Fun time.

[boomdeboom]

"Well, everyone has their way of dealing with the stress of everyday life." Not really disturbed that he had pressed his sockets into the eyes of an enemy, she followed him as he began to move, gazing up as the trees covered the view of the sky. If where they were going was far, she was not going to see the sky for a while, as trees ran on for miles in this forest.

"Quite a positive attidude you have there." Noting the way in which he said that he would use the abilities he had and not think about the stuff he couldn't do, well it brought up her mood slightly. Having been with her depressing thoughts for so long, it was refreshing to be with someone who had a different look on life.

Pausing in her walking, she watched curiously as he searched for something. Then, as she realized that he was only looking for a stick, she laughed. With a hand on her hip, and a cheeky smile on her lips, she pointed towards the walking stick.

"Well, now you're officially an old man." Laughing once more, she then continued walking. Since she had bird genes and such in her, her body healed itself quicker then normal beings, so now only a slight pang of pain went through her, which she was glad since she was succumbed to such pain a day ago.

Interested by the way in which faery mounds were hidden to well, she listened to what he said. So, they were going to the river. Satisfied by this, she knew it was a chance for her to fish a bit, as her stomach was already becoming a bit irritated by the fact it had eaten so little, besides berries. Fresh fish would be just right. Being only focused on the fact that she could get food, not really giving a toss about pixies and such, she made herself listen to his rules, although she sneered at most of them. Then, with a sarcastic voice, she held up her hand and began counting the rules on her thin fingers.

"1. No deals.
2. Don't stare of look at them, they must be self conscious or something.
3. We're in a dream or something.
4. Have to eat before I go there.
5. Be like a dog and stick with Minh." Laughing as she then put her hand down, she then raised an eyebrow as a thought poped up in her head. Casting her blue eyes to him, she said.

"Seems like you already broke the first rule then." This made her curious. Why, if it was a rule, did he make a deal with them so quickly? Was there a condition which they did not speak of? A little worried by this, she wondered what Minh was keeping from her.

[Laughing Man]

Minh continued along using the stick like a cane, his leg was bothering him and when she made the comment about being an old man he laughed,

"Don't make me swing it at you and force you off my lawn." He said in a 'grumpy old man' inflection. He chuckled again and kept picking his way through the brush. It was slow going, but steady.

He nodded at her comment on his attitude and responded while pushing some bushes aside,

"Well it's one of the ways I keep myself sane. When you see and think about the world, and how we are... It's rather depressing... How we slaughter each other for meaningless objects and philosophies..." He shook his head and paused for a moment, tilting his head back as if in thought before continuing,

"So I feel it's better to see the good in everything rather than focus on the bad. It also doesn't help that I'm cursed with an up-beat attitude." He grinned at the irony of thecomment as they continued on. When she responded to him giving her the rules, he responded more seriously,

"1. Good.
2. It's not that, they love to be complimented and all that. However their glamour can draw you in and snare your mind with a simple glance.

3. Unfortunately, we're not. Dreams would be great because I could make all this go away.

4. I had planned on it.

5. Pretty much." he responded to the last part with a smirk and stuck his tongue out at her before hopping over a root and landing on his good foot, then standing up straight again. His head still throbbed some, but the actual cuts and bruises seemed to be healing nicely from the paste. When Sylvia asked the last part, he stopped mid-stride and looked at her with a mixture of pain and regret,

"I broke that rule a LONG time ago, and nothing can change that now." Before turning back he added,

"Don't do the same."

He continued on in silence, leaving the forest animals and ruslting of trees to fill the silence.

[boomdeboom]

"Mmm." With a sly grin, she hopped on a log and while wrapping her arms around her shoulders, she began to shiver.

"I'm so scared, old man." Sblack personing, she jumped off the lag, landing soundlessly, something which she always did. Soundless movements, this made it easier for her to kill.

She didn't deny the fact that mankind was a horrible race full of evil and blood shed, she couldn't help but laugh once more as he noted his curse. What sort of curse was that? Deciding not to bring down the mood though, as she felt the urge to explain how her curse was a lot more horrible, she merely stayed silent, staring up at the green leaves, losing herself slightly, but snapped back as he began to talk once more.

Narrowing her eyes as he agreed with the last rule, she paused and while she was acting like a child, she couldn't help it. Putting her hands up in a begging motion, she swayed her hips back and forth as if she were wagging a tale and while squinting her eyes closed, she let out a bark.

"Woof!" Then, panting, she soon broke into laughter as she brought down her hands and continued on her way, placing her hands behind her back. Even as he commented on the rule which he had broken, she didn't stop in her pace. Pursing her lips together, she stared at him curiously. So, he had already broken the rule a few times then, as he made a deal a long time ago, and also made one recently. Interesting. Closing her eyes, she nodded, still continuing walking as she said.

"Ay ay captain."

[Laughing Man]

<< I have to apologize for my insanely long absence, here. I've been busy IRL moving furniture into my new apartment after we had finished our patrol, and I forogt to check back here D= >>

[boomdeboom]

[ No problemo, I know what it's like being consumed by stuff in RL.
Take your time, don't worry about it.
(: ]

[Laughing Man]

<< I could come up with millions of excuses including, but not limited to, troubles with the girlie, a new port call, the holidays, etc. etc.

Instead, I'm simply going to apologize and say that if you are willing to continue this, I will put up a new post after reviewing where we were at. >>

As the forest started to clear a bit, the sound of a trickling stream could be heard somwhere ahead of the pair. Minh hobbled along with no real complaints, though after an hour or two he seemed to be relying less on the stick, having managed to ignore her 'old man' comment. His eyes scanned the treetops for a moment as he stepped down off of a fallen, moss-drenched log. The calls of various forest animals echoed from beyond their range of perception.

His blood-stained clothing stood out against the green, unmolested tranquility of the forest. A small animal scurried across their path and suddenly Minh stood still. His eyes avoided a brightly-patterned butterfyl as it fluttered around them, but a look of forced peace fell upon hs face at the sight of this one rather than at peace with them like he normally did. He motioned for Sylvia not to move, his free hand raising open-palmed in the air until the butterfly had fluttered off. Slowly he turned to explain,

"The closer we get, the more of those will not be butterflies, but something else altogether. Remember rule 2? That's where this applies. Just pretend like they don't exist." The Harlequin turned and dropped his stick, instead using his right hand to clutch the symbol of Desna around his neck. Closing his eyes and uttering a soft prayer to the Goddess of travels, before opening them with a soft nod and continuing on.

The trickling of water got louder as they neared an embankment, and there seemed to be more noise , as well as many more butterflies around this section of the forest, which indicated they were nearing the veil that would seperate Faerie, the world of the Fae, from the normal plane of existence.

Most of the butterflies took less notice of Minh, as if his presence was nothing to note, and more interest in his travelling companion, Sylvia. It was as though they could sense something in her, and several butterflies would be heard hissing at her as they passed, if one were to listen closely enough. Though Minh didn't seem to pay this any more mind than the butterflies themselves, or he simply didn't notice, it was unclear which was the case. He stopped at the top of the embankment and turned to face Sylvia, sizing her up,

"Remember the rules. Keep your eyes on me, or to the floor. Unless attention is demanded of you, which it probably will, just make sure you remember that they can and WILL try to glamour you into thinking or feeling a great many things. Keep your senses and wits about you. Pure, cold, logic. Keep that close. They hate logic." he warned. Minh's gaze held a fierce determination with a hint of fear behind it before he turned back around and started down the embankment, using his hands to lean back and clutch tufts of grass or moss where he could to avoid sliding on his backside the entire way down.

admittedly, the array of butterflies and creatures was dazzingly serene and beautiful. The river looked clean and peaceful, even with the twisted, oddly elongated fae creatures that perused it's banks and played atop it's surface. All mannerisms of deep, black eyes, elongated limbs, small mouths that sported sharp teeth and devilish grins. It was clear they were in the realm of the Dark Court, the Unseelie, when the trio of chittering creatures, looking like skeletons floated on by without bothering to look at them. On the far bank of the river, a gigantic, black-furred but crimson-tinted dog with flames licking off of it's tail and massive chain around it's neck looked up momentarily. Each breath caused the air in front of it's nostrils to ignite with flame as it smelled the air before licking it's jowels and setting it's head back down. This was the Hellhound, or otherwise known as Black Shuck. It was a thing of legend, and servant of the Dark Court's . Though the fae pair from before were nowhere to be found, there was plenty to hold their attention for the moment.

Again, sorry. If you don't want to continue, I don't blame you, but otherwise I'd be happy to pick it back up! -

[boomdeboom]

[ Haha, again like I said don't worry about it (:> I've had my fair share of long random absences, so I can't say anything. I'd be happy to continue, doesn't matter if it takes you a while to reply. I'm not too picky about quick replies, so no need to apologize~]

Feeling as if it wasn't a time to talk, Slyvia remained silent as they continued their journey. Finding entertainment in looking at a odd looking creature which was flying in the trees below, it gave a loud call and within moments was joined by another one of its kind. Then, after a moment of chattering, they both took off. Watching this, she felt sad. As if, she now remembered that she was really all alone in this world. That she had no one to relate too, no matter how much people tried, they couldn't understand what she was going through. But, not wanting to have a repeat of yesterday, she gave her head a quick smack with the palm of her hand and focused on something else.

Looking around, noticing that the further they continued in the more lavish and beautiful it seemed to get, and she felt out of place slightly. This seemed like such a peaceful place, and yet here she was, the 'devil', walking through. Although she didn't mind too much, even if it did play in her mind a lot, as this place was rather special and she didn't regret for a moment that she had the privilege to look at this. And, to have a friend accompanying her, which made her feel slightly more at ease.

Gazing towards Minh, she raised a brow as she found him looking away from a butterfly which was flying past. As she opened her mouth to ask why, she then remembered the rules which he spoke of earlier, and when the beautiful creature fluttered closer, she followed Minh and turned her gaze in the opposite direction, feeling stupid for looking away from a butterfly, out of all creatures. Sighing softly as it fluttered off, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous as he explained what was to come. Rolling her eyes, she threw her hands up in the air with a fake joy and said with obvious sarcasm.

"Wonderful, I can just tell already this is going to be fun." But, she was feeling rather excited to walk in somewhere that was presumably quite dangerous. Gave her a sense of a thrill.

Noting that they must be near a river, since the sweet sound of water began to get louder, she began to rememeber that they were heading for a river. That means they were close? She was surprised at how easy it was, and just when she was about to ask if the rules were a joke, she saw an array of butterflies head towards them. As a shiver ran down her spine, she continued to walk on, ignoring them as they began to surround her. Hearing their beating wings, which began to get very annoying, she was very surprised to hear a soft hiss emerge from some of them, which almost made her want to laugh at the thought of hissing butterflies, but kept it inside, although her lips turned into a smile as she eventually made her way out of the mess of butterflies, to which she swore and rubbed her neck, in quite a foul mood since the annoying sound of their wings was still lingering in her ears.

"Bloody butterflies. . ." Blinking, surprised by the look which was on Minh's face, she gave a confident grin and placing a hand on her hip, waving with her other one, she closed her eyes and said.

"Yeah yeah, I'll be sure to stare at your back long enough that I could tell you all the details about it. Hnn, logic huh? Logic is my middle name~" Giggling slightly at how lame her joke was, she then went back into her walking stance and followed Minh, not wanting to get left behind in such a place. Since she had usually quite a lot of balance, she could make her way down without much trouble, although she had to grip onto moss once or twice on her trip down.

Giving a low groan as she saw yet even more of those stupid butterflies, her gave turned to the very odd and very threating dog which seemed to guard the place. Then, remembering the rules, she turned her gaze away and stared at Minh's back. She didn't want to land any of them in trouble, which because of the slight fear she saw in his eyes, would be very very bad. Giving herself reassurance, by contracting the muscles in her wings which were laid tightly against her back, she continued to walk just behind Minh, trying to seem confident, even if she were staring at his back the entire time like an faithful dog, which was again something that almost made her laugh at the thought of herself dressed up as a dog.

[Laughing Man]

Many was the day Minh wished he could ignore this part of his lfe. When he wished he could just walk away from his tormenters, and go walk the forests of Erastil with Desna at his side. Those days were not for him, though. His time and place was here and now, and unfortunately, that meant interacting with Fae. And so he turned once again to face them down. His eyes found a specific creature, one that looked like a pile of shambling bones, with deep, soulless, black beads for eyes and a spaced-out look on it's face as if it was staring into a light bulb too long. It didn't so much as walk on the water, as it glided over the top of it and stopped at Minh's feet.

Crouching down, he whispered in a language that sounded more like a mixture of high-pitched chirps and bones scraping against stone than actual sentences. The small creature tilted it's head and giggled gleefully before bounding off toward the far embankment and seemingly disappearing into thin air. They had a few moments and Minh took them to get in any last words,

"I don't know what you know about faerie glamour, but it can do things to you. Make you want things you shouldn't want. Follow the rules and you should be fine. And if one lands on you, don't swat it but don't be afraid to tell it to get off. The buggers love drinking blood." he said with a slightly sardonic grin.

The Harlequin's eyes wanderd a bit, finding the deep, dark dog across the bank. It panted a few times at his attentions and stood up slowly, licking it's lips to move across the river.
As it's paws made contact with the river, the water instantly evaporated, which seemed to much annoy the little fluttering fae nearby, as they started chittering angrily. Much to their further dismay, the Harlequin seemed to laugh at this, a cacklingly enjoyable laugh, and the hound seemed not to notice nor care. As the steam rose, the fae condensed it back into the river again, until the hound had crossed the river and made slowly for Minh. Much to the opposite affect of the butterflies, Minh seemed to relax at the presence of this beast, leaning over and reaching into his pouch to pull out a small piece of meat from the night's meal, taken when he had woken up and wrapped in leaves, it was still very much raw and had a large portion of bone attached to it from the animal's femur.

Shuck, the hound, caught the large chunk in his mouth and greedily chomped away at it, cleaning all the meat off in seconds then laying down with the bone between his paws to gnaw out the marrow. This brought a sense of peace and calm to the Harlequin's eyes, even if he still looked like he was about to go running into the forest. Scanning around, Minh found Sylvia again and explained,

"Hellhound. Part of the Sluagh. Guardians of the fae. This is a special one, Black Shuck. Always liked him because he pisses of the others. Great friend, too. Only real one I suppose you can have around here. Don't be fooled, though. He may look like a canine and share their tendencies toward food and loyalyty and play, but he has the intellect of a-" A loud shriek was heard from across the stream and it instantly caused Shuck's ears to perk up while his head turned toward that direction, also drawing Minh's gaze which immediately brought a frown,

"What!? ARE YOU FATTENING MY SHUCKY POO!?" Cried the more obviously female voice in astonishment.
The fae who owned the voice was the same one from before, stark-white skin like marble, small beady black eyes, and hair like a stormclouds brewing on the horizon with a small, black cap sitting on her head. Her pointed ears and black, instect-like wings along with the elongated limbs and face marked her as a mix between Sidhe and Pixie. She was flanked by the Ebon Fae from before, More masculine in features, and a smaller face, but the same pointed ears. His wings were brilliant blue-and-black patterned, fanned out large and wide like a butterfly's. This denoted him as a Demi-fey, but his pointed ears and elongated limbs pointed him as being half Pixie as well. Normally Demi-fey are tiny things, the size of butterflies in fact, but every so often one comes along with the gift to reach a normal height, or well normal for Fae, which is somewhere between four and five feet.

The interruption and shriek seemed to pull a whine from Shuck, but a sblack person from Minh. It was clear he took pleasure in pissing off the fae as much as possible before they retaliate,

"Of course not, Pae. Then he'd not be able to gobble up the Summer Fae." Responded Minh casually. It was an odd shift in emotions, but it happened so fast, as if he was playing a game with his face and tone. It wasn't clear that he was actually scared out of his mind and worried that something would go wrong at any moment, this was what was called a 'court face'. Or that's what The fae had told him. It was meant to mask one's thoughts and emotions so that other Fae, or other people, would not misconstrue what you were saying by trying to read you. Because in the Fae world, one's word was everything as much as every action one could make.

Being a Harlequin aided in quickly picking up the skill around the creatures, but he was by far not a professional at it. He still faltered every once in a while in tense situations. This was one of the moments when he played it well. The Harlequin motioned to Sylvia as he bent into a bow,

"Pae Hinterland, Sidhe of the Winter Court, Holder of Lightning and the pale woman of the wood, and Kagu, Demi-fey of the Winter Court, Ravager of Flesh, and the dark depths of the waters." He greeted them, half-explaining who they were to Sylvia, hoping she would pick up on it. He stood again as Kagu spoke,

"You look terrible. Didn't you use the paste?" He inquired, though his voice didn't carry much concern for Minh's well-being as it was a tool or toy of his,

"You're of no use dead." He finished, as if confirming this fact. The light-skinned one leaned into the darker one, outlining their stark differences perfectly. Little Fae of all kinds scattered and skittered around, but they mostly avoided the group now, and all of them avoided Shuck as he gnawed peacefully on the animal bone.

"What happened to your mask? It was such a crafty thing. Hid those tattoos and ears quite well." Poked the female, garbed in nothing but her tiny, black hat. Fae weren't known for wearing clothes, but Pixies seemed to enjoy small hats.

The normal forest ruckus seemed dulled and quiet around here, as if something was blocking out most of the sound. There would be a general sense of calm, peacefulness, but lurking underneath, if one could perceive, they would notice the dark, twisted cruelty of the truth of things. This was the realm of the Dark Court. If one were to inspect far enough, the far bank was littered with what seemed to be mutilated corpses, strung about trees in various macabre poses and fashions. Blood stained much of the floor here, and though it can't be heard from outside, the veil through the Faerie would be yielding screams of the tortured and damned.

Luckily for them, Minh had timed the walk so that they arrived in midday, rather than anywhere close to evening. though even with that, the far bank and beyong held a general gloominess about it. Clear was the line between both worlds, but only if you stood on the cusp of it as the two mortals did now. Anyone else would not have noticed a thing, and simply travelled on by,

"We need shelter. For a short while. Until her wounds heal." Said Minh, taking back the conversation to what he needed and seemingly ignoring the insulting comments as his gloved hand, stained now with blood on the thumbs, gestured toward Sylvia,

"She's been hurt badly and the humans will not take her in. I'm not asking you to take us in, either. Only that we stay for one mortal sunset and sunrise." Explained Minh, choosing his words and being very specific about certain details,

"In return, I'll... Well we'll discuss that part when we get to it. But she is not to be harmed, tricked, or mistreated in any way. She is not to be tainted by your realm, and will not be fed or forced anything from the Faerie." He demanded quietly, and that in itself seemed to bristle the hairs on the Fae pair's necks...

[boomdeboom]

Although she wanted badly to stare at the tiny creature, to hold it and feel its wings under her grasp, she went against her desires and continued to stare at his back, although she did move down to look at the ground for a few moments. She did notice that the grass here had an odd aura about it, almost as if the spirits of the people who died here still lingered. This made her shiver slightly, almost as if she could feel the dead hands feel her legs.

She did slowly bring up her gaze when she saw that the weird fire dog had made its way across the bank and was now munching rather loudly at some meat which she presumed Minh had given it. Taking a cautious step forward, she bent down and stared at it with wonder, her eyes wide like a child's. Whenever she met anything or anyone knew, it always excited her slightly, even if she didn't show it half the time. Raising her hand, causing the eyes of the Hellhound to stare at her movements, she went down to pet it only to retract suddenly as the shriek echoed.

Standing up quickly, stumbling backwards slightly, she again stared at Minh's back, feeling rather stupid that she had to look away most of the time. Why couldn't she just look at them? This thought began to make her mood turn sour until she forced herself to stop in case she did something she would most likely regret.

Following his movements, she gave a quick and very lame bow, which again made a soft embarrassed blush came onto her. She wasn't used to acting so. . .nice. However, her mood soon turned sour again as she listened to the conversation. Those bastards, they treated Minh as if they didn't care if he died, they only kept him alive for their convenience. But, biting her tongue, she merely put one hand into a fist to went out her anger, although her feathers rustled uneasily as the anger rushed through them.

She didn't like this place. She didn't like the fact that they were relying on someone like the Fae that caused such fear to Minh. Plus, she felt weird, a way in which she never felt before. Weak, yet strong at the same time. Weak in the sense that she could feel the power of her demon grow with every passing moment, something which worried her, and strong in the sense that she could still move without pain. She didn't like feeling this way. . .in a way which could not be explained.

As soon as he had laid his demands, she automatically felt worried. He was going to give something to them, and who knew what that would be. Taking a few steps forward, until she was right behind him, she stared hard into his back, as if trying to tell him to not do it. That they should just get the hell out of here while they can. She didn't want other people to put themselves in harms way just for her, she should be the person who should offer something.

Of course, noting that her mind was slightly weak with the growing worry, her demon took its opportunity to begin to whisper.

"Don't be so hard on yourself m'dear. Who cares, let's get rested up, and then when you're strong and healthy, you can use me to kill all these odd little creatures. I bet they taste wonderful, delightful in fact. Like little snacks. And of course if you're still after that, we can always eat your little fr--" Closing the demon off, not wanting him to finish that sentence, her gaze turned downward as she felt a sense of panic well in her. Why was she acting like this. . .why was her demon whispering so loudly. . .she wasn't feeling weak. It should not be able to talk at all. It was this place. .she didn't like it here at all.

[Laughing Man]

The forest seemed to bend and lean in to listen to their conversation, though most of the fae were doing their own thing, picking on each other and chatting. One small group was tearing apart beetles and lizards limbs, then tossing them into the river while giggling madly, as if it was the best fun they'd ever had. Still others, like the bone-ghost types just sort of hovered around and kept to themselves. The Black Shuck was still gnawing on his bone, seemingly content with the world despite the gore and visciousness of those around him.

Minh changed footing a bit as Pae and Kagu spoke to each other in unintelligible little voices, then both glared at Minh,

"We will bring it before the Court and ." Said Kagu at last, then both turned and vanished entirely to leave the mortals to themselves,

"I hope... Ahh never mind." Started Minh, cutting himself off before he said something that he would regret. His tattered leather armor was loose and straps were cut or dangling, his patterns were mottled with dirt and blood stains, and his face was crusted with blood. His eyes held a fierce, yet nervous, look about them as he surveyed the river and knelt down by it. His leg hurt him a bit and he was forced to keep it stiff as he knelt so as not to agitate it.

Lowering his face to the water, he started splashing and cleaning himself where he could, ignoring the cries and growing agitation of the fae nearby,

"Go drown yourselves." He responded to a rather nasty comment one of them made about him. His response sent them giggling and twirling away rather than getting upset, much to the relief of the Half-elf. Shaking out his hair, he sat back on the bank, then slumped onto his back and laid there quietly as his eyes were allowed to shut.

After a short while, the Harlequin opened his eyes and looked over at Sylvia,

"You can relax on the looking thing, just be careful. Most of the ones around here aren't going to bother with you today, and it's noon right now, so the Dark Court has less power. Plus, I think they sense someting in you. They don't seem to want to bother you." He mused then closed his eyes again,

"And Black Shuck won't let them touch either of us. But Kagu and Pae, those other two, they would be able to." He explained,

"See there's a heirarchy in the Fae.. the ones out here are kind of on the lesser side, so they don't have much pull or influence. Kagu and Pae are rather well-respected members, but I've heard that's mostly due to their own merits rather than being born into it. Both of them are half-breeds. The Seelie Court, or Light Court, wouldn't allow them, but the Dark Court accepts all mixtures. And the Sluagh, like Black Shuck, are either creature-types, or just those who have broken their word and were forced into the Great Hunt by the Court's leaders. They are not bound to either court, but sworn to protect them both." As he finished, he added,

"I don't care for either court. They're both going to stab you in the back and manipulate you until they can't use you anymore, at which point they'll dispose of you, or just cut you off altogether from their contact. Both can be fatal in their own way. Fae magic does things to mortals. Though I will clarify that at least the Dark Court will let you know when they're going to stab you, while the Light will bend the truth until it's just about broken, then stab you." finished Minh, letting out another sigh and staring rather forlornly at the sky and forest canopy. It was clear he was thinking of something that brought him pain and sorrow, but certainly wasn't mentioning what it was.

All they had to do now was pass the time until the two Fae came back. Though Minh was only willing to wait so long before he'd head them out.

[boomdeboom]

Once the two of what she presumed were the leaders, she couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of relief, as if they had just avoided a large danger. Rubbing the back of her sudden sweaty neck, Slyvia forgot the rules for one moment and gave a more detailed look around them. It seemed very peaceful, like a place of a fairytale. Complete peace. Although, so far, that's not what she felt here. She felt anything but peace.

Not wanting to go wash, feeling too dirty that she didn't even know where to start, she decided to wait until after they left this odd place and then she would go for a nice relaxing soak in a nearby river. However, she did feel tempted to go into the river, but she decided against it.

Taking Minh's advice, she sat down on the grass. Bringing up her knees, she wrapped her scrawny arms around them and placed her chin on her kneecaps. Then, in such a way that wouldn't hurt her slightly hurting wing, she wrapped her wings around her body like a protection. As if, with that, all these odd feelings would just stop and she would stop feeling so paranoid and worried. But, to her dismay, it didn't work.

Gazing towards the half elf as he explained the courts, she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, closing her eyes for a moment.

"These people don't seem to treasure us 'mortals' too much. Even if we believe to be almighty and powerful, it seems as if the Fae are really the powerful ones. . ." Pausing, giving a quick glance over to a small crowd of them which were giggling and speaking in a language which she couldn't understand. Then, murmuring to herself, she said.

"They really are interesting creatures. . ." Sighing, bringing her gaze back to the ground, where she stared at a small dandelion which was growing on its own, standing out from all the other rare flowers. However, this made her feel slightly at ease, as it showed that they were still in the same forest, only in a new place. But this place did make her feel like a lost child, and like she had said to herself many a time, she didn't like it. Especially when her demon appeared to be getting stronger, something which if it continued, would turn rather disastrous if not fatal. For the both of them.

Then, a new thought lingered in her mind, which made her purse her lips thoughtfully. The favour which they would have to pay in order for them to rest here. Although she didn't want to really bring this subject up, her curiosity, and worry, were getting the best of her. And so, staring with her blue irises, she asked softly, her voice showing a slight tone of worry although her face showed no emotion whatsoever.

"Minh. . .what's the condition for us staying here?" Even if he were to deny it, she would force him to answer. Being in the dark with something like this. . .it just seemed stupid. She should be in on it as well. Even though it did pain her slightly to ask a question which may be quite serious, as he looked rather vulnerable, especially with that rather pained look on his face. But still, she didn't want to feel so vulnerable, especially in a new place like this. Plus, they had to occupy their time somehow as they waited, although she could think of a million other things to talk about.

[Laughing Man]

Minh shrugged lightly as he continued to lay on his back, shifting only to move his pack out from under him in order to use it as a pillow. His eyes remained open, staring upward as he spoke,

"There is always a bigger fish. There is always a stronger bear, but as the Tale of Gideon Von Brunswick teaches us: There is always a way to defeat someone stronger, smarter, faster, and better than you." He ended his sentence there then clutched the dangling charm around his neck,

"And that is why we pray. Pray for release, for protection, for destruction in some cases." He admitted sadly,

"However for the most part, we pray to have someone bigger, better, and stronger to look after us and keep us safe from that which we are powerless to control." Minh's mind wanderd lightly as Sylvia surveyed the are and fae,

"Interesting? I guess. So small, and so intelligent, yet they don't think like we do. They place value on different things than us, and their entire mindset is completely out of synch with ours. Some here around us may be well over several thousands of years old. And then they just vanish when they wish to." His face took on a more serious note,

"That's where my problem lies. You can't kill the things unless they want to die. I've tried." Admitted the Harlequin with a defeated tone. Letting out a large sigh, Black Shuck stood up from his now-devoured bone to curl up at Minh's side,

"And they love twisting words to their own advantage, hence my 'no deals' rule. You will think you're getting a good deal, but it will be something that benefits you none at all while they walk off with your entire life held in their grasp because they show you mistake them for being kind and helpful. Then, when you pay your debts, they set you in situation after situation that forces you to further their own goals so they can continue their work until you're nothing but a husk of a creature with nothing to live for, so you wander the globe looking for purpose, yet every way you go, you end up back at their damn doorstep with nothing in your hands but bloodstains and refuse." As he went on, his voice seemed to carry more of a person twinge to it, as if he was spewing his own story. His eyes closed again and remained that way as his head turned slightly away from Sylvia,

"And then those around you have to watch you waste away and end up bargaining themselves, which starts the cycle over again." He ended his explanation abruptly, leaving the listener wondering exactly what he was talking about. It was true, the tale, but it wasn't entirely about him. It was actually about someone that was once very dear to him, but now he had gotten caught up in the same twisted web she was, however,

"That's something I intend to fix." He thought aloud, then sat up suddenly and groaned,

"I still feel like cr-"
"Minh. . .what's the condition for us staying here?" interrupted Sylvia, which forced his attention upon her. He hadn't really realized she was listening to that conversation. Or anything he was saying really, he just found that there was an ear to listen, and perhaps a soul he could warn about the dangers of these vile creatures before it, too was caught in the web. He glanced down at Black Shuck and reached a hand to scratch the creature behind it's massive, pointed ear, causing it to pant lightly and lean toward his touch,

"I don't know. One, two maybe? What do you think?" He inquired to the Shuck. The creature turned its head toward him and whined lightly, letting little wisps of flame roll out of its mouth before a dark, low, whispering, feminine voice emenated from nowhere yet everywhere while at the same time it was clear the creature was the one speaking,

"One at the least. But you should not be doing this." It warned him, which brought a frown,

"But there is nowhere else to go. We're in no condition to be travelling the forests. What else could I do? And what's one more year? I ha-" The creature cut him off with a low growl, but the voice didn't change tone at all,

"That's not your life to gamble away! Everything was done to keep you out of this world, and one more year is 365 days of chances that they could string you in for another year! and then another! It. Doesn't. End, Minh. They are selfish creatures! You know this!" The Shuck pushed itself up on its front paws and huffed out a small bit of flame,

"Do not make those same mistakes, leave. Now. Run while you still can, you only have two more months, don't let your life slip by as She had." The creature growled again and Minh nodded,

"I know you're right, bu-"

"No buts. Trust in that Goddess of yours, she will carry you to safety, I am sure. But do not make deals, Minh. Follow your own rules. Follow MY rules. Don't do what I did. Now Go." commanded the Shuck, who then stood up on all fours and turned her attention toward Sylvia,

"You are a dark one, like us, but not at all. Stay from this place and this forest, for they are watching you. They always watch. The cities of man are barely safe from them, but with the way you are I fear you cannot enter. However, the realm of the Fae are a worse place for yours than any city of man. To the west, there are others. Not like yourself, but men who would not care for the way you look. I urge you to seek them out. Find these men of Firaldas, and take shelter."

"But, I will never see you aga-" Started Minh, on one knee, the other raised now as he stared helplessly,

"I will stall them further. Leave this place and do not return." She sternly ordered, then turned her eyes upon the little fae gathered at what seemed to be the door to the other realm. She whispered something, as her voice is never able to come above a whisper due to her being part of the Sluagh, and the little fae shouted back, to which she responded by biting three of their heads off in one gulp, which caused the last two to skitter inside with the Shuck close behind. This left Minh and Sylvia, and a few awestruck fae outside alone. Only the trickling of the stream and a few forest critters could be heard.

Slowly, Minh fell back onto his hindside, clutching clumps of wet dirt angrily, but in a futile gesture of mixed sorrow and anger. There was nothing he could do now. Nothing except run.Realized I'd missed some coding with my italics. Fixed it. -

[boomdeboom]

"Hmm. . .it really just shows that you can't assume that something which is rather small is weaker then you. They're more advanced then man, and that's quite a feat." Her eyes still however saw these innocent fairy like creatures which appeared to be giggling innocently as they played in the water banks. It made her almost doubt what Minh said, but she soon corrected herself, knowing that he was right. She could already tell with the way they had spoken with him and in the field.

While listening to his tale, she raised a brow as she noted how his tone had turned somewhat personal. Perhaps this was what happened to him and how he got involved which the Fae? She wanted to ask, but felt that from the way he ended the discussion, that he didn't particularly want to talk about it. Not wanting to worsen the mood, she kept her mouth shut on the matter. Maybe someday she would ask, but not now. No, now was not a good time.

With his surprised look being rather amusing, Slyvia couldn't help but let out a small laugh in her knees. Although the laugh was somewhat broken, as if her voice knew that she shouldn't be laughing when the situation was like . . .this. What 'this' was, she was unsure. All she knew that she, nor Minh, were safe here.

Thinking that he was merely asking the hellhound a question which most humans did with their dogs, she was rather surprised as she heard a reply. Her eyes had now widened, her eyebrows so high that they were hidden behind her hair which was coming across her face. This. . hellhound could talk? Why hadn't it said something earlier? This made her very confused, but she finally let her mind accept it without question. She wasn't to talk after all, as she was far from normal.

Feeling a shiver run down her spine as it spoke to her, her demon gave a very loud hiss, which almost broke from her own lips, but she forced her lips shut. However, a soft hiss did break itself loose, and she just hoped that it wasn't too audible. She was rather taken aback from the sudden turn of events, and picking herself up, she couldn't help but letting her mouth fall as the hellhound proceeded to kill some of the Fae. She was almost sure that it was on the Fae's side and not theirs.

After a few minutes of silence, she cleared her throat, and giving a quick glance at Minh before turning herself around, began to walk. Tucking her wings against her spine, wincing as a slight amount of pain ran through her injured wing, she then said.

"Well, might as well go no. . ." Stopping suddenly, pausing mid stride, her hands flew up to the sides of her head as she clasped her mouth shout, refusing to let out a cry. Her demon all of a sudden had grown immensely powerful, and was now shouting in her head, its power pushing against her like a wave.

"Do not go! These creatures can help you Slyvia, you can become much more powerful! Just kill them all, take their power from their lives!" Shaking her head rather furiously, as if by doing so it would silence her demon, but alas it didn't work. Yelling many commands at her, she could feel it attempting to take over, however with the rest of her energy she pushed it back. However, her eyes by now had turned a very murky blood red and her wings had grown slightly larger as they began to spread out. As if she were crazy, she began to whisper to it, knowing that they had to get away now or it would be too late.

"Go away, not now. We need to go away, we'll die if we stay." Then, although her body was shaking quite a lot by now, she forced herself to move, although her steps were slow and stiff, as if her body refused to move, which was pretty much what it was doing as her demon held her down.

[Laughing Man]

Running was exactly what Minh didn't do. He sat there, legs curled under him on his knees, hands slack at his sides as he stared helplessly at the last point where the Black Shuck had disappeared. Bits of blood and insect wings with the remaining parts of the fae bodies glittered in what little rays of light could fight through the canopy as the crimson liquid rolled to mingle with the river,

"Aria..." Mumbled Minh quietly. Everything he had spent the last 3 years of his life doing had been thrown away. When one of the Sluagh kills a fae, there is no lower to go, only eternal pain and suffering at the hands of the Unseelie Court. That is because Sluagh can not themselves fade, or else the Courts would have no army to fight for them. But this one was a Half-Elf turned fae, and thus not entirely bound by the rules of the others. She was able to make the conscience decision to strike down a faery, or three in this case, then go charging into the Faerie Mound. His face was not hiding any of the pain-filled expression of loss that it portrayed as his mind unravelled.

The surrounding Fae had, by now, stopped their innocent games and all produced various weapons. Some of them grew to larger sizes, or simply took flight, moving toward their closest target, Minh, who was still sitting on the shore. His hand slowly moved up to clutch the charm around his neck, out of pure instinct, a comforting device because there was simply nothing else his mind could register.

As his hand came upon it, he closed his eyes and prayed silently, oblivious to the danger near him. His prayers ended abruptly when a pulse of energy speared the nearest fae, a tiny green pixie who was about to jab a makeshift spear into Minh's eye. The pure beam of light originated from thin air above the creature, and sliced it in half causing blood to land in Minh's lap along with the twitching, dying form of the creature. Minh just stared at it until it's eyes glaxed over and it fell still. Then as another fae leapt onto his thigh, he snapped out of his stupor and swatted the thing, sending it into the river with a light splash. His head and eyes spun around, spotting Sylvia who was acting strangely, walking as if there was some force stopping her from moving. He immediately assumed it was the fae, and turned his eyes back around.

The boot came down on top of the little, black-skinned fae like a two ton boulder on an ant, crushing it instantly, then lifting up as Minh turned to run. Invoking some prayers to his goddess, asking for the will and power to flee, he slammed into Sylvia from behind, putting an arm around her back and the other grabbing her arm, Minh attempted to force her forward to the point of dragging her if he had to. No matter what, they were leaving,

"I won't let another of her sacrifices for me be in vain. Never again..." Growled the nromally calm, serene Harlequin, attempting with all his might to flee the veil between Faerie and the mortal plane.

There was nothing here for him anymore anyway, the only reason he had spent the last few years of his life slaving away for his cruel masters had just sacrificed herself for him for the second time in his life.

The pained howl of a canine was heard echoing throughout the forest, causing a flock of birds to vacate their perches from near the Faerie Veil.

[boomdeboom]

For the next few moments, her mind went blank. As if she had suddenly passed out, yet she didn't. She knew she hadn't, or else she would be consumed by darkness. No, she just stood there, her movement stopping, her eyes staring straight ahead. She couldn't hear anything, only the now persistent whispering which was in her ear. It was very annoying, like a fly buzzing around your ear, except she couldn't swat it away. She couldn't do anything. No matter how hard she tried to, she just couldn't move her body. Assuming it was her demon causing this, she again tried to plead to it. Not knowing she was saying it aloud, she murmured.

"Please, just let me go. We're in danger, do you want me to die?" As if trying to show her just what it could do, Slyvia could feel and move again, but alas it was apart of a plan. Because as soon as she had retrieved her body back, she began to cough violently, and as she pressed her now shaking hands up to her mouth, she could feel a substance in her hand. Already knowing what to expect, she was still shocked to see that when she raised her hands to look at them that they were now covered with her blood. And with that loss of blood, she could already feel her body begin to weaken.

She had never had an experience like this since the first time she had ever met her demon. . . .back then, during that horrible period of pain and suffering. And back then, she didn't mind letting her demon take over, but now was a completely different situation. Now she didn't want to kill anyone. It seemed however that her demon had already seen this, and was now trying to weaken her soul in order to gain access, hence why it gave a small sample of what it could do. But, she knew if she could just get out of this place, she would be ok and could control the power. Or at least get away as quickly as she possibly could in order to save people's lives. As this thought ran through her mind, she felt a pressure on her back and hand and was surprised to find herself moving, even if she didn't feel her legs. Blinking, her still murky red orbs wide, she spotted the reason of her movement. Minh. It seemed that he too was eager to get moving, and so again with forced movement, she began to move to try and match his speed.

However, as this was going on, she began to cough again, though she covered her free hand with her mouth freely in order to cover the fact that she was coughing blood up again. But anyone would be able to guess something was going horribly wrong, since her hands were already bloody, her once innocent blue eyes had now turned a rather evil red, and now her pupils were becoming wide and freaky looking as the instinct to hunt from her demon began to kick in. Many disturbing thoughts were going through her head, most of them filled with blood and the need to kill.

Even though most would have found it sad, the howl of pain which ran through the forest made her rather excited. Well, technically it made her demon excited. The sound of pain and torture was like music to its ears, and since it was now beginning to gain control over her body, she too felt it in her emotions, even though it made her stomach turn. She hated every moment of this, feeling the dark power of her demon seep slowly into her veins as she began to lose control. But they were so close to escaping, if she could hold it until now, she could hold it for a few moments. The mere fact that it would probably be fatal for both her and Minh if she were to give in was the only thing preventing it, even though in the meantime she was coughing up precious blood into her hand and she was beginning to feel her legs go like jelly from the effect of that. She just hoped Minh would save asking questions or doing anything to help until they had least gotten out.