Fun time.

[Laughing Man]

Minh couldn't help but laugh that she'd referred to him as an old man. Especially since she was half demon, or bat. He still wasn're sure, but he was sure her life span, just like his, was MUCH longer than a normal human's. He would like to be around 250, possibly longer if he lived right. At the moment, he was more a young adult. Somewhere around 18-20-ish in human terms. Perhaps it was the irony of it that struck his humor bone so thuroughly, but he spat the water with laughter and chuckled for a good while. After he was finished he shrugged, and offered her the flask anyway, "Drink it. " He said, lowering the hand with the trinket to indicate, without saying it, that he had given up. For now. She had to fall asleep some time, and he could stay awake MUCH longer than she can, or at least control his patterns better, being a worshipper of the Goddess of Dreams gave him more control over such things than most. It was esecially helpful in forests full of creatures that would otherwise make a nice meal of him. No doubt she was well attuned to such things as well, but he studied sleeping patterns and the like. He knew when she would be fastest asleep, and in the deepest part of it. He might even say a prayer for her to have some good dreams that night. Such things were not beyond his powers.

Leaving the flask on a small log, he sat down nearer the fire and finished the second piece of boar meat. She was definitely taking the trinket now, whether she wanted to or not. He smiled at her, "Depressing? I find it liberating. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to die totally smashed drunk. Would my body turn into a drunken flower? Can flowes even get drunk? And if they can, do they get hangovers? I wonder if there is some kind of special 'Hangover pollen' that gets rid of flowery hangovers." he said aloud, before stopping himself, "Excuse me that... I tend to rabble." For the first time it was his turn to be slightly embarassed. Being left alone most of the time, and when he wasn't alone, he was generally in the company of Gentry, he tended to think very silly things, and take them very seriously.

He remained silent for a while and shrugged, "How about... The Changeling of Tallabad?" He asked and stood slowly. Moving to his bag, he dug out his mask once more and donned it. Then took the Starknives out from his sash. He brought them to his hest, crossing each other and tilted his head toward the sky. His legs and feet were pressed together and for a moment, he was completely still as he prepared himself.

He burst into movement suddenly, tossing the starnknives to twirl into the night sky, out of the firelight. As he did so, his hands came apart, splaying out to each side as he crossed one leg under the other and out to the side. He held this post for a moment before hopping into the air. At the apex of his leap, the blades came back into his hands and he landed with a soft thude. Without breaking a split second of movement, they were off again, and each on burst into color. The right one trailed red, while the left one trailed blue. As they flew off, Minh flipped and landed in a handstand. He held this, foot curled around another and pointing straight to the sky. The blades spun away, then towards each other. Just as it looked like they were about to collide, they slide past each other. As they did so, their blades slid across their surfaces, resulting in an explosion of purple sparks, produced by the mixed colors. As the knives circled back towards him, The Harlequin pivoted on one hand, then rolled forward and scooped the knives out of the air, all the while his was happening, he told his tale,

"She called herself Laura, but she was not a normal girl. She was not even human, but fae. Laura had never fit in with the other faelings. They were content to upset human lives with their magics, but Laura envied the humans. She even attempted to imitate them. It was an odd sight to anyone who saw faerie girl with too many joints in her limbs attempting to ride a bicycle in the moonlight. She spied on the curious rituals called birthday parties, and felt ashamed because she had already seen 67 years, though she was as youthful as the 15 and 16 year old girls at the parties. She even crept into one of their rooms and stole a Sarah Dessen novel, reveling in its humanity until the other faelings had plucked it from her hands and never returned it. The next day, Laura was chosen to become a changeling."

At the finish, he stood like a flamingo, one leg supporting him while the other was tucked close to his body. The Starknives were displayed in each hand, one of which was held high up above his head, the other crossed over his chest. The pose was held for a while longer, before he sank back down fluidly to a normal standing pose and removed his mask.

His face was glistening with sweat, but he looked absolutely delighted with his work. He beamed childishly, as if performing a childhood play in front of his friends and parents. He hoped she enjoyed it as much as he did, but was happy nonetheless and laid against a log to drink some more water from his flask.

[boomdeboom]

With a smile as he laughed, laughing softly along side him, she began to ponder how he appeared to be 49, but still had the face and body of a person in their late teens. Perhaps he was immortal, such as she? But, unlike him, she had only begun, being the human age of 16. In demon terms, who knew what age she was. No demon was around to give her a hint to how demon years were calculated. Besides, she preferred to think of herself as a 16 year old then an old woman.

Eyeing Minh warily, wondering why he suddenly gave up, she couldn't resist the temptation to drink fresh water, and after a few moments of glaring, she walked over to the flask, and with her free hand, whisked up the flask with a swift movement and pressed it to her lips, almost moaning with delight as the liquid ran down her throat. She didn't know until then how thirsty she had been, so used to the feeling of a dry throat. Once she had her fill of the delicious liquid, she placed it back onto the log in which she grabbed it and placed a hand on her hip, sighing with relief as she closed her eyes. Tonight was definitely the best she had in a while. So, with a smile, she did a hand motion and said her thanks.

"Thanks, I needed that more then I realized. 'course, I still won't take that little butterfly of yours." Knowing that he was planning somehow to make her take it, as she assumed that he was as stubborn as she, from their little silent battle from earlier. However, she was determined not to let him win. She was the competitive type.

Hearing his little ramble about drunk flowers and pollen, she suddenly burst into laughter. Holding her sad, tears streaming down her face, she put a hand on her mouth as she forced her loud laughter into quite loud giggle. Raising an eyebrow, wiping away the tears that streamed down her face, something that usually happened, especially when she hadn't laughed for so long, she then said teasingly, giggles still in her voice.

"Wow, talk about out of character. Who would have known that the all knowing person would say such funny things." Having a stitch in her side, as it had been the first time in years she had laughed so hard, she laid down on the grass, giggling softly under he voice. However, they were soon cut short as she watched his sudden, and rather bizarre movements as he told the tale. Blinking, her blue orbs watching him the whole time, along with the colourful blades which sprayed out sparks that made her go 'ooo' under her voice, she took nibbles from her boar during the process. Laura somewhat reminded her of herself, something she hadn't wished to think about, but forced that out of her mind by thinking that she was a human. Besides, she had never got to a party, whatever the hell they were.

Being so entranced in the way his voice told the story, reminding her that he had said he was a storyteller, and with that sort of skill she imagined he raked in crowds as he told his tales, once he stopped his movements, she placed her boar down by her side, and with a pause, began to clap as loud as she could. An amazing performance to be sure. Standing up as well, she flew her arms out of her side, and with her wings twitching happily underneath, she grinned as she said, her own eyes shining like a child. It had been the first time she had heard a story so well played out.

"Wow, that's frecking amazing! How did you do all that? I mean, wow, the sparks from the blades, the weird moves, my god. So cool!" Flushing with excitement, she then felt once again slightly embarrassed with her out of character behavior and began to laugh, rolling back on her heels while saying.

"Pretty good storytelling, I have to admit."

[Laughing Man]

Minh didn't really ponder too hard on the future. Most of his time was spent in the past, when he told stories, or the present, which was every time he WASN'T telling stories. He was simple, lived day-by-day, and he was happy that way. Content to let things fall as they will and roll with the punches as they come. It had served him well so far, so he had no inclination to change his ways.

He chuckled at her statement, "Of course, I don't expect you to take it. Niether did I expect you to. You're too much like me. You don't like handouts, but you are willing to give and give until you have nothing left. Or perhaps that is just me. But I have grown to accept food from others. Most other things I will trade for. Money is not a pretty thing to me. It's rather worthless. All that metal could be turned into something useful, like a doctor's trinket to administer life-saving drugs, or a blade to arm town guardsmen." he laid his mask and starknives on the log next to his head, letting them glimmer in the moonlight as he settled down, staring at the stars as usual.

He shrugged slightly, "Though I'll have you know I never claimed to be all knowing. That was your own doing." he pointed out with a raised index finger before letting it lazily drop to his side. He was feeling kind of lethargic. The moon was high, so it must be midnight, or close to it, by now. At least it hadn't started it's fall through the horizon, so it wasn't totally late. He played with his remaining butterfly trinket, the other one was nowhere in sight. He was saving it for later.

After laying silently for a while, he responded to her compliments, "I'm glad you enjoyed that. I did. It's why I do what I do, aside from it being all I really know how to do, I love doing it." he smiled to himself, and continued, "It's what I was always best at... Acrobatics, hiding, and storytelling. So I combined them all. And with a friend of mine, Desna, I call myself - " He raised his both hands, fingers spread out and pulled them apart over his head, as if indicating a great display sign, "Minh, the Harlequin Shadowdancer of Desna." he said with a mystical voice, as if he could see the sign in front of him, "It had always been a dream of mine to set up somewhere, but I just hate sitting in one place too long!" he laughed and rolled over, pushing to his feet and wobbled a bit as he stood up too fast.

Moving to his bag he fussed with it a bit, then laid down and put his head on it. Again staring at the sky. He wasn't used to meeting random people in the forest, in the middle of the night. Unless they were Gentry, and Gentry were occasionally tiresome to deal with. And he especially didn't expect to run into a bat-girl in the middle of the forest. She was rather young to be all alone, but he figured she had ways of keeping herself alive, or else he would not be eating the boar she killed and roasted over a fire.

He sighed contentedly and planned on how he would leave the trinket with her. Tie it to one of her wings? Or does she have any pockets? He wasn't sure. He'd check later. The one thing he was sure of was that he was at least happy to have made her acquaintance, because this was one of the least loneliest nights he'd had in a while.

Maybe just lay it on a log in front of her and leave before sun-up.

He thought to himself, laying quietly with his hands folded on his stomach and feet crossed as he gazed at the stars.

[boomdeboom]

"Hah, when two stubborn people meet together, there's bound to be a war, even over little things. Hnn, I suppose if people need it, and aren't trying to kill me, I'll give them food or whatever. Not like I have much to give most of the time, you were lucky to catch me in a hunt. Money, such an odd thing, yet it rules the world." Ending on a thoughtful note, she leaned back her head, staring at the full moon which was right above them and the millions of stars which dotted them sky in clumps.

"True, but you just seem like that sort of person, the old man who gives advice to us younger generation, even though you look like pretty much the same age as us." Giving him a look towards the end, her brow raised, in a second she cast her gaze elsewhere. Then, she suddenly felt quite tired. Placing her hand on her mouth as she let out a yawn, taking the final bite of her meat before she threw the leftovers behind a rock, which hopefully a starving animal would find and feast on, she threw herself down onto the soft grass. Stretching out her arms, wrapping her wings around her body like a cover, she stared silently up at the sky for a few moments before she laughed, looking over towards Minh with a smirk.

"You contradicted yourself, you said that it's a dream of yours to be somewhere, yet you said you can't stand to be in the same place for very long. Not a very good dream if you ask me if it goes against what you prefer to do." While he said his dream, it made her wonder what she wished to do with her life. Did she want to continue living in exile, hoping for a time when humans could accept her for who she was, or did she have something else planned. It was the first time she had given any thought to her future life, as she always existed in the moment, never looking into the future. She admitted to herself that it frightened her slightly, a childish thing to be afraid of however.

Fluttering her wings, burying her chin under her warm safe haven of feathers, she glanced towards him once again. He seemed to be thinking about something quite hard, but what? Too bad she hadn't become a mind reader of some sort, it would have proven handy. He wasn't planning on some way to force her to take that little butterfly trinket? Maybe. Or perhaps he was deceiving her this whole time and was an actual spy from a local village who was sent out to kill her in her sleep? No, that last one was unlikely, he soul seemed to kind to be a murderer, but still there was doubt in her mind. She always had an issue with trusting people, no matter how kind they may have been towards her. Many different ideas flew through her head, but finally she gave up as her head began to pound. She was too tired to think of such trival matters.

With her eyes half closed, her emerald orbs stared at the dying fire, making them sparkle amber as the flames reflected in her eyes, she asked slowly, her frown hidden underneath her feathers.

"So, where are you heading tomorrow?" Although she felt slightly lonely at the fact that in the morning they would go their separate ways, as two different people, she knew he would have to go somewhere. Possibly to find more shrines, maybe to go on storytelling, who knew. It was a mystery to her. Yet, why did her body ache slightly at the thought of her only, somewhat, friend leave, and the chance of them meeting again being very slim since she never visited the same place twice. Hiding her distaste to what she had asked by burying her face in her wings, only her eyes and nose visible, she continued to stare at the fire, pretending that it was no big deal whether he left right now or not.

[Laughing Man]

Minh sat pondering while she talked, he had given up on deciding where to put the trinket, and instead began saying a silent prayer to Desna. He leaned forward, tucked his legs underneath himself, sitting cross-legged. He then set his hands on the ground and lifted himself up. After a short while, his legs went out, and he rolled forward on his wrists, counter-balancing his legs with his body, until he was upside down. He then touched his chin to the ground and rolled over his head, slowly controlling his descent until he was twisted into a back-bend. He then let one leg come up, then the other as he flipped bac to an upright position, pivoted on one hand, and came back down slowly to a sitting position.

It was a personalized way of praying. He did it when times were troubling, or he felt the need for good dreams. Sometimes he did it on request from children after telling scary stories. He was praying for Sylvia, mostly. Since his mind was rather at ease. He could sense her unease. In her movements, her reactions. The flicker of her eyes when she said things, and was unsure how he would react. Not in a simple manner He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew something ran deeper than simply, 'Oh he's a stranger so I should be afraid.' Whatever it was, he prayed for her. She would, hopefully, sleep very soundly this night, and have wonderful dreams.

As he finished his prayer, he moved to kiss the trinket around his neck, the moth-shaped symbol of Desna, and then laid his head down. He reached into his bag and pulled out a quilt, woven of fine silks that had bee given to him by a nobleman upon a performance he did for his daughter's wedding. It was very warm, and he kept it clean. He laid it over himself, using his bag as a pillow. As the strains of the day took their toll, he began to feel the softness of sleep overcoming, welcoming him into the realm of Desna once again. Perhaps he would have a lucid dream tonight. He doubted it, since he would be getting up early tomorrow.

"I didn't contradict myself. I have had dreams of owning such a place." He grinned and failed to hide a chuckle, "But my wanderlust will not allow it. And in all honesty, while it was a wonderful dream, it wasn't my thing." he said and yawned a bit.

He thought about her last question, mulled it over in his tired head, "I don't know." he said at last, "Whever my feet take me. Perhaps another shrine, perhaps another town... I don't partcularly plan these things well. As long as I am travelling, I'm happy. Doesn't matter where. I tend to avoid big cities, though. They're troublesome and loud." he grumbled and chuckled to himself, thinking of something amusing in his head. before slowly drifting off to the Realm of Desna.




After a few hours of sleep, Minh would be having a lucid dream. He had done this many times before, but tonight was different. He was going to try something he had never tried before. He reached into his pocket, and produced the butterfly trinket. He then visualized Sylvia in his mind. A little-known specialty of Desna devouts, was that they could Dreamwalk. It was similiar to a mages Astro Projection, except they moved from Dream to Dream. He envisioned the forest, his body, her body, sleeping soundly on the floor. He then walked toward her and 'pulled' her upward. This was only her dream mind, of course, and he was not physically touching her. He smiled softly and pulled her hand up, opened her palm, and placed the butterfly in her hand. He then closed her palm around it and spoke softly, "You can find me wandering. I doubt I will ever be too far. But if you ever need anything... Talk to me when you sleep." he said, and backed up slowly. Suddenly he had a terrifying vision. A dark, winged creature behind Sylvia, with dreadful fangs, dripping of blood and crimson eyes that burned into his soul. Without his realizing it, this was his interpertation of the Demon side of her. He was curious, but there was no mistaking that it was time to go. He performed the movement of Awakening, a quick finger symbol, with his two inner fingers curled inward, thumb extended forward along with index and pinky finger. He aimed them toward the sky as he tucked his hand toward his chest and suddenly disappeared, just as the being leapt at his mind.

He awoke suddenly, gasping for air, lightly. Rubbing the tired from his eyes, he stood slowly and reached into his pocket. The trinket he had hidden there was gone. The fear of the dream forgotten for the moment, he smiled and looked over toward her Sylvia's sleeping form. He picked up his quilt, remembering how her wings were not enough to keep her warm. They had only been resting for a few hours, and the night was still dreadful with cold. A tattoo on his forearm addressed this problem well, but he was sure she was still cold. He moved quietly toward her, and as softly as he could, laid the blanket down on top of her. He took a quick moment to watch her sleep, wondering what she would be dreaming of now. He smiled softly and turned to leave, picking up his bag and items, he kissed the Desna Shrine he had erected, prayed for a safe travel for them both, and went on his way, heading in a sort of Northernly direction. He didn't really care much where he went. He was happy t travel.

A moment of sadness panged at him, and he cast a glance back at Sylvia before smiling, "We'll see each other again." He whispered to nobody in particular and continued on his way.

[boomdeboom]

Again, his very odd movements brought her unflickering gaze at the fire up to him. Raising a brow, an image of him being a clown while doing that poped into her head, causing a sly grin to appear under her lips as she sblack personed softly to herself. Because she was very tired, she found almost anything funny, no matter how childish and stupid the thing may be. She felt like asking what in the name of hell was he doing, but she decided to leave it. Her mind was falling into a daze, and she knew she would probably fall asleep as he told her what he was doing, and why, and not wanting to embarass herself even more, she preferred to let him do, whatever he was doing, in silence. Although her soft sblack person were heard now and again as the clown image kept on coming in and out of her mind.

"Well I had a dream once that I was a giant ice cream. Dreams are a figment of the imagination, the chances of them happening are quite low, unless they're realistic. But still, I enjoy them." What she did mention was she only enjoyed them when they weren't her usual dreams. When she slept, the demon who was in her soul took the opportunity to try and once again tempt her into using its power to kill all of the humans in which she hated with a passion, but still having a human heart, she always refused. It was the only thing separating herself from a monster.

Hearing his reply, she nodded, letting out a mumble as a reply. Rolling over onto her side, so that her face was hidden from where he laid, she curled into a tight ball, hugging her knees within her giant wings. Why did the sudden feeling of loneliness appear? It was odd. Perhaps because she was alone for so long, when she was in the company of another, she didn't want to leave. It made her feel human, which at this time in her life, was a rare achievement. However, she must have known their meeting would be short. Sure, she was about to kill him before she even laid her eyes on him, so why had she grown so keen to him? Sighing, she decided to put her buzzing questions at ease as she felt into a slumber.

- - -

Odd. The dream which she had was the first normal one she had, in well, years. Blinking, finding herself in a field filled with colourful flowers, she looked around. The sun was shining, and the sky was as blue as a saphire stone. It was beautiful. Walking slowly through the petals of the many flowers, she began to twirl, as if she were a ballerina. She laughed loudly, loving the sensation of the wind flowing through her black locks. Realizing it only then, she was wearing a long white dress which seemed familiar, although she wasn't sure where it came from. Pausing, feeling the presence of another in her dream, she saw Minh. Opening her mouth to speak, only to find that she couldn't, she watched silently as he walked over and placed the trinket from before into the palm of her hand. Although she wanted to give it back, she couldn't move her arm. It was like her body was saying to take it, and she didn't have a choice. Completely baffled, she lifted her gaze from the butterfly to Minh, only to find him about to be killed. A dark figure, oozing with black and red liquid, had placed a blood stained knife to his throat, and with a sneer, its red eyes glowing with delight, it whispered in a deadly sweet voice.

"Oh my, an intruder, now we can't have that can we, Slyvia~?" Getting now that it was her demon, she began to run, just as the knife was being dug into his throat. She could see his blood dripping out, and she screamed.

- - - -

"No!" Screaming this, she jumped up, panting. Frantically looking around, forgetting where she was, the memories from a few hours ago clicked back into her mind. Jumping up, she felt a fabric fall off her. Looking down, seeing a blanket which she knew wasn't hers, she picked it up with her thin fingers, examining it. Then, looking up, she looked over to where the half elf was. But, alas, he appeared to have already gone. Remaining silent for a few minutes, standing completely still, she sighed. She had expected him to go, so why did she feel disappointed and lonely? Looking down at her right hand, she was not surprised to see the butterfly trinket from before in there. That's what had happened in her dream, and although it confused her, she should have expected as much from the stubborn man. Bending down, taking up the two overcooked pieces which she had forgotten to take off, she bit into them as she laid on the long, stretching out her numb wings. Throwing the blanket over her shoulder, she held the butterfly up in front of her blue eyes, examining it as it sparkled in the midday sun. Again, an overwhelming sense of loneliness washed over her, and before she realized it, tears had gathered in her eyes. Why, she had absolutely no clue. Needless to say she was surprised as she pressed her finger to find a tear rolling down. Laughing at herself, shaking her head, she finished off her boar in silence, completely baffled as to why she was acting so strangely.

You can find me wandering. I doubt I will ever be too far. But if you ever need anything... Talk to me when you sleep. Those words echoed in her head as she tried to recall her dream. Frowning, she threw away the stick which was skewered into her meat. Had he invaded her dream somehow? Was that even possible? It would explain where he came from within her dream, although that meant that he had seen a side of her which she didn't want to show to anyone. Perhaps that was why he had left so early. Gone off her breakfast, she wrapped the leftovers in leaves and tied the blanket into a bag. Throwing everything in there, including the trinket, she then stood up from the log. With her wings still numb, she decided to walk, and with a backwards glance at the spot, she made her way forward.

However, she had not walked more then ten steps before she paused. Bending down, hearing the sounds of unknown footsteps, she placed her pouch on the ground, turning her head to the side to look at bushes which rustled. Someone was there, and from what she had gathered, he wasn't alone. People had surrounded her, and she only knew that when people surrounded here, they meant business. And to her, business was not good news. So, with venom dripping from her voice, she said.

"Come out, sneaky little bastards."

[Laughing Man]

Minh had made off early, perhaps only a half hour before Sylvia awoke, bu he was make steady travel. He hadn't stopped, except at a small creek to re-fill his water flask and was his face a bit before moving on again. There was no method to his travel, no direction. The only direction was which way his legs decided to carry him. He was too far away to have heard Sylvia's scream, especially through the din of the forest concert. He breathed the fresh, morning air into his lungs just as the sun was coming up, casting long, dark shadows about the forest floor. The whole forest seemed to be waking up around him, the first sounds of the morning were the birds, searching endlessly for food.

After another few minutes, he spotted a moth fluttering about. It was odd, and at first nothing came to mind but that the moth must be on it's way home. He watched it a while, green, transluscent wings fluttering wildly and erratically from plant to plant. It landed in the shadow of a tall tree, whose branches were to tall to see. It sat on the plant, fanning it's wings slowly, and suddenly a thought struck him.

Moth, in daytime. Hiding in shadows. I should follow suit.

His mind raced quickly and he melded into the shadows of the underbrush, saying a silent prayer to Desna and thanking the moth. He wasn't sure what to wait for, but as long as the moth was sitting still, so was he.

[boomdeboom]

In a matter of moments, she almost immediately snapped out of her relaxed attitude as from the shadows several daggers flew out aiming for her vital organs, however she had seen this attack several times in her life, so she easily dodged them with the swerve of her body. However, what she wasn't expecting was for one of the intruders to read her movements and with a large bat hit her square in the back. They had improved, and their tactics had changed to match her quick movements.

Wincing, her back shooting pain through her body, she jumped backwards, stumbling slightly as she the pain made her lose her balance. By now, they had all emerged, and a group of 7 men stood in front of her, holding several different items that she knew if she was hit by one, that was the end for her. But, alas, it didn't frighten her to see such people intent of killing her. She had faced this throughout her life, but it was rare for them to cause such pain. Because they covered the faces with something that looked like a scarf, she guessed that they were hired to go and hunt her, probably getting paid good money to have her head. She wasn't going to let them have her head so easily, as she didn't want to die just yet. So, snapping out her wings into a full span, she rolled her shoulders, regretting that as the pain from her back shot through her, she stepped forward. Taking a deep breath, letting some of the demon's powers lurk through her veins, she could feel the sensation of power run through her as her wings grew fuller and stronger and how her eyes turned a dangerous blood colour. She wasn't in the mood to fight for very long, so she wanted this done quickly and smoothly.

Seeing her transformation, one of them ran forward, his long narrow blade pointed towards her, but jumping, flapping her giant wings, she landed on top of the human and with a smash of her leg against the back of his head, she knocked him unconscious. She felt the need to not kill them, only knock them out. She wanted to feel somewhat human, even though these people were going to kill her because she wasn't human. It was at times like this she felt at her lowest, so as another one ran towards her, soon followed by the rest of them, she braced herself as she jumped into the air again, beating her large wings as she smashed her foot into the face of one, knocking him to the ground. Stepping down until she felt his nose break, she lifted her leg and twirled backwards, hitting the faces of another unfortunate man who was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Her battle lasted for a few minutes until only two of the original seven were left. But, instead of backing down, they seemed to be more confident. As if it were their plan. Narrowing her crimson irises, bending down, she clenched her hands into fists. What was their plan? She was already worried about them, having gotten a few sword cuts along her arms and legs from them, she knew they weren't normal swordsmen. They were very elite and skilled. It was rare enough to get any injury from an ambush, but to get several, she knew that either she was getting weaker or the human were getting stronger, and right now she knew it wasn't her. So, retreating backwards, she kept her gaze so intent on the two figures that she forgot to pay attention to her surroundings. In that split second in which her concentration wavered, another surge of unbearable pain shot through her. Not expecting this, she fell down to her knees, her hands flying to her stomach, the source of the immense pain. Gazing downwards, her eyes widened to see the shaft of an arrow sticking out. Luckily they didn't seem to hit any vital organs, but still blood was pulsing out at an alarming rate. Already her hands were drenched in the red liquid. Panting, not used to such pain, she forced herself upwards, just in time to dodge another arrow as it shot into the ground where her head once was. Looking around her, finding the people from before gone, she knew that there were more then she had thought. Hiding in the shadows of the trees. And, with it being daylight, her weakest time, she knew she was at an disadvantage. Something that could be very dangerous in this situation. So, hearing the sound of arrows flying through the air, she snapped open her closed wings and with two heavy beats lurched herself through the treetops into the air. Perhaps not the best option, as those arrows could very well hit her, she knew it was the safest option she had. With her senses weak, from both the daylight and the loss of blood, she wouldn't be able to sense the enemies as they shot at her, so at least in the air she could try to dodge some of them. She just needed to get somewhere where the trees weren't so crowded together. A field or something. At least then she could have a chance. But, noticing that it was a lot harder to fly then usual, she began to question if she could fight them. With blood still dripping out from her arrow wound, it was only a matter of time before she got weak and light headed from the loss of her blood.

Then, as she was pondering, a scream erupted from her as yet another arrow shot through her right wing. Even without looking at it, she knew it had just broken through some muscles. Trying to force herself to go higher, she put her hands over her wound, trying to stop any blood from escaping, and then flew away as quick as she could. This could end quite troublesome, but yet for the demon, who was now whispering loudly in her mind, it seemed to want her to suffer more pain.

[Laughing Man]

Minh remained still, silent, became one with the shadows. Even in the rising sun, he was barely noticable among the foliage and shadows. The Fae had taught him minute amounts of glamour techniques, and blending with shadows was one of the most valuable things they taught him. He bent the light somewhat, enchancing the darkness of the shadows. The only way he could be seen at the moment was if someone specifically was looking for him and stared into the bushes.

The moth remained on the tree, and so Minh remained still. It was only a few short moments before something rustled in the bushes. He heard some noises overhead, like a giant bird flapping, straining to fly. He listened as the archer burst out of the trees and stopped. It was a small clearing and the man readied an arrow. He peered skyward, as if searching for something. Maybe he was a hunter? Minh was about to find out when another one came by cursing, "She's gotten higher, and now she's moving faster. I thought this was supposed to work?"

The first one, a short human with black hair turned his head and grunted, "Did you ever stop to think why this job payed so well?" He asked and continued scanning the sky, "Shutup and look for her I- There she is!" he raised his bow, and the other human followed suit. He began drawing his bow back and Minh was just about to make the decision to leave when the moth took flight. It fluttered erratically, as Moths and butterflies do, gaining and dropping altitude randomly. It floated toward the man with black hair, and then landed on the tip of his arrow. Minh watched with fascination. The man made a noise like surprise and lowered his weapon. For a moment, Minh thought the man would get the hint - until he reached out and crushed the moth in his hand, "Bloody disgusting creature." he growled and ground the body against his tunic before bringing his bow back up.

Needless to say, Minh took the hint quite well. He slowly removed the Starknives from his sash and glowered from his hiding point. This man would die. He would die slowly. Seconds befor ethe man released his bow the first Starknife flashed out of the trees and sliced his arrow in half, continuing on to swoop around and lodge itself through the finger of the other archer, knocking to his bow out of his hands. The man went down screaming, clutching at his finger that was now only half of what it once was. The black-haired archer yelped in surprise just as the second starknife flew out and removed his left hand in a clean swoop. The first came back into the bushes, then just as quickly flashed back out into the second man's chest, sticking there. Minh burst from the bushes, caught the second Starknife, through it at the second guy, lodging it in his kneck as Minh leapt upon the black-haired archer. It wasn't often he fought, but when he did, he was viscious. He crashed with a tucked knee, into the chest of the archer, bringing them both to the ground. Poised on top of him, Minh screamed, "YOU WILL NEVER KNOW THE BEAUTY OF THE MOTH AGAIN!" He roared and began digging his thumbs into the eye sockets of the archer. He dug and dug, as the inhuman cries of pain scattered birds and other forest animals. Screaming an inaudible tale of battle at the top of his lungs, Minh leapt off the archer's chest into a somersault and landed on one foot near the second archer. He removed the twin starknives from his chest and leapt back into the forest, heading in the direction of the voices that were now demanding to be updated on what was going on.

[boomdeboom]

"Useless. . .pathetic. . .kill them all. . .why waste so much energy. . .use me. . .I could help. . .kill them. . .kill them. . .kill them. . ."

Whispering loudly within her mind, its voice sweet and tempting, as if it were offering some sweets, but as always she ignored it. However, with her blood dripping from her wound, falling to the earth below as she was unable to hold her hands up much longer, a sense of dreariness washed through her. At one point, she felt like just giving into the demon and letting it control her, saving her the pain in which she was going through. But, the last little light inside her, refused to give in and always shouted louder then the whispering voice to not give in and to just keep on going. So, listening to that voice, she continued to beat her wings in a steady pace, although it was no use as each beat varied and soon she began to sway back and forth. Spots were flashing in her gaze, and she began to drop height. Her only chance now was the fight those humans and kill them all, her mercy from before completely gone. They were causing her so much pain, why couldn't she do it back to them? With these thoughts, the demon's voice grew stronger, and in her inner mind, a place of pure white and where her soul was, she could see its shape as it coiled around her, a bright deadly grin plastered on its midnight black face. Her soul, which was in the shape of her naked body, winced as she felt the dark power emitting from its figure.

"I care for you, dear Sylvia, I would never do anything that would harm you. I want to save you, look at the pain those stupid humans are causing you. Poor poor girl." Placing a hand on her cheek, gently stroking, it continued, its bright crimson eyes locked on, and as if a spell were put on her, she couldn't look away from the gaze.

"Just for a little while, let me in. Only to kill the ones that hurt you so much. Then, I'll let you take over again, I promise. A demon's honour." Ending with a hiss, pressing its body against hers, another wave of wariness washed over her. If it were only for a few moments, why shouldn't she let it take over? She wouldn't let it go too far. . .she could still control it. Still have a human mind.

"Yes, you can take your body back. I just want to protect you." With compassion in its tone, the demon smiled softly as it began to stroke her cheeks again. It was this that sealed her fate. It seemed as if each time the thing touched her, she felt more tired. And, as one final wave went over her, she gave in. So, closing her eyes, she said with a murmur as she leant her head back.

"Fine. . .but only for a little while. Show no mercy to those men." With a laugh, and a kiss to the forehead, it whispered softly.

"But of course, your safety is my only priority." Then, with a bright grin, it disappeared.

Feeling a burst of sudden energy, her pain from before fading away surely, Slyvia let out a laugh that sounded on the verge of insanity. How powerful she felt, the arrows which were still inside of her felt ticklish, not hurting at all. Snapping her wings shut, seeing a clear area underneath her, she laughed once more and held out her arms as she felt the wind rush past her. Feeling the demon by her side, it too laughed as it summoned dark matter to surround her and cause her to levitate just before she crashed into the earth. With the two of them as a team, they were unstoppable. Like gods.

Twirling on the balls of her feet, amazed by how light her body felt, the sound of yells and screams caught her attention. Blinking, turning her gaze towards her right, she was surprised to see a man, whom she recognized as one of the archers, covered in blood. It appeared he had died a slow and very painful death. This caused a wide grin to form on her lips. How delightful. But, before she could enjoy it for too long, she could sense the presence of another fifty feet to the north. Another archer hiding in the shadows, and it looked like he was about to aim for her again.

"Pathetic, let's do away with him, shall we dear~?" With a sweet tone, it summoned more dark matter around her, causing another burst of power to flow everywhere. Now even the ticklish sensation she felt from the arrows was gone. Snapping open her wings once again, noticing how much more powerful and light they also felt, she flew rapidly over to the man. By the time she got over there, which must had been a few seconds as the archer had only noticed her by the time she was on top of him, she laughed once again. Placing her right foot on his face, she began to smash it down, enjoying the screams in which the young lad emitted as his face began to crush in. However, in a few moments, he remained silent. Frowning, wanting to hear his screams of pain, she sighed and jumped backwards, hovering for a moment as her wings caught some air. Now, hyper from the screams of her first victim, she glanced around for more. She wanted to see them suffer, to see their faces as they stared at death in the face, to hear them beg for mercy as she killed them. The thoughts caused a shiver to run up her spine. She wanted to find someone now, and kill them. Alongside her, the demon encouraged her to summon more of its power, but what she didn't realize was surely she was losing her once human mind and was turning into an animal each time she used its power. Already, her eyes had formed a glowing crimson and her pupils had gone vertical, like a feline eye. Dark power was also faintly surrounding her, as if she were the devil herself.

[Laughing Man]

The Harlequin shuddered. He wasn't cold, he wasn't tired, but his body was pumping with rage and adrenaline. Something within him snapped. He didn't have time to think about it now, now was the time to do away with evil. He clutched his twin starknives and crouched in the underbrush. The hunters were trying to reform a group, maintain cohesion. He heard a scream somewhere off in the distance, the sound of skull snapping and an utter silence that followed. He thought about going in that direction, but decided against it. Whatever it was, probably a panther... They were known to be able to crush skulls. Stupid humans didn't know how to hide. They were so loud, clumsy. It was times like this he thanked his Elven side for the grace and agility. He focused his attention back on the group at hand. five swordsman and an archer. They were obviously in this forest for a reason. And now that there were swordsman, and not just archers, they weren't simply hunting game. These were men paid to kill someone. And he could only think of one person they'd want to kill.

Glancing around him, he took in his surroundings and licked his lips behind his mask. His heart rate was incredible! Oh how he could feel so alive, every beat, every pump of his heart sending adrenaline and oxygen pouring into his veins and muscles. It was a rush similiar to that he felt when performing. He had spent his life running from fights, avoiding them because he had no reason to fight. No motivation to take another's life. Until now. There was someone to protect besides himself. There was vengeance to be had. Sure it was just one moth, but the moth was touched by Desna. And the humans brutish actions were unforgivable. He would slaughter every one of these pathetiuc creatures. But how? He began formulating attacks as the humans talked in hurried, but hushed tones. As if afraid something was going to get them. He supposed they had found out what happened to their archer friends and were scared now.

Minh took a moment to pray silently that Sylvia had gotten away before he sprang into action. The twin blades whizzed out of the forest. It took the group by surprise, and he caught the first swordsman in the side, the starknife continuing it's path as it sliced it's way through the flesh and muscle of his stomach. The second starknife skimmed past another swordsman's throat, opening a deep gash, and nearly decapitating him on the spot. With a gurgle and some scrabbling at his new airhole, he dropped and died soon after. Minh was soon to follow afterword, rushing out of the bushes as the remaining three swordsman and archer turned. He leapt and spun, kicking the closest swordsman in the face, and dropping him. Landing and leaping again, he went to dropkick the next one, only to be blocked by his blade. Minh landed on the ground, and rolled to the side as the blade came down. With a twist of his torso, leaving his back on the ground, Minh flung his body around and pivoted on his spine, bringing himself upright in a quick fashion, and using the last of the momentum from the spin to catch the swordsman in the back of his head. The last swordsman swung and caught Minh across his arm and side. Pain flared up and the Harlequin leapt back just as the starknife returned to his hand. He caught it and ran toward the nearest tree, leaping into the air to dodge the first of the arrows the archer now decided to begin launching. He threw the starknife, sticking it into the tree, and used it as a platform to launch himself higher. As the second starknife returned, he redirected it in a smooth manner, landing on it with one foot. He turned his head to face the archer and recovering swordsmen just as the second arrow caught him square in the face. His body rocked backward, falling off the starknife and plummeting to the forest floor below.

[boomdeboom]

The smell of blood was in the air, the faint tinted scent flowing from one direction. It wasn't from her own victim, his was faint, but the blood of many had stained the forest floor and was getting stronger. Faintly, she could also hear yells and the sound of uneven footsteps, which she gathered to be the source of where the delicious smell eradicated from. Licking her lips, her two front canines growing in size as her hunger for blood grew with each passing second. Never feeling so alive, all of her senses powerful, catching every scent and sound around her, she knew she could face anyone and kill them easily with the snap of her wrist. Sblack personing, the demon whispered almost seductively in her ear as it whispered, sending yet more power into her body as she began to walk towards the source of fighting.

"Yes, crave the blood of those humans Sylvia. You deserve to have your revenge on those disgusting beings. Show no mercy." Disappearing into the back of her mind, sneering as it saw how its power was slowly taking control, Slyvia continued not to notice, too focused on the growing desire to see the blood of her enemies drip into her hand. The lovely crimson liquid which filled their bodies. . .to see it rush out of them all, it caused a sensation she had never felt before to run through her, causing a shiver to run up her spinal cord. So, with the shiver calling more excitement to flow through her, she sprinted towards the source of the delicious scent of blood.

Beating her wings, deciding to fly instead of running, she swerved quickly past the many neighboring trees, which as she flew in deeper, grew closer together and soon she was forced to land. How she wished she could cut all these trees down, just to make space. It pissed her off, having to walk, why take so much time? However, her thought was cut short as she heard the delightful sounds of humans whispering. They were speaking urgently, with scared tones. Something had happened, and from the words that she picked up, it was someone that had already killed a few of their men. Confusion ran through her mind, she knew these were the men whom wanted to kill her, yet why were they the ones being killed, and not by her hands? Who would want to help her? An interesting twist, but it didn't matter, she was still going to kill them all, having their blood run out of their fragile and weak bodies.

Hiding in the shadows, wanting to launch a surprise attack, she bent her wings low against her back as she stared at the battle. Sure enough, a very skilled man was fighting them all, with what seemed like an endless amount of ease. Such swift movements, almost like he had no bones as he dodged the attacks of the remaining men. Yet, his face was covered with a mask. A mask, within her clouded mind, sparked something. She knew that person, but who was it? Her usual memories were shrouded by a murky darkness, most likely by her demon to stop any second thoughts, so she couldn't put her finger on whom that man was. Yet, a sense of loneliness ached her heart as she tried to remember him. Pausing, blinking her crimson irises, she tried to remember, but her demon once again stopped her by whispering.

"Who cares whom he is, he is just another human." But, feeling a contradiction to that, she gazed at the man as he once again killed another man, making his corpse land beside her. The smell of blood almost made her pounce out of the bushes, but she remained where she was. She wanted to have fun with this, she didn't want to ruin it. Watching the movements of the mysterious masked man, she then said softly, speaking to her demon.

"He moves to beautifully to be a human. He's something else. . .who is he? I know that mask in which he wears. . ." Ending on a thoughtful note, scrunching her eyebrows together, a noise caught her attention. The sound of a body, but it didn't sound like the falling of a human body. Sure enough, her thoughts were confirmed as she saw the masked man on the floor, an arrow in his head. Frowning, disappointed that she didn't get to kill him herself, she then knew this was her chance. So, as the archer whom she guessed hit the man raised his bow for a final blow in the chest, she pounced on his back from the shadows.

With an innocent giggle, her eyes closed halfway in a seductive way, she spread out her wings and with a beat knocked away the remaining swordsman away. Preventing any movement from her victim, wrapping her arms tightly under his and wrapping her legs around his torso, she giggled again. Licking the side of his face softly, feeling his pulse underneath his flesh, she then began to wrap the dark power which came out of her around his body, the feel of his pulse making her become more hyper. Pressing her body closer to his, her blood which still came out of her wounds dropped onto his body, she began to dig her nails into his arm, gazing down to see droplets of his blood staining the top of her nails. How delightful. Inside her, the demon laughed as it too sensed the enjoyment she got out of seeing the human's blood.

"Yes, Slyvia, look at how frail they are. Kill them. . .kill them all!" Although she had opened her mouth and placed her two knife sharp canines on his neck, something inside of her made her pause. That masked man. . .he would see this, and for some reason this bothered her. Even with the urging of the demon, she still hesitated. Glancing towards the fallen body, narrowing his red eyes, she closed her mouth again as she stared silently at him, still holding a tight grip on the human so he could not escape. Who was he. . .she knew him, and she knew him recently.

[Laughing Man]

There was the sound of shattering pottery, and the world was rising... No.. He was falling... The rushing air flew passed him, and suddenly everything hurt. His face, his arms, his legs, his stomach. Hurt, pain, suffering shot through him and his senses dulled.

He couldn't move. Paralyzed, stricken, frozen. Stunned. He was alone in the forest, he felt the cool, moist earth and every little bug that crawled underneath his broken frame.

There were noises. Forest animals, birds and small fuzzy things. And... Voices. He could hear them. Shouting, talking, all muffled and garbled. It wasn't their fault. Minh was sure they were speaking clearly, if not for that insistent, piercing, shrill cry that rang in his ears. He felt some kind of liquid moving down the back of his head, and from the front of his face. Sweat? Blood most likely. It was too hard to tell at the moment.

Suddenly the yelling turned into screams. He heard the sound of terror, fear, and despair wrapped into one terrible blood-curdling cry. His eyes broke open to a blur of light and green. He knew he was on his back, arms and legs splayed out. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten here, but here he was. Under a bush. In a forest. And he was - Yep. Definitely bleeding. The red oozed over his eye and it stung slightly. He blinked and his eye teared up, washing the thick red into a light pink to tear down the side of his face. His hearing was still off, and his body ached just to think. There was something else. Something on his face. He turned his head and shards of the mask fell away from his features to fall into the small pule nearby. He slowly regained his senses, oblivious to the world around him as he recognized one thing at a time.

What he didn't know, was that he had taken an arrow to the face. It had knocked him hard, but the mask, being ceramic, had shattered when the arrow hit it, diffusing much of it's power, but still cutting into his head, and causing lacerations on his skull. As he fell from the tree, he had hit several branches which saved his spine from being crushed to dust.

He didn't dare try to roll over, but attempted to gain full control of his conscious mind. Images swam in his view. Had he killed someone? No. He'd killed several people. He couldn't fathom why he'd done such a thing, but wasn't about to think about it too hard for the moment. That screaming persisted. He tried his luck, and flexed a few fingers, then a wrist. Going well so far. Still a dull pain that throbbed through him with each heartbeat, but he'd felt worse. He moved his arm, and then his other, repeating the process with both arms, then doing the same with his legs. Something was broken in his left arm, but he couldn't tell at the moment. It seemed to be a fracture around his radial bone. Minh knew he had to move. Screaming meant bad things were nearby, and the voice was certainly nearby.

With a deathly powerful will and determination born of years of being told he was less than those around him, he pulled himself to his side and winced. His ears were draining blood, and his forehead had a gash, along with chips of ceramic crushed into the wound. The mask was split down the middle, laying on either side of where his head was. He looked at it for a short moment before attempting to drag himself into a nearby bush, where the shadows would welcome him and allow him time to think and recuperate. He hoped. His left arm refused to move for him, but he thanked Desna for the rest of his limbs and made his way to the bush, wincing with every movement, more pain shot through his bones and muscles. He would not give up, but he was close to passing out from the cimbined effort and pain. His vision swam again, and his hearing was still a dull roar of that scream mixed with the high-pitched ringing.

It was all he could do fall back on his stomach underneath the bush, covered by shadows that welcomed him home, melding him into them and allowing him to disappear from sight.

[boomdeboom]

Watching as the unknown man rose, his mask falling to the ground in two pieces, as she saw his tattooed face, yet again another sense of loneliness rang through her heart. She definitely knew him, and seeing the blood on his face, it made her sad, and even angrier at the man whom she held in her grip. He was the one who caused that person whom she knew pain, and she wanted to kill him. But, because her mind was so clouded, it made her confused as to why she cared so much about that person. Who was he? It was as if she had lost her memory, she couldn't remember if he was a friend, family, or just a person whom she had never met and only reminded her of another person. However, another pathetic voice broke through her line of thought.

"P-Please spare m-me, I-I'll do anything you want. . .please don't kill me!" Openly shedding tears of fear, the archer wept as he attempted to move his arms, but failed. Not one of his limbs could move, not with her strong grip on. Her sly grin returning, her mind focusing on killing this man, she laughed. Her laughter sounded like she was on the brink of insanity, and as she opened her mouth and placed her canines on his neck, she whispered into her ear.

"No~" Then, without any more hesitation, since that man had disappeared into a bush, she closed her eyes and dug her canines into the flesh. Screaming with pain as he felt his throat being cut open without any mercy, she felt a rush as the taste of his blood and flesh sent her senses at an all time high. Digging her nails as far as she could into his arm, feeling the layers of skin rip away, she took yet another bite at his throat until his screaming halted and his arms and legs gave way, causing him to crush into the ground. Releasing him just before she too fell, she hovered in the air for a brief moment before gently landing on the balls of her feet. Licking at the fresh blood which now covered her mouth, the smell of it causing her mouth to water, she then began to lick at her fingers. Blood tasted amazing, like chocolate. The crimson liquid also gave her more power, making her feel yet more powerful. Amazing.

Realizing that there was still one more left, hearing his footsteps and screams as he ran into the forest, she turned around like a ballerina and looked as he attempted to escape. Pathetic. Leaning down, picking up the arrow which was on the ground, she aimed it at the human's head. Sticking out her tongue, her sharp eyesight making such a long distance easy, she then threw the arrow with her strength. Flying through the air at an incredible speed, it then flew through the skull of the man and with a last yell fell to the ground, lifeless. Not wanting to waste more of her energy on an escaper, she felt content to let her show some mercy and kill him quickly. Well, not exactly quickly. She had aimed a part of his head that would keep him alive for a few moments, in a hell of pain, and he wouldn't be able to move or scream. He would be immobilized. Looking at the body, she began to laugh again, licking at her fingers as she stretched out her wings. Even though she had killed a man, and had his blood on her fingers, she wanted more. She wanted a challenge. But who else was there?

"That man. . .he's still strong, could put up a good fight. He would be fun~" Wrapping its long black arms around her neck, the demon laughed as he gave a sly smile.

"He's in the bushes, go. Get him. He's not human, from what I can get, he's half elf. I've heard the blood from them is to die for. A thousand times better then the one. . .of a mere human." Tempting. Pondering this, placing her blood stained hands against her lips, dragging her tongue over them once more, she spun around. What a pickle. She apparently knew him, and well at that. He meant something to her, but what he meant, she couldn't decipher. Her memories were still cloaked in darkness. For now, he was nothing to her. A useless memory that meant nothing. So, giggling, she nodded.

"Yes, that sounds like a treat~" Skipping over towards the bush in which the half elf fell, she leant down and took in his scent. It had an earthy tint to it, like soil. It was not sweaty and filthy like humans, it smelled like fresh earth. Grabbing any surrounding foliage which shrouded his body, she ripped them from their roots and threw them behind her. She wanted to see her victim, to get a good look.

Spotting the body, hidden in the shadows of a large bush, she grinned. It looked like he had gained a lot of damage, but sure he could still fight. Elves were supposed to be very good fighters, fighting until their last breath. Reaching for him, her blood stained fingers spread out as she went for his shoulders, she paused. Something caught her eye. Blinking, turning her gaze towards a weapon which was a bit away from him but looked like something he would hold. So, raising herself, she walked over. It glinted in the sunlight, like a gem. It was beautiful to say the least, and it reminded her of something. Another clue to who this man was. Hesitating, the voice of her demon low and dangerous as it whispered.

"Don't pick that up. It's bad news dear. Trust me." But, she was curious, and her curiosity was always bigger then any other aspect of her. So, ignoring the warnings, she picked up the sparkling weapon. Bringing it up to her eyes, she stared at it. A dagger. One she had seen before. Turning it around, examining the details on the handle, something snapped in her. A carved butterfly. Butterfly. . .

"No!" Hissing, the demon disappearing suddenly as did all of the darkness which shrouded her memories, Slyvia dropped the dagger, placing her blood stained hands on her mouth. The memories of that man came flooding back. Minh. . his name was Minh! Falling to her knees, weak as the power which she had felt before evaporated, she wrapped her arms around her head as she screamed. The pain. . .the guilt. She had killed a man, two men! Their blood was on her. Her body was now in pain, every part of her was in complete pain. The wounds from before, the arrows still in her wing and stomach stung which each breath, and she felt once again light headed from the loss of blood. But, she needed to help Minh. He was in trouble, he had gotten hit. From when she looked at him, he didn't look like he was moving. He couldn't die. Wrapping her frail arms around her, breathing heavily as she could taste blood in her mouth, she opened up her wings and began to beat them, trying to get her steady. But alas, she couldn't move. The pain just grew, and soon she found herself on the ground, immobilized. Feeling tears streaking down her face, she couldn't stop her screaming. It didn't even feel like she was screaming, it felt like someone inside her was causing her to scream and cry. Wrapping her wings around her, trying to protect her from the pain which ran through her body, she began to shiver as her screaming ceased, now just murmuring to herself as she saw spots flash in her eyes.

"Please kill me. . .please kill me. . ."

[Laughing Man]

The sharp pains had receeded to low, dull throbbing. He could handle dull... His mind was still addled and confused, swimming in a sea of confusion and sensoria as he regained consciousness and his mind worked through it all. He crawled further through the bush and stopped. He tried to roll over, but sharp pain flared through his left arm. It was definitely broken an-

Another scream, and some of the most insane laughter he had ever heard from anyone other than himself. His ears were still bleeding, but sounds were sharper now. He could almost make out the words, but for sure it was a man pleading. And from his sobs, it was for his life. It was cut short by a definite, "No" and was a quick scream followed by the unceremonious dropping of a body. There was another scream and footsteps pounding into the forest. Too noisy. Must be human. Minh found himself thinking before he herd the whizz of an arrow and another body dropping. Then there was silence.

Minh's mind raced. Had he been spotted? What would he do if he had. This is surely it for him. But, he would go out fighting. His right arm slide to his stomach, underneath him. He clutched the small knife he normally used for eating and held it under his stomach, waiting. No need to eat if youre dead, so he might as well use it to stay alive. Unless he was a zombie. Zombies eat when they're dead, right?

He shook the thought from his head, causing his already-blurred vision to swim again. He was just about to try moving once more when footsteps near. His pulse quickened and Minh readied himself. The dager was clutched white-knuckled underneath him. The bushes around him were ripped away and he could feel the sunlight beating down on him. He was exposed, but he still had one last trick up his sleeve. He was aboutto lash out at his would-be attacker when the footsteps moved away. Well, not directl away, but to the side. He heard the someone pick something up and suddenly a drop. There was silence for a moment before some startled noises, and someone calling out for someone else to kill them. The voice sounded female, and it sounded familiar to him.

Minh struggled and lifted his head, then turned it and let it fall back down. His eyes widened when he saw wings and feet. There was only one person he knew with feet and wings. Sylvia... He thought to himself, and closed his eyes, wincing against the pain of pulling his legs up underneath him. His knees were curled up, and he was still leaning over so he pushed again, lifting his chest and head, he sat upright. He was wobbly, the blood from his forehead had mostly stopped, and his ears were drying up, but he had still lost a bit. Head wounds tend to bleed profusely no matter what. He sagged to the side a bit, but managed to stay mostly upward. He eyed the small, curled up frame of Sylvia. His hand fell away from the dagger to mimick his broken one hanging at his side.

He tried to speak, but it was slurred and broken. So instead he began to move his legs, shuffling his knees by dragging them through the the dirt toward her. She was a wreck. He could see the blood coming from her stomach, were the arrow had pierced her. He hoped it had stabilized at the least, but what worried him most was the look on her face, and what she was saying. She wanted to die?

"What a stupid thing to say, after all this." He muttered at last, letting out an exasperated breath and leaning forward to place a hand on her shoulder, mostly he meant to shake her, but he was using her for support, too.

"Get up! What are you doing? Get off the floor, it's unbefitting of an angel to writhe in the dirt begging for the gods to strike you down!" He wasn't sure why the words were coming from his mouth, but they were.

"You look pathetic. Get yourself off the damn floor before I make you!" he finished and tried to rise to his feet. He got one foot out from underneath him, and planted on the floor when pain shot through him and he doubled over, falling to side and back. His head rested ner her feet and he continued shouting at her, "GET. UP. SYLVIA. NOW." He said, slowly through the pain before his eyes began feeling heavy, "You have to run, or something. There could be more.... It's not your fault..." He began losing consciousness again but kept talking, and struggled against, seeing how long he could remain conscious, "Th-... Killed a moth... Bastards... Deserved to die... Slow... Eyesockets... So beautiful... Self Defense... You killed in self defense... I committed... murder." He said and his eyes fell closed once more.