." Elisan said silently to himself. The truth was he could have shook the anthro's hand but he was still making it look like he was bound by the ropes so he didn't, that and he didn't really want to shake hands anyways. It's not his thing.

"Like I said to these two oafs here, I don't appreciate being locked up no matter where it be. So anywhere is better than that." Elisan said as he shifted his position so that his elbow jabbed, hopefully painfully, into the guards neck. "And don't call me Smirky if you value your tongue." Elisan added angrily.

Elisan turned his attention back to the guards. "So are you going to put me down now or is that too complicated for one so simple as yourself?"

[Princess Samari]

"Right." Chigusa had been seeing a lot of odd things since her coming to Gaia. So oddly the cat woman hadn't really caused her much confusion. She had seen a turkey girl and giant mechanical suits.

So what was another freak to her?. Rolling her eyes and brushing back a stray lock of hair Chigusa turned to Eitre rolling her eyes. She was getting bored and he was going to do something about it.

"Yes that was all well and good of her. Can we go do something please? I'm really starting to get tired of touring castles and junk. There HAS to be something more exciting then wandering around palaces with no wireless cable."

Knowing Eitre he would probably protest...but no one was forcing her to stay. Or so Chigusa was certain.

[DrZepp]

Findel stepped back slightly as Aethaeus approached. Simply judging by the servant girls expression, something was amiss. Not that it was a big surprising. Findel suspected that many mishaps would occur in preperation for such a special event, which was all the more reason to leave Maeko to her own meddlings. There was just the minor problem of being on completely unfamiliar ground.

Findel turned back to Eitre and Chigusa as the cat woman excused herself for a moment.

"I dont suppose you are familiar with the castle..."
The Basramian said, somewhat flatly.
He raised his palm to his brow and peered across the cities skyline. This was Eitres homeland, yet right as he returned, they had all been shipped off to the castle. In a way it seemed odd. The Fanelian had family, a concept which intruiged Findel to no end.
"Perhaps...."
The Basramian opened his mouth to speak , but paused. He slowly glanced down at Eitre, feeling a tinge of discomfort.
"Perhaps you would like to see your home...after we deal with the formalities. I would be glad to accompany you."

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus bowed as Maeko spoke to her. "I'm sorry for disturbing you my lady, but the 'guests' were locked in their room by the guards, which in itself is bad enough, but now they are escaping through an open window and are wandering about the grounds." She shot a glance at the catwoman. "Is there anything you would like me to do?"

[Kayay]

“They were supposed to be locked in that room,” she began irritably, “but what happened to the guards who were watching them, and why didn’t you tell them immediately about the escape?” Jade eyes narrowed; perhaps she had overestimated the other anthro woman. “And,” she continued, “what happened to Wraith? Nevermind.” She cut off any reply with a curt gesture. “Come with me. You can explain yourself along the way.”

“Forgive me,” she addressed group from Freid as she and Aethaeus caught up. “I must deal with other matters, but the guards will show you the way to your rooms. If you wish, I can have a guide show you around the place and the city.

“Thank you Lady Maeko,” Seth answered with an incline of his head. After Eitre’s anxiety over his family’s safety an Chigusa’s boredom, this seemed a perfect opportunity. “As nice as it was, we’ve all been cooped up aboard that leviship for too long.”

“Then I’ll have someone sent immediately.” And with those words she bowed and, with Aethaeus in tow, headed back to where the temple intruders were supposed to be kept under watch.

[Fairybane]

Irwen gave Wraith an oddly fearful look, before glancing to Kurik. “Uh…he’s acting funny. D’ya think he’s rabid?”
“No you moron! He’d be frothing at the mouth if he was rabid!”
“But look at the way he’s staring at us.”
Kurik grunted in irritation. “Alright you wimp, I’ll tie him up again and carry him this time if you’re too scared to do it. You take Smirky, he smells like puke.” With these words, Kurik heaved Elisan off his shoulder and set him roughly on the ground. Then pulling out a coil of rope, he turned to Wraith. “This time you get double-knots Furball…”
Irwen still watched Wraith cautiously, expecting the raccoon-man to suddenly leap up and bite Kurik’s nose off. It just so happened that Elisan had suddenly been left unattended…

Crimmius glared at the girl who was giggling madly, and the stern man beside her. Then he stared at the open window and put a hand to his forehead in disbelief. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what had just happened…
By the gods, this is a disaster… Mentally, he recited a few calming mantras until he could feel his claws retracting and his pulse slowing…there were still two of them left.
Kneeling in front of the remaining two, Crimm gazed intensely at them with his fierce cat eyes.
“Where have your companions gone?” he asked simply but firmly.

[Chesta chesta chesta]

“Well,” Eitre started and pulled at the collar of his tunic. “I suppose we could…ehm…” Chigusa was demanding things again and the effect it had on the Fanelian was noticeable on the horrified grimace and the cold sweat that ran down his tensed back. Frantically he looked for something to look at apart from into the girl’s penetrating gaze, still he was always drawn back and gulped loudly.

“I don’t know the castle very well.” With being unable to turn away, Eitre merely answered the Basramian over his shoulder. “In all honestly I have never been inside, I know the outside but not this.”

That’d be if you counted ‘outside’ as outside the grounds of the castle and looking in. Young Eitre had spent many years of his childhood avoiding the castle. Someone had once told him that dragons protected the castle, even just looking at it could anger the great gods and they’d strike him down. His father had always exaggerated the stories of the dragons in a bid to prevent his son to go too far into the forest and thus finding more trouble than he could handle.

Before he even managed to offer to take responsibility of the whole group on some friendly outing in the Fanelian market, Maeko and Seth had saved him from certain eternal shame. Eitre drew a relieved breath, shoulders slumped downwards and he managed to smile briefly at Chigusa.

“The job on the levi-ship, I promised to make it up to you. How about we all go out and I’ll buy you something nice?”

If there was one thing that Eitre had ever learned from his father, apart from the wisdom of dragons, it was that women were ravenous beasts when it came to gifts. This had to apply to Chigusa, even if she wasn’t Gaean.

The allocated guard coughed to gain the full groups attention, they turned and continued down the long hallway. The guard never spoke, he merely kept his stare before him and without emotion he gestured towards the large doors along the walls. “These are the quarters that you will be staying in. Your requested guide will arrive shortly.” He shoved his heel together with a clank, bowed to the group. “I hope that you will enjoy your stay.” With those words he turned his heel and left them.

[Megumi H]

The peals of feminine laughter that had filled the room a moment before quickly shrank to half-hearted giggles, then broke off completely. The teenage girl slowly got to her feet behind the dark-skinned man and at the lion-man's angry glance, she averted her eyes to the floor. She felt somewhat guilty... though she couldn't imagine what they thought she might have done. She looked at her hands, suddenly remembering the blood that she hadn't gotten a chance to wash off. Did they think she had hurt Silvern? She looked back at the floor and hid her hands behind her back.

The lion-man seemed to sigh heavily (several times) and knelt down before them. Dream looked back at him. He didn't look quite so tall now, but his gaze, though seemingly no longer angry, was nonetheless intimidating.

"Where have your other companions gone?" he asked simply but firmly, gazing intensely at them with his great feline eyes.

"Out the window," Dream blurted. "I-I mean... they didn't say- they just.. went." She felt as stupid as she sounded, but you don't get your wits scrambled by angry lion-men every day, do you? "I-I..." The shutting up option became too tempting and safe, and she took it, with a glance at Fangolas that said "You do it..."

She turned and sat down on a bed with her back to the two men, biting her lip and half-heartedly attempting to rub the dried blood off her hands.

I'm not dreaming... am I...?

But I'm so scared....

Why am I here?

[Kayay]

~~~~Fangolas~~~~

To Dream’s relief Fangolas again took up the conversation. “The foxwoman was feeling claustrophobic and nauseous from the smell of Elisan’s accident. The blonde man went with her, but I have no idea where they are now.” Fangolas shrugged then noticed Dream focusing on her dirtied hands.

“I’ll answer any other questions you have, but first could we have some clean water to wash and a change of clothes?”


~~~~Elsewhere~~~~

Carved wooden doors opened to rooms straight from a Japanese history textbook. The architecture was similar, with warm polished wooden floors and lacquered furniture. There was a writing desk in each room and chests and dressers of inlaid wood, accented with rosewood, ebony, bamboo, ivory and horn, comfortable chairs with embroidered cushions, and beds set on low wooden frames. Behind a sliding screened doors were private washrooms that boasted a deep wooden bath and running water, thanks to the ingenious system of pipes and boilers that had been added to the palace only a few decades ago. Fanelia was no longer the backwoods country it was oft mistaken to be.

Aaron immediately claimed one room as his own and plopped down in one of the far chairs, his grinning blade resting against the chair’s wooden arm. Ignoring the others, he turned his attention to the view out the window and the gardens beyond, wondering again if he really belonged with these people.

“Sir Falor, a message arrived from Basram shortly before your arrival.” One impeccably dressed guard approached the samurai and held out a parchment, folded and sealed with the crest of Basram, then stepped back. “The Heir requests a private audience with you this afternoon before the coronation. Until then enjoy the hospitality of Fanelia.” The man bowed and left, followed by his colleagues.

((OOC: For obvious reasons…PM me if there are problems.))

“I won’t be going,” Seth told a very silent Gwyn. “I’m hardly in a condition to go exploring the city, and I doubt he will either.” The knight looked over at Aaron brooding by the window, then smiled at Gwyndolin’s alarmed expression. “Don’t worry. I’ll ask for some guards to watch over him and,” he added with a nod to Eitre, “I’ll ask about those guards for your family too.”

Seth sifted his weight to lean on his crutch, uncertain how his fellow knight would take his next request. “Gwyn, I know King Schezar gave you a message for the Queen, but I don’t think it wise to carry it about while wandering the city.” He held up his hand to interrupt any protests she might make. “And you need to go with them to keep an eye on things; you know that as well as I. Let me take responsibility for it for now.”

Reluctantly, she nodded and handed over the sealed scroll.



~~~~Maeko~~~~

Maeko stopped outside the room where only Fangolas, Dream, and Crimm remained, hands on hips, and looked at Aethaeus. After much questioning Maeko was finally able to piece together what had happened to the alleged Mystic Moon group, and she was not pleased. “In the hopes that you can redeem yourself, I’m going to give you another job dealing with some important guests from Freid. They’d like to explore the city, and I want you to act as their guide.”

[DrkZealot]

“Oh, a double knot!” Wraith said with an ignorant excitement, pushing himself from the ground, yet a look of disappointment washing over his face as he realized his other obligation. “But…While I’m quite sure a double knot would secure me pretty tight and maybe make the trip a bit less bumpy, I really do have to get back to work” He said, patting himself on his chest, brushing away the dust that settled over his upper body. “Hey Smirky, it was nice talking to you…well for the little we did talk, bit it was nice none the less!” He finished, waving a clawed hand while easily jumping out of the way of a distraught Kurik who made a lunge for the simple minded raccoon. Still waving, the young raccoon began walking backwards “Bye bye Smirky, bye Irwen! Talk to you later Kurik! I hope you and the magical fairy succeed in saving the world from the evil dictator!” He yelled. And with that he turned around swiftly, a cloud of dust rising behind him as he lowered himself onto all fours, his strong legs propelling him forward out the courtyard, leaving the two guards with one less piece of entertainment.

[Hitomi_333]

OOC: Please tell me if I post anything wrong.... heh, I read through what I missed quickly, but I'm known to read things incorrectly /OOC

IC: Gwyndolin followed the guards who were to show her to her room. Lately she'd spent a lot of time sleeping in palaces, whereas before she had only had the chance during tournament-- before she was even a knight. As usual, she found the hallways to be winding, long, and confusing. She expected to get lost on the way to finally deliver her important message. King Airien was always understanding when she was tardy due to being lost in the castle, but making sovereigns wait could be a rather great offense.

She mused at how different all of the palaces were, despite the fact that she found all of the hallways to be arranged in the same sort of fashion. "Your room, Lady Valdemar," a guard finally said with a bow, showing her to a room. Like usual it was larger than it need be, with a big comfortable-looking bed and a bath. She left her bags there, except for the important one, and then closed the door.

Gwyn was going to make a point of knowing where Touji's room was this time.

She managed to meet up with the others. They'd been told to enjoy the hospitalities of Fanelia. As usual Seth was going to try something risky and foolish.“I won’t be going. I’m hardly in a condition to go exploring the city, and I doubt he will either. Don’t worry. I’ll ask for some guards to watch over him and I’ll ask about those guards for your family too,” he added with a nod to Eitre.“Gwyn, I know King Schezar gave you a message for the Queen, but I don’t think it wise to carry it about while wandering the city.” He held up his hand to interrupt any protests she might make. “And you need to go with them to keep an eye on things; you know that as well as I. Let me take responsibility for it for now.” Reluctantly, she nodded and handed over the sealed scroll. She knew the logic in not carrying something that important around the city, but couldn't help but to worry about what would happen if something happened to Seth.

He expected her not to protest. Being in Fanelia, so close to her home, had made Gwyndolin feel lighter than she had in a long time, but she was damned if she wasn't going to protest.
"You're being foolish," she growled. "I don't know if you have a death-wish, or why you feel the need to continue to place yourself in situations where I can't help you. I'll go, if only to look out for the others... but if you get yourself killed, I will never forgive you." She turned on one foot and left.

[DrZepp]

Findel snatched the parchment with a short bow, his eyes never leaving Basrams seal.
"Very well then..."
The samurai mumbled, nervously fingering the folded text.
"Until then enjoy the hospitality of Fanelia.”
The soldier bowed in return, swivelling around on one heel as he prepared to leave the guests in private. His movement was cut short though, as Findel quickly raised his voice.
"Perhaps... err...wait!"
The Basramian shot a hand out, grasping onto the retreating mans shoulder.
He looked around cautiously, making sure none of the others could hear his strained voice.
"You wouldn't happen to have any... *ahem*... spare garments... of Fanelians make, that is."

Hearing Findels request, the soldier paused in severe contemplation. Even though his back was turned, the absentminded tapping of a foot could be heard from across the room.
"n-nevermin-" Findel began, but was silenced as the Fanelian spun around, pushing a salty finger against the Basramians open lips. He intently looked the stunned warrior up and down.
"Oh my, i see... This is an emergency, isnt it... i can tell."
He said, removing his now slobber laden finger and putting it to his chin.
"Your quarters should have our standard garments, but, oh my!"
The soldier frivolously flicked his wrists. "We've never had such a personal request before, have we...hee hee!"

At this time, Findel began to sweat.
"Err.. eheh... no, no." He began "Your... standard dress will be... just fine *gulp*..."
The soldier frowned, almost offended.
"WELL THEN..."
He coughed, suddenly returning to his previous stale state of being.
"If nothing more is needed of me, i shall be on my way. Good day."

Findel clasped a cold palm against his brow, watching the Fanelian stomp off out of the corner of his eye.

[Endurance]

Knowing that Rankel was not a fool, Ecli decided to stick to truth, at least partially.

"I came with the group from Freid to see the coronation. I just hated the idea that I would miss an event that big" Ecli began but was interrupted by Rankel, who was tapping his desk most impatiently. "Why are you here then? Should you not be staying with your group, eh?"

Ecli knew that it was not possible for him to stay with the group, he was not even invited along and even less to stay within the palace. The success of his plan depended on Rankel. In desperation Ecli decided to rely on honey-laced words.

"To be honest I'd prefer to stay with someone I am more familiar with" Ecli gazed down to floor and started shuffling his feet nervously. He wanted to look as convincing as possible. " They were quite scary and I really repel the idea to sleep in the same room with them ever again"

Instead of being sympathetic for Ecli, Rankel's reaction was pretty much opposite. He burst out in loud laughter and almost rolled off from his chair. Finally with great difficulties Rankel managed to recover from his laughing fit. "I don't believe a word you are saying but still, I think that I could lodge you for a day for two at the very least. That however means that I must inform officials that you are staying with me. Actually, I can only imagine how lady Maeko's jade eyes will narrow when she hears that you have rejected one of those cosy little rooms she has reserved for most guests"

Ecli didn't like the idea that Rankel would tell everybody about him but there was not much he could do about it either. Regardless of that everything was going better than he had expected.

"Do you know any adequate herbalists Rankel? I need to fill my supplies before I settle in"

Everything was going very fine indeed.

[Princess Samari]

When Eitre meantioned present Chigusa wondered what Gaia could have to offer her. He wasn't rich obviously...and they seemed to be almost primitive in their technology save for weapons.

But there was no way she wanted one of those giant mecha suits. Those were for fan boys and geeks.

Watching the guard go Chigusa took Eitre's arm and wrapped it around hers smiling. "Well...I could use some more news clothes and perhaps jewelry. Maybe a little something nice so I don't stick out like a sore thumb here." Though she couldn't help it if people noticed her natural beauty and wanted to admire her.

"Though...you don't have Lizard people here right? I've seen cat and turkey...but...no lizards there aren't any right?" Those scaly slimy things had *always* creeped her out.

[Alcestis]

Ceren strolled bearishly through the streets approaching the Palace gates. As he neared he could see two guards were tiredly guarding the eloquent place as the sun was high overhead.

"Halt, Who goes there?" - The question was fired at him from the seemingly more experienced "door man".

"Well, y'see, im here on business. Im a knight of Basram, and I believe my companions have already arrived." he replied gruffly.

"Ah. Well, we'll have to escourt you, but I believe we can show you to where you are headed. You have official papers on you?"

Ceren pulled his pack off his back and began digging through the terribly unorganized mess, grumbling a bit under his breath. Shirts and pants and all sorts of garments that were wrinkled and stuffed into the bag were now pouring out onto the ground as he dug for a crumpled piece of paper in the bottom of the bag. "Ah, here we are." he said, pulling a worn parchment with a cracked wax seal. Packing his stuff back into the bag in the same disorganized fashion, Ceren waited for the mans reply to his title papers.

"Mhmm... I see.... Well then, Sir Maelghrin, if you'll bring your bag and follow me this way, I'll show you to Sir Findel's quarters."

Nodding slightly at the guard, Ceren slung his pack back on and paced after the guard. The palace was in immaculate shape, allthough everything seemed to be in a bustle... People were moving here and there, and all sorts of commotion was taking place.

After about 10 minutes of walking, the guard stopped in front of a large building and motioned for Ceren to follow him inside. "These are our guest quarters" he explained. Once again, a nod from Ceren, and they were on their way through the extensive hallways. A right here, ah, then a left, then another right, then straight, then another left... hm Ceren to no ends tried to get a feel for the directions to the quarters. All of a sudden the guard jerked around to a door and said "Here we are. I believe you'll find Sir Findel inside. Is there anything else I can help you with?" The guard inquired. "Eh, no thanks, I can take it from here" was the gruff reply. With a sharp knock on the door, Ceren pushed his way in, and seeing his commander, came to a rough salute.

[DrZepp]

Findel was finally coming to grips with his affinity for foreign fashion. The flame had been kindled in Asturia, it bloomed in Freid, and seemed to be set in stone in Fanelia as Ceren entered the room. The new recruit saluted sternly from the offset, despite his superiors somewhat... awkward position.
Findel would have returned Cerens gesture, if a standard issue maids uniform wasnt riding halfway up his leg. Judging by the scrunched position around his knees, it was obviously the wrong size.

Both men remained still for a moment as the reality of the situation sunk in.

"Err... At ease!"
Was about all Findel could think to say as he scrambled to remove the Fanelian garment. As the old saying goes, first impressions are everything.

Ceren slowly let his arm down, looking on as Findel managed to remove the bulk of fabric from his right leg.
"This will... just take a moment."
Findel murmered, looking up from his tugging bout.
His left appendage was still bound with the elastic like material, and it seemed that there would only be one quick way to resolve the situation.
Hopping up and down on one foot, Findel attempted to strategically kick the other side of the maids uniform off with one fluid motion. In actuality, it took several sharp jerks of his left leg before the garment came flying off. It sailed across the room in a seemingly perpetual state of animation, before coming to rest on Cerens shoulder.

"So..."
A pantless Findel said.
"They took heed of my message after all."

[Alcestis]

Ceren, after recovering from the inital shock of Findel's spandex covered legs managed to pull the limp garment off his shoulder. Holding it up in the air, he could see all the frills and folds...

"Nice er..... skirt" Ceren said with a chuckle as he tossed the outfit back towards Findel. "Yea, I know.... Dont Ask, Dont tell." he snickered with a grin. Who was this guy anyhow? He was supposed to be some upstanding officer and here he was in a maid's uniform... Gimme a break Ceren thought to himself looking over the pantless man that was his superior.

"So, they took heed of my message afterall." Findel blurted out.

"Yes ma..er... sir, and they sent me, allthough im not quite sure of what "business" you or headquarters were referring to. Either way, Ceren Maelghrin, Knight and Pilot of the Basramian Melef Squad at your service..." Ceren replied. Ceren looked about the room seing some food on one of the tables... "Sayyy..... Nice place you got here" he said as he strolled over and took a large bite out of a piece of fruit.

[EvaRobby]

<<OOC: Sorry, I didn't realise it had been so long since I last posted, though I couldn't really think of much to post anyway... Anyway, it'd be so much easier to post decent things if I had a chance to collaborate... damn timezones. Now just hope I've picked up the current situation properly *crosses his fingers*. Oh, and I'll probably be getting busier soon, I don't know how much it'll affect my time on the RPG. But y'all can feel free to lead Touji around whenever you feel like it. I don't mind. >>

One by one, everyone was shown their room. Gwyndolen went in hers, dumped her bag and exited in just a few seconds, but Touji didn't even bother. He only had his sword, and a smelly set of spare clothes that he'd managed to tie into a bundle on the ship. The other sword was probably eaten by bigfoot or something. He wasn't sure why it mattered. He wouldn't have the guts to use either of them anyway. These people had been trained their whole lives, he couldn't challenge that. He suddenly felt sluggish.

As he followed the group, he noticed Gwyndolen and Seth arguing, he would have ignored it if it was possible from Gwyn's side. He wondered slightly about the message, but it wasn't important, he was too busy working out why he'd done anything.

"but if you get yourself killed, I will never forgive you." Touji's breath caught suddenly in his throaght in a manner not dissimilar from a gasp. He rushed to catch up to Gwyndolen as she stormed off. He felt like he'd gotten used to the guymelefs, the cat-people and whatever other hybrid could be thrown at him, but he was never any good at understanding people.

He silently debated to himself about saying something, but the debate itself kept him quiet.

[Hitomi_333]

*Gwyndolin wasn't too far within her own world to notice that hurried footsteps were following her. She assumed them to be Touji's and upon turning around her assumptions were confirmed. Despite her worries about Seth, she was determined to perform her duties, which at the moment involved going into town and watching out for the others. Finally she spoke to the boy, "As it seems that we aren't needed her for a while, we might as well see the town. I'll bet you've never been to Fanelia before," she said, trying to sound light-hearted. Her voice sounded fake even to herself.

They made it down to where they had entered the palace and she beaconed a servant. "Excuse me," she started. "I'd like a carriage to take us into town... if you'd be so kind as to call one. Thank you."

She mustered a smile for Touji, but had all intention of waiting down there to watch the others before leaving. Plus, she wanted to stall as long as possible before leaving Seth alone.*

[Fairybane]

Crimm bowed his shaggy head, cowed by the presense of the irate Maeko. With the dignity of a monk, he accepted responsibilty for neglecting his duty.
"Maeko, this situation is also partially my fault, I should not have left such an important task such as the guarding of our guests, to those incessant trouble-makers, Kurik and Irwen."

The aforementioned Kurik and Irwen gasped and panted exhaustedly as the two samurai knelt on the ground, trying in vain to catch their breath.
"Fast *wheeze* little bastard...*pant* isn't he?" growled Kurik, wiping sweat from his eyes.
Irwen, splayed out on the brick tiles nodded weakly. "I *gasp* haven't...*cough* ran this much since *puff* the cook caught me filching sweetcakes from the *pant* pantry!"
They both had a fond chuckle, remembering that episode from a couple weeks back.
"Good times, good times," noted Kurik, feeling well enough to wearily get back onto his feet. "Say..." he began, glancing back with a strange look. "Didn't we forget someone?"
"Eh?" Irwen stared back, uncomprehending.
"Ahh! You fool!" Kurik bellowed, raining kicks down on Irwen's rear. "You were supposed to keep an eye on Smirky!"

[DrZepp]

*So I send word of Zaibachs activity, and they return with only one samurai...*
Findel tried to hide his frustration, but a small vein on his forhead could not help but bulge out.
It had been some time since Basrams council had taken any of their scouting units very seriously, mainly due to the fact that the need for tight border control had long since passed.
*Why should anything change now...*
Findel mused as he recalled his training days; preparing for a war that would never come, he presumed. Instead of trudging through a battle field, the Basramian had spent his years dealing with merchants, petty thiefs, and any other lowly forms of life that tried to infringe on Basram and its surrounding areas borders. Over time he had adjusted to a scouts way of living, all the while hoping for some sort of conflict to arise. In the back of his mind, Findel realized the naivety of the thought, yet having been conditioned to it for so long... it could not be so easily discarded. The yearning for battle was imprinted on all aspiring childen, giving Basram its somewhat notorious reputation. It was a proud region of warriors, which is why -upon reflection- Cerens presence concerned Findel deeply.
After being stagnant for so long, one would think that the legions of military units would be spurred into action as soon as any word of a Zaibach attack was obtained. Yet only one warrior stood before Findel in the wake of such weighted news.
*Maybe they really have turned into a group of snivelling aristocrats.*
The samurai thought, temporarily forgetting that he still wasnt dressed.
With lingering bitterness still in his mind, Findel turned back to Ceren.

"I suppose they did not tell you much..." He began, momentarily scanning the room a new pair of Fanelian trousers as he spoke.
"Well, hopefully you are not surprised when I tell you that Zaibachs period of rest is over. That is, i assume, why you have been sent after all."

[EvaRobby]

Suddenly Gwyndolen seemed to notice him again and she spun around to prove the fact. Her face was kindly if awkward, but he was still a little paranoid about her aim.

"As it seems that we aren't needed her for a while, we might as well see the town. I'll bet you've never been to Fanelia before,"

"No." was his simple answer, and he'd barely even managed to get that out. He'd considered informing her that she could safely assume he hadn't been anywhere before but after seeing her recent argument with Seth he decided that it wasn't the best idea to say anything that might provoke her.

He kept quiet a while longer as she called a servant to call a carriage. She smiled at him. Still nothing and nobody made sense.

Why's everything suddenly so strange?

"Have I done something?"

[Alcestis]

Ceren Turned around and looked at Findel again, this time speaking with his mouth full. "Well, ye' see, I do actually have a purpose here. Aside from being sent as "back up" or whatever the hell they expect me to be, Im supposed to confirm the activity of Zaibach and send word back to the Council." With this Ceren watched for any kind of reaction in Findel's face. Not only had he been told his duty by the Council, he was also told that this Findel character was a Brigand scout, and to be cautious around him. So far Ceren didnt see anything unlikeable about the guy, except the first odd.... err... situation. Either way, he would proceed with caution, just like the Council had instructed. Besides, he was up for promotion, he didnt want to screw this one up in anyway.

"Anyhow, whatever you've got to show me as far as Zaibach activity is fine... Im sure we'll get to it eventually."

[DrZepp]

Findel smirked. So he wasnt completely wrong.
"Yes, that will come eventually."
The Basramian mumbled, finally catching sight of a fresh pair of pants.
"There seems to be a habit in this company to simply wait around for the enemy to strike. Hopefully they will prepared this time."
Findel slowly made his way across the room, slipping on the new trousers.
*Rougher material than Freids... Yet still surprisingly comfortable. Interesting, interesting indeed.*
The samurai looked down, wiggling about for a second as if Ceren had suddenly become invisible. The pants would have to be broken in, but Findel was willing to invest the time.

"Now, I must make my way to the... heirs chambers."
Findel rushed the last part of his sentence, glancing up at Ceren, who was still working on the foreign peice of fruit.
"If you wish to accompany me, perhaps you should change out of those rags."

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus stood there as Maeko spoke. The catwoman seemed to be quite perterbed, although not extremely angry. She seemed to have a lot on her mind. A pair of birds flew by, diverting Aethaeus' attention. She watched as they flew up and settled in a large tree, chirping loudly. Closer inspection revealed that they had a nest there. A sudden hunger filled Aethaeus, and she licked her lips.

(EDIT: Just fixing up an irrelevant post.)

[Alcestis]

Ceren glanced at Findel, then looked himself over.

"If you wish to accompany me, perhaps you should change out of those rags."

"Quite Right" Ceren responded, acknowledging the tatters of what used to be halfway decent clothing on his body. After traveling on foot for several weeks, and sleeping on the cold ground, any mans clothes would be ragged. "Hmmm" Ceren pondered as he glanced around the room again at its surrounding. "Well, whatever I wear, its NOT gonna be that!" He said eyeing the Maid's Garment.

After a brief moment of silence and disaction... Ceren pulled his pack off his back and started to rummage through the clothes. From somewhere in the bottom he managed to produce a set of white, extremely clean, and well folded garments, A Basramian Diplomatic uniform to be exact, given to him by the high council in case of a meeting such as this. Ceren unfolded the garments and began to change but then realized he didnt even know this other person who had been halfway naked in front of him. Ah well Ceren thought to himself and got changed right there on the spot.

Findel was still "Adjusting" himself to the new clothing, and as he did so Ceren pulled a small leather pouch out of his bag, and a thin slip of parchment. From the pouch was produced a strong bittersweet tobacco and it was skillfully rolled into a perfect cigarrette. "Ahhh" Ceren said sniffing it up and down, and then placing it in his mouth and walking over to one of the torches in the room to light it. "Now This is good stuff" he said as smoke began billowing from the cigarette and his mouth.

[Chesta chesta chesta]

Somehow a friendly Chigusa was far more intimidating that an angry Chigusa. Eitre pulled at his collar and coughed out a nervous laugh. A dress AND jewellery? I’m not made out of money.

“I was thinking only a dress,” he choked on his own words, “b-b-but if you want jewellery then perhaps we can find…something.” Something cheap.

Ton Ton ran past the strolling pair, his arms eagle-spread and a distinctive ‘vroom’ sound as he flew down the corridor. The earth boy wasn’t one to add to the ‘peace’ of the palace, he was destined to rock its world. Something he went fully into until he stopped before a double door that he was quickly to claim as his and Eitre’s – he was flabbergasted at having to share a room with anything that was more hyperactive than a squirrel.

“Why don’t you clean up and then we’ll go out.” Eitre mumbled and opened a pair of doors that lead to Chigusa’s quarters. “Not that you smell, ehm…” He raised a legged and brushed it against the back of his calf. “Ehm, yes. I go and check on Ton Ton before he falls out of a window. We could go with the rest of the group, you know, make a day of it. Yes ehm…”

It seemed appropriate to give her a quick bow before turning his heel and attention to the loud squeal down the corridor, followed by a crash. At this rate Ton Ton would get them thrown out. At least Eitre did have somewhere else to stay if that happened.

[Princess Samari]

Taking her leave of the faltering Eitre the young earth girl smiled to herself. Gaia wasn't so different then earth after all...gaia men had the same weakness as earth men. Chigusa had always thought of herself as a very persuasive person and it was the only handy thing her father had ever taught Chigusa.

"Well since he is taking me shopping I should get ready." She hummed happily to herself getting ready for her trip. Perhaps she had been too hard on Eitre. He was just a very nervous little man and he had been trying.

It couldn't be easy taking care of Ton Ton either. Feeling a pang of guilt rather uncommon to her Chigusa frowned staring at her clothes.

I wonder...

[Kayay]

~~~~Seth~~~~

Seth held the scroll in one hand, tapping taping it in the palm of the other as he watched Gwyndolin storm out, rather surprised by the depth of her anger, and questioning just how much she cared about him. He chuckled and shook his head. After what she told Findel, its should be clear, but still… The knight sighed and turned to watch Aaron, still staring out the window and pointedly ignoring everyone. Tucking the parchment behind his belt, Seth sat down in the chair opposite the Draconian halfling.

“Aaron.” A shiver ran through him when those cold eyes turned to face him, but he’d seen the emotion, rage, loss, and confusion, that lurked behind those bi-colored eyes. He knew Aaron wasn’t made of ice and stone as he led everyone to believe.

“Leave me alone.”

“Aaron, I want to figure out what happened.”

A pained expression flickered through those eyes before the mask of indifference returned, but there was a note of desperation in Aaron’s voice. “I…I don’t know.”

“It’s happened before, hasn’t it?” Aaron’s expression said it all, and Seth didn’t wait for a reply. “Tell me about it.”

“You’re a fool,” Aaron growled, and began to rise, but Seth stopped him, placing a hang on his arm. It would have been easy to break loose, but part of him was tired and ready to unburden himself. Seth had shared something of his past last time, so maybe it was his turn.


~~~~Maeko & Fangolas ~~~~

“Aethaeus!” Maeko said sharply, snapping the other woman out of her daydream. “Where you even listening to me?” Her eyes narrowed. “Oh, nevermind. Go daydream; I’ll find one more suited for the job.” She shook her head and dismissed the servant anthro then looked up the Priest.

“You apology is accepted Father,” the catwoman finally replied after she’d counted to ten…twice. “Those two should have learned their lesson by now regarding their duty, and are to blame more so that you, but what now?” She looked through the door at the two remaining “guests”, Dream and Fangolas. “The delegates from Freid are here, including two knights from Asturia and one from Basram.”

Fangola’s raised his head. It seemed too much of a coincidence. “Excuse me,” he interrupted, “but would one of their names happen to be Falor?”

Maeko immediately fixed him with her jade eyes. “Yes,” she began slowly, “there is a samuari named Findel Falor. What of him?”

“Ah, he and I met in Palas not long ago,” Fang answered without hesitation, “shortly before the attack.”

“Attack?” News of Zaibach’s increased movements had reached Fanelia, but no news of an attack had arrived yet. Was information being kept from her? “Tell me, do you know any of the others, the Asturian knights, or the children?”

“I met a few people there, but I’m much better with faces than with names.” The nomad scratched his head as he tried to remember.

Maeko thought for a bit. “Father Crimm, the delegates are staying in the palace. I suggest you take them there and find out if any of them know these two. I’ll join you shortly after I take this news to the heir.”


~~~~Hikari~~~~

The Heir rubbed her tired eyes. Despite having the coronation that very day she’d spent much of the morning going over sheaves of paperwork submitted by the council. She rested her head in her hands and closed her eyes. Sometimes it felt as if the country were drowning in endless piles of paperwork and beaurocracy. Opening her eyes she glanced at the clock. The delegates must have arrived by now, and she reminded herself to pay them a visit soon, assuming they did not take her up on her offer to visit her first.


((OOC: I hate RPing Seth/ Aaron alone. XP Oh, and Findel has become a fashion connoisseur? Nothing but silk will touch his skin, eh? *snicker* ))

[Eydtman]

Elisan neatly slid out of the ropes the gaurds had previously placed him in and then coiled them up and put them over his shoulders. The gaurds couldn't have made it any easier for him to escape. Not only did they put him down and avert their attention from him, but they had also seemingly forgotten all about him and ran off after someone else.

"Such idiots..." Elisan muttered. "It's no wonder Zaibach managed to destroy this country so easily during the war."

Now that Elisan was free from the guards he needed to find his weapons and then find a way out of this place. He knew that it'd be nearly impossible to find them on his own due to the sheer size of this place so he knew he would need to "pursuade" someone to guide him. Elisan began to roam the area, making sure to avoid any of the guards that were posted around certain doors or that were patrolling the area, looking for a servant or someone who wouldn't put up much of a fight. Elisan turned another corner and was surpised to see some of the others that he had arrived here with, the cat woman who had first found them in the palace was with them too. Quickly he ducked back around the corner and watched them.

"Look's like they were caught aswell." Elisan said to himself.

Elisan strained to listen to what was being said by the cat woman. She seemed to be annoyed with one of the servants, whom he recognized from the room they were in, and had just dismissed her.

"Perfect." Elisan said to himself. "All i need to do now is follow her until she's alone and then i'll force her to take me to where my weapons are being held. She's been around since we were first discovered so she should know where they were taken to."

Elisan watched and waited for the right moment to make his move.

[Megumi H]

Dream had questions she wanted to ask Fangolas, but she didn't trust herself to speak, not in the presence of the anthros. The lion-man had been intimidating enough, but the thought that he answered to another frightened Dream even more. But hadn't she just heard the cat-woman call him "Father"? Maybe she was a lioness-woman? But that wasn't a way to speak to a parent....

Fortunately, Dream's sporadic thoughts latched onto a different train.

Delegates? Knights? Falor? What was Fangolas talking about? And what was that about a palace... and an attack? Things were just getting more and more confusing. Others? Knights? Children? Oi!

"Aiiyahh..." she breathed, putting a hand to her forehead. It wasn't too warm, but she was sure she had a headache. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she put out her hand to lean against the wall, but her vision blurred and she bumped into Fangolas instead.

"Excu- Are you all right?" he asked, turning to steady her.

"I.. I'm just.. tired... I guess."

"You'll be fine, just wait a little longer." Fangolas turned to Crimm. "Lead the way."

Father Crimmius nodded shortly. "Yes, this way."

Dream took a single step, but stopped and put her hand to her head again. "It's just a little while longer, all right?" Fangolas repeated, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. The girl made no response, so the desert man took her firmly by the hand and led her out.

As they made their way down the hall, Dream found it harder and harder to keep any of her thoughts in one place. Each footstep of the trio echoed in her head like the vibrations of a gong. Passing by an open doorway, she heard other sounds.. voices of several tones... she couldn't make out what they were saying, much less concentrate on the words, but the tones stood out. Her head hurt. So tired....

Blissful oblivion reached up to take her. A split second later, so did Fangolas.

[Kayay]

Dream lay limp in his arms, and Fangolas carefully shifted her weight, draping one of her arms around his shoulder as he carried her. “It’s been rough on her,” he explained, and looked up at Crimm. “Is there somewhere she can rest?” Crimm nodded and led them the rest of the way to the wing where the group from Freid was staying.

A quick knock on the door interrupted the conversation between Seth and Aaron, and the knight frowned in irritation. “Come in.” Finally it seemed as if he’d get some answers, but as soon as the door opened, Aaron locked himself away behind his emotional barriers. Seth's irritation soon faded when he recognized the dark skinned man who accompanied the lion anthro. Easing himself up using his crutch, Seth waked towards them, noticing the girl in the nomad’s arms.

“She needs to lie down.”

“Of course. She can use my room.” Seth led the way to the bedroom and watched as Fang set Dream down. Finally, he could contain himself no longer. “Fangolas, what happened to you? Risa returned over a day ago, but where are the others, and who is this girl?” Seth sat on the edge of the bed, looking from Dream to Fang. From the doorway, meanwhile, Aaron watched silently.

Fang smiled, noting that the priest appeared just as interested in his answers as the knight. Where to begin?

[Hitomi_333]

*"Have I done something?"

Touji's innocent question surprised Gwyndolin. Feeling a bit ashamed, she realized that she may have seemed to act rather oddly. "Of course not," she answered quickly. "You've done nothing wrong. I'm just frustrated with Sir Seth's insistance to place himself in harm's way at every given chance." She sighed deeply. Gwyn knew that speaking freely wasn't safe, but she owed Touji some form of explanation.

She waved her hand as if to dismiss what she'd just said. "But I suppose it doesn't really matter. After all, I could easily tell him what to do, given my rank. For right now, I just want to get a look at the town. I've been here a few times before, but it was a while ago."

Gwyn tapped her foot in impatience. She made as if to be waiting for her carriage, but in reality she was waiting for the others, so that she could keep an eye on them. Gritting her teeth, she hoped they would get there before her carriage did... or else she'd simply have to leave it to fate that she'd run into them in town.

[DrZepp]

Findel examined Ceren with a deadpan expression
"Spiffy..."
He murmered, feeling slightly envious of the brand new formal attire. Just a year ago the Basramian would have been completely loath to even look upon such a gaudy sign of position, but now he almost felt bare without it. On any other occasion it would have been a small concern, but somewhere in the back of his mind Findel was nervous, plain and simple. His palms were becoming clammy, and he simply could not understand why the prospect of meeting Fanelias next queen got to him so much.
He tried to shake it off, looking over at the new recruit again.
"Maybe you can offer some of that herb as a gift to the Heir."
The samurai adjusted his collar one last time, puckering his lips as he spoke.
Ceren simply replied with a puff of smoke.
"Well then..."
Findel nodded, walking for the door. There was no more time to stall.

The sound of muffled voices could be heard coming from the adjacent room, but Findel payed little attention to it. He felt that he had already kept the Heir waiting too long. With that thought in mind, he exited the room, Ceren following close behind.

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus' jaw dropped as she realized Maeko was speaking to her. "My lady, please..." she stammered, only to realize that the catwoman was not speaking to her. She growled low in her throat and took a few steps backwards. Fine then, she thought. I'll take my services elsewhere. Turning around swiftly, she stomped back to the garden where her laundry lay, unfolded, on the ground. Grabbing a bedsheet, Aethaeus angerly thrust a pin through it to hold it on the line and reached for another one.

"Ow!" she cried, putting her finger to her mouth. She looked at the drop of blood glistening on her hand. "Stupid pin." She kicked the box holding them over, scattering the sharp clothing pins over the well-groomed grass.

[Megumi H]

Fang leaned against the bedpost, chin down and eyes half closed. "Somehow, on Shezernade's Vale Risa, Dyran, Nikolai, and I were transported to the Mystic Moon. Risa was transported back earlier, although I'm not sure how." He looked up at Crimm from under half lidded eyes, still unwilling to reveal to him or anyone else the secret of the gemstone embedded in his sternum. For now he chose to leave it out of the story. "We ran into the legendary Lady Hitomi there, older but alive."

Seth nodded. "Miss Risa told Duke Mahad and King Schezar that much earlier, but she was concerned what had happened to you and very shaken by the whole incident."

Dream began to stir at the sound of Fangolas' voice. The two men paused, then continued as the girl gave a heavy sigh and turned over. Seth looked at the girl as she stirred. “And her?” he asked, although part of him already knew. “She’s from the mystic moon, isn’t she?”

Fang nodded. “Her name is Dream.”

As if responding to her name, Dream turned back in the direction of the voices, halting the conversation again. Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked a few times, not recognizing her current surroundings.

“Miss, it’s all right; you’re safe here,” Seth assured her, helping ease her into a sitting position. “Here.” He held out a glass of water. “There’s food as well if you can stomach it.” He smiled at her then looked up at Fangolas and Crimm.

Dream slowly took the glass of water and looked down at it, blinking for a moment as if she did not know what it was. After a moment, she took a sip, then drank a little more. She smiled hesitantly at the kind stranger, looked up at Fangolas at the moment he did. "What happened?" she asked. She held a hand to her head. "The last thing I remember-"

“Unsurprisingly, you fainted,” Fang answered and moved to stand at the foot of the bed.

I fainted? Dream thought to herself. Wow, I fainted for the first time in my life.... She looked down at the glass in her hands, her mind recalling events of the past day. Well, if that's what it takes to make me black out, I'd rather not go through it again.

Seth took the opportunity to introduce himself to both Dream and Crimm, inclining his head to both, then gestured to Aaron who was still hovering by the door. “My name is Seth Jeture, Knight of Asturia, and that is one of my companions, Aaron.” The pale haired young man acknowledged them with the barest of nods before sitting down in a chair in the corner facing the bed. He still carried his grisly looking sword with its bloody grin, and while his expression wasn’t hostile, it wasn’t friendly either.

As the stranger introduced himself, she looked up at him, and then at the one he called Aaron. She couldn't help but stare at his face. He was unlike anyone she'd ever seen before. As he sat, Dream's gaze shifted to his weapon, and she shuddered and quickly turned away. After what she'd just gone through, she didn't want to see another weapon for a long, long time.

"You're a knight?" she squeaked to Seth, when she had found her voice again. She guessed she shouldn't be too surprised, with all she had seen so far.

He laughed good-naturedly at her surprise. “Yes I am. They haven’t knights where you come from?”

"Well, I guess... I mean, not really... I mean...." She had been about to say "Not anymore." History had never been her forte. But of course she should remember about the absence of knights in the States. "Well, no.. not where I come from." She felt a little embarrassed at her next question, but she figured it was at worth just asking. "Umm... where do you come from? I've never heard of Astur-ia...."

“Asturia is a kingdom adjacent to Fanelia, the country you’re in now.” She looked puzzled, so Seth rose and held out his hand to her. “I want to show you something that might help you understand.” Tentatively she took his hand, and he led her to the window. Leaning on the crutch, Seth opened the latticework shutters and pointed to the sky. “The blue green one is what we of Gaea, the world you’re on right now, call the Mystic Moon, and what you call Earth.”

"Hey, that looks just like Earth," Dream said; then Seth's words clicked in her brain and she whirled to face him. "What?" she exclaimed, eyes wide in stunned realization. She turned back to the window and looked out. That did look like Earth, but how could this be? She reached a hand out and poked at the empty air beyond the window sill, not finding anything that could be the source of such an amazing illusion. "H-how.. how-" She stepped back from the window, squeezing Seth's hand tightly, forgetting for a moment it was there.

Aaron watched Dream through narrowed eyes. Here was another girl from the Mystic Moon and possibly another link to Escaflowne and his past. There were questions swirling through his mind for both she and Fangolas, but he held his tongue and watched her passively.

“How indeed,” Fangolas said softly.

Placing a steadying hand on her shoulder, Seth rather awkwardly tried to help her back to the bed then sat down beside her. A curious look from Aaron shot his way as Dream clung to the knight, but when Seth looked up, it was gone as quickly as it had come. “How we’re not sure. There are many theories, but most people discount them as fanciful myths; but, if it makes you feel any better, you’re not alone. The last time anyone from your world came to Gaea was over one hundred years ago, but in the past few days we’ve had not one but four, counting yourself.”

“Four?”

“Three showed up in Fried a day ago,” Seth answered Fangolas. “They came to Fanelia with Gywndolin, Findel, myself, Aaron, and Eitre.”

"There's another," Fang corrected. "Silvern."

Seth's previous words did make Dream feel better. So she wasn't alone... but who were the others Seth was talking about? Wait, let's see... She wasn't on Earth any longer.. and people had come here before... and this wasn't Earth but a planet called Gaia.. but why was she here now? And why was anyone else from Earth here now? It was all so confusing, yet exciting, yet scary. She started feeling dizzy again, but shook off the feeling.

Dream felt another gaze resting upon her, and peeked out of the corner of her eye at Aaron. He was making her nervous. Dream shifted on the bed, finally realizing that she was the only girl in the room. I should be okay, she told herself, Fangolas won't hurt me.. and knights have honor. And if that Aaron guy is with Seth, then he won't hurt me either. And as long as they're in the room, I don't think the lion-man would, either.

Just then she heard Silvern's name mentioned. She popped up, asking "Whatever happened to them? I mean-" She hesitated, glancing at Father Crimmius, then went on. "What will happen to them when you catch up to them? Will they.. be punished?"

[Eydtman]

Elisan silently followed his prey that was the servant girl as she made her way away from the others. Eventually she stopped at a garden where he could see freshly washed laundry hanging to dry. He watched as she stooped down and picked up a sheet and hung it on the line with the others using a pin. Elisan figures she must have pricked herself on the pin because shortly after she kicked over the box of clothes pins.

"This is your chance." Elisan said to himself mentally.

Whilst the girl was distracted with the clothing pins she had just spilt all over the ground, Elisan snuck up silently behind her. He slid the coil of rope off of his shoulder and grasped a fair lenght of it in his hands, holding it taught. (OOC: not sure if that's the right spelling for that kind of taught er... but yeah, you know what I mean)

"NOW!" Elisan screamed silently to himself as he pounced upon his prey. He quickly slipped the rope around her slender neck and pulled it tight. Not tight enough to strangle her, but tight enough to let her know that he could very easily if he wanted to. The girl looked as if she were about to scream but Elisan quickly transfered one end of the rope into this other hand and cupped her mouth before she had a chance to.

"Shhhhh! You wouldn't want to alert anyone with a scream now would you?" Elisan said as he pulled on the rope slightly harder than he had been a moment earlier. "Now this is fairly simple, by an unfortunate bout of luck, you have ended up in this situation. You now have a choice, you can either scream and make this situation much MUCH worse for yourself or you can follow a simple set of instructions and before you know it, you'll be free again to do your laundry and change beds or whatever it is you do around here. If you do as I say, nothing bad will happen to you, but should you choose not to, then I can't gaurantee anything. It's up to you now."

Elisan slightly relieved some of the pressure the rope was putting around her neck and uncupped her mouth. "Now here's the first thing I want you to do. I recognize you from earlier, so I know that you'll know what i'm talking about. I want you to take me to where they took our stuff when we first arrived. Do that and then maybe i'll think about taking this rope from around your neck. Simple, isn't it? Now what do you say?"

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus gasped as she felt the rope tighten around her neck and a hand clasp over her mouth. Her mind raced as her captor spoke, thinking of all the things that serving girls had suffered at the hands of the samurai. As her mind cleared, however, she realized that the man talking wasn't from Fanelia. And by what he said, she realized that he must be one of the strangers that had escaped the room.

"I want you to take me to where they took our stuff when we first arrived. Do that and then maybe i'll think about taking this rope from around your neck. Simple, isn't it? Now what do you say?" he asked, taking his hand off her mouth.

What do I say? she thought. That's a good one. She felt his muscles relax and realized that this was her time to strike. Whirling around suddenly, she lashed out and gave a well-aimed kick towards his groin. As he doubled over, she slammed her elbow down on his head, pushing him towards the ground. Then she hoisted up her skirt and started running towards the castle.

I've got to get away from here, she thought, removing the rope as she ran. Before that lunatic catches up to me.

[Eydtman]

Now Elisan was pissed. First she kicked him in the groin and then she elbowed him in the head, and all this after he was being "gentle" with her. Shaking off the two meager blows, Elisan quickly got back up to his feet and began to chase after her. He knew things would get worse before they got better if she managed to escape and alert the whole palace to what he was planning on doing. Luckily for him, it was much easier for him to run in the clothes he was wearing, than for her to run in the long skirt she had on. When he finally got close enough Elisan dove towards her, tackling her to the ground.

"This has just not been my day. First I get "teleported" around all over the place against my will, then I end up in a ------ place like this where I am robbed of my equipment and locked up in a room like a prisoner and then I get tied up by some idiot gaurds who gave me a realllllllly annoying nickname and now this! I guess this is what I get for trying to be nice." Elisan said spitefully. If he didn't need her he'd probably have snapped her neck right then and there, but for now she still had a use to him. Elisan turned her over onto her back and pinned down both of her arms. "Now let's try this again, shall we?" Elisan said, the frustration was now evident in his voice and his eyes gleamed with anger.

Elisan forcefully lifted the woman to her knees and forced her arms behind her back where he bound them together with the rope, then he tied another section of the rope around her neck like a collar. The rest of the rope Elisan held in his hand like a leash, so that he'd be able to prevent her from escaping.

"I hope this time you'll be more co-operative." He added spitefully. "Now take me to my equipment." he said as he nudged her forward.

"It's your own fault you know, I actually had no intention of harming you in any way, but you forced me to take this course of action. Had you only kept quiet and done as I said you'd probably be in a lot less discomfort now."

[EvaRobby]

<<OOC: Damn you Kayay. :p Now I'm writing my posts with paranoia that you'll find something insidious in them... :eek: >>

Touji raised his hand to cover a yawn. Finally, the sound of a carriage approaching caught his attention, and he turned to watch it as it rolled up beside him.

He looked back to Gwyndolen, who hesitated but, after looking around, bade Touji to follow her onto the carriage. It was almost identical to the one he'd ridden before. And with just the two of them, she didn't have to worry about anyone fighting in it this time. Well, as long as Gwyndolen doesn't jump me. Not like I'd be able to do much about it if she did anyway...

Touji sat opposite Gwyn, which felt awkward as always with his sword by his side. He tried to take his attention away from her, so as the carriage began moving he tried to look at the ceiling. But with his thoughts filled with Gwyn, his awkwardly placed sword, and his last experience in carriage, his mind brought him back to an important question he felt he should ask...

"Um. When... do you think we'll train?"

[Alcestis]

"Maybe you can offer some of that herb as a gift to the heir." Findel mumbled.

Ceren chuckled a bit, that was perhaps one of the funniest things he had ever heard.... Give up some of his smokes? Yea right! After a brief period of silence, the two managed to make it out of the room and into the hallway. "Ah yes, more wonderful maze-like hallways" Ceren muttered with a certain distaste. "Why do they have to make these places so damned confusing anyhow?" he complained aloud, but really just idly to himself. "Anyhow, on with this heir business."

Findel seemed a bit perturbed at Ceren's gruff and smug attitude, but to Ceren it was just normal. As Findel paced off, Ceren followed with a harsh pace, simply wanting this meeting to be over... He hated big formal meetings.

[Lady Fanel]

Aethaeus grimaced as the man tightened the rope around her neck. It was quite apparent that she had angered him by the way she shoved her forward roughly and spoke to her.

"You had no intention of harming me?" she spat. "Yes, I could tell that when you first threw your rope around my neck. If that's how you treat a woman, then it's no wonder you're alone." Aethaeus closed her mouth and glared at him, refusing to move.

[Fairybane]

Any of the prisonars who try to bolt will be killed…no ‘ceptions Crimm. The rough voice came back like a dim mirage from the past, and the lion-man recited a quick chant in his mind to chase away the encroaching memories.
“We are not barbarians, daughter of the moon…” Crimm spoke softly and ponderously, keeping in mind that the young woman was in a rather precarious state of consciousness. He had not meant to frighten her before, but sometimes his fierce exterior was a curse. “Our reason for sequestering you and your friends within this palace is for your own protection…this land can be dangerous to those who do not know it well.” This…was not the complete truth, and Crimmius begged forgiveness from the deities for his deception. But even as a servant of the gods, he could not ignore the reality of the situation.
“The appearance of you and your friends is of great importance to those of us who know and believe the old legends. I do not know what role your arrival takes in the grand scheme of the heavens, but I am certain that this marks the advent of interesting times…” Knitting his brows for a moment, the monk appeared to lose himself in thought before the great orbs of his eyes turned back to Dream, fixing her with an earnest gaze.
“I do not wish to see you or your friends come to any misfortune. But I must know, out of your missing companions…are there any who you might count as ‘dangerous’?”

[Megumi H]

“We are not barbarians, daughter of the moon…” Crimm spoke softly and ponderously, keeping in mind that the young woman was in a rather precarious state of consciousness.

Dream breathed a little sigh of relief, setting her glass of water aside. At least Silvern and Dryan wouldn't be killed on sight....

“Our reason for sequestering you and your friends within this palace is for your own protection…this land can be dangerous to those who do not know it well.”

The girl nodded slowly. If the big lion-man said it's dangerous, then who was she to argue with him?

“The appearance of you and your friends is of great importance to those of us who know and believe the old legends. I do not know what role your arrival takes in the grand scheme of the heavens, but I am certain that this marks the advent of interesting times…”

Dream eyebrows rose in surprise. Old legends? Grand scheme of the heavens? What was this lion-man, an oracle? No, stupid, she muttered mentally, he's obviously a priest. That's why that cat-woman person called him Father. Dunceling.

“I do not wish to see you or your friends come to any misfortune. But I must know, out of your missing companions…are there any who you might count as ‘dangerous’?”

Dream's eyes widened. The dizzy feeling returned with a vengeance, and with it, unwelcome memories. No.. no!

*Flashback*

The steel of Elisan's blade across the police officer's throat. The skin parting in its wake. The blood running down the blade.

Fear left her with no voice nor strength to scream. Her head dropped and her enormous eyes gazed at the dead man on the ground in shock and disbelief. She felt giddy, weak, numb; she hardly felt when Silvern stirred in her arms. She clutched at him and her head turned automatically, but her eyes were blinded with a mist that turned crimson, then blue, then dark.

*End Flashback*

Dream gasped and pitched forward.


((OOC: Catch her, Sethy! *giggles madly*))

[Kayay]

((OOC: I'm stalling the carriage so Eitre and Chigusa can catch up once I tackle Chesta. ^^))

“Hold,” ordered the guard’s stationed at the palace gate as the carriage approached. The driver, a pale, black haired woman with a very formal air, pulled on the reins to bring the carriage to a stop. Glancing inside, the man looked Gywndolin and Touji over, nodded and muttered something to himself, and checked over the driver’s orders.


~~~~Seth~~~~

He caught her as Dream lurched forward, eyes unfocused and a heart pounding. Fangolas too moved forward, concerned for the girl. “Miss Dream?” Seth looked down at the girl slumped against her, but she was already unconscious. “Father Crimmius, can this wait until later?”

“I can try to answer any questions you may have,” Fangolas offered.

[Endurance]

"Of course I do," Rankel answered "actually there is quite a number of aspiring herbalists within the city limits, it should't be too hard to find one on your own but I can show you around the city this once"

"Then lead the way good man!" Ecli smirked and bowed over-dramatically to Rankel who in turn gave another jolly laugh before opening the stout wooden door which led to winding hallways.

Ecli followed tightly on Rankel's tow and smiled to occasional passer-bys, after all Ecli had solved most of his problems in a flash, or so he had thought. Couple had almost reached to courtyard when something unexpected happened.

"How fortunate" Rankel exclaimed happily and pointed his index finger at cat-woman who was pacing towards them. "She is called Maeko, takes care many of the inner matters of the palace with extreme precision, I'll introduce you to her and if she agrees with you staying here with me it's all settled"

Rankel let out an horribly loud greeting, which almost shattered Ecli's eardrums into bloody pulp. Even before Ecli had properly realized what was happening Rankel was already introducing him to this Maeko, rather shrewd looking catwoman.

This is it, look convincing Ecli thought in his head and took one of his 'Innocent scholar' smiles. She's sure to ask some spleeny questions

[DrZepp]

After an hour of being lost, hassling random soldiers, and strolling down the sharp corridors, Findel and Ceren finally reached a long stretch of hallway.
The Basramian adjusted his collar, still a bit shaken up from his last encounter with a Fanelian soldier who simply refused to believe that he had an appointment with the Heir.

“Perhaps we are early…”
Findel said as the two men approached a lavishly decorated door near the end of the hall.
“That would certainly explain the lack of escorts around here.”
The samurai crossed his arms, coming to a complete stop just outside –what he assumed- was the Heirs quarters.
In reality, he was just stalling. He clasped his hands tightly near his chest, trying to dry two sweaty palms.
Ceren noticed Findels nervous demeanor, and sending him a sidelong glance, he reached for the door.
Findel swallowed hard, immediately halting the new recruits actions.
“Just…”
He stuttered, peering down at his feet.
“Alright…”
The Basramian cracked his neck, and took the liberty of knocking on the door for himself.

[Kayay]

~~~~Hikari~~~~

She had been listening to the familiar tune of the music box when the knock came on the door. Hikari, young, slim, with wavy blonde brown hair and rich brown eyes, was often underestimated by others due to her appearance, but she’d spent her life amid the politics of the court, and she knew the dance well. In contrast to her childhood friend and advisor Maeko, very much the stereotypical feline at times, the heir was more patient and soft spoken, but behind that exterior was a ruler who could and would exert her authority when need be. In fact, she found it often to her advantage when people took the princess’s patient smile as a sign of weakness.

“Enter,” she spoke in a gentle voice that carried remarkably well even in vast halls, a skill she’d learned by necessity at an early age.


~~~~Maeko~~~~

Oh now what? Rankel was a rather loud and outspoken man, but Maeko overall liked him, except in times of stress, during which she was very short tempered with almost everyone, and right now she was feeling a wee bit stressed. Beside the scholar was another man who’s clothes marked him as a foreigner. Maeko raised a eyebrow.

“Rankel, I’ve very busy right now, so if you can make this brief,” she began hopefully, although the scholar was a social fellow and known to chit chat for hours on end.

[Chesta chesta chesta]

(ooc: Samari, if this is not to your liking, smack me and I'll edit.)

~~:: Eitre ::~~

It’s so nice to be back, Eitre pushed his hands against the stone windowsill, leaned forward out of the window and took a deep breath. If he had to be completely honest then the air in Fanelia didn’t differ too much from Freid, but it was knowing that he was home that was reassuring.

He didn’t know how long he had been standing there sampling the sounds of the much too familiar surroundings; he was pulled back into reality by the sounds of a carriage arriving. Distantly he watched the Mystic Moon boy, who he had briefly encountered before, get in with a lady-friend. Eitre didn’t think too much about it until the doors on carriage slammed shut.

“No! Wait for us.”

There didn’t seem to be any sign that they had heard him. The Fanelian briskly walked down the corridor and knocked on the doors to Chigusa’s allocated room.

”Just a minute.”

Feet shuffled towards the large doors, which creaked open slowly. Chigusa stuck her head out. He had wanted to crack a joke about that even she could scrub up well but his common senses advised against this, he was left with a “You look ok.”

“The carriage is here.” He was almost panicked and lost his senses, grabbing her hand as he started for a run down the great halls.

Their shoes clacked against the hard floor, Eitre pulling Chigusa along. They narrowly avoided colliding with a maid; behind them they heard her grumble as the crisp white sheets in her arms fell to the floor.

“What’s the hurry?”

“They’re leaving without us!” He turned his head to aside. “Unless you fancy walking we should really hurry up.”

They arrived at the courtyard only to find that the carriage had been slowed down due to inspection. Eitre breathed a sigh of relief as he managed, on shaky tired legs, to open the carriage up for Chigusa and helped her onboard.

“Budge up, Mystic Moon boy.” He ordered as he flopped down on the seat next to Touji. “Well, isn’t this all nice and cosy?”

~~:: Ton Ton ::~~

He had been asleep for quite a bit. All the excitement of the travelling had finally managed to get to the big boy. He never heard when Eitre left, and was slightly hurt that he hadn’t been allowed to come on the super fun shopping trip.

However, this had quickly been forgotten as Ton Ton strolled around the palace, maybe in some places where he shouldn’t have been. His reply to every enquiry had been “Ton Ton got backstage pass.”

[Princess Samari]

OOC: Haaaaave I told you lately that I love yooooou? ::voice crack:: That was awesome my darling. Thank you!

Chigusa looked between Gwyn and Touji resisting the urge to groan. She recognized the woman from before...she had been there during the encounter at the disgusting bar.


“Well, isn’t this all nice and cosy?”

"If you are a sardine. Eitre...why couldn't we have gotten our own private carriage? ...Did we really have to rush for this one?" She hadn't forgotten Gywndolin's attitude.

Interrogate me indeed. Crossing her arms Chigusa turned her gaze to the window watching buildings pass by. She hadn't absorbed how beautiful Eitre's city was before.

"Well this city certainly does have a keen sense of architecture Eitre. You grew up here?"

[Alcestis]

(OOC: Sorry for the delay in postin, the net was down for several days for me >:P)

Ceren pushed Findel out of the way as he was knocking and almost harshly barged in the door. Findel looked at him with kind of a stupor, amazed that he could be so rude. What were formalities anyhow? Ceren really didnt care either way. "C'mon lets go, she said enter" Ceren spurted out as he barged further in the door. Even in mid step Ceren stopped and gawked, this "heir" was quite pretty, and he was a bit dumbfounded, but after a minor recovery Ceren did the only thing he knew to do and snapped a quick salute and then waited for Findel to get in the first words, especially since Ceren had no idea who this person was or why they were here anyhow. After a brief moment of silence, Ceren looked over and Findel was still creeping into the door expecting some sentence of death for bursting in so rudely. Ceren just stood there waiting impatiently.

[DrZepp]

All it took was one word to make him blush. "Enter..." Hikaris voice seemed to echo throughout the hall.
Findel was bowing low before he even saw the young woman. He was ready to drop to one knee and declare his position before the door was even open. Yes, Findel was nearing giddiness. He had never been so nervous about meeting -soon to be- royalty in his life, and he absently wondered if he would feel the same if the Heir was a man... Not that a man could be a proper queen but... Findel pushed the thought aside altogether, concentrating on the matter at hand.

The samurai fumbled with the door handle for a moment, but was abruptly cut off as Ceren pushed his way through. Findel sent the new recruit a glare of pure malice, but found that he could say nothing as both men were let in. The Basramian cleared his expression and lightly bowed before the young woman in waiting. For once it didnt seem like a formality.
"I am Findel Falor, at your service m'lady."
The samurai said at last, cupping a hand at his breast.
He noticed Ceren saluting out of the corner of his eye and gave a small sigh of releif. So he had a spec of decency after all... Findels mind was put at ease for the moment and he quickly turned back to Hikari.
"If there is anything I-... we... can do in such hasty times..."
His voice trailed off as he slowly stood, briefly making eye contact with the young woman, soon to be queen.

[Kayay]

At first, the silence had come as a blessing to Dryan’s throbbing head. She could feel Gwira’s presence at the edges of her consciousness, hurt irradiating from her.

"What's wrong?" Dryan asked, forgetting about Silvern's presence. In the quiet of the dimly-lit room, she could only feel Gwira's life flame, irradiating like a red beacon in the darkness of her own mind.

"They... they came..." The words sounded hoarse and desperate.

"Who came?" Dryan asked, a sliver of worry shooting through her. Gwira, however, gave her no reply. Instead she sunk into a sullen silence, shutting herself away from Dryan. The quiet that followed, both in her head and around her, sounded deafening to the foxwoman. "If you won't tell me what's bothering you, I won't be able to help you," she pleaded softly. Still, Gwira refused to respond, and Dryan sighed heavily. Sometimes, her alter ego was too stubborn...

Silvern's soft footsteps treading on the creaky floorboards reminded her she was not alone. Dryan turned around in alarm, to see the blond man heading towards her with a wide smile on his face.

"Dryan? What’s there to tell you?" Silvern whispered quietly, his eyes watering slightly at the sight of his friend in distress and a hint of the smile still remaining. His hands reached out to grab hers, and Dryan felt too tired to protest. " I'm worried about you. Tell me what's wrong, and maybe I can make it better."

His voice was soft.... his words were so alluring... and the pressure of his hands oddly discomforting. Could she just tell him everything? Perhaps...

"I could take you away from here. I thought you’d be happy to be back home, but if this place is so unpleasant, you can come back with me. The Mystic Moon isn’t completely full of people like the doctor. There’re places…"

"NO!" Gwira screamed out, seizing control of Dryan's body and pushing Silvern violently away. "You will never take me away. I'm here to stay! I won't let you punish me you hear? I'm innocent!"

Gwira's violent emotional outburst had knocked Dryan's consciousness into the background of their common mind, and the fox had drowned in Gwira's emotions for a few good seconds. During this time, her counterpart had stood in the darkness, eyeing Silvern through half-closed eyes.

"Gwira, what's going on with you? Snap out of it!" Dryan pleaded, her heart twisting in fear.

"They're almost here, you have to hide! Hide, I'll protect you. I won't let them.... get you too..."

With much more force than Gwira had ever used before, she pushed Dryan's consciousness away, isolating her from access to her own body.

"What the hell are you doing! Gwira! Gwira damnit, this is not real! Nobody is going to do anything to you!"

"They say I have sinned, they say I must be punished. They are coming, at dawn.. at dawn to.. to..." Gwira's voice trailed off, her stare glueing to the floor, watching intently the ray of sunshine that traced a path of light in the dim room.

"Dryan? Are you okay?" Silvern's shaky voice echoed from her right. The blond man picked himself up from the floor, dusting his clothes off. Her face was contorted with rage and fear, and again he reached out to her. " What's going on with you? Do you need to get away from here? You know...I don't exactly need clothes. I can walk around in this," he told her, pointing at his pink shirt with a weak smile.

"Leave! Just leave until she calms down! She'll hurt you again!" Dryan screamed, from the back of her own mind. However, the lips of her body remained sealed. Gwira was in full control, and whatever was haunting her continued to grasp all her attention.

"Dryan, snap out of it!" Silvern exclaimed, noticing the fox's fixed stare.

Slowly, Gwira lifted her head, and in the dimness of the room, her eyes glowed a bright green.

"What did you call me?" she asked hoarsely.

"Dryan. I called you Dryan. That is your name, now come on! We're getting out of here. I'm taking you back home!"

"Home? Where is home?"

"Earth. They have doctors there that can help. I won't stand for this!" Silvern exclaimed, and grabbed Gwira's hand, pulling her towards him.

The cat let out a throaty growl. "You're not taking me anywhere." She hissed, her claws digging into his hand.

"W-w-what? Dryan! Let go!" Silvern cried in alarm, starring down into her eyes.

Gwira just smiled nonchalantly. "You must really think me a fool. I shall not fall for the tricks of those who want to take me away!" she yelled, her other clawed hand reaching up and digging into his face.

"Stop! Stop what you're doing! Gwira, for the love of God, stop! You're going to kill him!" Dryan screamed, and she again felt Gwira's overwhelming emotions drown her out once more. This time, she was lost in the sea of tormented emotions, her calming consciousness lost in the blackness of Gwira's hate.

"They're going to take you away. I can't let them take you away. You... you are the person that I... Gwira's last words became drowned out in the ocean of her hate.

"Your eyes, Dryan, what happened to your eyes?" Silvern asked, noticing their color, remembering a time back on the Mystic Moon when he’d fleetingly noticed the change before and dismissed it, and realizing for the first time that he was not faced with Dryan any longer.

"Stop calling me her name. You are not worthy to speak it. You... you tried to take her away. You will pay." The statement seemed so final, and misplaced in the dulcet tones of her voice.

"What do you mean her name. It's your name, unless...." the blond man did not finish speaking his sentence. "Dryan... I mean, you, you’re not Dryan anymore, are you?” he asked calmly, trying to ignore the pain in his cheek.

Gwira, grinned at him toothily. "So you found out. How unfortunate."

Silvern, still confused, had little time to react as the fox's furred arms wrapped around his neck, all ten claws digging into the soft flesh of his throat. “I'm just so sorry…sorry you were dragged into this. I think I remember now why I never wanted to get close to anyone," Silvern murmured, his voice dying to a gasp as he clasped his hands around those squeezing the life out of him and twisted free. Red blood squirted out willingly, trickling down his shirt.

"I will not let you take me away. I will not let you take her away either. We are one!"

But they would come, they had come in the end. She had sinned, so she had to be punished. They had worn black cloaks, and their fingers had been as cold as ice. They had held her down, and the chains had clunk loudly in protest, as they wrapped around her. The key had twisted in the lock of her manacles. She had been trapped.

"Never, you will never take me away again. I shall not go back. I'll kill you! I'll eat your heart!" Suddenly, the want for flesh became overwhelming. She jumped from her place, slicing the air with the accuracy of an arrow. Together, they landed on the floor, she on top of him, her hands smeared in his hot blood.

In wide eyed horror he watched her, reaching for the rapier the guards had take from him, and finding himself defenseless, but it was just as well he thought. He still didn’t want to hurt her. "No, stop! I'm your friend! I just wanted to make things okay!" Silvern pleaded, desperation in his azure eyes and I his voice.

"Once a coward, always a coward. Now that you feel death grip you, you will lie to save your skin. Sinner!" She pressed hard on his chest, and felt his frightened heartbeat. "You're afraid, aren't you? You're afraid of dying, you little scumbag."

"I'm not who you think I am! You're delusional!"

Without further words, Gwira twisted his neck. It snapped out of place like a thin branch would snap off a tree during a violent thunderstorm. Silvern's body went limp underneath her own. It was so easy. She sat on his chest for a few minutes, just watching the blood gurgle from the holes in his throat. It was, a beautiful sight, to see the red river make its way through the grey dust. It was almost... inspiring. The want for flesh hit her once more, and slowly, Gwira got off Silvern's still chest, eyeing the left side.

"Yeessss, I feel like heart tonight..." she whispered, clawing away at his pale flesh, exposing his interior, and finally ripping out his still-pulsating heart. Then, with a long howl, she brought it to her lips, and took a bite.

[Kayay]

~~~~Foucault~~~~

An ear piercing scream shattered the room. By the door, her hands pressed against the side of her head, the shopkeeper stared in unveiled terror at the bloody scene. Chest heaving and knees weak, she managed to summon enough energy to turn to run, but right into Foucault she collided, instinctively clutching at his shirt and clinging desperately to the man. Hoarse sobs shook her. “M…Mister F-fouc-cault,” she whimpered.

The merchant took her by the shoulders and pushed her gently away. “Go downstairs, bolt the door, and wait. Do it!” he insisted with a little shake when she hesitated. He could hear little cries of distress coming from the shopkeeper, but she was doing as she was told, too scared and numb to do otherwise.

“Now,” the man began slowly, approaching Dryan/Gwira with distain on his face, “what to do about you?” Foucault heard a thump as the bolt slid into place on the door below and paused to pick up a heavy metal poker from the hearth when the fox started and growled at him, blood staining her hands and muzzle. “You’re in quite a predicament right now. What ever shall I do?” His smile was far from comforting.


~~~~Hikari~~~~

The uniform the green eyed one she recognized as Basramian, but the other, who proclaimed himself Findel Falor, wore attire of Fanelia, an odd choice. With an amused but gentle smile she rose and indicated the two chairs before the heavy wooden desk.

“Please sit Sir Falor. You are my most honored guests here, and your manner marks you as a truly honorable man.” The woman sat back down, the desk separating she and the two samurai. "But tell me what brings you and your friends to Fanelia? The message Duke Mahad and King Shezar sent ahead spoke of trouble arising with an ancient foe, but little else, and I suspect they didn’t want to say too much out of fear.”

[Hitomi_333]

*Gwyndolin noted Chigusa's seeming disgust with her. She was a little confused by this, but took it as one more reason why she should keep an eye on her.

"Um. When... do you think we'll train?" Gwyndolin had almost forgotten to answer his question. Swords and all things related seemed to be all that was ever on his mind. Actually... he reminded her a lot of almost all of the little boys in Palas. "I'm sure we'll have time for it when we get back to the palace. For now, try to enjoy yourself. I'm sure you'll find something of interest once we get to town."

With that Gwyndolin settled back in her seat, looking out the window at the palace getting further and further away. She wished that she could just enjoy the trip, but knew she would always have to remain on guard and ready for anything. Especially having to leave at the drop of a hat.*

[Kayay]

Fangolas and Crimm started for the door leading into the sitting room when an unexpected voice intoned, “What was it like?” Fang turned to face Aaron, who had slipped inside the room and stood to the side of the door. The young man had been so silent up until now, he’d almost forgotten about Aaron’s presence.

“What was it like, the Mystic Moon, and why…why are they here? Why so many now?"

The dark skinned man scratched his chin and thought it over. “It was…different. The ground was paved hard and smooth for miles, and vehicles of metal that coughed up smoke roamed their roads. Tall poles of wood and metal connected by long cable ran on as if to eternity, and the lamps…they ran not on oil or coal or energists, but with a flick of a switch you could illuminate an entire building.” He met Aaron’s inscrutable eyes and shrugged. “But you may as well ask me who created the heavens above or why we exist rather than ask the purpose or reason for our journey to the Mystic Moon. I don’t know it.” The gem in his chest beneath the cloth of his shirt he was very aware of as he spoke. It was part of the key to the puzzle of how they’d managed the trip, and maybe the Doctor was another part, but Fangolas wasn’t ready yet to share that information.

Aaron leaned against the wall shoulders slumped as if in defeat. He’d been hoping for answers, yet all he’d gotten in response to his questions were more questions. “Hitomi. You said you met Hitomi,” he said almost too softly to hear.

“Older but alive, yes, we met her…and others.”

“Fangolas,” Seth began, leaning the dark haired girl back on the pillows, “she needs to rest. Can we continue this discussion in the other room?” the knight asked as he brushed her hair from her eyes and drew the sheet up over her, again earning him an odd look from Aaron.

With a nod Fang and Crimm left the bedroom. For a few minutes Seth sat on the bed’s edge watching Dream and thinking over these new revelations, then with a tired sigh he rose, made his way to the chest against the wall, and took out a long scarlet Fanelian sash. “Here,” he said and tossed the bundled cloth Aaron. “Wrap that sword of yours back up. It makes people uncomfortable.”

[Endurance]

"Yes yes." Rankel faced Maeko firmly as he noted her unwillingless to deal with the matter.

"This man here, or boy whichever you prefer more is called Ecli Dare, a scholar from Freid and aqcuintance of mine. I really think that you should have a word or two with him yourself because he is such a clever lad." Rankel gestured Ecli to step forward before bowing to Maeko and fading into background, smiling triumphantly.

Ecli, not knowing how high-ranking or royal feline-woman was, showed considerable amount of humility to her by an exaggerated bow which was an even mix of learnt Freidian custom and his Zaibachian origin.

"I came to see the coronation...." Ecli began but was disturbed by Rankel's chuckle.
"He wishes to stay with me for a time being." Rankel exclaimed with a devilish smile.

Ecli blushed lightly, Rankel really liked to make a fool out of him. "It was a real miracle that I managed to get here on time, unfortunately all inns were already fully booked and I was unable to find a proper place to sleep in." Ecli said solemnly "Thus I remembered that I once lodged certain scholar for a few days and decided to see if he could return the favor."

[EvaRobby]

But I need to train now.

Touji tried to calm himself. He wasn't going to get anywhere by making everyone hate him.

He looked out the window.

I suppose Chigusa is right, in a sense, but I can't help but feel disgusted at the whole thing. I know that Kaiya could quite easily have been just as barbaric as any of them. I don't care. They all saw her death aside others, so far daily, and lived on as if it never happened. The others from Earth are the same. It doesn't make sense. I can't trust any of them.

He wondered about how much better the world would be if he just woke up now, and found out that this was all a dream. This shouldn't be happening.

He turned away from the window.

"What will we be doing?"

[Chesta chesta chesta]

“We didn’t get our own private carriage because,” Eitre paused as he tried to think up a plausible answer, “ because this was the most wonderful one and I thought it’d suit you.”

Smooooth.

Truth be told, he wasn’t sure if there would’ve been another and if he had stayed further in Ton Ton’s company then he might’ve suddenly crave huge meals and wanting to hug everyone. It would be nice to stretch those legs and not have to worry about appointments, Zaibach spies and interrogations.

"Well this city certainly does have a keen sense of architecture Eitre. You grew up here?"

Eitre had to stop his chin from hitting the floor. Had Chigusa complemented his city? The very same Chigusa who came across that she wanted the moon on a stick? That sure was a big change. Must’ve been the prospect of shopping softening her up.

“Hah yeah. I didn’t grow up near the centre though. My father is a forester so I spent most of my time in the forests. But you’re right, I consider Fanelia to be the most beautiful of all countries.” He smiled smugly at Gwyndolin. “It has a special place in my soul.”

Touji remained ignored, dealing with one Mystic Moon boy was enough to last a lifetime and Eitre feared that they were all the same, obsessed about one thing or another. Sharing room with Ton Ton was acceptable, but one of them intruding on his special time with Chigusa was stepping over the line – not that he thought that he and Chigusa might’ve intruded on the other two.

“What about your home world, the Mystic Moon? Do you miss it?”

[EvaRobby]

Touji coughed and tried to examine Gwyndolen's reaction out of the corner of his eye. The two others were finding their conversation quite serious. It scared Touji.

God, these Gaians can't even think of any decent things to say. Trust that little girl to listen to him. Argh. I need to get out of here before my head explodes.

He looked out the window again, trying to shut Eitre out of his mind, and wondering if there was a way to shut him up.

Earth cities are much more beautiful.

But Touji remained silent and still. Though dastardly thoughts continued to run through his head, he still didn't feel ready to ---- off any murderers.

So what will we be doing then? Oh, we'll probably get to hang around these two.
I see a very fun and pointful day ahead of me.

He sighed.

[Princess Samari]

The houses seemed small and simple. Like something she would have expected to see as a backdrop to her play. Though the outer walls had been enormous and so was the castle. They didn't have to build up like in Japan.

“What about your home world, the Mystic Moon? Do you miss it?”

Chigusa nodded slowly her upper lip almost pulled into a pout but, she adjusted herself quickly never taking her eyes from the window.

"Of course I miss it. I miss certain aspects of i