Masked Angels (O/A)

[dragonrebelfire]

If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world

Sarai saw that soon people began to slink out of their homes and back into the streets, only to be pushed back by running guards. 'They sound like bells when they run.' she thought with a bemused smile upon her face as she listened to the clanking. Someone must have done something very naughty for multiple guards to run together, something more naughty than a mere citizen of the town could do. This idea, of some foreigner, maybe like herself, causing more mischief than she intrigued and pulled her in the direction the "clankers" ran to.

It was less than a minute when Rai drew near the fight. One lone boy stood fighting against the guards, and quite well she must note. Should he have been losing, she would have instantly jumped in to help. That was not the case though. The boy looked as though he wanted to start a massacre with how deft he fought. Not that she had any complaints against that. Guards did the dirty work of a maleficent queen, knowing full well the torture they spread throughout the land.

Leaning against the wall, Sarai drew her hood over her head and bent herself to look like a haggard beggar with her dusty old cloak. In reality she was merely watching the show, though when one guard drew too near with his sword swinging about, her smooth, gloved hand flicked out of her cloak and sent him sprawling to the ground with a force field. None, however, took heed to her actions, so she remained stationary as one soldier fell after another before the boy.

but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all.

[Daemon_Slayer]

Anton flowed between victims, his blade did not move fast, but it did move steady, slowly with concentration. Where he lifted, it not only knocked a guard off balance, but deflected that of a second sword. He swung a slow sweeping motion, and one of the guards legs gave out under him. He grinned, sharply, his face taking on the look of a madman for a second before returning to normal. These guards were nothing, he had a goal.

He then saw the first one come. He didn’t wear plate armor like the guards, but a long black cape and a scale like armor coating protected his body. He walked the same way Anton did, his shoulders up but his body relaxed. He strode into the circle of fighting men, and where he did, the other guards made room. He was another shadow dancer. He knew they would call them, and he was sure more would come. He wasn’t going to stay and fight them. He was one of the youngest, and all these men had more training than him. He just needed to make sure he kept the fight going long enough that he could draw more out, remember their faces, and then retreat. If he was ever going to get to his mother, or lead a revolt, the shadow dancers would have to go.

The man came with a grin. “Why hello Lord Anton, it has been a while no? Why not put down the sword and use the weapon you were created to use.”

Anton grunted in response and flinched when he used his title. He was hoping not to reveal himself yet, but no big deal, it was obvious to everyone he was no friend of the hierarchy. He put the obsidian stone blade back in its sheath, and snapped his wrists down hard. A long bladed dagger suddenly stood in each hand, his left held it point out, and his right held it point down. The shadow dancer held two daggers the same way.

Suddenly both seemed to turn semi translucent, and were in multiple places at one time. The sound of metal against metal, and occasionally against cloth, could be heard. Glimpses of the fight could be seen, but both of them had the same abilities, which meant that much of the fight was happening outside of the realm of normal human perception.

In their shadow dance, the two men slashed at each other. Once in a while drawing blood, but more often than not having their blows deflected back by the other.

“You’ve gotten better boy.” The elder assassin admitted as he took a step back. “But many of us are still stronger than you.”

Anton grinned and instead of following, dashed back, suddenly he was on top of a wagon standing in the back of the screening checkpoint, near the gate. He could see in the crowd at least three other shadow dancers, and that was more than enough for a start. He could find out where the others were from the one’s he recognized. “I don’t intend to fight fairly.” He smiled and dashed back again, his daggers still out, he slammed into two high ranking guards behind him, each dagger finding a vital point on their bodies and killing them swiftly.

Anton turned on his heel, and shot off into the forest, pushing himself and his shadow dancing abilities hard. He knew damn well how this war would be fought. He had started to show the people that the guards, and even the queen’s personal assassins were fallible, and that was the first step to winning.

[dragonrebelfire]

I have always found that mercy

'Who are these people? Their fighting skills are far beyond that of the queen's lousy army.' Sarai thought as her eyes tried to stay focused upon the fighters, but even they moved too quickly for her. From what she could gather, the boy was taught to fight far away from this kingdom and so were the newer men he fought. They all were very skilled, yet the boy was no where near the experience of these other new comers. They all moved like lightning and fought with blades that were hard to follow. She was envious. She would love to be able to move that quickly with such sureness in her skills.

Words were easier to follow than their bodies. Rai knew full well that one of the newcomers called the boy Lord. He was noble, to what extent she did not know. She couldn't even infer what country he'd be a noble from. Nonetheless, she licked her lips at the prospect of using him against the queen. Her mind lost focus of the fight and the fact that the boy was edging closer to the gates since her mind was creating one too many schemes to keep track of.

By the time Sarai realized the boy was out of the town, he was probably quite a ways towards the forest. Quickly chastising herself mentally, she hobbled her way to a back alley to keep up her charade before bolting towards the forest. She was determined to find the boy and question him so the fact they'd be alone in the forest was a good thing. Also the fact that she knew the forest like the back of her hand and tracking methods benefited her in finding the boy. Others would get lost halfway on the trail. She, however, would find him in a matter of minutes hopefully.

'Ready or not, here I come.' Rai thought to herself as she left the town. She could hear others in the forest with her, probably looking for the same quarry as she. Eyes catching little notices of where he might have run through, she followed quickly, far ahead anyone else in the forest after him.

bears richer fruits than strict justice.

[Daemon_Slayer]

Ah, but justice, is the last refuge of the victim...

Anton continued to run. He dashed between the shadows of the trees gracefully. He had no idea how he did it, but he knew he could, and that was more than enough. Eventually his shadow dancing would give him much stronger abilities, but he was young, and inexperienced, so for now, he worked with what he had. He felt hot blood drip from cuts on his cheeks and arms. One was even dangerously close to his eye. He had trained hard, but so had his mother’s assassins.

He went to dash again through the shadows, but something like an enormous static burst signaled from behind him. Normally he could sense a persons presence when they were close to him because he sense some kind of energy that came off of people. Another power he didn’t understand, and didn’t need to. By feeling the frequency and strength of the energy, he could predict emotions. And by following the direction of the energy, he could sometimes predict where the enemy would strike next.

In cities, he had to shut himself off from the energy, because it was enough to drive him mad. A low electric hum that persisted even as he slept, so he shut it off. But for the fighting, the power was good, and for running, he could sense his pursuers. This energy behind him however, was immense.

He could feel it coming like orb lighting, the hairs on his neck and arms stood up towards it. He dashed up into a tree and looked back and he saw the source of the energy. It was a beautiful young woman, her face was covered by a mask, and the field of energy surrounding her was greater than anything he had ever felt. She was obviously not a guard, or a shadow dancer. He took a double take at the mask. It could very well be that this was one of famed masked angels whom the citizens talked about. He had taken far to many risks tonight anyway to be daunted by another. He disappeared from the shadows of the tree, and sprung into existence again not more than five meters in front of her with a smile. He put his right hand on the handle of his sword, and bowed elegantly. But then, he had nothing to say. He couldn’t force anything to come out as he looked at her. So he blurted the only thing he could think of. “Can I help you?”



...because justice is the least they deserve.

[dragonrebelfire]

Courage is the ladder

For a while Sarai thought she had lost the boy. On occasion she'd catch a glimpse of his passing, but not much to tell her she was running in the right direction. Irritation grew at the thought that she lost him. Never before had she lost what she chased, whether it be the angel's next meal or a man. She was very much a girl who always got what she wanted, and right now she wanted to find that boy. 'It's as though he's a mere shadow, you can see them here and there, but not one that stretched across any expanse of land.' she thought to herself as she noticed the trail had ended. Soon her feet stopped moving entirely as she stood in the middle of the vast forest.

Rai didn't quite understand, she was beyond certain that he went in this direction. Yet as she looked about she had a vague sense of someone watching her. Honestly, she found it quite unnerving. Her hand went instinctively to Adalia as she began to look around. Her silver hair blew slightly in the wind as her body was motionless. No sound or movement could be detected from the area around her, yet he was here. 'Where'd you g....' she couldn't even finish her thought before he appeared before her like a ghost.

Sarai kept the shock from her face from his appearance. Instead her eyes narrowed slightly as she summed him up. He had little cuts here and there from his skirmish with those men. He was also quite chiseled and his body defined, far beyond most boys of his age. He looked to be maybe only a couple of years younger than she. "Maybe you can, maybe you can't. You see, your little fight back there could have wounded many for a point I'm sure you wanted to make. I merely want to know what point that is." she replied coolly as she didn't bow, curtsy, or make any other formal gesture to the boy. Instead she kept her gaze steady and watched him quite intently.

on which all the other virtues mount.

[Daemon_Slayer]

Anton grinned, she was definitely who he had thought. “You are one of the masked angel’s are you not?” He smiled and dashed again up into a tree directly above him, sitting on a limb he looked down at her. “What reason do you think I did it for?” He said waiting silently for a few moments. He just wanted to get her brain working, he didn’t like having a conversation with someone who wasn’t constantly thinking.

“No seriously…I did it to prove a point. All of those people in the town, I just showed them that the guards, and even the queens personal assassin’s are vulnerable.” His grin turned again, to a sharp one. His teeth looked beastlike and his eyes wild, insane. For a brief second he had the look of the madman he partially was, but then it faded. “I showed the people, the peasants and the workers, the servants and the slaves, that even the people who have controlled and abused them can bleed.”

He dashed down again, this time right in front of her and held out his hand. “My name, Anton Damien Pyres, my mother is Claudia Pyres, you may recognize the name?” He smiled knowing she did. He didn’t let his guard down, he knew she may attack before he could explain himself, knowing he was the queen’s son, but he did keep his hand out without reaching for his weapon.

“Before you draw your blade, let me tell you, I am not like my mother, if tonight didn’t prove that then nothing will, but please know, I have no good will towards her in anyway.” He shook his head and looked past her as if seeing something that wasn’t there, he was in fact seeing into the realm between realities that shadow dancers were accustomed to. There were monsters in that realm alright, and a lot of insanity. He once heard an elder shadow dancer say that when a dancer died, or when he lost his mind, the insane part, the more animal/evil part of him, was trapped in this…thinning…between universes or worlds, and those these things weren’t malicious or harmful, they were unnerving to say the least. God please let him not be as insane as he thought he was.

“So you asked what my point was, and I have explained, but let me indulge you. My point had two targets, the first I explained, the second, was my mother. By now she knows that the son she has sent into exile is back, and he is strong. She knows that her guards took a serious a** kicking tonight at the hands of one man, in front of a large group of peasants. She will be on edge, and she will make mistakes, and I will use this time, of her being off balance, to strike, wherever I can.” His eyes seemed to turn, seemed to darken, the dark half of Anton was present now. “She and her assassins did something to me that was beyond horrible. I lost half my sanity because of it. Now that I am back, I intend to cast that insanity back upon them tenfold, no one hundredfold.” His eyes seemed to be stuck in that malicious gaze for a few moments, and then turned back to the sympathetic ones he previously wore. “Sound okay to you?”

[S p i n n i n I n R a i n]

Charlotte Violetta Scarlett

Don't speak in her presence; Don't look her in the eye..

.. She'll ruin your fate with her casual lies.

------------------

Charlotte hummed lightly, walking down the center of the street. She was humming light, a normal tune, and pretty much felt normal. As normal as she may of felt, though, she definitely didn't look normal. The dress she wore was a deep crimson with cream lace at the arms. She was wearing a black velvet cloak with the hood down, which was usually convenient, because most of the time it hid the sword strapped to her back. Not today, though; today she left her sword at home, carefully hidden in a chest. Her two daggers were strapped to her thighs with two pieces of leather. Her raven black streamed down her back in almost graceful waves, glossy as ever. But, there was obviously one way to tell who she was; by looking at the black mask covering her eyes. It wasn't incredibly fancy or anything, but it still stood out. All in all, Charlotte wasn't the most normal looking girl in the village.

She looked around, and the smile which was before on her face faltered. 'Disgusting..' She thought, looking at everyone on the streets. She wasn't referring to them, no, she was referring to what they had to do. It was completely and utterly unfair. Here they were, either working all day or stranded on the streets, and they got nothing, while the queen was at the castle, ordering people around and not even lifting a finger. The thought was enough for Charlotte to make a disgusted noise at the back of her throat. Sure, when she was little, she admired the queen; because her parents had raised her to. But as she got older, she saw the truth, and everything her parents had told her vanished. She sighed, shaking her head. 'Ranting is pointless, Charlotte; you know that already.'

With another sigh, she continued walking down the street. She looked around, and realized she could possibly stick out. Rolling her eyes, she looked around and made sure no one was looking, then took her mask off, sliding it into a pocket on the inside of her cloak. She continued down the street, hopefully appearing more.. Normal?

OOC; First post, if there is anything wrong, just say! :]

[Daemon_Slayer]

[[ No it looks good, now we just need more people to post sad ]]

[Apocolyptic Revolution]

The younger prince tutted softly, crossing his arms. "We all know you're faster brother, but do you really need to be so gruesome about proving it?" Phylix murmured, watching the blood shed near the gates with mild contempt and a touch of amusement as he stepped down from the railing of the balcony where'd be been crouched. Dangerous is it may be for anyone else, heights held no power over the boy. He strode back into the room, which was a very odd construction indeed.

Rather than a marble floor, or even wood, the space spanning the walls was strung up with ropes, the walls adorned with chestnut bookshelves, filled with thousands of books. It was high ceilinged and the ceiling gave way to a massive window ribbed with thick bronze bars. It was Phylix's personal study and very few bothered him there, as many could not balance the loose ropes as well as the prefectly balanced prince. He crossed the room, passing nimbly over the ropes as though it was a regular floor and pulled down a red leather bound book and a quill from a small shelve protruding from the shelves. Flipping through the yellowing pages, made a small note and closed the book. Rather than place the book back where it had been, he moved silently across the room, plucked an identically bound book and replaced the one with the new notes in it into it's place, before putting the second book in the first books place. He did this often, switching books around to keep his memory sharp and to keep his notes on his brother's activity hidden.

Phylix feared for Anton's sanity. The trials of the shadow's dancers had robbed him part of his mind unfairly. The Prince suspected that the rejection from their mother also harmed him deeply, whether he knew it or not.

Pulling his thoughts from the past, the seventeen year old barred his door, fetched his cloak and crossed to the balcony. He stepped onto the railing, and without a glance down, stepped off.

[Daemon_Slayer]

[[Nice intro post Apocolyptic Revolution ^^]]

[Apocolyptic Revolution]

[[Why thank you. :3]]

[Daemon_Slayer]

[[give credit where credit is due right? I just wish dragonrebel would GET ONLINE!!! bah, schoolwork = BS lol, don't tell her I said that surprised She'd get mad.]]

[Apocolyptic Revolution]

[[Our little secret. wink ]]

[Daemon_Slayer]

well thank you, but since she's gone, I think I am going to sneak off to bed, I work till 5 gaian time, thats 3 central time for you normal people. SO I'll be back an hour after that, hope to see you all on, sweet dreams and may they inspire you, good night.

Hindsight is 20/20. Never wish you had done something different. Live with no regrets, and you can die happy. The secret to life is not wanting to go back and make a different decision, but making the best out of the choices you've made.

[PumpkeenKing]

Here Comes the King of Fools

Though it was well past the morning and approaching noon time, one of the Prince's in the Palace was still fast asleep in his room. With the dark velvet drapes pulled tightly closed, the spacious bedroom was cast into darkness. The only light in the room came a from a few meager candles dotting the walls in their brass handles, but it was only just enough to be able to see the floor right underneath your feet. Multiple times that morning servants had approached the deep mahogany door that guarded the bedroom, but no matter how loud or how many times they knocked, the sleeping Prince inside would not respond. Finally worried that something terrible might have happened to him, a servant girl called for a soldier to break down the door. After a good hard kick at the handle, the door swung open and the servant girl rushed in, stumbling around in the darkness and groping a hold for the drapes near the wall. Finally grabbing what felt like velvet in her tiny hands, she threw open the curtains, letting loose a wave of light into the dark room.

A muffled groan came from underneath a bundle of red blankets on the king sized bed in one corner of the room, and the servant sighed in relief, glad that the groan showed signs of the prince being alive.
"Prince Kyte! Do you have any idea what time it is?" she asked, her voice filled with respect but exasperation at the same time. The bundle of blankets moved a little and the muffled voice responded sleepily, "But me and Anabelle were just so comfy in here."
The servant girl blushed madly, shocked that the most innocent Prince would have a lady in his bed. She shooed the guard out of the room and, frowning, threw the Prince's covers off of him. Curled up on his side was Prince Kyte, with his blond hair sticking up in a very un-princely manner, and held against his chest was a small, white kitten. It's eyes were still closed as it purred gently against the man's bare chest, but Kyte was looking up innocently at the servant girl with dark sapphire eyes.
"She followed me home last night..." he whined when the servant gave him an exasperated sigh. Kyte was known to pick up stray animals from the streets outside the palace and it didn't bother him that everyone else in the palace disapproved of his habits. After more whining and complaining, the servant finally tore the kitten from his side after reassuring him that it would be given to one of the noble ladies in the Kingdom. When the servant left, Kyte climbed out of his bed, unhappy to have his short-term pet taken away, but understanding why at least. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his spikey hair, making it more presentable at least for the day. As he changed his pajama bottoms to something a bit more presentable, he wandered over to the uncovered window and looked down at the streets below with a calm expression. It was somewhat busy in the market, but it didn't look as if anything exciting was happening.

Pulling a black jacket over his bare chest, he wandered out of his room and towards the smell of lunch.
'Eat first, play later. That's my plan for the day!'