[ Poll ] Friction (A Fantasy War, Literate RP)

Uhh... yay?

Yay!		34.1%	[ 15 ]
... *death glare*		36.4%	[ 16 ]
*sees the death glare* <.<		29.5%	[ 13 ]
No.		0.0%	[ 0 ]

Total Votes: 44

[Toxias]

~~~~~~~~~《~G~ȗ~ɨ~ɴ~ѐ~ѵ~ɘ~ɍ~ȇ~ 》~~~~~~~~~
Queen of the Night

A single grain of rice…

Guinevere finished her breakfast and stood, leaving the dishes for a servant to collect. Sweeping out of the room and back up the stairs, Guinevere stopped a chamberlain to inquire the whereabouts of Isabelle, her fourteen year old daughter. The chamberlain informed Guinevere that Isabelle was off in the woods again. Just then, lightning flashed again. Guinevere pursed her lips and nodded for the Chamberlain to continue with his duties.

As Guinevere sat on her throne, a black shadow swooped into the room, sending droplets of glittering rain water falling into the air. Guinevere held out her arm and the shadow flared its black wings to land delicately on Guinevere’s pale arm. It was a raven, black as night with fine and glossy feathers that Guinevere ran her fingers through.

“What new Malachi?” Guinevere asked. Malachi shook out his damp feathers as he replied in the animal tongue, “The Alliance council's going as well as can be expected. All the representatives are present, save Lord Nimbus from Petra. There are some conflicts, but Palestra sorted them out. Oh, and your daughter is with the Riverfang wolf pack.”

Guinevere nodded her thanks and Malachi unfurled his wings to take off, floating on thermals to dry off. Malachi was Guinevere’s most trusted animal, a wild one, tame only for her. Guinevere was sorry that he was out in the rain, but she had not anticipated it. It had been bright and the day was filled with sunshine when she sent Malachi out a few days ago. It was bad luck he had been sent out in the rain, but the news he brought was good. Guinevere wanted good relations with both sides, without the other side knowing. Bartor was a good man, an excellent diplomat, it a little overenthusiastic about his national pride.

As for Isabelle, Guinevere could only sigh and worry. The Riverfang pack was a strong one with a powerful and wise leader. They protected all its pack members, but they were quite aggressive. Still, they would treat Isabelle well. It didn’t make much of a difference though, Guinevere wished that her only daughter would not go traipsing in the rain. As if to punctuate this though, another jagged fork of lightning spiked down from the heavens.

After some more unproductive thought, Guinevere set out to the balcony overlooking the large courtyard that doubled as the training lists for the Elite Palace Guard. They practiced and trained, even now through the unforgiving weather. Guinevere was protected by an overhang, but she still had to blink a light mist out of her eyes as she peered through the gloom.

Arpa was a powerful country with a booming economy due to great prosperity and numerous items of trade, among these rice and silk, wheat and indigo, the dye of royalty. This wealth had allowed Arpa to build up the best military and navy that Ashnar had ever seen. The sheer number of trained professional fighters Arpa has was astounding, more than the armies of all the races combined. This made for a pretty even playing field, the other races with their magical ability and Arpa with its numbers.

But Guinevere didn’t dwell on this too long. She was getting chilled and couldn’t see much anyways so she turned and headed back in, the rain lashing after her.

…can tip the scales.

[[oh boy, I can already forsee Gwen being all alone in Arpa for quite some while...but that's ok, I've got Isabelle now! ^^]]

[Toxias]

~~~~~~《~Ῐ~ ȿ ~ ȃ ~ ɓ ~ ѐ ~ ɭ ~ ȴ ~ ɘ》~~~~~~
Child of the forest

You’ll only find me…

Isabelle Fortuna sighed softly as she stared out from a black cave into the gloom of the rain. She had woken at an ungodly hour and evaded the palace guards to make it out of the city and into the surrounding forest. The sloshing marshes didn’t bother Isabelle, she had grown up with them. And this infernal rain. Usually Isabelle didn’t mind getting wet, but if it was thundering like it was now, she wasn’t going to risk her life.

A bundle of fur moved at her side, and Isabelle took her eyes off the rain to glance down at the gray lump. It was Stonethunder, Isabelle’s best friend within the Riverfang pack. His father was the beta. Right now though, Stonethunder just yawned, his lips pulling back to reveal a dimly gleaming mouthful off teeth. But this didn’t bother Isabelle, it was another thing she had grown up with. Right now, she was grateful for the warmth Stonethunder gave off as he slept pressed against her arm.

Still, this time, Isabelle had not left the castle for a brief jaunt into the forest. She had packed her bags with enough provisions to, hopefully, make it through the Salib Desert and to Garatog, where she had heard the Shatir were rising. This ancient race intrigued Isabelle and she wanted to see one. Isabelle squared her shoulders as she thought of this. She could do it, yes, she could. The animals would help her along the war and…well, no one would be able to sneak up on Isabelle.

Looking back at the sheets of rain, Isabelle perked up. It was lessening and the constant thunder was fading. It would still be a little while before Isabelle could set out again, but it didn’t matter. Mother’s soldiers wouldn’t be able to find her. In fact, only her mother would be able to pinpoint Isabelle’s location perfectly.

Isabelle frowned slightly. She had thought she caught a glimpse of Malachi, but she couldn’t be sure. Surely mother wasn’t daft enough to send out Malachi in the rain? Oh well. Isabelle snuggled closer to her lupine friend and began to doze off lightly.

…if I want to be found

[Erethia]

[[Ooh, I like everyone's characters~!!]]

[Kyorina]

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┊┊Ѧero ℒumeria┊┊
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{{Aw: well we love your characters, too~! <3}}

Aero almost frowned. He didn't, though: he always tried not to! But still: he was frowning on the inside. What a boring fellow... Arava, Arava, Arava: that seemed to be all he cared about! Super tourist, much? No... This went way beyond tourism. He was so cautious, even towards a question as innocent as 'are you hungry?': obviously this 'Al' character was hiding something... And doing a terrible job of it, no less. Taking an apple out of his bag and twirling it on a finger, he responded "Well; I just bought groceries--" Obviously. "--but it's been a while since the last time I did, and I think I bought too much... And I wouldn't want it to go to waste~!"

This was weird. Aero wasn't feeling as cheerful as he usually did... Ah-- He wasn't starting to get... Angry, was he? Hoo boy; that could be dangerous... He really shouldn't go back to town, in that case: though of course Al in-sis-ted on hurrying back as quickly as possible. Silently examining his feelings for a moment as he walked, he stopped twirling the apple and stared down at it, his smile no longer close to fading. Okay: he wasn't angry at Al. He was just feeling slight impatience towards the boy. After all: here Aero was being perfectly kind and friendly, and all he gets in response are careful answers! "...You know..." he began after a moment, deciding to say something, "You realize I've been completely honest thus far, right?" His tone was still bordering on the cheerful side, but somehow seemed to also express a bit of disapproval: implying that the Fledgren should feel bad about himself. Tsk tsk: what an ungrateful child!

{{Anger management FTW~! <3 -Yawns- I got up first thing in the morning to sneak on the computer. >w<}}

[Kyorina]

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┊┊Ѧero ℒumeria┊┊
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Al stopped at Aero's words; stuttering slightly before owning up to his mistake. That made the red-head feel much better, as he replied in a once again sing-song voice "Much better~! Now; that wasn't so hard, was it~?" If you thought about it: Aero really hadn't lied about a single thing thus far. In fact: he tried not to. Sure; sometimes he only told half of the truth, but he rarely lied. On numerous occasions he had admitted to people that he was wanted, and of course killed them afterward, but he didn't lie.

"Hm... If you think about it, 'Al' could be short for 'Alimbil', right?" he said, speaking the thought aloud. "I'm just gonna keep calling you 'Al' then, mkay~?" Already he was back to his usual cheerful self; a good thing, for who would help him eat dinner if he killed Al? If there was one thing being poor taught a guy, it was that you should never waste food. It'll always come back to haunt you, in one way or another! "Ah-- We should probably bandage your wrist while we're at it~! I'm sure there's a first aid kit back at the Inn. And you can't fool me; I can see it's not 'fine'... I mean: it's all swollen!" It was swollen: very swollen. And angled strangely... Al sure is a terrible lier! Heh: just like me~!

[Kyorina]

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┊┊Ѧero ℒumeria┊┊
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{{The science: it burns my eyes! XoX}}

Al's mind seemed to be in a completely different place: that was for sure. His voice was far-away and his eyes were unfocused... A flashback, perhaps? Haha: probably not! He just loved flashbacks~!* It wasn't long before they arrived at the gates, and one of the guards seemed to remember him leaving just a short while ago so they got through without all of the usual hubbub. "Careful not to get lost in the crowd~!" he told Al as the street grew more and more filled with people. Luckily for them, however, the Inn Aero was staying at was rather close to the edge of Arava. He never stayed in the middle of town: what if someone recognized him and tried to arrest him? It would be so difficult to escape!

Actually: he decided that maybe he should hold on to Al's hand--the uninjured one--just in case... Which he did. He himself had gotten lost here before, after all! "Hold on-- It's over here!" he said, fighting their way through the bunches of people to the Inn's entrance: sighing with relief as they made it inside, and letting go of Al. Well, it was the middle of the day and the Inn was right next to to Market: this was to be expected. He practically skipped to his room--motioning for Al to follow--and opened the door and he got there: making his way to the small kitchen. Again, he was extremely happy with what a great Inn this was! ...Despite the whole mid-day crowd thing. Before Al entered, though: he hurried to toss him bag of belongings into a corner where they wouldn't draw much attention. After all: he had a few... personal keepsakes that he didn't like people asking about. Like his brother's pendant, or... Or his own wanted poster. But it was such a great picture: how could he not hold onto it? He looked pretty cool, if he said so himself~! And with that, he headed into the kitchen and started unloading ingredients.

{{*Yeah: I dunno... I'm feeling hyper all of the sudden. xD And what sort of criminal doesn't carry around his own wanted poster? >w<}}

[Toxias]

~~~~~~《~Ῐ~ ȿ ~ ȃ ~ ɓ ~ ѐ ~ ɭ ~ ȴ ~ ɘ》~~~~~~
Child of the forest

You’ll only find me…

Isabelle glanced drowsily out of the cave again, her hair smelling of the scent of the pack. Some of them were stirring now, following Isabelle’s gaze at the outside world. The rain had slowed to nothing more than a sprinkle, and they would probably go on the hunt soon. Patting Stonethunder on his head lightly, Isabelle felt a surge of excitement and triumph. The guards still hadn’t found her, and soon she would be almost out of their reach!

Shouldering her pack Isabelle told the Alpha that she was leaving and thanked him for his hospitality. He replied something incoherent, still half-asleep. This left a smile on Isabelle’s face as she stepped out into the woods, soft rays of sunlight striking down. Isabelle could see the mountains in the distance. A good day of walking would bring her to them, and perhaps another would bring her over them.

Another surge of exhilaration straightened Isabelle’s spine and she stepped out with a determined stride, more carefree than she had been in a while.

…if I want to be found

[[Aww, we love your characters too Thia ^^]]

[x_kitsune Thief_x]

'By the grace of the father and purity of my heart...

Avalon's tail beat against the wood harder now, his nitemare-ish encounter.

@~the past
Avalon came to his previously peaceful encampment, the smell of blood was dizzying. He started for a body before losing his balance and spinning around to regain balence and so he didn't see the body of his clan-mate. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he looked for any movement, then he caught sight of a dark cape, not of clan color. His hands clenched into fists and his tail whipped around behind him before he bursted forward, he jumped up into a tree and swung at the man with a knee aimed for his head.
The man ducked under the incoming attack and Avalon skidded to a stop, he growled at the man who chuckled. "now now boy... sit down" he said as he pulled a thin blade from his belt and slashed the back of his hand, blood quickly dripping down his fingers. He chanted something under his breath, the blood started to ooze into a continuous from and hardened.
"You killed my family," Avalon growled, "I am going to take you down". He traced a symbol into the ground and pressed a hand over it "vines... bind him to the ground" he chanted as the ground erupted and lush green vines tangled around the man.
The man swiped at Avalon, just catching his cheek and drawing blood. A bright light flashed and Avalon screamed out, the vines were now wrapped around him, only now red and rougher. The man stood up "Do you hate me" he asked with a sinister laugh.

... I seek solace for my broken soul'

[Kyorina]

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┊┊Ѧero ℒumeria┊┊
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{{Oh snaps! =O And it's fine~! >.^ And the pendent... The pendent's in his profile picture.}}

He was halfway finished with the meal when he stumbled across a dilemma: he had bought two different kinds of fish without realizing it! Oh dear, now what...? Poking his head into the other room, he asked "Hey Al, which do you prefer: Salmon or--" He stopped though, as he saw something sparkling in the light of the sun. Wait a minute, wasn't that...? "Wha... That's Gale's--" Then he realized that his bag was lying open; the corner of a familiar sheet of paper sticking out of the top.A moment of silence spent through the room, neither of them saying a word in a temporary state of shock.

And then something happened.

Aero's eyes narrowed, and his grin grew dangerous. My my: he really is an ungrateful child. isn't he? he thought, somewhat angrily. Oh dear: it'll be difficult to kill him without anyone noticing. I'll probably have to skip town... What a shame: and to think his day had been going so great so far! His eyes flashed with a hint of anger and a hint of growing insanity as he asked simply "May I have my pendant back?" He didn't want to get blood on it, after all.

{{Aw crap, he's going insane. Yeah: I'm probably gonna end up getting arrested... Tch: I thought we'd be friends, too! Well; maybe you can get along with the nice Aero... >3>}}

[Kyorina]

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Heh... He had to admit: the look of terror on Al's face was priceless! Almost a priceless as the look Gale had, when he... It was things like this that were the most fun~! The thing about Aero was that he was unpredictable: you never knew if he was going to let you live or not. Heck: there was even the chance that he would turn himself in! Even then, he wasn't sure whether or not he was going to kill Al. Well; there was a slight problem... His sword was on the other side of the room; near his bag. Now... What should he do...? Before he could think of anything, though, Al began speaking again: asking him why he killed Gale.

"Why...?" he echoed, thinking the question over. Why? Why had he killed Gale, again...? His smile flickered as he pondered the question, thinking back to the cold, winter day his village had been attacked. He held his head in his hand, thinking hard; racking his memory for an answer. After all: he didn't like to lie. "Why..." he repeated, replaying the moment in his head, "An... Impulse, perhaps...?" Even to him; it sounded like a terrible reason. Ah well, the past was the past: nothing he could do about it now. Shaking his head to clear it of the unpleasant memory, he finished as if trying to brush the subject aside "No reason: it's not important."

{{'Not important'... He really is crazy! I'm creeping myself out! =O}}

[Harlequin Marionette]

[[ I should be making a post here today. My kid has been sick and he is more important than the computer. 3nodding ]]