Wanderlust (OPEN)

[Luna Vitesse]

((No one blames you, Ne--! Shhh, my time to post. Let's get this moving!!!))

[Luna Vitesse]

((Okay okay, I got it! By the way, Luna = older Luna, Lunaleska = younger Luna!))

Luna's arms swiped through the air, a universal gesture to her comrades and new acquaintances that silence was a must. But before she could say anything, Lunaleska had already spoken, "Hush! Less you have a death wish." A mere child and her senses were as keen as Luna's. The steps halted, then feet trekked forward, shouts resonated from above before the group of raiders headed towards the front of the building. The tiny Fierra's ears flickered, drawing her rapier from her belt, the zing of the metal humming through the air as the bronzed blade flickered in the candle light.

The bookshelf managed to shuffle its way passed the door, however, the noise was apparent; painfully apparent. The screeching and scratching of the wood against the floor from the bookshelf made Luna well beyond uneasy. But, the door was revealed; ornate designed sketched into the wood and metal accented door, a heavy looking gear presented in the center, smaller gears lining the frame yet just out of reach from the center gear to work like a machine. Were they just designs? As the pirate brushed the dust from the door, which fell and melted just like frost and snow, there seemed to be no handle. As hard as they tried to push it in or pull it open, it didn't budge, not a noise of give.

Only seconds passed and...

The tiny Fierra turned, a hard swallow croaked in her throat as she held her sword tightly in her right hand, facing the party, the light, or lack there of, gently lining her silhouette; then, with a hard heeled clack behind her, another silhouette appeared.

"Bien fait, Lunaleska...," the weight of her voice fell upon her shoulders, as well as the ears of everyone in the cellar. "Looks like you have redeemed yourself... for today." The petite girl's face was emotionless, yet the tip of her blade seemed to be quivering as she evened her stance, facing off her more mature counterpart.

The rest of the troops fleshed into the room behind Ethelinda, filing in and falling to a knee, like rhinos ready to charge. In the darkness, it was difficult to count them. Seven? Eight? She couldn't tell, but it didn't matter. Luna's eyes frantically searched the room, the weapons, the dynamics of her surroundings before slimming to a stare, hands flexing at her side as she also evened her stance. Luna's target was obvious, yet Lunaleska seemed to be the wild card.

Ethelinda placed her flawless hand on the small girls shoulder, painted nails gently clawing at her naked shoulder. "Now now, just relax and...," with a light tap on Lunaleska's back, "finish the job."

Finish. The. Job.

Lunaleska eyes fell to the ground, her brow furrowed in frustration, the words resonating and swelling in her throat. She grit her teeth and took a quick step forward, pulling her blade back and flicking it into the air, tossing it over to Luna.

Luna didn't miss a beat. She quickly dropped to the ground, loading her weight on the balls of her feet before bolting forward, snatching the blade out of the air as if this was a juggling act. But, as the Harceleur Order ((the name of the group Luna's a part of)) was built on a tradition of reflexes and precision, and Ethelinda, too, had not missed a beat. Her sword had somehow already left the sheath by the time Luna was only three steps away, had already cross the front of Lunaleska's throat at about two, and sliced across her flesh by one, just enough time to end the child and interrupt Luna's strike simultaneously. The blades struck one another, a flash of heated metal illuminated the room if not for an instant before the spray of red dashed itself across Luna's cheek. And that's when she noticed, the younger version of herself, holding her neck, on her knees, gasping for air.

Luna lips parted as she tried to breath, but for some reason, couldn't. "Feable, always so...," a frustrated grunt left her mouth as she quickly took a step back, spacing herself for the next encounter. Lunaleska began to fall forward, yet Luna had already lowered her sword to the ground, knelt down before her, and let the poor child's head rest against her shoulder. Ethelinda drew near, raising her tip to the newly found couple. "Even now, after all of your trials and tribulations my... mature... student," she must have known, or whoever controlling this dream must have, "you still can't--" she drove the blade downward, feeling the metal penetrate flesh, "finish the... geh..!"

Luna had shifted just ever so slightly at the last second, letting Ethelinda's blade pierce her right shoulder, yet unexpectedly guiding hers straight into Ethelinda's chest, all the while cradling Lunaleska in her left.

A ghastly sigh swept from Ethelinda's gaping mouth, and suddenly, as if a scene had been unlocked, their surroundings started to decompose. The soldiers behind her began to vanish into puffs of black smoke, one by one. Then the room started to fade, first the ceiling, then the walls and the stairway, then the furniture, then finally Ethelinda. The sword, once lodged in the tyrant of the head mistress' chest, fell to the ground, and, upon impact, vanished into smoke like all the rest. Then, as if it were apparent, Luna gently laid the young Fierra onto the fading floors, and, like the swords, let her fade away into nothing but blackened smoke.

She turned to look at the only thing that seemed to still be present with them; the door.

The center gear began to wake from it's frozen slumber, cracking noises as it began click and turn. The smaller gears that lined the frame, like a well oiled machine, slid across the wood to join its parent gear, gaining power and also commencing their own rotations, then transferring the same power to the gears that attached to it, and then so on and so forth till...

One thud, two thuds, three thuds...

Like the rollers in a lock, finally, the door swung open and light poured into the non-existent room, causing Luna's now teary eyes to squint, doing her best to shield them with her open hands.

A cold, refreshing air swept through the door, flakes of a wintery wonderland flurrying in as the light started to soften, their eyes adjusting, something being put into vision just beyond the door.

Luna turned to the pirate... what the hell was he still doing here?!

((Uhgod... finally done with my dreamscape. That was difficult to make... somewhat interesting... I hope it didn't disappoint too much *wipes off sweat*. Talis! Don't forget to post too! I'm just assuming you're with us now!))

[Thrustin243]

OOC: Holy... freaking... You guys are killing me! I hope you don't expect me to post like that. It's like I'm reading novels! *crackes knuckles* Okay okay.. FOR THE TEAM!!! Ahem...

[Thrustin243]

The hairs on Stoic's arms stood as the ceiling creaked and sputtered dust from the heavy boots stomping above. He turned to Luna, nodding at the objective and then getting on the other side of the bookshelf just to pull it hard enough to cause a racket, maybe just a little.

He tensed, the screeching noise obviously giving away their position and hearing the boots stomp their way out of the orphanage and out to the front. He thought, like a bandage stuck to a cut... right? Just... rip it off? And so he did, with one final tug, he yanked the bookshelf from over the mysterious door. He quirked an eyebrow at the intricate designs, gears, swirls, wood and metal. Tapping his chin, as he inched closer, feeling the cold air radiating from the surface of it, he couldn't help but put a hand to it, letting the tip of his bare finger melt the exterior with a dot.

With such a hot and dry climate, it didn't make any sense why a door would be... near frozen, let alone cold to the touch. As the swashbuckler, wielding a very odd tool, brushed away at the frost, Stoic couldn't help but think, Oh no... what if this is.. what's next for me.

With a clack of her heels and a bone chilling voice echoing across the room, Stoic couldn't help but yelp from surprise, only to see lines of orange against the women's bodies. He quickly reached for his weapon, but had forgotten it was confiscated during the arrest. And as the soldiers piled in behind Ethelinda, hope began to sink in his gut. But Luna stepped forward, without hesitation, without any uncertainty. Truly admirable.

And in a flash, it seemed to be over, he blinked and.. and missed it! The room began to rumble, as if this world they were captives in began to break. And, at last, the door, oh those sweet clicks, started to come together.

Then, that feeling of excitement and hope, that uplifting ray of certainty and safety started to fade. No, not fade, but rather had vanished into thin air almost as soon as that door swung open.

The snow bellowed in, the scene before them came into fruition. Niflheim Castle, the capital of the northern regions of Andrie, and Stoic's home.

He looked back towards the others, these dreams obviously starting to take their tole on the group. Was it okay? Could they pass through it? Was it safe? Seeing as it was his home, and, he guessed, his time to share a bit of himself, he only felt it right to be the first subject for testing. So, he did. With one foot in front of the other, he slowly emerged on the other side.

Taking a few steps in the deep snow, he turned again to his friends, the group, before suddenly realizing his attire had changed completely.

He now wore furs over his hardened leather armor, plated with metal along the shoulders, elbows and gauntlets. A spacious wool hood covered over his blond hair while his fur cloak wrapped around his shoulders and arms, yet leaving his chest plate visible, championing the crest of this kingdom. After a second or two of staring at himself, he looked back up at the group, a look of embarrassment flashing over his cheeks, "I-I guess... I'm a knight for this go-around," he chuckled, trailing off as he patted his side, feeling a new weapon to his hip.

"Shall we... get this over with?" the acquiescence obvious in his tone.

OOC: WHEW! Alright, ahem... I'll get mine over quickly. Dress warmly! haha. Oh, and Lilly, feel free to jump in at this part since you're in the forest in "real life" and you're knocked out? When we enter the town, I guess, it'd make sense if you work your way into the story? Somehow? Let me know if you need ideas!

[Thrustin243]

OOC: Holy crap! I totally wrote a book too! I'm awesome!!! Okay... Ryu, Somer, Talis, Neon, Lilly, your turn!!

[Reko]

The other are frantic for an escape route, but Somer has a nagging feeling that the key to their release was coming for them. The feeling is reinforced when they discover the strange locked door. Someone put much effort in designing this dream for them, and desired something before allowing their escape. She and Nakisisa sneeze multiple times as the new fellow dusts off the door. The shape-shifter eyes the brush intently, noting that the nature of the brush--and the man wielding it-- bears similarity to his own peculiar existence. He has little time to analyze the man, however, as the guards and that wretched woman burst into the room. The kitten arches his back and hisses, but the witch holds up a hand to quiet him.

Somer watches the peculiar scene unfold before her. This was what the dream weaver wants, to force this confrontation. Or is it the nature of the dream? The scenery is very obviously from Luna's mind, so she finds herself wondering if perhaps Luna yearned for such a confrontation. It's all over very quickly much like a hurricane; days to build up followed by a short furious storm. Her heart goes out to Luna as she lays her younger self to rest, something very few people can ever manage. The conjurer helps the Fierra to her feet, pressing her palm to the wound and stopping the bleeding, but saying nothing. She pretends not to notice the tears in Luna's eyes and turns back to the door.

Nakisisa bounds ahead, plowing into the snow after Stoic. In this dream, he takes the solid form of a large, grey hunting dog. He barks happily at Stoic and nips at his heels. I love snow! he projects happily, rolling in the powdery white stuff. Somer follows him through the door with a little less gusto. As she steps into this new world, a warm, hooded, fur-trimmed robe envelops her. Beneath the robe is warm trousers, heavy boots with fur-lining them, and an equally warm tunic with the same crest embroidered on it. "Where are we?" she asks Stoic, actually knowing very little about Andrei.

[Lady Lyllian]

(( YAAAAAY I HAVE READING TO DO!!! Damn me being in Portugal and in a totally different time zone! I SHALL POST TODAY!!! ))

[Reko]

Lady Lyllian

(( YAAAAAY I HAVE READING TO DO!!! Damn me being in Portugal and in a totally different time zone! I SHALL POST TODAY!!! ))

OOC: I was also wondering if, between wrapping up with story arc and getting to you in Allantus, you would be interested in writing a summary of the story thus far so I can update the front page for any new RPers interested in joining us.

[Thrustin243]

The snow fell like confetti at a parade, little flakes nearly hovering at the slightest change of atmospheric pressure. It truely was an icy wonderland, and some of Stoic's foggy memories deemed the notion to hold some merit.

He took a deep breath, that condensed air filling his overheated lungs from Callisto, and remembered why he loved the cold so much. With a smile, not nearly as half hearted as it felt, he responded to Somer's question.

"This, my friends and...," he quirked an eyebrow to the pirate, confused as to why he was still visible, "uh... friends, would be the region I hail from. This is Niflheim Kingdom. This is...," he rubbed a cozy warm gauntlet over his hair in slight frustration of the words he was forcing himself to say, "my...my home..."

He turned, placing his hands to his hips, one just at the guard of his sword.

Well, I guess if I'll be traveling with them, lying does not foster companions. He crossed his arms, one finger raised to his chin. But this doesn't mean whatever it is that's forcing us to maneuver these... experiences will reveal my cover, right? Besides, even if it did, I could trust them, he nodded, reassuringly to himself.

Yea... I'll give them a tour, a look around, and we will be on our merry way to someone else's.... deep dark... sec--, oh dannazione!!!

Ooc: also, I'll be phasing in and out of Italian! That's the native tongue in Niflheim. We'll call it... Niflian (pronounced nif-il-ian just to reduce confusion, lol)

[Lady Lyllian]

(( ok so my post wont get done tonight...my husband's mega snoring is over taking the house. So I can't find a quiet spot to sit and think scream stressed
Promise I'll get it out in the morning when the mini me is eating breakfast and engrossed in his cartoons.
Also I know I haven't said my characters name yet... confused sorry 'bout that..its a habbit I cant seem to get myself to break. Wont use her name till she is actually introduced to another character..

@Reko - if you mean writing out a summery for the entire story so far? eek not sure I'm qualified for that..I mean I can certainly try but..I don't think I could do it justice..seeing as I haven't been with the story but for a few posts. I went over a few details with Thrustin to catch me up and skimmed through previous posts to get the feel of the story style but..thats about all I know. sweatdrop
However I can certainly give you a quick summery of my character? If that's what you were wanting. ))

[Lady Lyllian]

She awoke surrounded by white. The ground beneith her was hard and frozen. The cold stinging like a million papercuts on her skin. When she sat up she felt the soft touch of fur against her skin. Her dark eyes looking down to see herself covered by a white and gray fur cloack.
When did I get this? She wondered as she wrapped it around herself. The crisp air blew her long pale, almost white, pink hair astray. Quickly getting it under crontrol she tucked it into the hood of the cloak and examined her surroundings.
Where am I? Where did those band of pirates go? Last she knew, she had been captured. She didn't think they would just let her go. Not with the price she had on her head. Even she wouldn't let herself go!
She decided to start walking. It wouldn't have been a very good idea to stay out in the snow in an unfamiliar area, and with zero supplies.


(( I think my brain died on that one...Makes want to shoot myself with how many times I used the word 'she' ...........I can do better gonk ))

[Ryu Infiniti]

"Snow...."
"Snow!"

Ryu and Sayuri passed through the doorway. His outfit also changed with the scenery; The most notable change was his shirt a now thick cotton shirt dark red in color with a balck vest, with a long scarf that flowed in the wind. Sayuri remained unchanged yet again aside from her budding horns with a few noticable light green, and light yellow scales. The two observed their new surroundings; Ryu seemed somewhat dissatified, but Sayuri ran off happily and followed Nakisisa.

"So I guess we are in Stoic's nightmare this time around." Ryu trudged through the snow unsure what to think about everything that had transpired. Luna's past manipulated, and changed for what seemed like nothing more then to emotionally attack her. How someone in this world had similar abilities to his own, aswell as the ability to manipulate his power.

::I don't know who you are, but know this... You will pay for manuipulating my powers, aswell as attempting to harm those under my protection.::

Sayuri stopped, and knelt down quickly. "Hehehe." A few minutes later the young girl jumped up, then threw a snowball at Nakisisa though it missed and struck Stoic in the back of the head. A small gasp escaped the childs mouth, as she stood frozen in her tracks unsure what to do next.

[Reko]

Somer grins and kneels beside Sayuri, "Oh, don't worry about him. He probably needed that. He looks like a sourpuss right now!" the witch gathers up some snow and launches another snowball at Stoic's face just as he turns around. Nakisisa is up on his paws again, barking excitedly at Stoic. Are you just gonna take that?! he asks.

[chibi_wolf41]

Talis was nearly the last one to walk through the door. Her clothes changed as well, from her light fabric dress uniform to a long-sleeved shirt, and thick woolen pants, topped with a vest made of hardened leather, and leather gloves. The small blade she'd had with her in Luna's dream had changed as well, to an iron dagger with a six inch long blade. She was wearing shoes now, too, knee-length leather and fur boots, and she was draped in a black cloak with a hood.

Talis grimaced. Never in her life had she worn so much clothing! The thick leather and fabrics would surely be limiting to her abilities. And the cold, oh, gods, the cold! It seemed like a leech, stealing the warmth from Talis' face, the small patch of skin where her sleeves ended and her gloves didn't cover, anywhere it could touch bare skin. Her eyes stung with it. The snow was like a demon. It got in everywhere to her boots, gloves, and the hood of her cloak, and then melted, making that cold as well.

"I hate the snow." she said, simply.

[Thrustin243]

Stoic fluttered those eyelashes at the hovering snow flakes, just before hearing Ryu's comment about this being his dream.

"Dream? I thought these were mem--," mid turn, a padded ball of snow came whizzing through the air, crashing into the back of Stoics skull. "Geh-!" he spouted, stumbling forward just a tad before quickly spinning in the snow, meeting face to face with, yet, another ball of snow which smashed into the top of forehead, dead center on the blue bandana he sported.

On impact, he flinched his head back, stretching that pale neck of his and immediately losing balance, falling flat on his back; a nice imprint of him on the surface of the two foot deep snow.

He let out a few coughs and breaths of air, batting at the snow that fell like dust onto his face. His eyes clicked to Nakisisa's. He nodded, "Ha! This is my territory. Those cheeky--" yet again being interrupted.

"Oooooooy!!" A voice called from the distance, just off to the road side. Stoic, taken by surprised, rather spastically sat up, whipping his head to and for to throw off the sheets of snow on his face and hair. Clearing his line of sight, there seemed to be quite a few people walking along the neatly cleaned and plowed path which, undoubtably lead to the city wall.

"Bambinos! What are ya doin' galavanting around in the snow! The king's celebrations will begin shortly! It's bad luck ta miss the lantern ceremony. Betta be quick!" the man waved, a hearty laugh escaping him as he rejoined the crowd of high spirited countrymen and women.

Stoics eyes brightened up, a wide smile cracking through his red, frozen cheeks. "The King's Victory Day!" Stoic practically bubbling with giddiness and excitement. He swept the rest of his snow from his face, one sloshy flick of the wrist before turning to the group. "Maybe this won't be such a nightmare, after all," he smiled, his attention quickly turning to the next person who crossed the gate, Talis.

Watching as the woman's garb illuminated before settling down on her person, Stoic gently cleared his throat.

"S-so, I guess since you are still with us, you weren't simply a figment of our imagination. You must have been in the forest too," he scratched his head, walking his way over to her. "Let me introduce myself. Please, call me Stoic," he nodded, turning to the others. "And this is Somer and her companion... or apparition, Nakisisa. And," motioning with an opened hand as he turned, sweeping to his left, "that's Ryu, and...." his expression dropped from bubbly to a panic, just noticing the child that had been tagging along this entire time had yet to be introduced to him.

"Uhh...," with a stumble on words, "a-and then there's..." he turned to the still gaping door, only a silhouette remaining of "Lu--," he paused, something colder than the ice that surrounded them pierced his heart, an icy feeling creeping up his throat.

"..."