Quest for the Crystals [O/C*][Fantasy, Adventure, Lit RP]

[Scrivener_Lost]

graphics done by Cynosural Cataclysm

He wasn't sure how long he had been unconscious for. It could have been ten, fifteen, thirty minutes or it could have been an hour. He was not entirely sure. But what Eirik did know was that when did he finally open his eyes, he was utterly and completely alone. Evelyn had been just a few yards away and he had been so sure that Damir and Nate were somewhere nearby. He could have sworn that he heard them as they tromped through the forest in their search for food. However, it was now very obvious that he was alone and soon, he would find himself in the dead of night with no light source in which to make his way back to the clearing. Sitting up, Eirik rolled his shoulders a few times before stretching. It had not been a very long rest and his limbs still ached terribly, but he at least felt confident that he would be able to return to camp without passing out on the trek back. With a wide open-mouthed yawn, the Earth Esper rose to his feet, still using the tree as support until he managed to land on his own two feet. He let his eyes wander the scenery for a moment as he judged just which way he needed to go in order to turn back to camp. As he scanned the region, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Letting his gaze roll lazily over the darkening area, his brows furrowed as he noticed an oddly shaped shadow just on the other side of the creek. He quirked his head to the side for a moment before rubbing his eyes in attempts to clear the remnants of his nap from his bleary gaze. Dropping his arms, he realized that the shadow was gone and the creek simply bubbled and trickled without any sign of the strange presence. Eirik stood there for a moment before he shrugged. "Hmm. Must be my imagination," he muttered to himself. As he turned to make his way back to the other Espers, something shifted just out of sight. Eirik stopped short before frowning, turning back to face the creek once more with his hands curled into fists.

And that's when he saw him. The shadow had returned and was now on the same side of the creek as Eirik. The young man could clearly see that the shadow was in the defined shape of a man, but he had not heard anyone approach. Even more strange was that Eirik knew the shadow had been on the other side of creek and yet, he was very clearly only a few feet from him now. Eirik slowly lowered his hands as he leaned forward slightly, attempting to gaze into the enshrouded face of the man. "Umm...hello? Sir? Uh...are you okay?" The man was just standing there, unmoving and statuesque. The Earth Esper could feel the hairs on the back of his neck and arm begin to rise and he felt a nervous trickle in his chest. Whoever this guy was clearly had no intentions of announcing himself. "Look, I don't know who you are, but if you're from the village, we're fine. We can handle ourselves." At his words, the tall thin shadow lifted its head and a soft hum filled the air. "Is that so." It did not sound like a question. In fact, it sounded much more threatening. Sinister even. Eirik swallowed and took a small step back, his heel hitting the large roots of the tree, reminding him that he was pinned between it and the strange man whose voice sent chills down his spine. "Uh...I should...be getting back now," Eirik suggested softly. He took a step to the right just as a sharp snap echoed in the air making the young man flinch back. The sound was so loud and intense, it left his ears ringing. He raised his hand to his right ear and rubbed it furiously with a grimace on his face. There was a soft chuckle and Eirik's gaze moved to the strange man. Hadn't he been startled by the strange sound? Or perhaps he was the source of it? "I would not move if I were you." The shadow spoke once again.

"H-hey! Don't mess with me. I am-" "I know damn well who you are." Suddenly, the hum in the air began to increase and Eirik could see strange little sparks that would erupt in midair like tiny fireworks before fizzling out of existence nearly as quickly. There was no rhyme or reason to it, simply erratic snapping that began to put Eirik on edge. Swallowing harshly, Eirik's brows tightened over his features as his worried gaze locked onto the strange man. Then, without warning, Eirik leaped to his right and he stumbled over the roots of the tree. He had to get away. He didn't understand why, but this man was dripping with malice. He had to get back to the others. But before he could get more than a few feet away, his body suddenly became rigid as fire seared through his muscles and bones. Eirik let out a pathetic whimper of pain as his knees locked up and his legs flailed underneath him, sending him tumbling onto the soft-packed dirt of the forest floor. "A-augh! W-what the...hell?" For a minute, all he could do was simply flinch on the ground before his muscles slowly relaxed. 'I told you not to move." Breathing harshly through the burning pain that appeared to radiate from his leg, Eirik was barely able to roll himself over as the sound of leaves shifting underfoot joined with the constant crackle of electricity. His eyes darted back up to the madman as he gasped for air. He stood there, grinning a wicked jester's grin, the air around him crackling and snapping with terrible excitement. There was a wicked hiss that filled the air between them now and with each violent snap, Eirik flinched. The air around him was alive with energy, the erratic tendrils of electricity grabbing and reaching for anything it could get it's terrible hands on.

Branches, grass, rocks; nothing was safe from the burning bite of the lightning that wove around him like an excited creature that was eager to please the crazed man. Small individual bolts would trail out from the main snake and crackle loudly as it burned through it's target. The sheer amount of power he was exuding created it's own wind as it billowed madly about him, flattening the grass underfoot and tossing debris into the air which the electricity would search out, snap at, and then consume. His eyes shimmered in the waning evening as night took hold, white teeth contrasting boldly against the darkness that enshrouded his face. "You should have never left home, boy. You should have offered your life up through your own hands than to foolishly take on this pilgrimage. But do not worry. I will help you. I will set you free from the wickedness of your journey. I cannot allow you to threaten my immortality. It is a gift from which I have given too much sacrifice to let the likes of you take from me."

Eirik slowly pulled himself to his knees, his entire body simply burning with the effort as the demon neared, a weary whimper escaping from him as his eyes locked into the face in front of him with utter terror. This man was going to kill him. "Do not worry, your friends will follow you shortly into the afterlife," the deranged shadow hissed as though reading the Esper of Earth's mind. Eirik broke out of his daze just as the creature lunged at him, flinging himself from his spot and rolling into the mercy of the open grass as he madly searched the area for his polearm. Where was it?! Where had he left his weapon? With a sickening realization, it dawned on him that he had left it down by river. He had not retrieved it before walking to the tree line. Darting madly in the direction of the river, Eirik stumbled as his aching legs wobbled underneath him. He should not have used his powers so foolishly. There was no escape. Within seconds, he felt a second bolt jab him in the spine and he tumbled into the grass. "You will not escape me!" The stranger cackled, his voice radiating amusement. He was simply toying with him, Eirik realized. Like a cat and a mouse. And Eirik was the mouse. It felt as though someone were pressing a hot iron against his back and dragging it along the outline of each muscle as his body seized, his arms curling involuntarily up to his chest as he gasped madly for breath. He didn't know how much more he could take. By now, the demented demon was looming over him, gazing down at the young man as his limbs twitched sporadically. "You look terribly uncomfortable. Here, let me put you out of your misery." Eirik was just barely able to fight the spasms in his arms as he reached out and grabbed a handful of the tall grass. The earth would not respond to him. He had abused his powers far too much earlier and now, he was left completely defenseless.

Attempting to pull himself closer to his weapon in vain attempt, he felt the man swipe a hand along his shoulders before he dug his wicked claws into Eirik's back, his nails sinking into fabric and flesh. "Goodbye, little Esper." The shadow poured a single massive jolt of pure unadulterated electricity through the young man's body and watched in nostalgic glee as the body seized and twitched violently, a trail of smoke issuing from the bubbling and burning flesh underneath his palm. The stench of scorched flesh billowed around him for several minutes until with one last massive shove, he sent another bolt of high voltage energy through the young Esper. A sound similar to a large clap of thunder sounded out and then, silence as a soft evening breeze took with it the remaining cinders of the Earth Esper, spreading the ashes out across the forest where they would settle back into the dirt and fade into the earth.

Cynosural Cataclysm

xXx Fox Trot xXx

Caesar The Last Uchiha

Maytime Marionette

Kairakoi

Fading Apprehension

[Sheezur Cannoli]

Nathaniel LaFontaine, Esper of Light

Nate was certainly grateful for a companion like Damir. He was easily motivated by things such as challenges (then again, the idea of taking down a large bear also excited Nate, too.) But he also reminded Nate of a hunting dog. He didn't necessarily mean it in a rude manor... it was a good thing. It meant that if Nate could cultivate their relationship as comrades, he knew he had someone he could rely on in a pinch. This was incredibly important to him, considering the only other Esper he figured he could trust in a fight off the bat were Xeniel, wiht whom he had grown up, and Eirik who certainly looked the part of an adventurer. Of course in due time, Nate would come to find out that both of these two were gone now, though that's another issue to talk about When we get there. The most important thing to mention, is that if both Nate and Damir managed to survive this ordeal. he figured that he'd definitely have someone he could count on in the long run. "Setting rabbits free is easy; we'll have meat for days if we catch a bear!" In a situation like the one that the group was in right now, which was very shy on food, they had to go big. A quail and some rabbits (At this point Nate had given up on the idea of catching fish.) would only be a solution for the night. With that massive bear, they could take as much meat as they could carry back to the campsite.

As Nate and Damir continued their way along the obviously made path by the bear, the feeling of a stomach turning in knots was getting more evident. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. I mean, seriously? This was a huge god damn bear. While Nate for the most part had come out of those situations unscathed, he had seen first hand what bears can do to people in the past: crippled arms, large gashes across faces and chests... it was pretty terrible. He wished that he had brought Xeniel along for the fight... or at least asked her if he could borrow her spear. Damir jabbing at the the bear with said spear, while he went around for a pincer attack from behind was a pretty terrible strategy when he thought about it, but it was better than nothing. Really, the only thing he could think of that could work was if one of them tried to blind the bear. It was incredibly risky, considering the bear's strength, claws and teeth, but a blind bear was obviously easier to fight than a healthy one. There was also the idea of quite literally going straight for the jugular of the bear. It was about as smart of an idea as blinding the bear, Truthfully Nate had only seen it done to put a bear out of its misery. The only other real choice was Damir's axe. If they could fine a way to get him a clear shot at the bear's neck...

"Whoa." Whoa was right. Nate and Damir had eventually come across a the Bear's den, which housed the large bear who was rather busy eating its meal of salmon. From a cross the river, the bear didn't look nearly as big. But not that they were about forty or so feet away, Nate could tell that this was bigger than any bear he had seen before. A true 'King of the Forest' sort of air could be felt from the bear as it tared over at the two before continuing on with its dinner. It was only for a brief second, but that stare was certainly a warning to the two young men: Leave now, or else. "What's our strategy for taking it down?" Very, very good question. But still, Nate didn't exactly have a clear cut answer. "I could kill it,"Nate could see Damir was earnest with his words; he truly thought he could take it down. "With what, your newly born Esper Powers? A small quail is a bit of a difference form a nine foot bear." He didn't mean to shut Damir down so quickly, but he didn't want Damir to try something like that without knowing his own limits and capabilities. If they could amplify his power... "We could try to lead it to the river... But the issue with that is all the fish in the water might die as well. We're already killing a bear and taking as much of the meat as we can; killing all those fish as well would be a huge waste."

They had to think of something - and fast. The 'King of the Forest' had finally began to stir from his dwelling, coming out of the den to greet his opponents. When the distance between the three was shortened from forty feet to about twenty five, the bear stood on its hind legs and let out is mighty roar,effectively warning the two that this was their last chance to run.for the most part, it felt like Nate's entire body had gone numb. He couldn't move his legs, almost as if his body was rejecting the idea of fleeing. Nate unsheathed his sword with his left hand, and started to reach for his knife slowly with his right. "We split up. Drop your axe when you get the chance, and get your knife ready. I'll do my best to distract it, and you go for its eyes." Nate held his hunting knife between the fingers of his right hand before gripping his sword tightly with his left hand. "On the count of three, I want you to run to your left. Wait for the right moment, and then jump on his back, okay?"

As the bear began slowly approaching them, Nate closed his left eye and held his knife up. If he could aggravate the bear with his knife, it could give Damir a chance. "One... Two..." The bear was only about five yards away at this point. Dear Guardians, he really wished he had some actual throwing knives to use right now. "... Three!" Nate tossed his knife at the bear, piercing it in its shoulder. The wound wasn't too deep, but it was clearly enough to anger 'The King of the Forest'. The bear let out yet another loud roar as it started to charge at the two. Nate started to desperately sprint to his right, with the bear right behind him. "I immediately regret this decision, Damir!" If the people at the village could see Nate now... they would probably laugh at his idiocy. But as of now, all he could do was run.

Location: The Western Yelarian Forest.
Company: Damir and a bear.
Feeling: Terrified.
Voiced by: Majima Junji
OOC: N/A

[Fading Apprehension]

"Wow, I guess... that's, um, fire..." The spoken observation had caused Celeste to scoff inwardly. 'And here I thought I had obtained the powers of the Potato Esper.' She chewed on her bottom lip to keep from voicing the remark, eyes sweeping across the fire and then clearing to search for the source of the voice. Evelyn's face came into view just as she stepped forward and sat down to join their small gathering. Celeste looked her up and down before she glanced toward the bow in the grass, feeling less alarmed as she realized that the Esper of Air had dropped her guard as well. It was easier to see her face when she sat down at eye-level. She was at least an inch shorter than her moodier comrade, with a spiky mop of white tufts resting atop her head in no particular order. Her features were wispy, and it was of great surprise to Celeste that she managed not to fly away when faced with the strong winds that sometimes plagued the Autumn months in Yelaria. In the course of Celeste's short life she had learned at least a few things very well. One of the more memorable lessons had been that she must never judge a book by its cover. This was a situation where underestimating a person or situation could be the difference between life and death for them all.

Celeste's gaze flittered toward the blue-eyed girl from earlier as she moved her shapely bottom to the ground and began to scoot forward in a child-like manner. The Esper of fire offered the girl a small smile and cocked her head, observing as she settled into a more relaxed position beside the flames. Celeste made a mental note that even as Alencia basked in the new-found comfort and warmth of the heat source her expression had remained stiff. 'Almost mechanic in nature.' Celeste mused, growing pleased when the Water Esper made up her mind and finally offered her personal brand of approval. "Hmph. Thank you. You have convinced me." Celeste threw the small branch in her fingers on top of the flames, not bothering to watch as it disappeared from sight. "By the way. While you are welcome to call me Queen, do not hesitate from calling me Queen Alencia." “Of course, you're also welcome not to. None of us do." The white-haired Esper quipped. While Celeste personally didn't care for the bitterness that seeped through the girl's tone she was happy for a reprieve from her own thoughts. Obviously there were earlier interactions she had not been privy to, and it was extremely difficult for her to pick sides in the midst of the fighting. She was still listening to Alencia, who had continued on with her introduction despite the lack of inquiry "And... I am the Water Esper." She pulled her hair aside in a dramatic sweeping motion and proudly displayed her mark. It was elegant and blue in color, befitting of the water element. Her own cheeks colored slightly when Alencia's hands tugged gently at the collar of her clothing to offer her a better look. She had an excuse to look away when Alvain's voice interrupted the exchange, "I must use the restroom, please excuse me." Celeste felt the matter must have been urgent because he had quickly sunk into the shadows. In the wake of his hasty departure he left only the sounds of a struggle and then the fading noises of rustling leaves and crunching gravel."Hopefully those other oafs come back with some food. I am starving." The mixture of affection and camaraderie that had been present a couple of moments before shrunk with Alencia's utterance of those demanding words. Celeste was sure by this point that it was no secret the Water Esper had wagon loads of attitude. In spite of this fact Celeste found her to be somewhat endearing, though she wouldn't venture as far as describing her with the word harmless.

“I'm the Air Esper, Evelyn. You're welcome to call me Evee." The words were warm and inviting, a mirror opposite of the tone she had used with Alencia earlier. For a moment Celeste wondered why that might be, but she quickly shifted her attention back to the information being shared with her by the Air Esper. “There is a stream over that way. If you need to get water or want to wash." Celeste nodded politely, offering the girl a friendly smile. "Thank you, Evelyn." Judging by Alencia's comment the other Espers were out securing the evening meal, and there was no telling how they would react when confronted with the news of her arrival. "I hope they're alright..." Evelyn seemed to be restless. Celeste felt the concern was certainly warranted. The woods were a dangerous place to be at night. She could think of a short list of injuries and mishaps that could happen to anyone off the top of her head, and the possibility of them occurring only increased in absence of light. Luckily, she had little reason to return to the thick maze of towering trees. Celeste was exhausted from the day's events, and the mare could wait until morning. There was plenty of grass near the stream banks and provided the beast didn't slip on the moss covered rocks she was certain they could both survive the night.

Celeste felt a growing curiosity about the cloaked figure in their presence. The Shadow Esper sat silently in the same spot as she had earlier. Before Celeste could offer the woman an invitation to join them next to the fire, she spoke. "Presea." Her introduction to the conversation was curt, and short-lived. Celeste's golden eyes followed Presea with a mild interest as the Esper of Shadows flopped onto her back and turned her attention elsewhere. 'Well this is certainly an interesting group.' She chuckled softly, feeling a little bit dizzy from trying to process all the new information. "I'll try my best to remember." She was unsure how she felt about using anything other than their first names for the time being, but in time she might be able to choke out an Evee or Queenie for the two comically different creatures.

Celeste had never had a nickname herself, in fact the closest she had ever come was the unsavory use of Faye in place of her first name. She had seen the way in which the title of Queen had seemingly lapped over Alencia with soothing waves of endorphins and pleasure. 'Is this the mysterious power of nicknames?' She mulled it over, pouting slightly in envy of the women and their theoretical power. She absentmindedly rubbed her hands together to warm them, wincing as she recalled the raw and now peeling patch of skin on her palm. She opted to lay the injured appendage face up on her leg and let the evening air soothe the searing pain. The bags had been left near the horse, and even if they weren't absent she was certain that neither of her parents had thought to pack any bandages. She tried to turn her back toward the fire to give her hand more distance from the heat, but with every minute that passed she found the discomfort growing. Celeste pushed a large breath out through her teeth, tapping her uninjured hand on her other knee. Her attempts to mask her pain and refrain from fidgeting only grew more unsuccessful as the night continued on.


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❥ FEELING: Pain, Curiosity tab ❥ WITH: Alencia, Presea, Evelyn tab ❥ LOCATION: The clearing tab ❥ OOC:

[Cynotastic]

ThoughtTalking

When the Air Esper had returned to camp with her stones, Alencia hadn't even noticed. The majority of her attention had been placed onto the real Fire Esper. Though, there was no real need for the Esper of Water to need to give Evelyn any attention really, considering the fact the woman seemed as passive as a potato. It wasn't until the third other woman spoke that Alencia actually realized she had appeared. "Wow, I guess... that's, um, fire..." When did she show up though? Whatever, doesn't matter. She shrugged her shoulders as she dismissed any interest in the short haired woman. If she's even a woman. Alencia snorted as the humorous thought crossed her mind. Her hair is so short, I'd probably take her as a man from behind. Her gaze rolled onto her the target she was mentally abusing before turning back to the flame. Then the cogs of her mind began to turn as she realized the utterly stupid statement the woman had made. "No s**t." The Water Esper scoffed. "I thought the Fire Esper conjured Lightning." Alencia stated loudly, sarcasm and irritation dripping off her words. "I am traveling with an idiot." She spat her tone a bit more silent than her previous statement. Shooting the offending woman a glare, she returned her attention back onto the Fire Esper.

As the introductions began, and Alencia informed their new arrival of her own name - although it was fronted with a title. Evelyn made a point to chip in where her opinion was unnecessary. “Of course, you're also welcome not to. None of us do." This statement provoked the Water Esper so much that she shot the offending woman a glare. "I mean, if we were to go by the standard of others. You look more like a man than a woman." She stated with an irritated click of her tongue. "Funny someone who clearly is weak is chiming in on business that isn't her's. Or, wait. His. She growled as she felt her expression twist into a snarl. There were subtle twitches in the muscles around her eyes as she stared at the woman.

If anything, it was when she was soaking in anger that Alencia was quite glad that she wasn't one of the more offensive powers. For if she were, she'd probably be accidentally causing fire or electricity to flicker off her body. However, nothing of that sort happened with water, luckily. For, if it did, she would probably only effectively soak herself, and that would be awkward and uncomfortable. Though, the Water Esper had been so engulfed in her feelings of rage and irritation that she hadn't even heard the words that came from Alvain behind her. No, instead, she simply continued to glower at the woman. With each syllabal that trickled out of the stupid Air Esper's lips, Alencia could feel her dislike for the woman growing. Even with the fact the short haired woman was speaking simple pleasantries, she had little ability to withstand such foolish banter. “There is a stream over that way. If you need water or want to wash." "I am plenty capable of making water. It's probably got less filth than the stupid stream. Who knows if creatures urinate in that water." The Water Esper grumbled as she bent a knee and rested an arm on it. However, it seemed that Celeste thanking Evelyn seemed to mask some of the irritated words that Alencia was spouting.

As the conversation continued, focusing more on the other Espers who had ventured out into the wilderness in search of food. Her icy eyes scanned the clearing as she recalled that only a pair of them had gone in search of food, while the final missing Esper had gone in search of water - just as Evelyn suggested. Idiots, the bunch of them. We're espers. We can make all of what we need except food. She noted as she began to chew on the inside of her cheeks trying to bite away the swelling irritation within her. While Alencia was fully aware of her anger issues, she had a hard time containing it - especially in speech. And with the group of stupid, happy go lucky, pleasant, useless sacks of flesh, she would have to try to keep herself level headed. But, it's so hard when they are so dumb. Her eyes traveled up towards Celeste's face, then rolled over onto the Shadow Esper who was doing a great job of acting as her element. Simply lingering in the distance being anti-social. At the least, Alencia was putting a foot forward and pretending to be a people person. But, at the end of the day, she hoped all but a select pair would simply die. Releasing a harsh breath of air, Alencia heard the voice of the more silent of the women perk up form the darkness. "Presea." Turning her gaze from the woman she had been staring at, the Water Esper's icy eyes rolled onto the fire once more.

Reaching a hand behind her, she kept her attention on the two women before her. While she was feeling a bit more comfortable with their new Fire Esper, she could still not shake how false her story was. Therefore, she was slightly on edge, especially with the rage blossoming within her due to the comments of Evelyn. As she slid her hand backwards in the dirt and grass she spoke loudly. "Alvain, give me my bag." She paused as she waited for a studder to escape the man's lips. Though, when nothing came, Alencia turned to face the log she had been on minutes prior. "Alvain?" She asked no one in particular. Shrugging she turned her attention back to the fire. What she had wanted the bag for was to retrieve another piece of jerky. However, it wasn't important enough for her to get up and get the object. Therefore, she continued to sit there as her gaze bounced between the two women. Though, with the strange feeling in her gut, she mainly turned her attention onto Celeste, deciding she didn't want to hear any more stupid thoughts from Evelyn.

"So, Celeste." She started as her cerulean eyes fixated on the woman - traveling across the exposed patches of skin on the woman for any clear sign of a marking. Not finding any, she continued to press forward. "If what you say about Xeniel is true. Why did you not arrive at the church in the morning with the rest of us?" Alencia asked as she shifted her sitting posture to have her legs crossed with her arms crossed indignantly across her chest. She was glaring at the newest Esper to join their ranks. However, it wasn't entirely because of her being angry at the woman. It was more the fact her stomach was beginning to crawl with more desire to be filled with food. Especially since she had taunted it with the little chunk of jerky she had devoured earlier. her fingers scratched idly at her elbows as she waited for an answer.


☸ COMPANY:: Espers { Celeste, Presea, Evelyn} cyno ☸ LOCATION:: Forest Campgrounds cyno ☸ EMOTIONS:: Angry, frustrated cyno ☸ OOC:: YEAH! Updated my layout 8D

[DeFehrenheit]

TR
TRAFF ↘↘ EVERY RIVER THAT I'VE《 TRIED 》TO CROSS traff and every door i ever tried was locked
tra ██████ ██████ TRA♔ ┆I JUST GOT LOST ⇝ !!

traff JUST BECAUSE IM LOSINGtraff DOESNT MEAN IM LOST trafftraff DOESNT MEAN ILL STOP traffkl DOESNT MEAN IM IN A CROSS traff AND IM JUST WAITING TIL THE FIRING STOPS
traffkl JUST BECAUSE IM LOSINGtraff DOESNT MEAN IM LOST trafftraff DOESNT MEAN ILL STOP traff DOESNT MEAN IM IN A CROSS traff AND IM JUST WAITING TIL THE FIRING STOPS
trafflight trafflight/ // // TRAFF OOOHOOH ; --- » AND IM WAITING TILL THE SHINE WEARS OFF

"If you were to write a story of this day, it would certainly be... a tragedy."

The words had left the lips of one, but reflected in the expression of many. A dark cloud seeming to form over the heads of the towns people. It seemed no one cared to have faith in the eight individuals chosen to protect them. 'They're too young.' 'Look at him, he's so weak!' "We're all going to die...' It was all blasphemous to hear aloud really. Of course they'd waited until the 'warriors' had already left the town to express their true thoughts, but even Zari couldn't believe what was being said. Usually, he was the one to express such thoughts.

The center of his back nestled comfortably against the strong foundation of a tree. It's branches covered in a bustle of leaves, providing a shade that he very much appreciated it. Even though the sun was far from being at it's highest point, there was something about being covered from the nights sky that comforted him as well. A slight wind pushing the white strands to tickle at the sides of his neck. He couldn't halt the smile that appeared as he pushed soft pieces back into place and let his head fall back against the bark. His vision hidden behind shut lids but ears open to the sound of his own voice humming the tune of a song. The same one his father would sing to him while trying to lull the Kaito raised male off to sleep. It was really the only one he knew honestly. Something short, sweet, uplifting. The type you would hear while being told the story of a valiant warrior. Possibly to convince himself that maybe the eight chosen warriors that no one seemed to hold faith in would actually be worth it. His faith was small, but he wasn't a complete optimist.

Letting a slip of air through his lips, Zari finally opened his eye's to the world around him. Moments before, there was an abundance of animals to be seen scouring around. Searching for food, playing with one another, possibly even enjoying the scenery like himself. But now, the sun had faded away and there was nothing to see asides a flurry of fireflies lighting the forrest. He was sure it was for their own benefit, but he would like to think it was a guiding light provided for his venture to his next destination. He brought himself to a stand, giving the bugs a slight nod as if to say thank you.

One of the chosen had died.

Two if you counted the one who falsified her identity before hand. Her trial had been swift and her punishment was to be carried out the following day. He held no real sympathy for her though. What was her purpose in lying? Even if she were to speak, who knew what her true attention really were, and what did it even matter. Obviously she was ready for this part if she had gone this far to do such a stupid thing. Silly girl. The Earth Esper though, he was the real deal. How and what happened, Zari wasn't exactly sure. It hadn't even been so much as an hour before that a sharp pain had found it's way to the inner thigh of his right leg. Initially he believed it to be a bite or random attack from someone, but his pant leg had stayed intact and there was no evidence of intrusion. When he finally took the chance to look, he'd found a odd shaped 'tattoo' resting in place. Of course his initial reaction was to run to the towns doctor but the man provided no evidence of foul play internally or externally. A scratch on his head was all that was given. A couple of more minutes had passed before a suggestion to the church priest was given.

He'd hesitated in his response to actually going to the priest for a mark. That didn't make any sense. But with the doctor being no real help, he had no choice but to make that his next stop. That's when he'd found the information that he'd been the new chosen esper. The previous, Eirik Marson, had lost his life. Initially he resisted. Pleading with the priest to find a way to take it away, how he didn't want this and how he didn't want to die. He wanted to be left alone. To have peace for once in his life. He was afraid. Scared. But there was nothing the man could do. Instead, he told the new esper to believe in himself. That he had what it took to carry on this legacy.

"There's a reason you were chosen, my boy."

The words fell on deaf ears, but Zari accepted his fate. He hadn't much of a choice in the matter anyway. As he set out to find the others, he was already growing hungry. Having not eaten before finding the mark on his leg, his appetite hadn't been thought of much between then and now. Nature was one of his favorite pastimes, but he wasn't exactly the best nuts and berries type of person. He grew up in a metropolitan area after all. The carriage he'd ridden this far hadn't exactly been the best equipped with food either. The people who drove it weren't really the most giving either.

"...why did you not arrive at the church in the morning with the rest of us?"

A voice. A voice!

Zari couldn't with-hold the excited expression on his face once he heard the sound of someone's voice. 'And they mentioned a church! Did I hear correctly?' Without giving much though to his next actions, the white haired youth picked up his pace quickly. His legs switching in and out at a much faster pace than they had at any point before. Twigs, plants and branches swatted at his legs, but luckily a pair of boots protected too much damage from being caused. They couldn't be too far off. The female's voice was surely this wa-

-thud-

Suddenly, his world had turned upside down. His face falling first into the ground before his hands could protect any damage from happening. Luckily, he hadn't landed too roughly but a cut or two were bound to appear on his already marked face. It wouldn't be too much a bother. Hopefully. Zari brought a hand up to rest against his hair as he shook his head left and right to regain some level of composure once again. It only took a moment or two, then he would turn on his backside to see exactly what it was that he'd fallen over. Nothing?

No, wait. Someone!

Completely wrapped in darkness appeared to be a girl. Even her hair sporting a dark textured while her body wrapped in a dark cloak... and wrapped conveniently in a dark blanket. At least she was finding one way to be safe in the dark? Quickly bringing himself to his knees, Zari gave a quick bow to the girl in an attempt to apologize. "O-oh! I'm sorry! I had no idea you were lying there! Please forgive my rudeness ma'am!"





XXXEsper ! Earth. • •




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XXXXX With ⊱ Alencia - Celeste - Presea XXX Where ⊱ A Camp Site? XXX Ooc ⊱ This is first post gibberish! o_o;
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XXXXXXXXXXXXXzαяι cнεяε ▬▬

[sorry squids]

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✘✘ DOING: hunting a BEAR ✘ WHERE: the woods ✘ WITH: nathaniel, prized quail, bear ✘ MOOD: exhilarated -> OW ✘dundun

Nathaniel was not quite as easily accepting of Damir's claims the boy himself was. "With what, your newly born Esper Powers? A small quail is a bit of a difference form a nine foot bear." The words weren't malicious or mocking in and of themselves - rather, any other onlooker would have agreed with the assessment and thought it fairly rational - but still Damir couldn't help but pout inwardly at them. He couldtake down a bear, especially if he wasn't aiming long-range bolts at with no actual idea of what to expect. At point blank, he could easily hit such a large target, several times, even if it was just enough to shock the bear while they moved in and finished the job in the fashion of normal bear hunters (however they did that with the equipment present in this situation). Damir was quite confident in all of this knowledge - nobody else would be. Nate continued to consider their options, speaking his thoughts aloud as he noted their options. "We could try to lead it to the river... But the issue with that is all the fish in the water might die as well. We're already killing a bear and taking as much of the meat as we can; killing all those fish as well would be a huge waste." Well, so much for "shove it in the water and shock it dead." That's a shame. Although, perhaps Damir hadn't given up on step two yet - unlike Nathaniel, who saw the quail as a stepping stone, Damir saw it as proof he could kill a bear with his powers.

Ripping them from their thoughts on how to go about hunting their mark was a bellowing that seemed to bounced amongst the trees to produce a terrifyingly loud echo. Both heads immediately turning to the voice's home, they found the bear running towards them, quite furious over some matter. So, they'd been spotted, and their intent to kill had been noted. Not only was this bear now coming right for them, it understood it was in danger - and it has never been necessary for the Lightning Esper to enter a combat situation with a large, angry bear, so this sort of hammering in his heart for this particular reason was a fairly new experience. Damir took an sharp breath, staring at the creature with large eyes, and the only sound that reached him was that of Nathaniel's rushed instructions. "We split up. Drop your axe when you get the chance, and get your knife ready. I'll do my best to distract it, and you go for its eyes." He nodded, his body tensing on instinct, prepared to move to the left or to the right if or when the bear came too close. "On the count of three, I want you to run to your left. Wait for the right moment, and then jump on his back, okay?" Eyes still on the bear, Damir replied with a very quick, "Yeah, jump on its back, get its eyes, can do." It was vague whether he actually understood what those instructions actually entailed or if he was too busy watching the creature lumbering towards them to envision it. But, if one were to take a critical look at his expression, they'd find no traces of fear - in it's place, an energized smile, eyes wide, refraining from even thinking of consequences, plenty of adrenaline clearly sparking in his every twitch of muscle. Simply put, they'd see more exhilaration than the actual fear sprouting up in Nathaniel not even a few feet away.

In his peripheral vision, he saw Nate level his knife to aim, and his count was slow. "One... Two..." Damir brought his own knife closer to his person, taking in a long breath without exhaling it. "... Three!" As instructed, Damir immediately sprinted left and out of the way, while Nathaniel shot the knife at the bear, piercing its shoulder. The angered monstrosity let out another vicious roar that may have induced a long shudder if Damir hadn't been so focused on avoiding its gaze and moving out to make his own attack. Nathaniel himself shot off and away from the pissed-off bear, shouting words behind him, and it processed a moment later that it wasn't a simple cry of aggravation. "I immediately regret this decision, Damir!" "The hell do you mean 'you regret it?!'" he shouted back, the tension involuntarily draining out of him as the words left his lips. Forcing his grip on his own knife to tighten back, he watched the bear until its back was much more accessible in the short window of time he would have. It wouldn't be long until it caught up to Nathaniel, and it's stamina was likely far beyond what either of them were capable of, so he had to be very, very fast, like a mouse. Has to be soon, those were the impatient words that beat in his head. Soon can't wait it's fast don't wait it'll kill don't wait -

Dropping his axe by the trees, he then darted forward, knife ready. Like any animal, the bear was significantly smaller on all fours, which was somewhat reassuring given the height it showed off when it stood up with the explicit purpose of intimidating them. He didn't notice, amidst this race, that adrenaline coursing through him quickly began to audibly crackle, and that his finger tips began to spark - rather, it was becoming quite obvious a flying leap onto his back would be implausible, for lack of a better term. The second he was in reach, he dug the knife into the creature's haunches and jumped, using the knife so he could properly land on it's back. The beast actually managed to maintain a standing position - a feat that may have been impressive to a spectator - and Damir tore the knife back out and stabbed it at wherever seemed like the eye region. There was a large crack! as the lightning surged through the knife, loud and bright enough to startle even its source. He let out a quiet cry of shock at the sight, unable to comprehend what precisely it was, and, losing his grip on the knife, he rolled off the bear with no grace and no ceremony. As he hit the ground, a stone tore into the tip of his ear, and he slumped on his side as the latent effects of playing with his powers began to rush onto him.

Hissing in pain, he was very still and rigid as red welts split along his arms, and the insides of his elbows and his wrists and his stomach seemed to turn black from where they burnt at some point, and his teeth clamped together and his eyes screwed shut as the hissing became plain groaning. It hurt, it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it wasn't even on purpose okay maybe a little because he wanted to prove he could get the bear with his powers like he did the quail but it hurt so badly s**t s**t s**t where was the damn river the river -

There was a nagging in his mind that told him that he needed to check on the bear what was the status of the bear surely it gave Nathaniel an opening to finish it off if the surge hadn't itself but he couldn't see it, not right now, he needed too cool off, ease the burns, get rid of them- ow owww. He rolled on his back and his breathing refused to even out from harsh gasps to merely very ragged, and making it very clear the pain of his attack was not easing with time. He needed to - was Nathaniel - the bear - but - it'd be okay. Making this decision with absolutely no evidence to support it, Damir made a small attempt to sit up, found it wasn't quite worth the effort it took to bend his stomach, and instead let himself lie where he was. In a couple minutes, yeah, he'd be fine then, all he had to do was keep conscious, everything else was fine. He made that his main priority and merely laid very still, eyes half-open and focusing only on taking in some air with every harsh breath.


✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘

[Kairakoi]

Evelyn Δ Kathrine Δ Avila

Presea and Alvain seemed less than interested in the newcomer as she and Alencia were. Where Alencia was curious in a malicious, pretty-sure-she-is-lying-to-me way, Evelyn was curious how she could be. Although, the though crossed her mind that where one Esper could be a pretender, so could another. Perhaps she had been too ready to accept the new girl into the group. Evelyn was un-phased by Alencia's jabs at her intelligence. Her womanhood on the other hand... She did have a habit of speaking before thinking, so here it went: "You're a Queen, I'm a man, and the sun rises in the west and sets in the east." She laughed again, as lighthearted as possible, with sort of a when pigs can fly attitude to her voice. Teasing was not new to her. She had so many female cousins who laughed at her hair. She just liked to way that the wind could toss it around when it was short. Oh, and one more thought. "You're funny, Alencia. How do you come up with these ridiculous ideas?" She had long outgrown schoolyard bullies, and her heart was above their ability to hurt her. Clearly, Alencia had not learned that there is a limit to the power that comes with cruelty. Cruelty, to Evelyn, was a form of cowardice. Evelyn dropped the pebble she had been trying to float, gripped her bow and stood. "Excuse me." She took her leave from Alencia and Celeste and went off to find Nate, Damir or Eirik or someone with a little less cut to their jib. Alencia brought the worst out of her.

She wandered off into the woods towards the sound of the thunderclap and what she assumed might be an approaching storm. She smelled something burning, or smoking off in this direction. Maybe a bolt of stray lighting had set a tree on fire or killed an animal. Her instinct told her it was dangerous to wander alone, but it was better than listening to Alencia make a big deal of herself. Sooner than later, she came across the stream she had found earlier. Odd, what a coincidence that her sense of smell would bring her back here. She followed the smell up the stream a few yards and found a small patch of singed leaves, strangely isolated, she had never seen the area of a lighting strike before. The smell here was powerful, like a mixture of burned meat and .. oddly like clothing on fire. Her curiosity piqued, she looked around for a dead rabbit or whatever unlucky soul met its end here-maybe it could be food.There was the Earth Esper's pole arm just laying on the ground. She took the bow from her shoulder and loaded an arrow. "Eirik?" She called out into the darkness of the forest, confused, but he was no where to be seen.

"Eirik?" she called out again, looking up and down the banks of the stream. If he had been struck, maybe he sought the stream to soothe the burns. She left his weapon by the river bank. She followed the shore down as far as she could before she came across an impassible bramble. Well, impassible without a large knife. t was much darker now than before she had left, and there was a certain amount of chill to the air that prickled her skin more than the gathering darkness. After several excruciatingly long minutes of searching for her missing comrade, she turned her back for camp. Evelyn tried to speed up her return by tacking a few running steps and leaping, hoping her esper powers would kick in and she could glide over the forest floor. Mostly she just wanted to get out of there. Suddenly, she was startled by a noise behind her, it sounded like a footstep. She launched forward several feet and drew the string on her bow, spinning and firing clumsily into the darkness as she landed. "Uhff." She slipped on some leaves and landed had in the grass below a large tree. Recovering, brushing the dirt from her seat, she decided that was enough of that for the day. The brief feeling of freedom, or free falling she wasn't sure which, that she felt while floating. It made her stomach turn. She made her way back through the trees, guided by the voices she heard on the wind.

With her weapon still drawn, she entered the camp ground. "I...I think something has happened to Eirik... I found his weapon back there, but not him." She hadn't taken notice of the new person in the group. "Have Nate and Damir come ba-" She stopped and notched her arrow, still holding it down . Eirik disappears and suddenly there is a newcomer attacking Presea? She let the tension go from the string, disarming her weapon as the new boy bowed in appology. She would not be the first to attack, ever. She took a few tentative steps forward,a bit ashamed of even having thought to threaten a stranger. She was just on edge. That had to be it. They hadn't been out of town for one night yet and they had already lost one, maybe two Espers. Well.. Maybe one, she supposed Xeniel had never been an Esper so they couldn't have lost her as an Esper. "Who is this...?" ..



Everyone at the Fire: Who
Fire >The Woods > Fire: Where
Anxious & Ashamed : Feeling
... : OOC

[Promise of Bliss]

cynosuralcataclysm11▸LOCATION: Clearing cy||no ▸MOOD: Ready to strike...


Without the note of sarcasm the Shadow Esper would have expected, Celeste answered her name with, "I'll try my best to remember it." Presea didn't bother to look over to where the brunette sat by the fire. It didn't really matter if she remembered the Shadow Esper or not, really. Most of them likely would not even be able to survive the trial, and while a staff was a weapon of excellence, she somehow was not convinced that this newcomer had what it took to survive. Then again, she was rather confident in her own survivability under normal circumstances, but at present she could not say that even she had a one-hundred percent chance of success... And honestly, if I may not make it, who will...? She thought back over the various Espers that she could recall. There was that one chatty boy... the earth one who had followed her from the church. She snorted softly to herself. There was no way. If she didn't know any better, she would surmise he would not even make it to the castle. But for someone to die while they were all assimilated around the camp was absurd. He'd gone out with the other two boys, so he'd be fine. And those two boys who had run off together to "hunt" or whatever.... She wanted to spout off their names, pretend that she had been paying attention. Alas, even fake names eluded her, and she huffed a bit and decided that elements were just her new naming tool. The Esper of Light and Lightning had both dashed off. Light seemed to be fairly well put together, even assisting her in attempting to reign in the unleashed canine of Alencia's ego. He was a strong fighter too, based strictly on appearances. Perhaps he could live, but she still wasn't convinced. And the other one, the spry little lightning guy-- well, anyone was little standing next to the Light Esper, and she did not really have room to talk. He was a slight little thing, and seemed a bit too... hmm, what was the phrase...? Seems like a naive moron. Yes, that would suffice. She smiled wryly to herself. That boy would as soon live as he would teach Presea to read. Cross him off the list then... Alvain was negligible; while she somehow doubted he would die, he certainly would not succeed, and if he did it would be strictly by glomming onto other people and relying on others to survive. Pathetic, really, but nobles were not exactly an endurable breed when forced to do anything for themselves. So she could write him off entirely. Her mind flitted to Alencia then. She was on the ropes about her. While she seemed entirely to self-important to persist, she also did have at least rudimentary fighting skills, and was stubborn enough to prevail in some truly taxing situations. She'd make it to the castle, at the least. It was honestly up to Alencia whether or not she survived. I've met people with sticks in their asses, but the whole tree? Presea tutted softy in the night. You gotta work on that, sweetheart. Downs your usefulness by about eight points... She laughed; as if she had a point system. That was a bit too sophisticated for her to keep up with. And that left the little Air Esper- Evelyn, if she recalled correctly (ten points). She closed her eyes, shaking her head with a wry grin. She would die before they got to the castle if she didn't toughen up. Everything about her screamed of fragility and some offputting warmth of optimism. Presea couldn't stand her lot; she was armed with a bow, though. She supposed if Evelyn could actually use it, that would be a different matter. But time would tell all things, and Presea wasn't about to nail anyone down just yet. People can surprise you... right, Ramir?

Alencia's voice tore her from her reverie as she remained dutifully unsatisfied with the new Fire Esper (which Presea could totally understand, but still her voice grated against her ears like knives sharpening against each other). She continued her interrogation with a sharp inquiry. "If what you say about Xeniel is true... Why did you not arrive at the church in the morning with the rest of us?" As troublesome as the Water Esper's voice was getting to be, Presea had to hand it to her: she had a point. And a good one. One that set Presea's teeth on edge. It was a tick, one that she had been reprimanded for previously, that her hand always immediately floated to her weapon at the slightest indication of trouble, and not even reasonable trouble. Competing bandits vying for their goods? Weapon. Child crying? Weapon. Potentially false Esper looking to mount their heads on pikes? Weapon. Stubborn fruit that won't come down? Weapon. Her chakras were her question and answer in any given situation, and her anxiety thrummed under her skin, sang in her ears. She would be ready--

She would have been ready, been thrilled to hear Celeste's answer, ecstatic to be given a reason to settle the nerves that had alighted to dance beneath her skin. Instead, she became suddenly aware of the noise to her right as a figure barreled unabashedly through the twilit woods. With her newly discovered low-light vision, she could see him with relative clarity- he was relatively tall with shoulder length white hair. His face bore a painful looking scare that stretched from his forehead to jawline, straight up and down-- clearly a savory looking fellow. Paying attention now, she was baffled that she had not heard him hours before she had seen him approaching. He was darting carelessly through the underbrush, snapping every twig, bowing every plant, crunching every damn leaf that dared rest beneath his impending steps. Regardless, she had missed him; somehow, after years of constant vigilance, she had been so distracted by an individual who was as likely to attack them as a rabbit was to launch an onslaught on a village that she had missed the heavy footfalls just beyond the break of the clearing. Still, she was a lithe little thing, and could easily avoid-- But he was faster than she had anticipated, and in her momentary start- it was so seldom that someone surprised her like this; she had been careless, she had let her guard down, how wretched-!- he had not noticed her and hurried blindly toward her. Damn! She went rigid, rolling to the fetal position on her side so that her back faced her attacker. When he hit, and he certainly would, at least the target would be smaller and hopefully hurt less.

It did not hurt less. In fact if anything, Presea had simply exposed her vulnerable considerably more sensative spine rather than the softer side of her body. As she crunched to the side, she felt his foot collide painfully with her spine, radiating down her spine for just a moment before the person tumbled gracelessly to the ground. While she did not move, instead lying entirely stationary and lamenting her surely bruised back sourly, the intruder had fallen haphazardly to the ground on what appeared to be his face. b*****d... she seethed, hoping his nose was broken. And for a moment, this was fine. The man seemed confused, propping himself up and seemingly attempting to regain his composure after what was sure to be an entirely unwelcome introduction to the unforgiving hardness of the earth. For a moment, she forgot how entirely edgy she had been just moments before. He didn't seem threatening, especially as he turned to her on his knees, bowing and blubbering, "O-oh! I'm sorry! I had no idea you were lying there! Please forgive my rudeness, ma'am!"

But then again, no one ever does, do they? It was only a second before her hands were wrapped around her safety blankets (not just one, but the both of them readied in her grasp). Eyes on fire, she pulled the boy up straight with one hand buried deep in the collar of his shirt; the other arm was poised at the ready, her chakra pushed harshly, menacingly toward his throat. She would not make the same mistake again; she would be ready when an unsuspecting enemy appeared. Presea was not the fool she had been before. Complacency was no longer tolerated, and whether she cared for these people or not, they were meant to be her comrades and she would not allow a snake to slither unbeknownst into their hellish little garden unbidden. "I will give you this one opportunity," she hissed, her venomous gaze downcast into his silken gray eyes from where she loomed over his kneeling form. "... to explain who you are. And what you think you're doing here." She pressed the sharpened blade against his neck- not hard enough to cut his skin, but enough to get her intent across. "Do not mistake me for someone so weak that I will not slaughter you like cattle now if you do not sate our curiosity." She leaned just a bit, leveling herself to him (which, to an outside observer, was simply pathetic, as she barely had to incline herself at all to be even with the man). She heard a rustling, speaking, to her side, flicking her sight briefly to see Evelyn break though the line of trees and into the clearing before zeroing back in on the interloper. "Who is this....?" That confirmed it. None of the women in the clearing recognize him. He had to be a threat. There was no other option. She redoubled her efforts to look intimidating (not that difficult, considering the years of practice she had in the area), and narrowed her eyes vehemently. "Name. Purpose. And spare no detail."




▸COMPANY: Celeste, Alencia, Evelyn, and Zaricy||no ▸OOC: Kinda short, sorry- let me know what to fix! :]

[Sheezur Cannoli]

Nathaniel LaFontaine, Esper of Light

"I mean that I pissed off a very large bear, and I'm not all too fond of running away from it!" Nate was quickly running out of room to maneuver in, and had backed himself into a corner. With a rather large thicket to his back and very little room to the left and right of the bear to dodge to, he had no way to get away without the high risk of facing a severe injury. At this point, all he could do was wait for Damir to make his move and pray to the Guardians that he could move swiftly. "Damir, I am really uncomfortable!" As the bear went to swipe its massive paw at Nate, it let out yet another roar in pain, signifying that Damir was on the offensive. His movements, while a bit awkward were incredibly fast. And as fast as the first attack was, the second seemed even faster. The sight of Damir plunging his knife into the bear's eye and discharging whatever of his lightning magic he had left in the tank seemed to fry the Bear's brain, as it was left in a twitching heap close to Nate.

To be honest, everything that happened in between the bear cornering Nate and it then collapsing onto the ground was pretty quick. It took Nate a few moments to take in exactly what he had just witnessed before checking on both Damir and "The King of the Forest". His top priority was to look over Damir, who on first sight wasn't in the best of shape. Whether it was he bleeding ear, or the obvious injuries all over his arms and torso, it was obvious to tell that he was in severe pain. Nate had heard stories at the Pub of men who had been struck by lightning during thunderstorms, but had always thought that those were just braggarts making up wives' tales for a free pint. Though, judging by what he could see first hand, those were true. "Damir, I told you not to do something so reckless... You really need to learn to throw caution to the wind." While Nate was scolding him like you'd expect an older brother to do, Nate did own Damir his life. Nate was really in no place to judge Damir for his actions, considering he had just thrown himself in front of a bear and relied on someone who was practically a stranger to bail him out of it. The two men were complete idiots; so much s that Nate couldn't help but laugh a bit. It wasn't a "Ha ha" sort of laugh, as you can guess; it was a nervous thrill seeker laugh... the laugh of a man who had just stared in the face of Death and survived. "Damir. You're never to do something like that ever again, okay?"

In the end, Nate didn't know why he was wasting his breath scolding Damir. Chances were that with his injuries, he could very well be unconscious due to the pain he was in. In steps Nate and his abilities as the Light Esper: Healing Light Manipulation. Well, considering that light manipulation wouldn't really do anything for Damir, not to mention Nate could even use that ability at this point, It was up to him to use his powers to heal Damir up as much as possible. Though before he started on that, Nate looked over to 'The King of the Forest' one last time to make sure he was down for the count. Other than some obvious staggered breathing, 'The King of the Forest' wasn't moving at all. It was actually pretty pitiful too look a, considering not even five minutes ago he was probably the top of the food chain in the Western Yelarian Forest. "Well it looks like you took care of him for good, though it's actually still alive. After I patch you up, I'll have to put it out of its misery." Putting it out of it's misery was a bit weird to think about, though. If you look at the situation Nate was currently in, he had two living things at his feet, suffering due to Damir's Lightning powers. On one hand, Nate would be doing his best to help Damir recover, while on the other Nate would be euthanizing his prey. It said a lot about someone's character though, to be able to do something like that without any remorse. Taking out 'The King of the Forest' was important to the survival of him and his fellow Espers.

Nate took off the gauntlet on his left hand and began to inspect his arm. Just how exactly did he actually activate his powers? Was it as simple as blinking, or walking? Or was is something more complex? The Markings on his arm weren't glimmering with the same fervor as they did back at the Church; they were giving off more of a pale glow at this point. Dammit, how did this work? "I'm sorry Damir, just give me a second to figure this out, alright?" It's not like he was given an instruction manual or anything. Nate looked back at Damir's arms, and the look on his face that was clearly still grimacing in pain. He couldn't imagine what it felt like for Damir. "What the hell am I supposed to do in this situation? Dammit!" Seeing Damir in that helpless state was starting to piss him off. He just wanted to help out his comrade. The thought of truthfully wanting to rid Damir of that caused the Marks on his arm to regain their original hue, and his hand was suddenly enveloped in a soft, comforting light. Why is it that his powers started to work now? "Is compassion the key...?" Without hesitation, Nate moves his hand to Damir's arm, which was covered in welts. Slowly but surely, the welts started to shrink and disappear. From there Nate moved to Damir's burns, that at first didn't appear to heal. Of course, it didn't occur to Nate that the blackness would stay until it wiped away, considering it wasn't the actual injury. Finally, Nate started to work on his ear. Unfortunately Nate's powers were still very basic, so his ability to generate new cartilage or tissue on another person wasn't exactly available yet. All he could do was seal up the wounds on Damir's ear. "I hope that he doesn't mind that."

With Damir in much better shape than before, Nate moved on to deal with 'The King of the Forest'. With one knife stuck in its shoulder and the other still in its eye socket, a feeling of pity filled Nate. The least he could do was try to make things quick with the help of his magic. Taking his sword into his right hand, he reached over to its head with his left, stroking the bear's head near its ears in an attempt to comfort it. Once again his hand shone with a pale light, as he tried to at least numb the pain it was feeling before he finally took his sword and slit open its neck. And with that, 'The King of the Forest' was dead. Nate cleaned the blood off his sword with his shirt before gently removing the knives from The Fallen King's eye and shoulder. Now, it was time to collect the spoils of war. Nate took his time to remove the fur and skin from the before actually cutting into it to take the meat. The fur was waterproof and a valuable source of warmth, and with the sound of the thunder in the distance it was clear that this skin would be invaluable for the night. The next step was actually taking the meat. Starting at the top of neck of 'The Fallen King', he started to cut downwards only to get a 'nice' whiff of a bear's innards. "WHOA. Now that is nasty." Nate didn't hesitate to take a large portion of the bear's meat be for he paused for a second. He should take the bear's heart as well. According to stories he had heard at the inn, there were tribes of 'savages' out west that would eat the hearts of their fallen enemies and prey to gain their strength and courage. Nate considered 'The Fallen King' to be a worthy adversary, so he figured it would be only appropriate to take the Bear's heart as well. Of course, considering that Damir took it down, he would let Damir have the heart to do with what he wanted. Though with Damir knocked out, would he have to carry him back to the Camp site?

That internal debate didn't exactly last long. Nate had Damir slung over his right shoulder, and had the meat and heart of the bear wrapped up in its skin, which was folded as nicely as possible, over his left. "We're back from hunting." Nate dropped The bear skin on the floor before walking over to a nearby tree to lean Damir against. With everything settled, Nate, whose shirt was covered in the bear's blood as well as some entrails decided to remove both his sword from his back and his shirt. It was cold, wet and felt weird on his body. After taking his shirt off, Nate looked back at the Espers to see two new people among them as well as both Xeniel and Eirik missing. "Who're the new people?" He asked, a bit confused. Nate put his sword down near another tree before shaking out his shirt. He should probably heard back to the stream and try to wash out the blood, but as of right now he was a bit curious about the two people he'd never met before. "So, I only brought back enough meat for about eight people to last us today and tomorrow. But supposing that there's now ten of us, I guess I should head back to the bear..."


Location: The Western Yelarian Forest.
Company: Everyone.
Feeling: Okay, I guess.
Voiced by: Majima Junji
OOC: N/A

[Fading Apprehension]

Celeste balled her injured fist shut, trying not to wince when the tips of her fingers brushed against the bare patch of skin on the inside of her palm. She listened with a halfhearted interest while the less than friendly exchange between Evelyn and Alencia continued on. In truth the only reason she listened at all was because she wanted to have something to focus on apart from the residual pain in her injured hand. She found that the burning was beginning to subside, but it was still present in a way that Celeste could only describe as being between annoying and mildly inconvenient. She had definitely obtained worse while helping her mother with household tasks in her youth. "I mean, if we were to go by the standard of others. You look more like a man than a woman." Coming from Alencia the words had little shock value, but the remark still coaxed a quickly stifled giggle from the Fire Esper. She forced a cough into her free hand, hoping the latter of her actions had been convincing enough to cover for the temporary lapse in her maturity. "Funny someone who clearly is weak is chiming in on business that isn't her's. Or, wait. His." Another direct attack on the Air Esper flew from Alencia's lips, Celeste shuffled so that she was facing the two women again. Her amber gaze had immediately fixed itself on the smaller of the two. The Air Esper was seemingly taking the brunt of Alencia's anger with composure, at least until the matter was pressed further.

"You're a Queen, I'm a man, and the sun rises in the west and sets in the east." Celeste had to admit, if Evelyn had been trying to ruffle Alencia's feathers calling her Queen was a poor choice. Alencia had proven earlier on in the evening that any implied meaning was far less important and likely to be ignored in the presence of the vocal acknowledgment of her dreams. The Fire Esper knew the words were meant in jest, but given the context of the conversation Celeste couldn't help mentally projecting a hint of irritation in the white-haired girl's voice. The Air Esper laughed gently, as if she were dismissing the ideas by doing so but Celeste still felt as if there was a distinct lack of amusement in her reactions. The awkward feeling only intensified as Eve followed up her earlier retort, "You're funny, Alencia. How do you come up with these ridiculous ideas?" She began to collect her things and excuse herself. 'How very.. ladylike.' If the situation hadn't been as disheartening as it was the woman might allow herself to laugh at her own observation. It was a mere children's quarrel, and by stepping away Evelyn was trying to end it. Celeste had seen these kinds of things happen countless times before with 'her' group of kids. Unfortunately for Evelyn It seemed in Alencia's case that any and all ceasefires were temporary in nature. Celeste quickly looked away as the attention returned to herself, trying to pretend she had instead been interested in the resting figure of the Shadow Esper. From the corner of her eye she could see the retreating Air Esper, her bow swinging in tandem with the saunter of her hips. Celeste tried her best to push any lingering worries about the exchange from her mind. The matter hadn't concerned her, and she preferred to keep it that way. The last thing she needed was to create further discord in their broken band of misfits. Her heart sunk as the reality of her last observation became increasingly clearer.

Alencia was cute, and intelligent. The girl made this more and more apparent with her every obnoxious movement. Her skills were of no concern to Celeste. What unsettled the Esper of Fire was the way in which Alencia sought to dominate those she saw as lesser beings by using her wide array of talents. It was too early for Celeste to decide if Evelyn was worthy of the ferocity that fueled Alencia's quest for dominance, but the situation looked bleak if her current knowledge from their limited interacting meant anything at at all. 'Is being air headed just part of the Air Esper package?' She watched Alencia cautiously from her place beside the fire. The absence of a punching bag seemed to twist in the other woman's gut and cause her skin to crawl. Earlier on she had called out for the Animal Esper but it was to no avail. Celeste knew this to be because of his earlier departure. It was no wonder how Alencia had missed it, consumed as she was in her various social endeavors. Whether or not the others were willing to accept Alencia as a leader the Esper of Water seemed to effortlessly fill the position. She had been watching the camp, barking orders and investigating the mysterious, and admittedly clumsy, entrance of herself since it had happened just a short while earlier that evening. As if on cue Celeste felt the woman's inquisitive blue eyes boring into her very soul once more, "So, Celeste. If what you say about Xeniel is true. Why did you not arrive at the church in the morning with the rest of us?"

It was a good question, Celeste had to give her that much. She trailed her free hand through her brunette bangs, scratching at her scalp as a number of thoughts shot out across the frantic mess that was her mind. She still hadn't won Alencia's approval, this much was apparent now. Whether that was a product of the girl's current agitation or Celeste's unwillingness to divulge certain aspects of her awakening she was entirely unsure. Regardless of the true motive, Celeste was beginning to feel her own agitation returning. There was one surefire way to end the line of questioning. The Esper of Fire shot a furtive glance across the clearing. Evelyn had disappeared into the treeline, and Presea was still laying in the grass a short distance from herself and Alencia. Within a matter of moments Celeste's hand was tugging at top of her dress. She pulled the article of clothing down over her breasts, and in a simultaneous movement she pushed her arm and injured hand across the majority of her now freed cleavage. She twisted to the side, giving Alencia a clear glimpse of the perfectly round, fiery hued orb that sat on her upper ribs. Her Esper's mark. Celeste quietly wondered why it was that there were now six people who had closely inspected the mark and none of them were herself. A loud thud sounded from behind the duo, causing her to whip her head around in the direction of Presea. Someone else had joined them in the clearing, and despite her thinking it was impossible, he had drawn all of the suspicion away from the Fire Esper and onto himself in a matter of seconds. Celeste quickly tugged her dress back up, ignoring the small shocks of pain that emanated from using her injured hand in such a frenzied manner. She knew it was impossible for the man to have seen her moment of indiscretion, but she still felt a flush creeping across both of her cheeks at the thought of having such a close call. Alencia was one thing, they were both females and the act had been purely to sate any lingering doubts the woman had concerning her presence among them. Of course, she also had no problem should Alencia decide to admire a pleasant view for a moment or two instead of continuing her seemingly normal constant stream of demands. Some unknown, forest-dwelling male admiring her wares, on the other hand, was a completely different story.

"O-oh! I'm sorry! I had no idea you were lying there! Please forgive my rudeness ma'am!" If he intended to further harm their Shadow Esper he showed no sign of it. The man quickly bowed, making himself submissive while he offered his hurried apologies. Presea wasted little time taking advantage of the situation, soon the boy was in her grasp. Celeste felt both awe and fear when watching the swift, practiced and presumably deadly accuracy with which she handled both herself and her weapons. At some point Evelyn had re-entered the clearing and made mention of Eirik, Celeste couldn't recall of the top of her head exactly which Esper that had been. As terrible as it made her feel she felt the news to be of little importance to herself. Her more empathetic side had been squashed by the anxiety that resulted from the dramatic increase in activity. It only took a moment or two before Evelyn's attention was also brought to the arrival of the newcomer. Presea's words were almost too quiet for her to hear, but Celeste was sure the man in question could hear them as well as he could feel the sharp edge of her chakram on his throat. "I will give you this one opportunity, to explain who you are. And what you think you're doing here. Do not mistake me for someone so weak that I will not slaughter you like cattle now if you do not sate our curiosity." Celeste felt an electric shiver jolt up her spine. 'Presea.. Way to go!' She found herself torn between continuing to watch and waiting to hear the man's reply, and wanting to see how Alencia was reacting to the situation. She had given Celeste a hard enough time, it made the woman curious if she was going to react similarly toward this newcomer. It felt highly unlikely that Alencia would willingly share a potential victim with Presea. Celeste ignored the budding desire and kept her eyes fixated on the Shadow Esper. Evelyn spoke again from behind the two, "Who is this...?" The worry in her tone was almost palpable and Celeste desperately hoped that if the man did intend to hurt them in anyway he hadn't taken that as a sign of weakness. Presea quickly followed the girl's question with three of her own, "Name. Purpose. And spare no detail."

Just when Celeste was certain that the situation unfolding in the tiny and once peaceful clearing couldn't get any more confusing another large figure approached their group from the treeline. The woman watched in anticipation as the figure dropped a large dark mass onto the ground and it impacted with a heavy and slightly wet sounding thud. The item in question appeared to be furry, but it was hard to identify exactly what animal it had come from in the dim evening light. She now recognized the new figure as one of the chosen Espers. 'Which one was it again?' Trying to remember their assigned elements proved to be a fruitless task for her, at least under the current stress. The other Esper leaned down and placed the load from his second shoulder gently against a tree, it was clearly a person. Celeste squinted her eyes, struggling to see his facial features from beneath the shadow of the overgrown tree. She knew, of course, the identity of which Esper he had been carrying even without daylight to verify. The only Esper missing now, apart from Alvain who had pardoned himself earlier and the mysterious vanishing Eirik, was Damir. She felt herself tense, a sharp wave of concern bringing her back from the edge of the adrenaline rush she had been riding. The man who deposited her friend had seemed calm enough. 'If there was something wrong he would let us know, right?' The other Esper seemed either oblivious or unphased by the situation at hand. "We're back from hunting." Celeste averted her eyes while he removed his sword and shirt, she had never been one to ogle over men. The shirt itself had been noticeably stained with wet, dark splotches so she was sure the act was simply a matter of convenience either way. She could only assume that whatever had caused the stains on his clothing (thankfully not Damir) had also provided him with the giant fur he had tossed down upon his arrival.

"Who're the new people?" That seemed to be the prize-winning question of the hour, Celeste thought to herself as the Light Esper - she had finally remembered, began to shake his shirt out. She couldn't see anything coming off of it but the rustling noise of the fabric was intensely loud over the almost eery calm and quiet that had followed Presea's earlier threats. Celeste wondered if they may finally receive answers now that the majority of them seemed to be gathered in the clearing. Whoever the newcomer was, he couldn't possibly hope to take on any more than one of them at a time. Even if he could manage such a task, he was in no position to fight. Celeste did not see Presea allowing that to change anytime soon. The Light Esper made mention of having brought back an insufficient haul from the the creature he had killed, presumably with the aid of Damir. 'A bear? My stars and guardians, guys. Are you guys crazy?' She reminded herself to ask Damir about that particular adventure when he finally awoke. For now she remained quiet, her fingers twitching anxiously as they grasped and uprooted nearby blades of grass. Presea had things handled, it seemed, but she could not seem to completely calm her nerves or stop her mind from jumping from subject to subject like a nervous mountain goat. She felt the familiar warmth from her earlier display prickle at the tips of her fingers and she yearned to let it loose. The quicker things settled down, the easier she felt quelling the new and terrible urge would be.


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❥ FEELING: Worried, on edge tab ❥ WITH: Alencia, Presea, Evelyn, Nate, Damir, Zari tab ❥ LOCATION: The clearing tab ❥ OOC: Told you I'd do it.. keheheh!

[DeFehrenheit]

TR
TRAFF ↘↘ EVERY RIVER THAT I'VE《 TRIED 》TO CROSS traff and every door i ever tried was locked
tra ██████ ██████ TRA♔ ┆I JUST GOT LOST ⇝ !!

traff JUST BECAUSE IM LOSINGtraff DOESNT MEAN IM LOST trafftraff DOESNT MEAN ILL STOP traffkl DOESNT MEAN IM IN A CROSS traff AND IM JUST WAITING TIL THE FIRING STOPS
traffkl JUST BECAUSE IM LOSINGtraff DOESNT MEAN IM LOST trafftraff DOESNT MEAN ILL STOP traff DOESNT MEAN IM IN A CROSS traff AND IM JUST WAITING TIL THE FIRING STOPS
trafflight trafflight/ // // TRAFF OOOHOOH ; --- » AND IM WAITING TILL THE SHINE WEARS OFF

Zari had to question exactly how far from an animal this girl really was. In all of the second it took him to gather to his knees and apologize, she had been much swifter in displaying her dissatisfaction for his previous accident. Her reach seeming to find the belt looped around his chest to draw him upward from his downcast position. The earth esper could have easily pulled away from her. He could have slapped her tiny hand out of the way to pulled his own weapon out as well. The rapier nesting to his side begging for him to unsheath it. He could literally feel it calling out to his own hands to strike the girl down before she could make another movement. But Zari knew better. He did not want to chance having the girl's ability quicker than his own. No matter how much he despised the fact of the girl grabbing him the way she did. An angry scowl swept over his features once he was able to look her face to face and realize exactly what she had done. The quickness of her actions had confused and left him in a slight trance for a brief second. But he wasn't about to show her exactly how rattled up he'd become by her ability.

It was surprising to him that she was even able to get this far. The girl was tiny. Almost an entire foot smaller than himself. Her skin leaning much more to a pale tone to contrast his much more tanned color. Possibly from the lack of sun as she seemed to drown herself in the dark. This showing by the shadowy wisp of hair that hung from her head. The combination did well with the hazy blue eye's she wore which in turned made her lips appear much pinker than they probably were. From appearance alone, Zari would have pictured the girl to be a fragile thing. Something he could poke with a stick and cause to possibly fall completely apart. The strength she wore though, it honestly caught him by surprise. When the girl pulled out her question, no, rather demanded an answer to her statement, Zari couldn't help but smile. What a loose canon. With this piss poor attitude, she would be quick to death if she fell into the wrong opponents hands. Sadly, he wouldn't the one that would finish the work today. "My, oh my. A ruthless little one we are introduced today, no?" The words weren't meant to taunt her so much as to tell her he was not afraid of her childish game. Playing big bad wolf was something he didn't exactly take lightly nor something he gave into so easily. He didn't have to explain himself to her. Though the blade she carried seemed to come into contact with his skin awfully close, his smile never faded. Instead, it turned into something closer to a smirk.

The moment passed a bit longer for the two to stare one another down. His pale hues boring into her bright blues. 'A waste of a pretty face.' Was all he could think. The roughness of her personality not exactly the type he typically went for. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before another figure had appeared on the scene. Dare he look behind him? He kept his focus on the girl as the newer person seemed as confused as this girl on his presence. There were others, weren't there? Weren't they going to calm their overzealous hound dog down? Sighing, Zari lowered his gaze and shook his head only for a brief second. From the sound of it, there were more people approaching. He'd have to guess around five or six people including the try-hard in front of him. Maybe explaining himself was for the better. But how was he suppose to know this was the group he was looking for? They could possibly be a ragtag bunch who would destroy him for the purpose he was actually out here.

"I am searching for... something. Now," Slowly, he began to lift himself into a stand. With each passing second he could feel himself growing more irritated with this person. Not only had she been the one at fault in the first place, but she overstepped her boundaries by touching him, demanding information, and by threatening him with a weapon. "If you would kindly allow my space to me please. I have apologized for my actions and I have shown no threat to you or any of your people. You on the other hand are displaying a level of disrespect I can not forgive." Pushing her hand away from his bare chest, Zari took a step backwards. His expression registering nothing but pure restrained anger. His hands rest by his side and his stare hard back towards her. The outline of his jaw exaggerated as his teeth gnashed between closed lips. He wasn't going to simply back down because she felt like being a bully. He'd been through that enough in his days. Now wasn't the time to revert back to his weaker form.

"We're back from hunting."

This, and the smell of blood and the deceased was the next thing that caught the tanned males attention. His nose turned upwards to sniff at the scent. Breaking his attention from the girl, he noticed that the others were actually watching him. The entire time, he wasn't sure nor did he really care. It appeared that he was surrounding by nothing but females until the newest member had arrived on the scene though. They were the ones to leave the village earlier. This newest member though, he was a larger male carrying around what looked to be a furry bag over his left shoulder. His shirt drenched in blood and gore but a display of nonchalance and care displayed in not only his words, but his actions as well. He'd actually gone hunting for these people? Looking around to the group, Zari wasn't sure what to think of these people. True, he'd seen them off before they'd left for their adventure. But he had no idea who any of them were personally. Yelaria wasn't really his home and he hadn't become close with anyone since his arrival. Though, watching as the blonde male stripped himself of the filthy piece of clothing he'd gone hunting in, Zari couldn't help but regret the choice of not getting to know him at least.

"Eight." He corrected the male. As it was a natural process, Zari hadn't noticed the slower pace his voice choose to take. A sultriness taking over as his usual smirk rose to his lips once again. Old habits died hard. With a sigh, he decided to explain better. "There are only eight. Two members of your group are no more. One eliminated, the other presentered herself to be a false savior." Be it intentional or not, his steps seemed to take him closer to the now shirtless male. Each step taken seeming to excite the earth esper with every passing second. "Her execution is to be fulfilled tomorrow. I believe the fire esper was what she claimed herself to be." As the words left him, he'd finally made the final step in closing the gap the two wore only moments ago. They stood possibly a foot or two apart, but for now it would have to do. He would only tease the man for now. Letting his lids close, Zari leaned forward ever so slightly and took a small whiff of the meat brought for the group to share. "Mmm... this is bear, no?" Leaning back, he looked the other eye to eye. Breaking contact was forbidden on his own part. "I am your new earth esper. I do hope I am allowed a portion. I have not indulged since yesterday. May I?"





XXXEsper ! Earth. • •




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XXXXX With ⊱ Alencia - Celeste - Presea - Eveyln - Damir - Nathaniel XXX Where ⊱ A Camp Site? XXX Ooc ⊱ //didn't proof read srry
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XXXXXXXXXXXXXzαяι cнεяε ▬▬

[Cynotastic]

ThoughtTalking

After her series of insults fired at the Air Esper, the tongue within the Water Esper's mouth was sliding around in her mouth and she felt something uncomfortable shoved between her teeth. It was confusing, initially. Her mind crawled with curiosity as to what could be plaguing her. After a moment the taste buds in her mouth came to the conclusion it was a thin piece of jerky that had been sitting between her teeth since she devoured the snack earlier in the evening. However, attempting to wiggle the piece free without hands on intervention was becoming evident. "You're a Queen, I'm a man, and the sun rises in the west and sets in the east." "Damn straight." Alencia stated as she reached up with a hand and casually picked at her teeth. Her nail slipped between her teeth and within a moment the piece was free and she chewed a bit before swallowing the object. "I am definitely the Queen." She spat as her gaze slid across the Fire Esper before returning to Evelyn as she continued rambling on and chuckling to herself. It wasn't important to the Water Esper which way the sun rose or set. While it was potentially useful for discovering which direction a person was facing, that's what maps and paths were for. She couldn't be bothered to actually look into the ideas. No, that was more of a practice for the Pack Mule than herself. Finally, she decided to listen to the stupid words that crept from the man's face. "--these ridiculous ideas?" Alencia's right hand shuffled from her face down into the dirt besides her once more. Her tongue continued to survey her mouth in search of any food remnants. Finding none, she nodded in complacency. "Excuse me." "Whatever, have fun, Sir. HAH!" She chuckled as she found humor at her own comment. She had gotten the last word in. She had won. The pathetic Air Esper had fled, Alencia the victor in their bickering.

Her gaze shifted back onto the flames before her attention moved past it onto the Fire Esper. Alencia was waiting for a verbal answer from the woman. Icy eyes stared down the chosen of fire. She watched as the other woman's hand nervously ventured through her bangs as she seemed to contemplate on Alencia's words. The Water Esper was searching for any tell tale sign that there was an intention of aggression. Celeste seemed nervous, and like she was unsure as to how to progress forward in earning the shorter girl's trust. She still found it odd that the woman wasn't just answering. No, instead she was move in a particularly suspicious fashion. The brunette was still avoiding the topic. Alencia continued to monitor the other woman as she watched amber eyes dart across the clearing. It still seemed like the Fire Esper was hiding something. The Brentville girl shot Celeste a glare as she felt the slivers of remaining patience slip out from under her. Then, instead of voicing her thoughts, something else happened. Alencia watched as the brunette moved her down towards the start of her dress. Her fingers danced at the beginning of it. The Esper of Water's eyebrows lifted with confusion as suddenly... Is she und-- Icy eyes shot wide open as her face began to heat up. She felt panic strike begin to pump through her body as her heart started to increase it's beating. Alencia had always been afraid of being in the presence of nudity. It made her awkward, and uncomfortable. However, due to her own over zealous attempt to avoid the subject and be around unusually exposed skin, it became a full blown fear. She was struggling to contain her breath, gasps getting caught in her chest. While she wasn't in any real danger, she had to attempt to mask her immediate reaction, which was to shield her eyes and simply flee. Her eyes frantically danced around the area as she stood up without a moments pause. Once her attention fell onto Presea, the Water Esper reminded herself: I cannot flee... Not with her here... In Alencia's view the pair of them were rivals of sorts, especially after their disagreement. Therefore she couldn't outright flee. No, I'd be more useless than the pathetic Air Esper. Grinding her teeth, she took a step back, ran her hands up to her face where she pushed her hair out of her face, and then began to run her hands through the strands. She inhaled sharply as she could feel her heart rattling in her chest. Her eyes closed tight as she faced away from the clearing. She was panicking; fear crept across her reddened features as she tried to wipe her mind of the situation. Trying to prevent herself from seeming exceptionally weak herself, she took another deep breath and exhaled it slowly before immediately turned back around, but her eyes landed on something other than the Fire Esper.

Instead, her vision landed on the Shadow Esper and another stranger. She could still feel her heart beating ridiculously fast, however noting that Celeste had managed to pull her dress back over her woman parts, Alencia felt the anxiety quickly disappear. The Water Esper was not entirely sure what had happened, however she had finally let the noise of a new voice hit her ears. But, she was only unable to actually pick out what exactly the new voice was saying. Syllables and meanings were lost on multi-hair colored girl as the sound of her own heart thumping in her ears was overriding any sort of ideas of sentences. "Isoanoeayowelyigterelefgimrudmam!" She scratched at her head as she stared at the pair. Her mind was still reeling and she was trying to make sense of what she had just heard. Cerulean eyes watched as Presea quickly, and efficiently, took down the stranger and brought her weapon to the man's throat. Alencia, finally getting her head on straight, reached her hand out and collected her bag up and reached her arm into the bag as she grabbed a hold of her whip. No matter how much the Water Esper wanted to seem the most powerful of the group, it was clear that Presea seemed to be plenty on top of her game, especially after what Alencia had just gone through. "I will give you this one opportunity, to explain who you are. And what you think you're doing here." She frowned before dropping her sack, once more she left the whip within the bag. "H-Hey!" Alencia stuttered out, though she was certain her voice had fallen on deaf ears. In fact, she wasn't even sure how loud her voice had been. Volume seemed lost on her as the two continued carrying on. "My, oh my. A ruthless little one we are introduced today, no?" "Hey!" Alencia tried again, though she was mainly trying to get Presea to give her a moment to get a piece of the action. Even though at present, the Water Esper was unarmed. "Do not mistake me for someone so weak that I will not slaughter you like cattle now if you do not sate our curiosity.""Hey!" Alencia took a few steps closer, anger decorating her face. She could hear the exchange and it was obvious that this man had no desire to provide answers to Presea's questions especially with the next sentence that had squeaked out of the man's mouth. "I am searching for... something." "Answer her questions!" Alencia demanded but the man continued to prattle on as he made his escape. "Now, if you would kindly allow my space to me please. I have apologized for my actions and I have shown no threat to you or any of your people. You on the other hand are displaying a level of disrespect I can not forgive." As the man began to scoot his way out from beneath the short Shadow Esper, Alencia twisted her expression into a glare as she kept her eyes on the man. Presea had done an adequate job of getting the man into a more defensive state, however, in allowing the man the room to escape the threat was a mistake. Deciding that Presea could actually use the benefit of numbers, Alencia attempted to close the space between herself and the Shadow Esper.

Though, just as the rest of the interaction had gone, something else grabbed the Esper of Water's attention. This time it was the return of the pathetic Esper. "I...I think something has happened to Eirik... I found his weapon back there, but not him." Staring at the returning Air Esper, Alencia shot her a blank stare. It was a new idea, but not one that she really cared about. While it did explain the fact that the man was missing for so long, she didn't really care. He was gone, he was dead, which difference did it make? After all, the useless ones would eventually die. The two-tone haired girl was aware that the journey would be something of a war for the eight. There would be some survivors, there would be some who die. At the end of the day, becoming friends with the useless sacks of flesh would only cause her to have a harder time with the loss. Proof of that was evident, she didn't care about Xeniel disappearing and this new girl returning in her place. If she had been attached to the woman, it would have been an issue. Luckily, she too was just as useless as the Air Esper was. So, Alencia really had no intention of going past the suggestion. In fact, she even uttered a "whatever," in response to the girl. "Have Nate and Damir come ba-" "Does it ******** look like it? Look with your eyes before you ask stupid questions." Alencia spat sarcastically as she shrugged with little ceremony. Her shoulders barely shifted as she sighed in agitation.

The question from Evelyn and then Presea continuing to interrogate the man left Alencia in a position to where she continued to feel utterly useless. It appeared that the Shadow Esper did not need further assistance in her questioning, especially since the man had managed to wiggle free and began to saunter around the campsite as though he owned the place. Her icy eyes followed him as he continued to stare the black haired woman down. However, the reappearance of Nate and Damir caused the situation to turn in a different direction. "We're back from hunting." The Light Esper dropped the meat before crossing the clearing to place the Chosen of Lightning down against another tree. Due to the lack of sunlight in the area, Alencia only noticed that Nathaniel was carrying the other man as he crossed close to the fire. though, when he placed the man down he was cloaked by the shadows once more. Crossing her arms, she returned back over to the log she had sat on with Alvain earlier. She crossed her arms as she extended her legs out and simply listened to the conversation. The sound of fabric being tossed around was a familiar one, but she struggled to see the fact that Nate had removed his shirt. Therefore, she didn't have a second over reaction.

"Who're the new people?" "One of them is the real Esper of Fire. Apprently, Xeniel was a liar, or at least she claims." She stated as he eyes rolled onto Celeste. Then her eyes landed on the stranger. "As for the second man, I think some bandit. He just wandered in and tripped over Presea. Not very tactical if you ask me." A scoff escaped as she finished her sentence. "So, I only brought back enough meat for about eight people to last us today and tomorrow. But supposing that there's now ten of us, I guess I should head back to the bear..." "Are you for real? No. We're not feeding a bandit. An-" Her words were cut short by the newcomer chiming in. "Eight. There are only eight. Two members of your group are no more. One eliminated, the other presentered herself to be a false savior." Icy eyes landed on the stranger as he continued to strut around with not a care in the world. "Well, I guess if anything you're solidifying Celeste's story. No matter how foolish it sounds." Alencia grunted as she leaned backwards. Cerulean eyes landed onto the brunette as the Water Esper snorted. This whole situation sounded utterly stupid and clearly fake.

"Mmm... this is bear, no?" "Whatever it is, it needs to be cooked. Grab a stick and get that thing rolling." She demanded as she averted her gaze towards the dark of the forest. Alvain had been gone a strange duration of time. Her eyes darted onto the Air Esper as Alencia recalled the fact she had mentioned that something had happened to Eirik. He, too, had been gone for some time. And, if Evelyn was right, perhaps the same could be said for the Animal Esper. She glared into the darkness as though questioning when he would make his return. However, her eyes darted across the clearing "I am your new earth esper. I do hope I am allowed a portion. I have not indulged since yesterday. May I?" "Hmph. I say we only offer to feed you if you can prove to us you really are the Earth Esper. Whatever causes us to be chosen seems to replenish it's members really quick if you speak the truth." She cocked her head to the side. "Though, it wouldn't surprise me if other one did die. Absolutely useless." She scoffed as she turned her attention back on the flames as she anticipated the meal being prepared. Alencia was impatient, hungry, and irritated. Once some food was in her stomach she would be much more tolerable.... Maybe.


☸ COMPANY:: Espers {Except Alvain} cyno ☸ LOCATION:: Forest Campgrounds cyno ☸ EMOTIONS:: Impatient, hungry, irritated cyno ☸ OOC::

[Scrivener_Lost]

"We should eat him..." Wide violet eyes stared in shock at the large badger as it flashed its teeth at him, small sharp white teeth that glistened against the hazy light of the night as it hissed at him, the sound making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. The Esper of Beasts could hardly comprehend how large this creature was. Sure, he knew of badgers and small critters that roamed through the land and forests of Yelaria. They had been taught in school of the various flora and fauna that graced his land. He had seen pictures in books and scrolls before, but none of them could truly capture the true size of this beast. It looked to be aged, the fur around its muzzled spotted with gray and silver and one of its eyes were clouded over with a healthy scar. Patches of its charcoal fur were missing and its claws were long and curved, much like that of a dog that had not been properly cared for in months. It was a horrendous looking creature. Demented. Rabid. Alvain was frozen in his spot as the small collection of forest creatures stared back at him, their eyes lighting up even in the dark of the night as they reflected the premature moon as it replaced the sun's spot in the sky. The badger took a step forward into the wet pebbles, his weight knocking a few into the gently flowing creek as he released a terrible growl from deep within its chest. The sound vibrated through the air and traveled through him. It was a terrible feeling. It made something inside of him want to shrink away and retreat. He was kneeling and it would be near impossible for him to stand up and retreat quickly enough. The animals would be upon him in an instant. But the desire to run was far stronger than his long and he shifted his boots underneath him, the sound of his heels scraping against the pebbles like someone shattering glass in his hears. The badger released another hiss and the ears of a tall doe flicked forward, her eyes wide and scrutinizing. "I wonder what human tastes like..." The smooth and low voice belonged to a raccoon that was sitting just off to the side of the badger, a small fish half-eaten in its paws as it crunched loudly on bone and scales. The doe shook her head, her voice sweet and lilting as she addressed the two creatures huddled at her legs. "Eat him? Are you absurd?" Alvain's eyes traveled from creature to creature as he knelt with his hands awkwardly splayed out in front of him, still dripping with the cool creek water. His lips were parted in pure and utter shock as these beats actually talked to him. He was not entirely sure as to how it worked; animals did not posses the lips or logic to do so! He knew this. But they were very clearly able to communicate with him. Had he not been positive that these creatures were about to pounce upon him and rip him to shreds, his mind could have possibly figured it out. But instead, his eyes darted to the badger who insisted on degrading his already harried state. "And why not? Look at him, he's frightened out of his wits." The doe arched her long elegant neck down to the badger and nudged him gently, her large ears focused on Alvain the entire time. "And where in your awful little brain does it tell you that it is okay to eat the next Esper of Beasts?" T-they really want to eat me! I am going to die! Alvain thought as his hands trembled. "Do you really want to be ruled by a whimpering kit like him?"

The raccoon turned and snapped at the badger, his teeth clacking loudly against each other as scales fluttered from its muzzle. "Your kind does not eat humans, you striped fool. Besides, our Lady said not to bother with him. If the wilderness does not take him, the castle will..." Alvain watched in awe as these animals conversed back and forth. It made no sense. How could animals speak between the variable species and still understand each other? They were clearly not communicating like human did. They lacked the ability and well...Alvain had assumed the brain capacity to do so. And yet, here he was, listening to a group of beasts prattle on and debate on whether or not they were going to eat him. He could hear them. He could understand them. But how? It was as if he could hear them inside of his head and yet, their voices still carried over the distance. It was slowly beginning to dawn on Alvain that any noise created by a creature was their voice speaking in the distance. But it simply does not make sense! Here they were conversing as though this were the most natural thing in the world to them. Alvain slowly closed his mouth as he realized his tongue was becoming much too dry for comfort and as he allowed the spit in his mouth to revitalize the muscle, he also appeared to find his voice. "W-wait...you are...talking. I can understand you..." All three beasts turned their gazes to him now as if suddenly remembering he was present. Of course he knew that even if they were not paying attention to him and he tried to flee, they would be upon him within seconds. The badger sat upon its haunches and raised a crooked paw to scratch at its neck, peeling back its lips to show its white fangs. "Well of course you can understand us! Don't they teach you anything in that silly useless human school? You're the Esper of Animals, child. This is part of your birthright." Alvain blinked as he slowly drew his hands in and draped them on his knees. "My...birthright...?" The tall doe raised her head high, the dark patch under her chin speckled with gray as well, though not nearly in the quantity of the badger. Alvain wondered if these creatures were the leaders of their particular species. And then he scoffed at himself. What was he thinking? Animals did not follow the same rules of civility and society. Order? Government? Economics? That's what made animals so stupid. They had no concept of logic or had the capacity to think beyond eating, sleeping, and breeding. It was an unruly and uncivilized life, Alvain imagined, as close as one could get living like a worm amongst gods. There was no way that these beasts, as aged or cautious as they seemed, could possibly understand the complex rules of human society so as to form some sort of pecking order. While he knew that wolves, dogs, and felines were capable of it; he highly doubted these lower creatures were able to emulate the same thing.

"Yes, child. You are the destined barer of the mark of the Beasts and as such, one of the blessings granted to you is the ability to hear all of the wonderful voices of the fauna of this world." Alvain took in a breath through his nose as something dawned on him. They...assume I want this... He slowly began to uncurl himself from his crouching position now, his coat trailing against the cool pebbles as he knocked them about. The animals jerked in response, the badger dropping to its feet and hissing. He would have to cross the shallow creek to get at him, but Alvain didn't want to risk the old animal actually wading across and catching up with him. So he stopped in a semi-stooped position as he took a breath, his hands out cautiously in front of him in a placating manner. "W-wait...I....I...B-blessing?! You think making me to look like a mad man is a blessing!? All of these voices...they're overwhelming! I can't handle it!" Alvain whimpered, his voice low and compressed as though he were afraid of being overheard. "Kkkkssssh! Cease your whining or I'll give you something to really whine about!" The badger growled. I can't believe I am talking...to a bunch of wild brainless beasts! He gazed at them for some time before he shook his head. How could these creatures even understand him? They had no concept of language and yet, here he was speaking to them as though he were speaking to friends, if he had any. He frowned and cast his gaze off to the side, his eyes catching a cat tail that was bending with the soft breeze of the night. "Its just...not fair. My birthright was to take over for my Father as Adviser to the Mayor and live without problems. I didn't want this. I am not meant to have this marking," Alvain muttered as he reached up and pawed at his chest, the mark hidden beneath the various layers of clothing. The racoon's ears flicked in his direction as it continued to rip apart the fish, its small sharp teeth making easy work of it. The sound of the bones being crushed in his jaws made Alvain's stomach turn. And they'll do the same to me if I am not careful... He thought as he flinched in disgust at the small animals actions. "You don't have a choice," the creature murmured thoughtfully as it reached up and pawed at its nose to shake off a few silvery scales. "And the sooner you accept this, the less hardships you'll find," the doe added as she bobbed her head up and down in response, her long ears slapping against the sides of her head. "But-!" The whimper was barely able to leave him before the badger let out a terrible gravely hiss and lunged forward, its short legs splashing into the water. Alvain gasped as he took a step back, the heel of his boot catching a stray fallen limb from a tree. "That's it! I've had enough of this insufferable whelp!!" Alvain stumbled back, his left leg folding underneath him as he crashed backwards, his hands catching him as he watched the badger lunge into the water, its mouth open wide with its stained teeth on full display.

In the distance, there was a long hollow call that drifted over the trees and thrummed deeply in Alvain's chest. The sound was beautiful and yet, deeply frightening at the same time. It made Alvain seize in fear and yet, he could not help but feel drawn to the call. There was something alluring and sorrowful in the voice, but the land distorted it and made it difficult for the young Esper of Beats to pinpoint from which creature it came or what exactly was being said. The animals froze in their spots as their eyes and ears darted in every direction. The doe flicked her tail and took a step back as the raccoon dropped his fish. "W-wait...did you hear that?" The doe tossed her head from side to side before drooping it low with a wide swinging arc before rearing up nervously. With each nervous movement they made, Alvain flinched as he raised his arm protectively over his face. Wh-what is making them so nervous? His eyes locked onto the doe as she turned sharply. "Oh...it must be him...the Favored Son...quick! We need to leave!" Alvain slowly lowered his arm as the animals turned and began to saunter off, clearly spooked by the strange woeful call that had lingered in the air for much longer than he expected. The animals were skittish now and with each new sound, they jerked in response. "Come! If he finds us here, we'll all be eaten!" The doe called over her tawny rump as the raccoon swiftly darted into the thick brush, leaving behind his half-eaten dinner. The badger, however, seemed quite content to glare at Alvain from his half-submerged location in the creek, the water soaking the charcoal fur as it lingered in the water. The young Esper slowly pushed himself into a sitting position as his eyes fell on the threatening face of the badger. The doe stomped her hooves with impatience and the badger eventually relented as he turned slowly, grumbling and growling in the lost opportunity. "Grrrrmmmgg...yeah, yeah. I'm coming." As the badger caught up with the doe, the pair of them began to walk back into the deep thicket. Before they disappeared completely, Alvain could hear the doe add, "Leave him! The Favored Son will take care of him soon enough." And then, silence. Alvain sat there for a moment as he struggled to absorb all that had just transpired with nothing but his breathing to break the silence. A breeze rustled the trees and grass around him now as he stared at the spot in which the animals had been for a moment before he closed his mouth and swallowed dryly before be broke out of his trance. He gazed around him in panic for a minute before he realized he was sitting on the ground and nearly as quickly launched himself to his feet, wincing at the tight pull in his left knee. He rubbed it furiously for a minute before running a hand through his silken locks. "I...I don't even know...what just happened..." He spoke breathily before patting down his coat. He stood there for a moment before his eyes noticed something dark laying in the pebbles at his feet. Leaning down, he investigated the strange shadow before he recognized the shape. With an elated gasp, he reached down and plucked his gloves from the dirt and held them up. "My gloves! But," he quickly gave himself a once over before frowning. "Where did they come from? I checked myself..."

It mattered little. As long as he had his gloves, he did not care for the obvious stupidity that would most assuredly come with having lost them somewhere in his coat only for the fall onto his rump to have jarred them loose. Or else, what could have possibly explained their sudden reappearance? As he pulled them on his hands, the glove on his right caught against the dry and agitated skin, pulling against layers that had been upturned by his consistent scratching. The feeling caught him off-guard and he grimaced before pulling his left hand over it and pressing against the warm irritation. He rubbed it with frustration before wrenching his hands apart. They all made me do this, he thought in resentment of the other Espers, I hate this. I hate all of them. He felt the bitter sting of frustration fade into a despondent longing to go home. He could feel in the pit of his stomach the call of homesickness as he turned his head in the direction from which Yelaria would be located. Just from peering up at Envesos he could tell where Yelaria would be located from measuring the distance from the horizon. I wonder what Reśvault is up to...what did Borgeu cook tonight? And Father...I wonder...is he staring at my empty seat...would he look there with the same sad empty eyes like he looked at Mother's seat? Alvain ran his hand along the back of his neck for a minute before sighing and turning back in the direction of the camp with a look of disdain. Not a single one of them have come for me...I am sure if I were to be eaten by a bear right now...none of them would even bat an eye... He stood there in the dark for several long minutes as he thought about the horrid events of the day. He did not want to return to the Esper camp. Out here, he was free of Alencia's tyranny and the crude words of the others. It would be so easy...to just cross this creek...and go back home... His violet eyes drifted back longingly in the direction of home. My Father wouldn't reject me...would he? He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before he sighed and turned his head back towards camp. No...I have to go back to that pathetic rabble... He knew well enough what would happen if he did try to go home. Hell, they even had the perfect example! The new Fire Esper had even claimed as such. But I am neither a liar nor a fake... In the end, however, it would not matter. He would be struck down the minute he passed through those gates. With a heaving sigh, Alvain slowly turned his feet back in the direction of camp and began to create even steps as he slowly made his way back. He hadn't gotten more than a few feet when he began to hear the sounds of something strange in the distance. This...enhanced hearing is a bother... Alvain grumbled inwardly as he reached up and poked a finger into his ear. He had come to accept that his hearing had improved and though he denied the logic of animals speaking to him, he could only just barely understand that now...he would hear everything. Beasts, threats, and voices included. But what he heard now was neither beast nor human. Instead, it sound loud and terrifying.

The sound of lightning and thunder. Alvain flinched as his hands went straight to cover his head as a loud snap sounded out, the sharp whip-like sound echoing through the woods. That was definitely the sound of lightning nearby. He was sure that the weather was not setup for a storm, but then again, they were nearing the mountains and the weather around this region was known for being fickle at best. There was another loud snap and another before the last final clap sent Alvain running back to camp, a droning whine trailing behind him as fear drove his instincts to hide. The Esper of Beasts ran blindly back towards where he assumed camp was located. To be honest, he had pretty much forgotten exactly where he had come from. The bit with the beats had caused him to become quite disorientated and as he hurriedly blindly in the dark he could hear things behind him. Voices. Whispers. 'The Favorite Son is coming. The Favorite Son will kill them all,' the voices repeated over and over again. But he was far too nervous from the lingering effects the thunder had on his ears to discern from which animal it came from. Instead, he simply continued on in the direction from which he guessed camp was. This is insane! I can't deal with this! Augh! N-no! There was a far off rumble of thunder and his instincts of fear kicked into overdrive as he let his legs guide him. However, this proved to be a foolish thing to do as he ran straight back into the same bramble brush, the thorns tearing at his coat as he flailed madly. "Nnnnng! Ah! Wretched-blasted-agh!" The Animal Esper emerged from the same brush from which he had nearly tumbled right into as he finally appeared back into camp, but not before his foot caught the same log in which Alenica had promptly sat down upon. The toe of his boot connected with a loud thunk and he stumbled into the clearing, nearly taking Alencia with him as his right arm struck her in the back, falling without grace as he connected with the dirt on his hands and knees. "Agh! Ow! Nngg...." He knelt there for a moment before he slowly pulled himself up into a kneeling position as he quickly dusted his hands off in a panicked motion. It were as if it had taken him a moment to realize where he was as he lifted his head and blinked, his eyes falling upon the odd arrangement of Espers within the clearing. In the short time that he had been missing, quite a few things had occurred apparently. He took a minute to fully become aware of where he was and who was there. It would appear that all eight Espers were now in the clearing and Eirik had appeared to change hair color and shrunk a few- Wait a minute... "That's not Eirik," Alvain whispered breathlessly.

He slowly pulled himself to his legs, his eyes latched onto the newcomer. His eyes flitted over the fine features of the male's face and noted the feminine quality as it truly sank in that Eirik was missing. His brows tightened over his features as he reached down to pat the dirt off of his coat and aching knees before a hot bitter smell wafted over him. Instantly, his nose was filled with the scent of raw iron and his eyes reacted by watering. The scent was overwhelming and it hit him with an intense ferocity as his hands went to cover his nose. "Augh! Wh-why does it smell like...like...blood?" As he blinked away the hot tears the scent conjured, he quickly gazed from one person to another. Had someone been hurt? Was there a fight? Had the animals been correct and had whoever the 'Favorite Son' was come and attacked them? He wrenched his eyes shut tightly for a moment before opening them, his eyes dancing through the thick shadows to where Damir was propped against a tree, a healthy amount of blood coming from an injury to the side of his head. Is it from Damir? He's injured...but! No...he's not bleeding enough...this scent...its saturating the entire place! Alvain's eyes swept to the new stranger and followed his shadow to Nate whom was speaking with the stranger, his bare back facing Alvain. The scent was heavily lingering on the Light Esper, but he was still not the origin. Instead, it appeared to be coming from a large oddly shaped rolled up mass of flesh on the ground. Alvain stared at it for a minute, a strange sensation rolling in his gut for a minute before he quickly shook his head as he became repulsed by the smell. It was clearly a dead animal. He took in a series of sharp breaths from under his hand before he reluctantly removed it from his nose. "What in the world is going on? Who is the stranger? And why...why is there a dead animal on the ground?" He wasn't asking anyone directly, though he did expect someone to answer him. However, shortly after he had spoken his request, he regretted it. He didn't care why Nate was shirtless. He didn't care why there was a reeking mound of flesh in the dirt. And he didn't care about Damir's injury and he certainly didn't want to know where Eirk was an who this stranger would turn out to be. All he did care about was trying to convince himself that this was all just a bad terrible horrible dream.


Color Encyclopedia

"Bird Dialogue"

"Racoon Dialogue"

"Deer Dialogue"

"Badger Dialogue"



〖 Ｌｏｃａｔｉｏｎ: Clearing 〗c 〖 Ｃｏｍｐａｎｙ: All Eight Espers 〗c 〖 Ｍｏｏｄ: Nervous, cautious, anxious 〗c 〖 ＯｏＣ: 〗


"Talking"
'Mofo erizzle.'

[Promise of Bliss]

cynosuralcataclysm11▸LOCATION: Clearing cy||no ▸MOOD: This is a damned mess...



If there was one thing Presea was, it was vigilant. Some would call this anxious over-suspiciousness that manifested in her constantly armed-and-dangerous state of being. But as his face flashed an angered scowl, she felt somewhat vindicated by her haste. Ah yes, here was an unsavory person, clearly deserving of her unbecomingly aggressive tendencies. Of course, she could imagine that had she been in his shoes, her man-handling would not have been exactly met with a smile, but likely a similar expression of irritation to his own. In a way, she could hardly fault him for being irate with her response to his groveling apology... he had apologized, hadn't he? Of course, this hadn't been the first time that a dangerous being had met her so candidly... As she loomed over the newcomer (if only by a few inches, but she took that as a small victory), he smiled just a touch. "My, oh my. A ruthless little one we are introduced to today, no?" Presea tightened her grip on the strap she had grabbed, narrowing her eyes viciously. What did he take her for, a child? The woman could do without the condescension and haughtiness; did he forget that it was she who held the blade to his throat, not the other way around? Presea would be more likely to speak nothing before she would sass the person who held her life in the palm of their hands. She bore into his milky-gray eyes. She was likely more angry than she should have been, that she could consciously acknowledge. It had all been poor timing on his part. Well, that and happening across a group of intrepid explorers in a secluded part of the forest by supposed happenstance, then barreling into camp unannounced and launching himself into the likely most paranoid and quick-draw individual among the remaining troupe in the clearing. Yes, none of that had worked to his advantage, sadly enough for him. His smile turned into something more of a smirk as they glared at each other. Around her, she absently recognized people speaking-- was it the Light Guy back from hunting? Maybe Evelyn was saying something else, or Alencia shouting for attention like she always did-, but she was narrowly focused on the man beneath her blade. The man sighed, averting his eyes for just a moment. She allowed herself to smirk now. That, in itself, was a small victory in her eyes; it was a sign of submission (even though she had no doubt that it was not, she could convince herself that she had in one respect come out on top). He began speaking after a short pause, "I am searching for... something. Now." Presea did not even attempt to disguise her rolling her eyes. Be more vague, please. she mused, pushing the blade a bit closer to him. It did not seem to matter, though, as he began to lift himself from the ground.

It was not something Presea was quick to admit, but she abhorred her height specifically for instances such as this. As he stood, she felt her intimidation failing more and more. She was almost a full foot smaller than him, and while she was still convinced that she could easily run him asunder in actual combat, she was no longer the awful presence she desired to be. Alencia was near her now, intervening and adding a full three inches of terror to the brigade. She deadpanned as Alencia yelled, "Answer her questions!" But the man seemed wholly uninterrupted by her input. There you go, Alencia. Yowling at him like a nervous cat will certainly bring him round... She would never admit it, but she was silently grateful for the Water Esper's help. If nothing else, it made the potential fight a two-on-one combat, and subtly demonstrated that she did have an ally among the ranks. It was a shame that he seemed about as moved by her as a rock was moved by the rain. He started backing away from her, and against her desires she released her grip on him and adopted an obviously offensive pose with her weapons. His weapon was still sheathed, which was a good sign at the least. Still, she was not entirely convinced of his amiability, especially considering how evasive he was being to he inquiry (though in all honesty, she would not have exactly been spilling information had she been approached in such a manner....) "Now if you would kindly allow my space to me please," No way in hell. She took careful steps after him as he attempted to widen the gap, a panther stalking its prey through the night. He could stand, he could have a three foot gap, but he was not going to have the advantage of distance on her. He would stay in close quarters until she had a name. "I have apologized for my actions and have shown no threat to you or any of your people," Wrong. His unexpected and unannounced presence was well enough of a threat to warrant any malevolent behavior she was displaying. Until she had a name and purpose, he was nothing more than talking target practice. "You on the other hand are displaying a level of disrespect I cannot forgive."

"When I seek your forgiveness you will know," she countered, her glare fixed, her hands ready. "I will show you respect when I deem you to be someone worthy of it, and someone who answers my questions candidly rather than pointedly evading life-saving information is disrespecting not just me, but each of the very deadly people in this clearing as well." She darted her eyes around the open area almost imperceptibly, her eyes landing on Celeste, Evelyn, Alencia, as well as the apparently newly arrived Light Esper and Lightning Esper (was he unconscious? Oh great, he would be useful...). Presea smirked lightly. "You're making dangerous enemies simply to protect a name and purpose. To me, that sounds like an enemy. I would suggest you talk." She stood poised at the ready, observing the white-haired man carefully as the world carried on around her. Respect... don't make me laugh, she thought, huffing a small laugh. I will show you respect when I respectfully alleviate your body the weight of your head and pike it for the world to see... While she understood being apprehensive of a clearly offensive presence, she could not comprehend being so wholly confrontational to what he had to know was a group of arguable demigods. But he seemed content to do just that, even approaching the blonde Esper candidly and holding discussion.

"Who're the new people? Alencia hopped on explaining, "One of them is the real Esper of Fire. Apparently, Xeniel was a liar, or at least she claims." Presea did not much care anymore if Celeste was who she claimed to be. She had made herself significantly less of a threatening presence with her entrance, and answered simple questions without a fuss. "As for the second man, I think some bandit. He just wandered in and tripped over Presea. Not very tactical if you ask me." The Water Esper huffed a small scoff, and the Shadow Esper darted her gaze to her carefully with a small nod. Alencia and she did not always get along, but it was good to know that the hot-headed woman at least had some semblance of a brain from time to time. Presea could always use an ally in trying times... The Light Esper seemed to share no such intelligence. "So, I only brought back enough meat for about eight people to last us today and tomorrow. But supposing there's now ten of us, I guess I should head back to the bear..." If she hadn't been armed, Presea would have been very likely to literally face-palm in response. They had just explained that at least one of his supposed "ten" was a fake and not to be heard from again, and who ever said they were feeding this renegade? Alencia was right on jumping down his throat, alleviating Presea of the need to correct him herself. "Are you for real? No. We're not feeding a bandit. An-" She would have continued, to be sure, had she not been interrupted by the newest addition to the clearing. He moved close to the Light Esper, smirking in a creepily sultry manner at the man as he explained, "Eight. There are only eight. Two members of your group are no more. One eliminated, the other presented herself to be a false savior." Presea felt herself physically recoil, as if his statement had struck her dumb. Elim... eliminated? The "bandit" now felt like less of a threat to her than any of her surroundings. If what he said was true... one of their own was dead. Already? There was no way that someone had already died, much less under her watch. But as she raked her eyes across the clearing, they settled at last upon the pole-arm in Evelyn's grasp. Oh, no, Her eyes widened. Babble Boy... he's dead? He had been among those who had been hunting, and had thusly removed himself from her protection. Had the blubbering buffoon actually gone and gotten himself killed so unceremoniously? She was almost more impressed than she was dismayed at the abrupt loss of a fellow explorer.

At the explanation of his appearance, Presea markedly relaxed her confrontational stance, though she still gripped her weapons solidly. To her side, she heard Alencia grunt, "Well, I guess if anything you're solidifying Celeste's story. No matter how foolish it sounds." Presea's eyes shot toward the newly appointed Fire Esper. The woman seemed just as nervous as any of them, though remarkably less metaphorically loud with her demeanor than the others. Still, she watched the newcomer with obvious anxiety, her hands twitching toward her staff as she glanced nervously around the group. She could hardly imagine this was the sort of welcome the poor dear had been expecting, but it was the hand the brunette had been dealt; she'd made her bed, and now she would have to sleep in it, just like the rest of them.

As the bandit crossed the clearing, approaching Light-Boy, Presea recalled the defenseless Lightning Esper to his side. The new man from town was clearly distracted with flirting shamelessly with their Light Esper, but that did not assuage her nerves at him being so close to her defenseless companion. She looked closer at him now, taking in his appearance. The boy looked remarkably dead, his entire side covered in an unhealthy looking amount of blood that seemed to be coming from somewhere on his head-- luckily Presea understood that head wounds had a tendency to hemorrhage a bit more and thusly looked likely more dire than it was. Still, she could not just leave the poor kid there to be further injured should the man decide to cease his cockamamie scheming to seem harmless and unsheathe his true intentions along with his sword. Her heart thrummed nervously in her chest while she assessed her safest route. The white-haired man would see her approach from any direction, and given that his back was to her now he would most assuredly take any sleuthing movement as an indication that she was back on the attack. There was no way that she would leave the sleeping and obviously injured boy to his own devices though. She was all about leaving people to manage themselves, but in such a situation, leniency was necessary. But how to reach him...? Behind her, the fire burned bright, licking through the air and casting a neat, black shadow before her. She gazed into the darkness, which nearly shimmered in the swirling shadow before her. For a moment, she felt as if something were calling to her, a sharp pull emanating from the inky blackness the fire brought. Her jaw dropped just a bit at the subconscious recognition of the tug. This was it, right? Her supposed birthright as the Shadow Esper? Presea had never paid much attention when people spoke about the powers of the "divine". She had always considered the stories to be bullshit, if she were asked straight. But of course she had paid special attention to her namesake. Before thee, the covenant of darkness will open... She smirked, chuckling softly. If the others could use their powers, why shouldn't she? After all, some god on high had seen her fit to wield them. A mistake I intend fully to take advantage of. Presea stooped to the ground, kneeling carefully beside the shadow. With a foreign sense of finesse, she raked her hand over the grass amid the darkness. The lightest touch and she felt a dizzying sense of vertigo. Her entire body became static, fuzzy and incorporeal all at once as she sank into the shadow. Well then.... "Open, covenant of darkness." The words were nothing more than a whisper, a breath to silence the chaos around her. The world responded with a scream. All around her went black, and she felt the air rush past, whipping at her in a tornado of lashing black tendrils. Her heart raced, her eyes searched for anything around her. She hadn't even considered an honest destination, and yet here she was, plummeting gracelessly through the black without any indication that the blackness would dissipate. It was all at once that she realized that such a small form could not fully expect to command an element so wholly, so quickly. She would need to adjust to the darkness, but for now it was expressing dominance. The darkness pushed against her viciously, forcing the air from her lungs and rendering her incapable of breath. What if she never came out? Could she really die here, unceremoniously drowned by the very element that had hand-chosen her to protect it? What foolishness had overtaken her that she had stared dead into the eye of the abyss and expected it to turn its gaze away?

Her hubris was uncharacteristically rewarded. With a starkly loud gasp compared to her typically quiet nature, her eyes launched open. She was bent double half-way across the field from where she had been apparently not a second prior- each person around her was still in the position they had been in when she had foolheartedly undertaken her task. The difference manifested in the fact that she was now starving for air (which she sought to remedy by means of gasping mutedly through her nose- now was not a time to show weakness she determined as she glared up at the two men before her... trading pleasantries... how droll for such a moment as this) and that to her left, the Lightning Esper now slouched listlessly against the tree. Presea made short work of settling her breathing, and she reluctantly placed one of her weapons on the ground beside her as she reached out to touch him. To her distinct pleasure, he was warm beneath her grasp, her hand cupping his cheek as he slept. She breathed a small sigh of relief, a minute grin on her lips. They had already lost one of their own today apparently (two if you counted the liar, but Presea had written her off just as quickly as the story had been verified). She could hardly stand the idea of losing another, even one so unbearably bright and bubbly as the Lightning Esper seemed to be.

But now was not a time to sleep.

Now that she had determined he was not dead, she made it her duty to wake the boy from his slumber. He could sleep once they were finished around camp. For now, he needed to be prepared for the potential attack that the night could bring. She removed her tenderly held hand from his jaw, moving now to poke him roughly on the cheekbone. If this didn't work, she'd need to move to pinch the back of his bicep- that had always awoken even the heaviest of sleepers among her ranks. "Wake up, sleepy baby..." she mumbled, thankful that he was for the moment unconscious and would not hear her. "Lightning Kid, now is not the time for sleep. Get up."

She paused for a moment, turning her gaze back to the bandit as he began talking again. She glowered distrustfully. "I am your new Earth Esper. I do hope I am allowed a portion. I have not indulged since yesterday. May I?" he announced. Wow, he was a forward b*****d, wasn't he? Presea's heart sank marginally. The new Earth Esper. So it was possibly true- the blubbering moron she had had the displeasure of being talked at by the previous morning was dead. While this was disheartening, she was not wholly convinced. After all, Presea was unfamiliar with the turnaround rate of dead Espers- could he have really died so long ago that another had taken his place so quickly? She would have imagined it was a "one shot or miss" thing every twenty five years... Alencia seemed unconvinced, taking the discourteous doubt from Presea's mind and giving it form. "Hmph. I say we only offer to feed you if you can prove to use you really are the Earth Esper. Whatever causes us to be chosen seems to replenish its members really quickly if you speak the truth." Presea gave a sharp nod, adjusting herself to where she now kneeled between the unconscious Esper and the supposed Earth Esper. Her right hand was still armed, and poised defensively between herself and him. "Yes a demonstration would be sufficient," she agreed quietly, just loud enough for the few around her to hear. "Should you offer that, perhaps I will even apologize for being so rough with you earlier. If you have business here, then my conduct was misplaced, after all." Presea was a proud person, to be sure. Her pride was not so fragile, though, that she was above accepting blame for wrong-doing. She'd rather issue a threat and be wrong than be complacent and dead, after all.If the man could prove his status, she would be more than happy to apologize... "Especially if you answered about your name..." This she muttered to herself under her breath. What was it about the men and women around her that made them so adverse to giving their names? As it was, she only knew the women's names officially, and unofficially Alvain's (she would still not let him have his name until he did her the honor of telling it to her himself). All others, however, seemed to guard their name as a precious treasure. It's not like virginity, damn it, share with the world you prudent brats... She eyed the man warily, though with remarkably less tension in her form than she had previously demonstrated.

As if to punish her for relaxing, an impressive crash beside her caught her attention, accompanied by the recognizable shouting of the Animal Esper. "Nnnng! Ah! Wretched- blasted-agh!" Even before the man flopped into the clearing, Presea had lowered her blade from where she had reared it. She felt her countenance flatten. Stealth and grace seemed now a very rare gift she had been blessed with, seeing as how no one among her party seemed to boast the skill themselves. He pulled himself to his knees, looking to the newcomer in a bit of a daze. "That's not Eirik," Presea shook her head, rolling her eyes. "You wear glasses for a reason, Pretty Boy," she teased, opting not to make fun of him for his brazen gracelessness and instead stick with her tried and true nickname. Alvain went on, "Augh! Wh-why does it smell like... like...blood? What in the world is going on? Who is the stranger? And why... why is there a dead animal on the ground?" His questions were rapidfire, his subtle nerves swelling until his sharp breaths sounded more like panicked rasps than breaths. Without moving her eyes from the "Earth Esper", she shifted her position to sit closer to Alvain while still looming protectively around the Lightning Esper. "Calm down a bit," she said quietly, attempting honestly to soothe the poor man. Whatever he had been through in the forest, he seemed surprisingly worse off than when he had departed for his moments of reprieve. She doubted this was the circumstance he had hoped to return to. "Here's the quick version: Xeniel was a fake, that's Celeste," She gestured shortly to the brunette by the fireside, then flipped her head a bit to knock her uncooperative black bangs from her eyes. "I'll vouch that she's the real deal, otherwise we wouldn't have that fire. That one, though," She tilted her head to the belt-adorned man in front of the Light Esper. "He claimed to be the Earth Esper. Says Eirik died. You were out in the forest, correct? Did you see anything?" She turned her gaze toward him, still shooting her eyes carefully to the bandit occasionally to watch his movements. "As for the dead bear, ask the sleepy pup whenever he comes around. Betcha he has a better explanation than I do. Supposedly it's dinner, but I'm not too convinced it's edible..." Presea was about as interested in a sack of blood and intestines as a chipmunk would be, opting that she was likely just going to eat her berries unless expressly asked to partake. It was not her kill, not her food. As it stood now, though, she kneeled defensively between Alvain and the Lightning Esper, aware fully that she'd have to protect them both if things went downhill. After such a brazen exclamation, she could only somewhere deep inside pray that the man was who he claimed to be. It would certainly save me a lot of trouble....


▸COMPANY: Everyone, I believe...cy||no ▸OOC: Let me know if I should change anything!

[Kairakoi]

Evelyn Δ Kathrine Δ Avila

Mental note: sarcasm is lost on Alencia. Which was just as well, she didn't like to be sarcastic. It was a mean trait and she was really only a bit surprised that Alencia had taken her seriously. Only someone with the ego the size of an entire planet could have missed the obvious sting in her words. As long as it meant Alencia could be a Queen, a drama queen, maybe. In the future, she decided she would need to be more frank with her. That or kill her with kindness. Kindness was something Alenica seemed to have trouble with, or possibly not understand at all. Evelyn had rarely ever needed to deal with someone so confrontational in her life. Virtually all of her emotional fighting experience had been before she was fifteen. It felt childish of her to be fighting now, and with another Esper of all things. But that was the least of the tensions in the camp at the moment. Presea was not backing down from the newcomer. "Name. Purpose. And spare no detail." She was hard on the questioning and holding her weapon at his throat. "I am searching for... something." For a man in his situation, he was alarmingly calm and despite her trusting nature, Evelyn couldn't help but feel like something was off about him. He seemed too comfortable in danger. She didn't like it. The tension was escalating. The stranger, who had claimed he was no threat and meant no harm, forced Presea away from him with rage in his face. An action that caused Evelyn to pull an arrow from her quiver once more. She and Presea may be far from friends, but Evelyn truly believed in the faith. Espers were chosen for a reason-to protect. She had to protect too.

"We're back from hunting!" Nate's proud announcement washed relief over Evelyn's worries."Thank the heavens." But, when she turned to him his shirt was covered in blood and guts and Damir was slung over one shoulder. For a moment of panic, she thought maybe, maybe Damir was dead and those were his blood and guts all over Nate's shirt. Oh my god Damir is dead. Nate killed Damir and wants us to eat him. Nate plopped the boy's limp body down by the base of a tree next to the huge hunk of meat of some kind. Damir was significantly less bloody than his hunting partner. Maybe she had been too quick to jump to conclusions. But so many people were disheartening she couldn't help but panic. The news that it was a bear they had brought down did little to ease her mind. They had been gone and in danger and if they had failed no one would have known what had happened to them, like Eirik. It seemed she was not the one thinking that the Esper of Lightning might be morally injured. Predia checked on the boy and, deciding he was alive, attempted to wake him. It was exactly what she needed to see. She reeled in her thoughts with a few deep calming breaths. She would need to meditate for a long time this night to get any rest at all and be any use in the morning. Her heart began to beat a little slower as she inhaled and exhaled herself into a more soothed state: still alert, but in control. It was the sight of Nate's bare chest that caught her off guard. Her face pinked up a bit. She hadn't seen many men disrobed to any state. "Who're the new people?" Evelyn thanked the heavens for somewhere to look that was not Nate's shirtless body. She averted her eyes back to the situation at hand with the new presence. Alencia took the reigns of the conversation as she had been trying to do all along and Nate made the suggestion to feed all those who were camping out with them. He was implying this new guy.

She and Alencia raised their objections at the same time, "I don't think anyone should be goiing backingot the woods. Especially alone." "Are you for real? No. We're not feeding a bandit. An-" "Eight. There are only eight. Two members of your group are no more. One eliminated, the other presented herself to be a false savior." Evelyn's breath caught in her throat. One fake. Xeniel. Evelyn was relieved to find out that Celeste, at least, may be telling the truth. Although Xeniel’s certain untimeliness was not lost on her. There would need to be a brief moment of mourning and remembrance in her prayers and meditation tonight to beg forgiveness for the soul of the liar who wished for greatness and renown. Surely, any just god could forgive a disciple who wished to be chosen only to be punished by their peers. Surely. However, there was the possibility that the two were in cahoots, bandits together targeting the weakened Espers out on their separate missions. She wanted to discount it. Alencia, oddly, appeared to take him at his word. It was the other statement that knocked the wind out of her and drew forth her worst suspicions. One eliminated. The only Espers missing were Eirik, whom she presumed to be dead after her discovery-or lack there of, and Alvain, who was only here a moment ago. How could he know one was eliminated unless he did the eliminating.

"I am your new earth esper. I do hope I am allowed a portion. I have not indulged since yesterday. May I?" New Earth esper. He said it like it was nothing, like he wasn’t saying one of their fellows had died. And then he wanted food. Evelyn was horrified. "Eirik..." She had known it was true. Predictably, Alencia called for the new Earth Esper to demonstrate his powers. She didn’t need the proof. All the proof had been in the woods with Eirik’s abandoned pole arm. How did it all unravel so quickly? Night hadn’t even fully descended and two of their party had fallen. She shook her head in defiance. She would not be the next to fail. She would never fail. She must persist to protect her family, her mother and her sister and her town. She didn’t want to let them down. She didn’t want to die. Alvain burst onto the scene asking a million and one questions. It was the most she had heard the Esper of Beasts speak since his outburst on the road. They were all questions everyone wanted the answer to and had been asking for several minutes. They still hadn’t seemed to be able to get a name out of their new supposed Earth companion. However, before the Earth esper was able to demonstrate his powers, Presa was asking questions again. But, she was asking the wrong person. “He claimed to be the Earth Esper. Says Eirik die. You were out in the forest, correct? Did you see anything?”

"I found his weapon." She repeated the words she had said upon arriving back in the clearing of their camp. "I looked everywhere, but...." Evelyn shook her head, indicating her failure to find him. He was dead. There could be no doubt. “Though, It wouldn’t shock me if the other one did die. Absolutely useless.” Hurt and anger flared up in Evelyn’s heart. How could she be so nonchalant about someone dying. It wasn’t like she had proven herself to be any more useful than the rest of them. If anything, Nate and Damir should be leading them, not this piece of work. She fought the urge to slap Alencia in the face. Violence was not her way, such thoughts ought to be beneath her. Just then, her stomach growled, bringing her attention back to the oozing slab of bloody meat Nate had kindly offered to share with the group. She could take out her unwanted aggression slicing up the meat for cooking and drying. She carried a small knife just for this reason. It wasn’t big enough for combat and had no hand guard. If she were to use the knife to fight, she would probably just end up slicing her fingers off. "We should probably do something with that before the worms and bugs get to it." It looked like a small portion for a bear, she hate to think that there lay a large dead bear wasting away in the forest, killed for a 15th of its meat. Moving toward the chunk of meat, she began to slice it into portions. "Maybe in the morning we can go back and see if the forest left anything of the bear for the rest of our journey." The forest would take care of disposing of the body. Plenty of carnivores lived in the trees. Birds, foxes, wolves, large cats and countless others and the bugs. Nothing would go to waste in the larger scheme of things. At least she could take solace in that.

Everyone : Who
The Clearing by the Fire: Where
Protective, Pleased : Feeling
Normally I won't post from work. This us a one time thing because I'm desperate. If anything is wrong I will fix it when I get home at 6:45 est: OOC