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Post by Omio on Apr 30, 2009 18:16:33 GMT -5
"You're getting much better dealing with shady business already, Saira. Yes, he was one of the three that escaped the purge with me. Now only one ex-Dragoon remains. But I cannot wallow for them." And then he began to curl up. "I'll wallow and mourn at the right time. Now is my time to rest. It's best if you did the same."
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Post by WolfEnchantress on May 3, 2009 13:18:17 GMT -5
You're right, I guess," She said with a sigh. Rest was something they would both need.
She crawled up into the bed next to Len, sinking into it's soft mattress and sheets. Her mind raced, and she figured it would be impossile for her to fall asleep. And, for at least an hour, she lay awake, thinking of nothing in particular. But, finally, towards late midnight, she finally drifted off to dream strangely disturbing things that, later, she wouldn't remember.
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Post by Omio on May 4, 2009 7:33:31 GMT -5
Len took maybe five minutes to fall asleep; but into a dreamless one, this night. His mind slipped into a state of stasis until a rather early time in the morning. That early time managed to get him into awareness, though a bit drowsy, yet - he merely laid there as time passed, letting the clouds of drowsiness fade away little by little.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on May 4, 2009 11:02:43 GMT -5
Kimara didn't say anything for quite some time...thinking about the answer to give. Finally, the truth won out. "This challenge was not suggested for Saira alone, Sarora. It was also a challenge to you. One, to see if you could live without being her constant guardian. Two, to see what you would do if she decided to choose a different path in life."
Kimara turned and faced Sarora again. "Dragoons are very serious with their abilities. If Saira is intent on being around one, it might be hard for you to be around her. Over time, the Dragoons have lost their way and their will, becoming little more than powerful mercenaries. I have done battle with them in the past and it took quite some time to recover. Their power is great, but their ethics are non-existent. I can't speak for them all, but I can speak for most."
Kimara shook the head and wrapped the frail arms around the stick-thin body. "You need to be aware of what you could be up against. Loyalty is not something you can count on all the time, even from those you love, Sarora. You know that from your expulsion from the Ularian. You need to be aware that it could happen with Saira too. If that happens and you are alone again, what will you do with your life?"
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Post by WolfEnchantress on May 4, 2009 17:13:12 GMT -5
The dragon listened to Kimara's words in silence. It had been the answer she was expecting. At least, part of it had been.
She is free to leave if she wishes. I will not keep her by force, She replied, drawing herself up. And I will not hold anything against this Dragoon unless he harms her, unless I have good reason to.
She had decided the answer to the last question just this day. Of course, I hope the little human will stay. She can even bring the other along, if he, in fact, didn't cause any trouble. And if she left, I will explore the rest of the world. And, once Saira has lived out her short human life, I'd return to the Ridge to face my death honorably, as a dragon should.
**
Saira woke some time later, though rather reluctantly. She knew they had to leave, and she should get up. But the bed was comfortable, and this was the only real rest she'd gotten since she left.
With a groan of resignation, she rolled onto her back.
"Len. I think we have to wake up now." She said, her voice thick with sleep, but made no move to wake. Instead, she turned over and burowed farther into Len and the blankets. It was a long while before she finally fought her way into a half-sitting position., judging the time of day. She nudged Len in an attempt to wake him. This morning was quite different than the one before-He'd been awake in seconds. She let herself fall back, stretching and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
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Post by Omio on May 5, 2009 9:39:51 GMT -5
Len managed to a seated position on the edge of the bed. The few dozen minutes he sat there while laying face-up helped get the edge of drowsiness off of him, which proved helpful now. He had to whisper, since it was still early. "Yeah, get ready to go. As soon as you're ready, we're out of here." And then he slung his backpack on, waving his hands a little before an orb of light came about in the room, its colour was a light blue, and a little bit dim, considering what it was, but it lit the room nonetheless. "Don't mind the coldfire." And then he reached his hand up, swiping his hand though it. "I can diffuse it later. A simple, near-costless magic, it is." Len actually used a Keystone, but he had a few of them ready, so he was fine.
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Post by WolfEnchantress on May 5, 2009 16:23:50 GMT -5
Saira reluctantly sat up, then stood, stretching.
"Be ready in a minute," she said, and slipped into a small adjoining room that served as a washroom. She used the pump to get water and splashed herself with it, rinsing out what she could of the blood still staining her cloak before nodding and returning to the main room.
"Now i'm ready." She said, staring curiously at the floating blue orb of light. Though Len touched it, she couldn't bring herself to, no mater how much she wanted to see what it felt like.
"What is it?" She asked, quietly opening the door. She was glad the hinges were kept well-oiled, they didn't make a sound. "Will it attract unnecessary attention?
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Post by Omio on May 6, 2009 9:11:42 GMT -5
Once the door was opened, he weaved his hands a little, and the orb faded to nothing. "Yeah, coldfire can net us unwanted attention." And then he slinked out the door, in complete silence. "Watch your footsteps." And he flipped the sign, sneaking on his way down and setting the key on the counter, already on his way out. He waited at the door for Saira.
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Post by WolfEnchantress on May 6, 2009 21:18:24 GMT -5
She followed him down silently and left the inn. Once outside, she couldn't help but let out a whimper. Even at this hour of morning, when the sun was just beginning to rise, a lot of people milled about, getting redy for the day. No one paid them any mind but to ask if they were interested in their wares, but she followed close behind len like a shadow, peeking around his shoulder. There was more people in this town alone than she'd seen in her entire life. (Which, of course, isn't saying much considering her history)
"Is...Is it always like this?" She whispered to him, nearly tripping over him. She backed off a step or two, trying to seem not so conspicuous, but she still stared in wonder at all of the buildings and people.
"The entire town must be awake!" Which, of course, wasn't true in the least. Nonetheless, they were mostly ignored by the townspeople as they bustled around, setting up booths and street vendor carts.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on May 6, 2009 22:02:01 GMT -5
Kimara had let the conversation die the night before and had gone to sleep. The sun found Kimara awake and nibbling on some food. Sarora was still sitting silently as the dew dripped off the leaves of the little circle of trees they were in.
"Saira and her guest have left the inn. They should be on their way back. If all goes well, they should be here by tomorrow evening." Kimara nibbled some more and threw the rest of the food to some birds nearby.
Kimara sighed and turned to look at Sarora, sadness filling the deep pools of the ageless eyes. "I was thinking about what you said last night. Are you sure they would even let you return to face an honorable death? Knowing dragons, especially ice dragons, to die in dishonor is the worst insult. Could you handle dying in dishonor after disgracing your entire race?" Kimara was thinking about saying more, but didn't at the moment. There was still time.
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Post by Omio on May 7, 2009 10:21:15 GMT -5
He nodded to Saira. "I was hoping to leave a couple of hours earlier, preferrably..." He soon lead the way out of town, moving a bit quick. If they resumed at the pace Len had set, they'd be able to make it past their old camping point easily. "Don't worry about night-time. I can make coldfire almost anytime. I might teach you, later."
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Post by WolfEnchantress on May 7, 2009 15:08:33 GMT -5
"I'm sorry," Saira said. "I should have woken up earlier...Usually I'm up before dawn." She matched Len's quick pace, eager to leave town. Arriving at night hadn't been so bad, and she tried only to focus on their destination.
"Now I remember why I didn't like it last time I came to a place like this," She grumbled as they left the town's borders, relaxing a bit.
"Me? Make...What was it? Coldfire?" She didn't know if it would be possible. She mulled overthis thought for a moment before letting her thoughts drift away.
"Will whoever it is that wanted information be out here looking for you?" She asked. "Should we be on the lookout for anyone? Or anything?" She added the last part because, though she hadn't seen anything severely threatening, this was a huge forest. There had to be predators in it other than humans.
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Post by Omio on May 7, 2009 15:21:18 GMT -5
"I don't think so. If there any animals to be wary about, just keep your nose keen. Bears are a pain in the neck, but easily dispatched, and are usually alone at this season." Len looked to Saira, nodding for assurance. "Yes, I'll teach you how to make Coldfire when we camp tonight. You might need to read about Keystones before you learn about Coldfire, though. You need a keystone so you can use Coldfire." Great opportunity to get myself some more Keystones. I'm running slightly low. Enough for a couple of days, though.
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Post by WolfEnchantress on May 7, 2009 20:06:40 GMT -5
She walked freely now, weaving through the forest happily. She'd grown fond of it, despite her apprehension of a few days before. It was peaceful, and she'd seen more new species of birds she'd never seen before than she'd seen anywhere else. She loved to watch them. Compared to dragons, they were so quick and nimble. Still, though, she steped quietly, avoiding leafpiles and dry branches. Couldn't be too safe, after all.
"A keystone?" She asked curiously. "What's that?" The only keystone she knew of was the kind that held atone-arch bridges up and kept them from falling. She knew with almost certainty these would be different, some kind of magical aid.
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Post by Omio on May 8, 2009 8:19:26 GMT -5
"They're stones charged with magical energy so mageprices can be lessened or negated by the use of them. Handy little things, they are." Len seemed to move with little care, considering his caution yesterday. Only his eyes and nose seemed to be at attention. One could actually hear his footsteps. The forest, however, made Len slightly uneasy; having no sense of belonging, and yet no sense of rejection.
"If we had time to, we'd hunt for an eggbear so I can make a few dozen rations, but we'll have to do that tomorrow."/color]
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' Bloody heck, two jobs and a BUNCH of kerfuffle later, and I'm back AGAIN.